If you act different when the manager walks in, you’ve told everyone what you’re like when they leave.

Changing how you behave the moment somebody walks in is a confession delivered sideways. As you straighten up, everybody present understands that there are two versions of you and which one they have been getting all afternoon, and the person who matters most in that room is not the manager. It is the coworkers who now know how much of your work they carry.

Take one thing you only do when watched and do it all shift when nobody is: the restock, the wipe-down, the proper greeting. Keep your pace steady when the door opens rather than performing. Being the same either way is also much less tiring.