in that case, i will repeat with details.
if you have an employee who wants to chat and confide every day, you have a needy employee. or is it only once in a while and you are aggravated by it? does your needy employee get the job done? is she worth keeping? can she be re-trained? then i would plan on three to five minutes, no more, at the start of the employee's work day, to talk ... to listen ... to focus on her ... and then ... as employer, you must firmly say 'time to get the rooms flipped' or whatever it is that the employee is there to do. and the personal conversation ends. that is what i would do.
is the employee a time waster? in the business office world, this would be the one who stops at every desk to talk, gets coffee, gets water, makes copies, all as opportunities to chat or vent or complain or or gossip or whatever. this has to be controlled and stopped. at a b&b, this is the employee who does more talking than working and who will distract other employees or you. you must take a firm hand here as well by separating employees and being very much a supervisor to be sure that the work is getting done.
i allowed absolutely no personal phone calls that were not emergencies while the employee is working. i assume you have this rule in place. i had one employee who did not last more than a few days who wanted to call her boyfriend during her short shift ... whose boyfriend came by to see her while she was working (i sent him away) ... who wanted to talk about last nite or yesterday or tomorrow. she was a time waster. she cried when i let her go during her probationary period, but she was not doing her share of the work ... and that is unfair and demoralizing to other staff. and she knew it.
i am sorry i cannot give more advice than that. each of us has our own style ... and that includes our managerial style. yes, mine is the warm and fuzzy style. i don't think it's incompatible with efficiently running a business and effectively managing staff to be on friendly terms with them, i don't consider it wasting my time to talk before or after work for a little while ... notice i said a little while. but, i'm a talker and might drive you nuts. i don't have a partner and enjoy a little conversation.
if an employee makes you feel like tearing your hair out, then whatever is happening is not working. if an employee thinks you, as boss, are wonderful, but they are not getting the work done, then that is not working. performance evaluations and staff meetings are important ... do you have them?
if i were you, i would seek out blogs and books about managing staff. have you taken any management courses? it can be real challenging.
i now work with volunteers who all want to chat with me. i'm the paid one with a schedule and limited hours, and they are my new challenge..