When I was a dev lead, I would not go to lunch alone with any of my reports male or female. If I went to lunch with just the males it would seem like playing favorites and if I went to lunch with just females, it could lead to rumors and innuendos and it wasn’t worth the risk.
On the other hand, one of my former coworkers when I was an IC is now my wife....
On the other hand, one of my former coworkers when I was an IC is now my wife....