Dealing with angry or entitled Karens can be challenging for frontline workers. However, using some simple strategies may prove beneficial.
First and foremost, keep in mind that Karens don’t always go by this name. According to bionic research, Louise is three times more likely than Karen to cause complaints, accounting for 4.8% of them all.
She wants to speak to the manager
Customer service workers may have encountered Karens at some point. These demanding women can be difficult to deal with as they tend to expect the world to bend to their demands; often leading them down an entitled path with attitudes such as rudeness, aggression and abuse – particularly towards things outside their control that cannot be changed.
There are ways to prevent Karens from ruining your day, though. Here are a few strategies for dealing with them. 1. Try empathizing with them – though this may seem hard, it could help defuse the situation more quickly. 2. Stay calm – try relaxing when dealing with Karens as this could reduce tension between both of you. 3. Keep talking: this may sound hard but is surefire way of deescalating situations faster
2. Be polite but firm. Karens may react negatively if they feel disrespected; therefore it’s important that you remain polite while being firm with your request and eye contact with Karen if necessary – otherwise she might use this tactic against you! 3. Only request to speak to a manager after trying to resolve the problem directly with regular staff as otherwise you risk becoming labeled a “Karen.”
4. Explain the issue calmly and objectively. Karens may be difficult to manage, but by remaining calm and providing facts-based explanations of what’s going on they may budge – just don’t get emotional or use inappropriate language when communicating.
5. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. People often mistake speaking out as wrong; however, speaking up can actually be beneficial and should never be seen as anything other than an empowering action on your part. Just remember that ultimately only you are accountable for the emotions you show, so never allow someone else to have control of these decisions or dictate the emotional state you show others.
If you need some assistance dealing with angry Karens, consider teaming up with an advocacy group such as Elliott Advocacy or Clark Howard’s Consumer Action Center. They provide tools for dealing with difficult customers while protecting your business from damage they might do to it.
She is spoiled
Karens are middle-class women known to insist upon speaking to the manager. Though this behavior may seem normal, some Karens can become extremely demanding and abusive; one such instance occurred when a 14-year-old boy was riding his bike around his apartment complex when another child immediately wanted it from him. Instead of simply allowing this teen to keep it, an entitled mom we will refer to as Karen began accusing him of theft before forcingfully taking it from him until another older individual intervened and told Karen to back off.
She is entitled
Research has demonstrated that those who feel entitled often have high expectations that go unmet, leading them into disappointment and psychological distress. Such people are likely to blame others for their problems while acting selfishly or dishonestly themselves; maintaining positive relationships may become challenging when an entitled individual refuses to cooperate or follow directions; entitled individuals can cause frustration and stress for other people; it’s therefore crucial to try to understand their perspective and address issues proactively proactively – with words such as narcissist, spoiled brat or jerk being suitable descriptions.
She is a pain
“Karens can be a pain and sometimes even a danger.” She recalls an instance in the grocery store when one of her friends was Karened by two Karens while just trying to buy some ice cream; two Karens called out this man as being annoying and threatened to kick his rear end; in response he shrunk away with tightened mask on face.
As we have observed, Moo is well aware of her actions’ ability to cause may hsgha in other Karens. To manage this dynamic she has learned to avoid situations that might provoke this feeling and also practice an indirect “Karen way” of asking/refusing requests that do not compromise other people’s power/strength.
