Be Wary of Karens in the Workplace
Have you ever witnessed videos online depicting white women calling the police on people of color, then “Karens” may be familiar to you.
This term refers to a type of middle-aged white woman with an authoritative and demanding nature; often wearing a bob cut and demanding her way. Such behavior has gained notoriety on Twitter in recent years.
1. They’re Entitled
An entitlement mentality can be a big problem in the workplace. Employees can take things for granted without being grateful and appreciative of them, leading to disputes with colleagues and even managers.
Awareness is key when it comes to protecting yourself against entitled corporate Karens in the workplace, so as to avoid being victimized by their behaviors. They can often be difficult to spot; therefore it is key that you understand who these Karens are and how best to deal with them.
Entitled people often appear confident or arrogant, even at times coming off as rude and aggressive. Yet this behavior could be hiding a deeper issue that leads them to act this way.
An anxiety and depression-driven attitude often precedes this behaviour, while they also tend to have a narcissistic personality trait, seeking recognition from others through admiration or praise.
As another factor contributing to their behavior, entitled people act this way because they believe the world owes them something and that they deserve everything in life. This belief can lead them down the path to becoming greedy or failing to appreciate those around them, including family and friends.
if you suspect your colleague or team member may have a sense of entitlement, it is essential that they hear about this and discuss why. By working together to identify any triggers behind their behaviour and provide assistance as necessary.
For best results, ensure that they have access to sufficient support and resources within their lives. They should seek help from professionals in order to create strategies for dealing with this problem.
An entitlement mentality can be an enormous problem in any workplace, especially small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). Staff may take things for granted without being grateful and thankful; they may come off as arrogant or overconfident, yet these behaviors could be indicative of deeper issues underlying them.
Attitude issues can often be an early indicator of anxiety and depression; those affected might struggle to feel they have enough admiration, resources, or support in their life. When this type of attitude appears it’s essential to identify why. They might come off as overconfident or arrogant at first, coming across rude or aggressive. But this doesn’t have to be the case: these types of behaviors could also be signs that something else is going on underneath their surface – perhaps anxiety and depression symptoms such as lacking admiration resources support for themselves in their life.
2. They’re Racist
As a business owner, it’s crucial that you identify and address these “corporate Karens.” They represent a risk for any organization when their comments become racist or sexist – leading to hostile work environments or possibly leading to claims under Illinois Human Rights Act.
These middle-aged white women use social media platforms like Facebook to harass and bully people of color in an illegal and offensive manner.
At such an important time in business, being proactive about these incidents and taking immediate steps to address them before they spiral into much bigger problems is of vital importance. Furthermore, training your staff on these issues and how they can protect themselves in the future from them is also of vital importance.
Consider giving your employees training on implicit bias and sexism so they are aware of how their words and behaviors impact workplace culture. This will enable them to recognize why offensive actions occur as well as aid them in making more appropriate choices moving forward.
One way you can effectively address incidents related to employee conduct is through direct discussions with them about the situation and ways they can avoid repeating it in future. You should inform them that engaging in these types of behaviors is unacceptable, and advise them if their conduct becomes threatening or offensive they should seek legal advice immediately.
Telling employees their behavior constitutes microaggression is also necessary in preventing an hostile work environment and adhering to Illinois human rights laws. Having such conversations within your organization is the key to creating a respectful workplace culture and complying with Illinois human rights regulations.
“Karen” has become a widely used term to identify white women who act racistically in public spaces, including parks. She’s often been dubbed as BBQ Becky, Permit Patty or Pool Patrol Paula depending on who has used her name to call police on Black families eating barbeque in parks, selling water outside convenience stores or attending football games.
3. They’re Insensitive
Karens are privileged white women who speak down to people of color and may even become hostile toward them, often as part of an attempt at intimidation or aggression. Karens pose many dangers to businesses; one being their ability to damage your business reputation and customer relationships.
Over-dramatic and provocative individuals thrive on turning an innocent misunderstanding into a major incident – not above using racist and sexist language in order to achieve their goal.
While they may not realize it, their actions can still have detrimental impacts on your brand and business relationships. As such, it is crucial that you remain vigilant to their activities, taking appropriate action as soon as you notice any misbehavior from their side.
As well as posting misleading information about your business or brand on social media, which could further cause problems. Respond with facts and straightforward details about your organization to debunk rumors spread by those posting fake reviews and dispel any potential negative perceptions that might surface.
Alternately, you could ask them to leave your social media pages; this will allow them to avoid the negative ramifications associated with having their posts live online and may reduce inflammatory comments if they feel ignored.
If someone appears to be being an irritating Karen, try to convince them that their complaints are unwarranted and unnecessary. After all, they’re not the only ones with issues at your establishment and all want it to succeed!
So that they recognize you value their opinions, you will make more efforts to enhance their customer experience with your brand and have them trust and follow you as a business in the future.
Women don’t hesitate to speak up when they feel threatened; often using phrases like, “I felt threatened” and “I was victimized.”
Though this strategy may work for some individuals, it can also be dangerous and detrimental for others. For instance, calling the police on black people, which is illegal in some states. Furthermore, using racist-related language while talking with law enforcement may only compound matters further.
4. They’re Disrespectful
Be mindful that entitled corporate Karens exist within your workplace. While they can be challenging to manage and can cause lasting damage to a company’s image, there are effective solutions available that can prevent them from creating an hostile working environment.
One thing to keep in mind if you deal with these employees regularly is recording all their complaints; this will help avoid similar scenarios in the future and can build trust between yourself and them, potentially turning them into loyal patrons of your business.
As part of your approach to dealing with serial Karens, it is also crucial that you remain calm. Instead, reaffirming your position that abuse of authority cannot be used to harass another individual is particularly useful if the Karen is someone reporting directly to you.
Though you cannot eliminate microaggressions entirely, you can teach your employees to recognize and avoid them in future interactions. This will give them greater insight into their own prejudices as well as how they may impact decisions in the workplace.
“Karen” is a widely-used slang term in the US to describe white women who tend to cause trouble when they don’t get what they want. These Karens often target Black people and cause public disruption when encountering them, sometimes intentionally.
These women have also been very active on social media, where they regularly post incidents to their followers. One video has been watched over 9 Million times on YouTube and features “Becky”, who targets Black families for having barbecues at local lakes.
As these incidents become more and more frequent, they are sparking outrage online. They serve as a stark reminder that racism still permeates society and it must be combatted head on.
