NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The December are supposed to be a time of joyful celebration, but the season can be especially grueling for the millions of people who work in , staff airline counters and field complaints coming into call centers.
Instead of compassion or good cheer, service sector workers often encounter from , irate customers demanding and travelers fuming about flight delays and cancellations. And they must do their jobs to the mind-numbing soundtrack of nonstop .
鈥淪omething happens around November and people just forget their manners,鈥� Kathryn Harper, senior at New York bookstore McNally Jackson, said. 鈥淧lease and thank you go a huge way. Being rude to us or snippy to us is not going to make us go any faster. It鈥檚 not going to make the thing that鈥檚 out of stock magically appear.鈥�
Harper joined other members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union last month for a virtual news conference where they made a plea for the public's patience and self-control during the hectic weeks ahead.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of disgruntled attitudes flying around this time of the year,鈥� Cynthia Russo, who has worked at 叠濒辞辞尘颈苍驳诲补濒别鈥檚 in Manhattan for nearly two decades, said. 鈥淚 try to kill them with kindness, but yet I take a firm stand with not being abused verbally, because that can happen and it鈥檚 sad. My favorite line is, 鈥楲et鈥檚 start over.'"
is never easy. These are that veteran workers use to defuse tense situations and to preserve their own of mind.
Schedule sanity
Taking a break for five or 10 minutes can help a worker who got yelled at to reset emotionally. If long lines or other duties don't allow for stepping away in the moment, the rattled employee could ask a colleague to take over temporarily or inform a manager of a need for a brief respite.
Fitting exercise into the day is hard in any line of work, but retail workers put in long hours during the holidays, making it even more challenging. Russo tries to power walk around each floor of twice a day.
鈥淚 know I look crazy, probably, but I think my coworkers are used to seeing me do it,鈥� she said.
At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Nicole Ray escorts passengers who need safely make it to their planes and back. She feels panicky when there aren鈥檛 enough wheelchairs or attendants to get the job done during .
The travelers she helps are kind for the most part, Ray says, but someone treats her with disrespect at least once a day. Such interactions often leave her in tears, she says. With two sons at home and extra side jobs to pay the bills, she has few opportunities to decompress.
If there's time between airport passengers, Ray escapes to a parking garage to breathe and listen to music. She copes with the unpleasant attitudes she comes across by expressing gratitude to friendly patrons, telling them 鈥淚 really appreciate you being such a joy to be around and not being so hard on me."
Don鈥檛 take it personally
Staying calm in the face of an irrational customer can be challenging, but remembering that another person's unreasonable demands are not a reflection of you makes it easier to react skillfully.
鈥淵ou have to understand that if people are impatient or they鈥檙e not in a good mood, obviously it has nothing to do with you," Tina Minshall, who is general manager at the Bridal and Formal shop in Cincinnati, said. 鈥淚f you can respond in a pleasant way, it tends to de-elevate whatever is going on around you.鈥�
Instead of reciprocating someone鈥檚 misplaced anger, try to be the one who remains composed, said Justin Robbins, founder of Metric Sherpa, a research and advisory firm that coaches businesses on training front-line employees.
You can say, 鈥淚鈥檓 here to help you resolve this,鈥� or 鈥淚 want to help you, but we need to keep this conversation respectful,鈥� he said.
Maintaining an even keel can be especially difficult in , where the pace of incoming complaints during is relentless and agents are often treated like punching bags.
Listening with empathy, without interrupting, goes a long way, said Melissa Copeland, founder and principal of Illinois-based Blue Orbit Consulting, which helps companies improve their experience. After listening, repeat back what you鈥檝e heard and explain the process you'll follow. Commit to what you can control, she said.
Smiling during tense interactions can make a difference. 鈥淚t relaxes your face, and if you try and say something angry or be obnoxious while you鈥檙e smiling, it鈥檚 hard to do,鈥� Copeland said. 鈥淚t just helps with a quick reset.鈥�
Focus on small joys
A sense of humor is a professional skill to cultivate during the holidays, said Carol Price, who has sold books, clothes and vitamins in Fort Smith, Arkansas, for decades while holding down a full-time job at the local water agency. When the in the stores where she works feels relentless and grates on her nerves, she sings along, sometimes changing the lyrics to 鈥渕eow鈥�.
Some customers hug Price when she helps them find what they need. By contrast, a man once threw at her. She chooses to focus on the former.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing better than a kid asking for a book, and finding that book and handing it to them and seeing that look on their face,鈥� Price said.
Supervisors can help lighten the emotional burden that comes with customer relations by giving employees to small treats, according to Harper, the New York bookseller. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 pizza party your way up to worker protections, but it helps during holidays,鈥� she said.
Stephen Yalof, CEO of shopping center operator Tanger, said managers also can work to reduce the stress on shoppers. Managers at Tanger's outlet malls and open-air centers use $25 gift cards to surprise customers or placate disgruntled ones.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 be shocked what a gift card does to defuse a potential issue really quickly,鈥� Yalof said.
Organize
If working conditions are unbearable, employees can band together to request improvements. Laura Kelly, an unaccompanied minor escort and wheelchair attendant with Prospect Airport Services, earns $12.50 an hour working at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and lives in a hotel with her two adult children.
During the holidays, there are more passengers to help but fewer workers because many quit or call in sick, Kelly said. She recently participated in a one-day to protest low wages.
鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to help people get to where they need to go and just to keep a roof over my kids' heads and food in their belly,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even have a way to relieve stress besides making sure that my kids are taken care of."
Her advice to customers is to remember that service workers are human too.
鈥淛ust be loving and caring and put yourself in our place,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥滼ust imagine if we were the passenger and you were pushing us around.鈥�
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Do you have a workplace story to share? Have you overcome an obstacle or made a profound change in your job? Send your questions and story ideas to [email protected].
Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press
