Blunt employees, those who communicate directly and sometimes offensively, can be a challenge in any workplace. While directness can be a valuable asset, unchecked bluntness can damage morale, hinder collaboration, and create a hostile work environment. This article explores strategies for effectively managing blunt employees, focusing on understanding their behavior, setting clear expectations, and fostering constructive communication.

Understanding the Root of Bluntness

Before addressing the behavior, it’s crucial to understand its potential underlying causes. Bluntness isn’t always intentional rudeness; it can stem from various factors:
– Communication Style: Some individuals simply have a direct communication style ingrained in their personality. They may not intend to offend but lack the social skills to soften their delivery.

– Cultural Differences: Cultural norms significantly influence communication styles. What’s considered blunt in one culture might be perfectly acceptable in another.

– Lack of Social Awareness: Some employees may lack the social awareness to understand the impact of their words on others. They may be genuinely unaware that their comments are hurtful or offensive.

– Stress and Pressure: High-pressure environments can exacerbate bluntness. Stressed individuals may resort to direct, even abrasive, communication as a coping mechanism.
– Insecurity or Low Self-Esteem: Paradoxically, bluntness can sometimes mask insecurity.

An employee might use directness as a defense mechanism to avoid vulnerability.

– Poor Training or Feedback: A lack of training on effective communication and constructive feedback can contribute to bluntness. Employees may not know alternative ways to express their opinions or concerns.

Strategies for Managing Blunt Employees

Addressing bluntness requires a multifaceted approach that combines understanding, clear communication, and consistent feedback:

1. Private and Constructive Feedback: The first step is to address the issue privately. Avoid public confrontations, which can be embarrassing and counterproductive. Focus on specific instances of bluntness, describing the behavior and its impact without making personal attacks. For example, instead of saying “You’re always so rude,” try “During yesterday’s meeting, your comment about Sarah’s presentation was perceived as dismissive. It impacted her confidence and the team’s overall morale.”

2. Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate acceptable communication standards within the team or organization. Emphasize the importance of respectful and considerate communication, even when delivering critical feedback. Provide examples of constructive criticism and alternative phrasing to help employees understand how to communicate more effectively.

3. Role-Playing and Training: Consider providing training on communication skills, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence. Role-playing exercises can be particularly helpful in teaching employees how to deliver feedback constructively and empathetically.

4. Coaching and Mentorship: Pair the blunt employee with a mentor or coach who can provide guidance and support. The mentor can help the employee develop their communication skills and build self-awareness.

5. Focus on the Behavior, Not the Person: Maintain a focus on the specific behaviors rather than labeling the employee as “blunt” or “rude.” This avoids creating a defensive reaction and allows for a more productive conversation.

6. Consistent Enforcement: Consistency is key. If you set clear expectations, you must consistently enforce them. Failure to address repeated instances of bluntness can undermine your authority and create a sense of unfairness.

7. Document Everything: Keep a record of instances of bluntness, including dates, times, and specific examples. This documentation can be valuable if further disciplinary action is required.

8. Seek Mediation if Necessary: If attempts to address the issue directly are unsuccessful, consider involving HR or a mediator. Disputes can be resolved more effectively with the help of a neutral third party.

9. Consider Personality Differences: Recognize that some individuals are naturally more direct than others. While aiming for constructive communication is important, it’s also crucial to acknowledge personality differences and strive for a balance between directness and respect.

When to Take Stronger Action

In some cases, despite best efforts, the blunt behavior may persist and negatively impact the work environment. If the employee is unwilling or unable to change their behavior, stronger action may be necessary, including formal warnings or disciplinary measures. This should always be a last resort, taken only after exhausting all other options.

Managing blunt employees requires patience, understanding, and a consistent approach. By focusing on constructive feedback, clear expectations, and ongoing support, you can help these employees improve their communication skills and create a more positive and productive work environment for everyone. Remember that the goal isn’t to eliminate directness entirely but to channel it into constructive and respectful communication.
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If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts on the column, feel free to send an email to jca.bblueprint@gmail.com. Looking forward to connecting with you!

AS we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we are reminded that Christ has given us everything for us to be what God wants us to be. Christ is the living bread, and he offers it to us freely and abundantly. He offers us all the means so we can handle all the conditions and situations of our life here on earth, both the good ones and the bad ones, properly, i.e., in a way that would lead us to our eternal life.

We need to enliven our belief that in Christ we have everything, we have what is truly and ultimately needed by us. Many of our needs are passing, are of a temporal nature. It is Christ who we truly and ultimately need.

And he gives himself to us so completely as to make himself bread to be eaten by us. Although he is like air since we cannot truly live without him, he compares and makes himself bread, because unlike air, he as bread has to be deliberately sought.
This duty of seeking him is what we have to be more aware of. In the Gospel itself, we hear our Lord saying, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Mt 6,33)

We have to learn to subordinate our earthly and temporal concerns and plans to the task of seeking Christ. We have to be wary of being influenced mainly if not solely by the standards of practicality, convenience and other worldly values. That’s our problem. God is often left behind in the play of our competing interests.

As our Lord said: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Mt 16,26) We should not lose the spiritual and supernatural character of our life, and do everything to keep ourselves from being dominated by a purely worldly and temporal outlook in life.

We need to seek Christ and be close to him always. This intimacy is what we have to build up and maintain. Thus, we have to learn to make seeking Christ a permanent attitude and disposition in our life. Whatever we may be doing, whatever situation we may find ourselves in, let us always seek Christ.

Our Lord himself tells us to seek him with insistence. “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…” (Lk 11,9) We have to understand that to lead a truly upright and moral life, we need to be existentially close with Christ.
And Christ is actually very close to us. He is actually very accessible to us. He does not play hard to get. He is at the very core of our being, because he is the main cause of our existence. Besides, his overpowering love for us is what makes him truly close to us. It’s us rather who tend to ignore him.

We have to understand that our moral life does not depend so much on our knowledge of moral principles as on our living relationship with God. It’s this intimate relationship with God that would effectively guide us as to how to think, speak and act. It’s this relationship that would enable us to live charity all the time in spite of difficulties.

This intimacy is attained when we develop this Eucharistic mind frame, that abiding belief based on Christ’s teaching, that in the Eucharist we have the real presence of Christ and, in fact, the very bread of life, the bread that gives us the true, ultimate life, and not just biological, physical and material life.

The pessimist finds difficulty in every situation.
The optimist finds an opportunity in every difficulty.

Social media had been a vital partner for most of us. It put forward our message, aspirations and feelings so to speak. Similarly, social media had been very quick to judge on people’s intentions , reactions and even it goes beyond by making interpretations that are clearly gathered from a wide latitude of data either positive or negative highlighted to a spin and packaged to forward a censure or an appreciation, depending on the slant the web focused on, it can be a negative thing or a positive one.

The pessimist finds difficulty in every situation. The optimist finds an opportunity in every difficulty. These quote is an overly used line attributed to Winston Churchill and many more. I tell you the web or the net can be either of the two.

Today, while reading a reply of a congratulatory comment I made when our School Organ won 2nd Runner Up in the Kultura Sinirangan Depratment of Tourism Video Infomercial Contest, I was able to come across this
Thank you very much, sir Clemelle! Salamat san imo unwavering support sir, encouragements, and for always showing us the bright side in everything, more than enough to keep us fighting They have won Php. 50,000 price money from a measly Php. 5,000 budget.

The bright side in everything made my day, it was a thing that was spawned from the simple encouraging we do and the rather small amount of money we contribute to a cause that is both institutional and community focused effort.

We sometimes forgot the power of positivism in the efforts that we do.

There is one phenomena that I want to share its called the Positivity Effect. This psychological phenomenon suggests that positive emotions enhance self-perception, self-esteem, and performance. It creates a virtuous circle where positivity reinforces positive thoughts and emotions. Psychologist call this as the Cognitive Flexibility: Positive emotions enhance cognitive flexibility, allowing us to adapt to changing circumstances. This flexibility aids problem-solving and creativity.

Thus, based on Real Science Positivity clearly helps in enhancing performance and thus, creating good results. This is proven every single day, every time!