HR MANAGEMENT - How to Confront Employee Insubordination

How to Confront Employee Insubordination

by Arnold Anderson, Demand Media

There is a proper way to handle an insubordinate employee.

Insubordination from an employee can lead to problems with other employees in the office. According to Mott Community College, insubordinate behavior by one employee can cause a drop in departmental morale and it can give the impression that the manager is losing control of employees. There are steps that a manager should follow before confronting employee insubordination. Reacting emotionally is the wrong response and that can cause you to make the wrong decision.

Step 1

Review the employee's records to see if there is a history of this sort of behavior. If there is no history, then examine the situation to see if there may be some underlying cause. If there is a history, then consider implementing company discipline.

Step 2

Discuss the situation with human resources to discuss possible options. If you feel that the situation would benefit from a talk with the employee, then it may not be necessary to recommend disciplinary actions. An habitually insubordinate employee will need to be reprimanded. Have human resources work with you on developing the proper paper work for disciplinary actions.

Step 3

Schedule a personal meeting with the employee to discuss the situation. Try to only give one day's notice on the meeting time as you want to address insubordination immediately before it starts to affect morale in the office. Include a human resources representative present at the meeting.

Step 4

Discuss the situation with the employee at the meeting and find out the circumstances that cause the insubordination. Maintain a professional demeanor and tone at all times. Avoid emotional conflict, and do not allow the situation to escalate into a shouting match.

Step 5

Dispense the solution that you feel is appropriate. If you feel satisfied that you and the employee have come to an agreement, then ask human resources to make a note of that in the file and close the issue. If the employee has not responded to rational conversation, then issue disciplinary action according to human resources guidelines.