HR MANAGEMENT - How to Manage Insubordination

How to Manage Insubordination?

by Ruth Mayhew, Demand Media

Many instances of employee insubordination can be attributed to a breakdown in communication.

Insubordination diminishes productivity and destroys workplace relationships between employees and their supervisors. Therefore, the focus on managing insubordination must be to reduce violations through improved communication skills and mutual respect in the workplace. There are a number of ways to approach this problem; however, one effective way to address the topic is through supervisor guidance on communicating work directives clearly and with respect for employee expertise.

Step 1

Schedule meetings with small groups of supervisors and managers to discuss insubordination and how it affects employee, as well as organizational, performance. Identify employee responses considered insubordinate and examples of how supervisors should respond when employees refuse to perform their job duties, in any manner. Ask supervisors to contribute their own definitions of insubordination and how they respond to employees in these instances.

Step 2

Evaluate their responses and determine which supervisors and managers need leadership or refresher training in leadership skills and communication techniques. Explain the importance of workplace communication skills and how to gain employee trust and confidence. Engage the supervisors and managers in role-play activities to demonstrate how to properly assign job duties, as well as how to provide constructive feedback to employees who report to them.

Step 3

Identify supervisors who require one-on-one guidance related to workplace communication, supervisory skills and employee insubordination. Determine what they perceive as insubordination. Take a copy of the employee handbook to each meeting, along with pertinent files for your conferences, such as employment files, work records and performance appraisals. Be prepared to discuss specific circumstances where either supervisors complain about employee insubordination or employees express concerns about their supervisors’ work directives.

Step 4

Meet with supervisor and employee teams to discuss those specific circumstances. Engage in conflict resolution measures when the employee and supervisor cannot see eye-to-eye on workplace processes. Consider reassignment of either the employee or the supervisor if incidents of insubordination have caused irreparable damage to the employee-supervisor relationship.

Step 5

Restate workplace policies pertaining to insubordination during an all-staff meeting. Stress the importance of using communication skills and mutual respect for employee and supervisor roles. Remind employees that policies concerning insubordination apply to all employees, supervisors and managers. Describe the company’s interpretation of insubordination, how the company consistently applies working policies, consequences of minor incidents and repeated instances of refusal to perform assigned duties.

Step 6

Revise employment forms to include insubordination as a reason for disciplinary review or corrective action. Prepare employee handbook revisions to maintain consistency in workplace policies. Distribute new or revised policies and handbooks to all employees and obtain signed acknowledgment forms for employees’ receipt and understanding of the policy.