How to Deal With Staff Insubordination

Refusal to take orders from a boss is insubordination.

Insubordination is exhibited in many ways, including rudeness, refusal to take orders, rolling of eyes, unfriendly body language or sheer arrogance. But you don't want to take a swing at such an employee -- lest you trigger a lawsuit that might come back later to haunt you and the company -- which is why it is important to cautiously deal with a difficult worker.

Instructions

1. Control your temper when provoked by an insubordinate subordinate. Many unruly people can be brazen in front of their peers because they find it humiliating to lose an argument in public. Ask the employee to accompany you to your office or a conference room. Be calm and professional when dealing with a difficulty employee, even if you feel angry.

2. Sit the employee down behind closed doors and explain your concerns. Present your perception regarding the situation and how you feel about it. Allow the employee to give his side of the story. Don't use inflammatory language even if it appropriately describes the behavior. Instead politely use words like "conduct" and "behavior" during the meeting.

3. Document the employee's action if the meeting failed to yield results. Quietude during the meeting is part of insubordination. Wait for a few seconds for the employee to answer whenever you ask a question. Document silence if there is no response. Describing the behavior of the employee insulates you from the legal challenges of unfair managerial authority or harassment. Avoid using words like "attitude" to describe the worker's behavior because it is considered a difference of opinion in court. You can describe attitude without using the word "attitude."

4. Watch your tone of voice whenever dealing with a situation involving insubordination. In face-to-face communication, tone represents 38 percent of what a person believes about you, according to motivational speaker and leadership expert Colleen Kettenhofen. Address issues of insubordination immediately before you start looking weak and incompetent. That might impinge negatively on your credibility and team morale.

5. Communicate with the employee clearly about his behavior and what the company's policy is on insubordination, or performance failure. Employee handbooks usually contain such information. Let the subordinate go through the disciplinary process if the situation doesn't improve. That way you protect the company from an unfair dismissal lawsuit.

References

• Career Intelligence; How to Deal With Difficult Personalities; Cynthia Steele-Pucci
• Mott Community College; Insubordinate Behavior: Deal With it Before it Destroys Employee Morale; Paul Falcone
• "Boston Globe;" When is it Insubordination?; Mary Helen Gillespie, March 8, 2004
• CEO Consultant; Managing Difficult Employees: The Insubordinate Subordinate; Colleen Kettenhofen

Resources

• Vicky Ryan Enterprise: The Leader's Answer Book to Situation Problems