Insubordination and Discipline Procedures
Without discipline, a company cannot function cohesively. All staff members must follow the same rules, and disciplinary procedures are there to enforce these rules. Insubordination occurs when an employee does not follow established rules or direct requests from management. Do not use negative disciplinary measures, such as eliminating holidays or embarrassing the employee in front of colleagues. Instead, use a verbal warning for the first offense and a formal warning in writing if the issue is not resolved or recurs.
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Investigate the Insubordination
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The first procedure a manager must follow is to investigate the insubordination and discover whether or not misconduct was carried out willfully or unintentionally. The manager should interview witnesses, gather evidence and carefully consider the employee's actions. Once the manager understands the events and circumstances, he is in a position to determine whether or not the action was insubordination. If it wasn’t or the conduct was open to interpretation, there is no need to confront the employee.
Verbal Warning
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The manager must arrange an interview with the insubordinate employee to discover her version of events. He may discover that the employee was acting in good faith and did not know her actions were insubordinate in nature. If this is the case, the manager will have to decide whether or not the action requires formal discipline. A verbal warning should be enough to remedy the situation. If the employee was being deliberately insubordinate or refuses to cooperate during the interview, the manager must pursue further disciplinary action.
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Written Warning
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Issuing a written warning establishes a paper trail in the employee's personnel file, in terms of both the insubordination and corrective action. The warning should outline the conduct determined to be insubordinate, and explain that similar conduct will not be tolerated in the future and may result in suspension or termination of employment.
Suspension or Termination
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The last resort to dealing with insubordination is suspension or termination of employment. Suspension may be with or without pay, but in a situation of insubordination, it is likely to be without. Reinstating an employee may be subject to the employee completing a training course to ensure further insubordination does not take place. Termination will be carried out if the manager feels that the conduct was egregious or that the employee will not change her ways in the future. Termination may be immediate or with contractual notice.
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