OFW guide: Missing deadlines, lack of respect are acts of insubordination

Insubordination in the workplace is the intentional disregard of one’s employer or duty. In this guide, read more about the causes of insubordination and how it is managed.

US publication The Houston Chronicle posted a series of articles about insubordination in the workplace, which contains information on its roots and how it should be handled by employers, especially since the publication says insubordination can have negative effects on an organization.

“Insubordination is the intentional disregard an employee may show toward their duty or employer. Within today’s work environment, the push to be more productive with fewer resources in shorter periods of time only increases the stress levels endured by management and labor,” says the publication.

“As a result, it becomes more important for management to be able to accurately identify insubordinate behavior and know the appropriate methods of addressing it before it spreads or undermines the productive effort of the department, division or company,” it continues.

The Houston Chronicle says it insubordination in the workplace is best handled in its early stages, and therefore employers need to identify the types of behavior that indicate insubordination, which the publication notes as involving the following:

(1) Deadlines

Insubordinate employees begin to miss deadlines and may offer several excuses or, in some cases, none at all.

(2) Managerial process

Insubordinate employees ignore his/her manager's instructions and may even openly challenge these orders.

(3) Lack of respect

Insubordinate employees call their managers offensive names, displays disruptive behavior during meetings that the manager organizes, or badmouths the manager throughout the workplace.

(4) Poor attendance

Insubordinate employees do not feel bound by attendance rules in his/her organization, take absences without filing leaves, and goes to work late.

Causes of insubordination

What causes insubordination in the workplace in the first place? The Houston Chronicle lists three reasons why insubordination happens:


(1) Personal agendas

Whatever the reason may be, the publication says an employee with an agenda will disobey his/her employer's direct order if it will be forwarded.

"The agenda could be to oust a supervisor so the employee can take over the position or it could be a more personal reason that only the employee understands," The Houston Chronicle says.

"Whatever the reason, this type of insubordination can cause issues among all the employees if left unchecked," it continues.

(2) Stress

Experiencing stress may cause the employee to be insubordinate. The stress could have roots in work-related matters--unbearable amount of workload, for example--or it could come from personal problems.

Whichever of these is the cause, The Houston Chronicle said this cause of insubordination can be remedied.

"This is usually a temporary situation, and with some understanding, coaching and perhaps an adjustment in the employee’s workload, the insubordination can be corrected without severe disciplinary action," it said.

(3) Work environment

"Intolerable work situations, if allowed to continue, will cause rebellion among employees. The problem could stem from issues with a supervisor or a co-worker or impossible job requirements," says the Houston Chronicle.

So before taking disciplinary action, the publication says that it is "imperative" to find out the cause of the rebellion and to correct it, especially if in the past the insubordinate employee has proven his/her value to the organization.

Managing insubordination

How should insubordination in the workplace be managed? An article posted on The Houston Chronicle lists six steps:

(1) Meet with small groups of supervisors and managers to talk about insubordination and its effects on organizational performance.

(2) Analyze the responses in the meeting to know if these supervisors and managers need refresher leadership and communication courses, since workplace communication skills are important to gain employees’ trust and confidence.

(3) Identify those who need one-on-one guidance about workplace communication, supervisory skills, and employee insubordination.

(4) Meet with supervisor and employee teams to discuss specific issues about employee insubordination or issues about supervisors’ work directives

(5) Restate organization policies involving insubordination in an all-staff meeting, where the significance of communication skills and mutual respect for employee and supervisor roles will be discussed, as well as policies about insubordination.

(6) Revise employment forms to show insubordination as a factor for disciplinary review or corrective action, as well as prepare employee handbook changes as a way to show consistency in workplace policies. - Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News