Insubordination Leads to Insurrection: Dealing with Employee Disobedience
Insubordination in the workplace refers to an act of willful disobedience towards superiors or direct lawful orders. When left unchecked, insubordination leads to insurrection, which can cause chaos in the workplace.
This can manifest in various ways, such as violating company policy, refusing direct lawful orders, or exhibiting bad behavior in front of customers. While not all cases of insubordination lead to termination, it is crucial for employers to address the issue promptly to prevent it from escalating.
The Cost of Disobedience
Insubordination is a serious issue in the workplace that can have dire consequences for both employees and the company they work for. Refusing direct lawful orders, violating company policy, and bad behavior in front of customers often make up insubordination cases.
Not every case of legitimate insubordination results in termination. However, insubordination leads to insurrection in various forms that can be detrimental to a company’s success.
Examples and Statistics of the Financial Costs
The financial costs of insubordination are extensive and cover a broad spectrum. The company loses valued time, resources, and dollars dealing with an insubordinate employee.
Insubordination sets the company back, creating problems that, without swift action, can ruin business operations.
Here are some formulas for calculating the financial costs of insubordination.
- Cost per hour – The cost per hour formula calculates how much it costs the company to keep an employee on the clock. In order to get the total cost per hour, divide the total labor cost by the total hours worked.
- Cost of replacement – The cost of replacement is the amount of money it takes for the company to replace an insubordinate employee. This includes the cost of recruiting, hiring, training, and losing productivity.
- Cost of productivity loss – When a company deals with insubordination cases, productivity is lost, leading to lost opportunities and profits. The cost of productivity loss is a hidden expense caused by tensions brought on by the issues.
Examples and Statistics of the Legal Costs
When an employee behaves inappropriately or refuses to follow directives, they leave themselves and their company open to potential legal action. It is essential to put a stop to insubordination before an employee feels justified to file an even costlier lawsuit.
Here are some examples and statistics of legal costs from insubordination.
- Lawsuits – Insubordination can quickly lead to lawsuits that can cost the company time, momentum, and finances. Show how far a company will go to prevent insubordination so that employees do not feel justified to file a lawsuit.
- Workplace Investigations – HR requires massive resources, time, and energy for investigations regarding employee misconduct.
Examples and Statistics of the Reputational Costs
Insubordination can create negative publicity for the company, management, and the employee, resulting in a loss of brand reputation and client confidence. The damage from insubordination can result in long-lasting reputational harm that is challenging to repair.
Here are some examples and statistics of reputational costs from insubordination.
- Loss of Clients – If a client witnesses a staff member behaving inappropriately, they may choose to end the business relationship with the company.
- Negative Publicity – Insubordination and other employee misconduct can generate negative publicity for both the employee and the company.
Examples and Statistics of the Mental Costs
Insubordination can produce a negative and costly effect on the mental condition of employees. When both leadership and workers feel insecure about the conduct of their colleagues, they become more withdrawn, stressed, frustrated, and overly cautious.
It creates an unhealthy working environment for everyone, leading to long-term health problems and even a drop in workforce productivity.
Here are some examples and statistics of mental costs from insubordination.
- Lowers Morale – Insubordination at the office leads to low morale in the workforce. Employees are less productive and feel unmotivated. If there is particularly extreme insubordination, colleagues may feel threatened by each other, undermining any sense of teamwork.
- Workplace Stress – Insubordination at work leads to increased stress levels throughout the organization. The unhealthy work environment that results from insubordination can lead to chronic stress, and eventually, loss of productivity, burnout, and health problems.
Root Causes of Insubordination
Refusing direct lawful orders, violating company policy, and bad behavior in front of customers often make up insubordination cases. Not every case of legitimate insubordination results in termination.
However, factors contribute to employees’ disobedience that could lead to insubordination. Poor communication is one of the most common causes of insubordination.
When employees do not understand their job responsibilities or receive inadequate training or explanation about the job, they tend to make mistakes, inevitably leading to insubordination. Lack of trust in management can also lead to insubordination.
Employees who believe that their employers are dishonest, unfair, or biased may find it hard to perform their duties. Ineffective leadership also causes insubordination.
Leaders who are unsure of their roles, goals, and objectives will likely cause a ripple effect throughout their team, which will negatively impact the team’s morale and productivity. Lastly, unfair treatment creates opportunities for insubordination when employees feel unfairly targeted.
This could be something as simple as a smaller raise than others or consistently being passed over for promotions. When an employee feels they are not being treated fairly, it will breed resentment that can manifest itself in insubordinate behavior.
Preventative Measures
In order to avoid the negative effects of insubordination in the workplace and prevent potential insurrection, there are several steps that can be taken.
Establish Clear Expectations
One of the best ways to avoid insubordination is to establish clear expectations for employees from the outset. This includes outlining specific job duties, performance expectations, and company policies, as well as communicating consequences for violating these expectations.
Provide Regular Feedback
Regular feedback is crucial in preventing insubordination. This includes providing both positive feedback and constructive criticism, as well as addressing any potential issues or concerns as soon as they arise.
Promote Open Communication
Creating an open and transparent communication channel can help employees feel more comfortable expressing any concerns or frustrations they may have, rather than resorting to insubordination.
Foster a Positive Workplace Culture
Creating a positive workplace culture can also go a long way in preventing insubordination. This includes promoting teamwork, respect, and trust among employees, as well as providing opportunities for growth and development.
Conduct Regular Workplace Training Sessions
Proper training and education are key in preventing insubordination. Conducting regular workplace training sessions can help employees understand their role and responsibilities, as well as company policies and expectations.
This can also help prevent any misunderstandings or confusion that could lead to insubordination.
Address Insubordination Promptly
Finally, it is important to address any potential cases of insubordination promptly and effectively. This includes documenting any incidents, meeting with the employee to discuss the issue, and taking appropriate disciplinary action if necessary.
How to Handle Insubordination
Dealing with insubordination can be a challenge, but it’s an essential part of maintaining a productive and harmonious workplace. Whether it’s an outright disobedience of a direct lawful order or a violation of company policy, insubordination should be addressed swiftly and effectively.
Here are some steps to handle insubordination:
1. Communicate Expectations
Make sure your employees are aware of what is expected of them. Communicate with them the company policies and procedures as well as any rules or regulations that they need to follow.
Provide clear instructions and establish concrete performance metrics.
2. Document Incidents
Keep a record of any incidents of insubordination. Document everything that was said or done, the date and time, and the names of any witnesses.
Having a paper trail can help you build a case if disciplinary action is necessary.
3. Involve HR and Legal Counsel
Always work with your HR department and legal counsel when addressing insubordination. They can evaluate the situation and provide you with guidance on how to approach the situation, especially when it comes to disciplinary action.
4. Take Disciplinary Action
Depending on the severity of the insubordination, you may need to take disciplinary action. The severity of the action should correspond to the severity of the insubordination.
Examples of disciplinary action include verbal warnings, written warnings, suspension, and termination. Keep in mind that not every case of legitimate insubordination results in termination.
5. Prevent Insubordination in the Workplace
To prevent insubordination from happening in the first place, consider these tips:
- Conduct regular workplace training sessions.
- Set clear expectations for behavior and performance.
- Encourage feedback and open communication.
- Establish a positive culture and work environment.
- Resolve conflicts fairly and efficiently.
- Recognize and reward positive behavior.
Remember that insubordination leads to insurrection, which can have detrimental effects on your organization such as lower workforce productivity, degradation of morale, decline in reputation, increase in workplace stress, and financial costs. Addressing insubordination as soon as it happens can prevent these effects and maintain a healthy work environment.
Legal Considerations
When dealing with insubordination in the workplace, it is important to understand the legal parameters surrounding disciplining employees for insubordination. Employers should be aware of protected speech, retaliation, and discrimination laws.
Protected speech includes an employee’s right to express their opinion on matters of public concern without fear of retaliation. It is important for employers to distinguish between protected speech and insubordinate behavior.
Retaliation laws protect employees who complain about discrimination or violations in the workplace from any adverse actions taken by their employer in response.
An employer should conduct a thorough investigation before taking any disciplinary action based on insubordinate behavior, to ensure they are not violating any discrimination laws. An employee who feels like they have been disciplined unfairly for insubordination may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Conclusion
In conclusion, addressing insubordination in the workplace is crucial to maintain a productive and respectful environment. Failure to address insubordination can result in lower workforce productivity, degradation of morale, decline in reputation, increase in workplace stress, and even insurrection.
Preventative measures such as conducting regular workplace training sessions, setting clear expectations and consequences for insubordination, and seeking guidance from HR and legal teams can help prevent insubordinate behavior and maintain a positive work environment. It is important to handle insubordination correctly to avoid losing control of the business and to ensure that employees understand the importance of following rules and showing respect towards their fellow co-workers and superiors.
Remember, insubordination leads to insurrection.
