You've likely heard the term “insubordination” before without giving it much thought. But if you're reading this article, it’s probably because the term came up at work—and this time, it might actually relate to you. Maybe you've been accused of being insubordinate, or you saw it happen to a colleague, and now you're asking, “What is insubordination at work?”—and more crucially, “Could someone get fired because of it?”
We have the answer to all of your questions.
What is insubordination at work?
Insubordination in the workplace is deliberately disobeying, ignoring, or refusing to follow orders and directions given by a superior. A superior could be a supervisor, manager, business owner, CEO, or any authority figure that is responsible for delegating tasks and responsibilities and overseeing the work of others.
The intent to defy the superior has to be clear and unreasonable. Typically, insubordination at work constitutes the three following steps:
- A superior gives a verbal or written order.
- The order is clear, reasonable, and legal.
- The employee acknowledges the order, but refuses to comply.
If there's a task or responsibility that is part of your job description, but you willfully decide to ignore it, this also constitutes insubordination. Your acknowledgment of the order, task, or responsibility doesn't necessarily need to be written or verbal. For example, if you're present in a meeting where it was discussed or received an email with clear instructions, that's enough to constitute insubordination.
Is insubordination misconduct? Understand the differences
Yes, insubordination is a type of misconduct. “Misconduct can mean several things, including but not limited to harassment, theft, and insubordination,” says Muse career coach Anne M. Kelly. Simply put, misconduct is an umbrella term that covers several behaviors deemed inappropriate in a specific context. In this case, the workplace.
Insubordination in the workplace: Examples
Still have doubts about what insubordination in the workplace is? Here are examples of acts of an insubordinate employee:
1. Refusing to follow direct orders
The most common act of insubordination is not following orders given by your superiors. “It’s agreeing to complete tasks and not completing them with little remorse or apology,” Kelly says. For example, let's say your job as a kitchen worker includes cleaning the floors at the end of your shift.
One day, your supervisor directly asks you to do it, but you ignore the request and go home without cleaning the floors. The next day you don't have any reasonable reason for not complying to this order. This can be considered insubordination by your employer.
2. Undermining leadership
If you sabotage or disrespect the leadership it constitutes insubordination—and it’s even worse if you do it in an attempt to escape your responsibilities. For example, if you circumvent the manager and work with other leaders as an excuse to not complete work, Kelly says.
Picture this: You're a web developer and receive an email from your manager with a request to fix a bug in a client's website. You open the email and understand the request. However, you decide to offer help to another team in order to claim you were too busy to do what was asked.
The leader of that other team doesn't know about that demand, so they welcome your help. But your manager is left hanging and, because the bug isn't fixed, it can leave them in bad terms with the client and their bosses.
3. Refusing to complete work as asked
When you do a task, but refuse to do it as requested, it can be considered insubordination. For example, maybe you were given a clear deadline to finish a project and missed it without a reasonable explanation and heads-up to your supervisor.
Or say you have specific instructions on how to do a certain task, but do it in a completely different way, not following the company's guideline or policy. For example, imagine you're a sales associate at a makeup store and have clear instructions to not accept return requests from customers without a receipt.
Then, a client asks to return a lipstick that’s already open and they don't have the receipt proving the purchase. But they tell you a sob story, you believe them, and decide to return the item and refund their money, knowing it's against company policy.
4. Failing follow your work schedule
As a worker, you're informed of your work schedule at the moment of your hire. For many workers, that would be Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. If you constantly fail to show up on time or leave your job early without reasonable explanation or authorization from the employer, that's considered insubordination.
What are the consequences of insubordination?
The actual consequences for an act of insubordination depends on your company's policy. But it can range from a bad performance review to being fired. Kelly says the list of potential consequences also includes not receiving promotions and having limited opportunities for growth. In addition, your reputation and relationship with your superior becomes strained, which is “difficult to resolve,” she says.
How to resolve conflicts without being insubordinate
Resolving work-related conflicts requires patience and emotional intelligence. Here are some tips for handling your differences with a superior without being insubordinate.
- Communicate with an open mind. If you don't understand why you've been assigned a task, ask your superior to explain its purpose—and be open to understanding their reasoning. “Ask for clarification about why: ‘Why was I selected, why are we doing this task, why this way?’” Kelly says. “Listen to the response without judgment.”
- Share your concerns without arguing. After hearing what they have to say, ask if you can share your thoughts. “If yes, share them calmly and clearly,” Kelly says. “ State that you hear the request and will move forward but you are concerned about…” If you feel like you'll need proof of this conversation in the future, create a paper trail. “Send them an email recapping what they said using their words.”
- Seek advice from HR. If it’s a big enough conflict, Kelly suggests going to HR to ask their advice on how to deal with the situation. “Relate your story to HR very calmly and request advice on how to better communicate your concerns to your manager,” she says.
The purpose of this is twofold: to get suggestions on how to handle the conflict, and also to protect yourself. “You’re trying to do what is being asked, using resources, and creating a paper trail to back up your concerns,” Kelly says. “By humbly asking for help, you are not complaining, or showing insubordination.”
- Work with a career coach. If you keep having conflicts with your superior about your work, a career coach might help. You may discover that this specific position is not for you and it's time to find something more aligned with your profile, or that you need to develop new skills in order to fulfill your duties.
What to do if your boss accuses you of insubordination?
If you're being accused of being insubordinate, “you are now in a situation with HR,” Kelly says. If it's an unfair accusation, the first step is gathering any paper trail that will back you up. “Print it all, and save email and notes as PDFs,” she says.
When you have the opportunity to talk with HR, ask for advice on how to move forward, but don't blame your superior. “Blaming your manager may not be received well—they may be to blame, but this is hard to do,” Kelly says—especially if what they requested isn't illegal or unethical. In this case, try to keep an open mind.
“If what you’re being asked to do is ethical and legal you may need to try to complete the work the way it's being requested,” Kelly says. If you want to keep your job, let HR know you're willing to compromise. “Express to your manager and HR that you value the organization, the work, your team, your manager, HR, and that you, too, want to find resolution.”
FAQs
Can you be sacked for insubordination?
Yes, you can be terminated, because insubordination is a form of misconduct—which some companies don't tolerate. Also, keep in mind that if you're employed at will, the employer can fire you for any reason, at any moment (likewise, you can resign whenever you want). However, if you didn't follow an order that was illegal or unethical, then it's likely HR will be on your side.
Is insubordination serious misconduct?
Generally, it depends on what you did and the consequences of it. However, policies change between companies and industry and what one tolerates, others may not. For instance, a case of a doctor or nurse disrespecting the HIPAA Privacy rule is serious misconduct and might result in immediate termination. But a case of a waiter not cleaning the tables when the manager asks is insubordination but not a serious act of misconduct.
Is ignoring a manager insubordination?
Yes, if your manager is giving you clear instructions or orders either verbally or in writing and you ignore it, it's insubordination.
When is it not insubordination?
It's not insubordination when what you're asked to do is illegal or unethical. It also might not be considered insubordination if the request is completely off of your job description, like you're a sales assistant being asked to do marketing work. However, try always to clarify with your manager, and maybe with HR, why are they assigning this to you instead of ignoring it completely.
Is insubordination grounds for termination with cause?
It could be, depending on what you did and the impact of your insubordination in the organization. Did it cause them to lose money? Did it put patients or clients in any form of risk? To better understand the severity level of the situation you're in, you may want to consult an employment attorney.
How do you explain being fired for insubordination?
Usually, past employers don't discuss the details of your termination in a reference check, unless it's something that they need to disclose (e.g. you committed a crime). So, you may be fine giving a standard job interview response, like something along the lines of “the company decided to restructure and eliminate some roles.”
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