Insubordination

What is Insubordination?
Insubordination is the act of refusing to carry out the orders or directives of a superior. It is a disobedience of the established order.
What constitutes Insubordination at Work?
The most common instance of workplace insubordination is simple: the manager asks to carry out task A. The employee refuses to do so.
This frequently occurs for a variety of reasons, including outright rebellion, absentmindedness, irrational manager expectations, and outright laziness.
Insubordination Example - Elon Musk & Twitter Employees
Elon Musk order team to comb through Twitter's internal chat platform and compile a list of insubordinate workers.
According to the New York Times, Elon Musk instructed his Twitter team to compile a list of insubordinate employees.
The group searched for Musk-related criticism tweets and internal chat threads on Twitter. Additionally, the team was told to look through employee tweets for criticism.
The enlisted employees on the list were then sent emails at 1:30 am informing them about their termination from the team.
As per the email, "We regret to inform you that your employment is terminated effective immediately. Your recent behavior has violated company policy," reports Insider's, Kali Hays.
A little under twenty employees were let go overnight on Tuesday for criticizing Musk through Slack in their internal chats or on public forums.
One of the more famous dismissals involved Eric Frohnhoefer, Twitter’s software engineer who has been serving for eight years.
The Behaviour of Insubordination
Sabotage Covertly
Instead of protesting outright, a worker chooses not to complete the task at hand and works covertly to undermine the enterprise.
This may ultimately lead to the issue sabotage at work
Complete Contradiction
Acting in complete opposition direction to what one is told.
Even though this kind of insubordination is frequently the most blatant, if it occurs quietly, many supervisors will overlook it.
Behaviour of Avoiding
An employee acknowledges the request with a "Yes, of course" but does not carry out the actions that are necessary.
It differs from when a worker is unable to perform the duties due to a lack of resources or skills.
When an employee has the option to accomplish something but opts not to, this occurs.
Interventions for Insubordination
Define limits
The employees will know what is expected of them and friction will lessen if the boundaries and restrictions are made apparent to them right away.
So, do not allow any opportunity for ambiguity or confusion and instead tell the employee what is appropriate.
Establish company guidelines for insubordination
The definition of insubordination, a list of tolerable and undesirable behavior inside the business
And the repercussions of their acts must all be included in the policy.
Keep a professional demeanour
A professional work environment must be established and upheld right from the beginning.
This would support controlling the employees' behavior.
Keep the lines of communication open
Consistent communication would make it easier to spot smaller issues and address them with staff members before they develop into instances of insubordination.
Reliable reasons for dismissal
The reason for a termination owing to insubordination must be determined and disclosed by the employer.
How to respond when Insubordination Occurs?
Continue being professional
Keep your composure and refrain from taking comparable action even if an employee openly disparages you or your company.
One must maintain composure and communicate with the employee calmly.
Correctly address the problem
It is simpler to explain to the employee the reasoning behind the action taken if you make a note of the topics to be covered in advance so that the discussion may go in an orderly manner.
Be impartial and allow them a chance to be heard
Prior to making a choice, it is crucial to take the employee's perspective into account.
Fairness is essential to maintaining a positive work environment.
Record the incident in writing
This is an account of the occurrence based on facts and a strategy for improvement with it.
It is required for termination to have a paper trail. It might need to be signed by the worker or a witness. Sign it yourself as well.
Involve Third Parties
Conditional to the circumstances, one could find it beneficial to involve a third party.
This could be a member of the company's human resources division.
These people, for instance, can act as impartial arbitrators in disputes involving you and another worker.
This video is on Insubordination and it has the following sub-topics.
Timestamps
0:15 - What is Insubordination?
0:25 - What constitutes Insubordination at Work?
0:48 - Insubordination Example - Elon Musk & Twitter Employees
1:54 - The Behaviour of Insubordination
2:40 - Interventions for Insubordination
3:44 - How to respond when Insubordination Occurs?