Terminating
an employee? Here's what you must consider before firing.
The insubordinate employee, it is a manager's worst nightmare.
He or she refuses to carry out your instructions, causes morale
problems among coworkers, and makes your job almost impossible
to carry out. If a you do not correct the problem then it spells
trouble in the workplace. By not handling the employee properly,
your problems will only get worse.
Insubordinate Employee Types
An insubordinate employee is one of two types. The insubordinate
employee can be outgoing and blatant or passive aggressive.
The passive aggressive is more difficult to deal with because
you have no way of knowing what this person is doing until
it is too late. For example, you tell an employee to do something
one way and the employee does it their way. This could result
in the overall task not getting done, or it may cause problems
for other coworkers who must use the results.
The insubordinate employee is not necessarily a poor performer.
In fact, some of your most blatant insubordinates can be good
employees because they are independent thinkers. But the blatant
employee can cause you terminal headaches if the two of you
differ in opinion. They must follow your direction and if they
fail to do this it hurts overall workplace productivity. And
remember while the employee may be innovative, it is your responsibility
to make sure the business's overall needs are met.
Handling the Insubordinate Employee
You have to deal with the insubordinate employee quickly and
decisively. Remember, the others are watching and if you drop
the ball on this one then you will inevitably have to deal
with the problem again and possibly from someone else. If an
employee is drawing a paycheck from you, he or she must follow
your orders.
Make sure that you let the employee know the insubordination
will result in disciplinary action. Get a witness if you have
to. But do not back down and do not apologize for your assertion.
If the employee carries out your instruction then that is the
end of it. However, regardless of the outcome you must document
the incident in your own personnel files so you can reference
if it reoccurs.
You can also question the employee about why he or she wants
to be insubordinate to your instruction. It could be the employee
has a grievance or maybe doesn't understand the task. Remember
deal with these problems head-on, otherwise you will pay in
other ways later. As a manager, you will have to earn the respect
of your employees. By tolerating insubordination, you are sending
a message to your workers that they do not have to respect
your authority in the workplace.
The
employer's guidebook to progressive discipline and employee termination
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