What is Insubordination?
• Insubordination is a deliberate and inexcusable refusal to obey a reasonable order which relates to an employee’s job function. The refusal may be openly stated or it may be a silent witholding of services. Merely protesting an assignment is not insubordination. Employees may not decide for themselves which instructions they will follow and which they will not. Employees must first follow the order and then turn to the grievance procedure if they feel the order was improper. In other words, the rule is “work now, grieve later”. • The employee is responsible for telling you why the order is being refused. What to do if you believe insubordination has occurred Rephrase the assignment as a specific requirement, not as a mere request. It must be clear that the employee was told to do something, not just asked. (Note: Do not interpret this to mean that you should give all instructions in the form of commands. Phrasing instructions as requests is polite and motivating to most employees. If
