Legal Definitions - insubordination

Insubordination refers to a deliberate refusal by an employee to follow a legitimate and reasonable instruction from a superior, or behavior that shows a willful disregard for an employer'sauthority or established company policies.

It typically involves a direct challenge to authority, a refusal to perform assigned duties, or disrespectful conduct that undermines the chain of command within an organization.

• Example 1: A marketing manager instructs a team member to prepare a presentation for a client meeting by the end of the day. The team member responds by stating, "I'm not doing that; it's not my job," and continues working on a different, unrelated task despite the manager's clear directive.

  Explanation: This is a clear instance of insubordination because the employee is willfully and directly refusing to obey a legitimate and reasonable instruction from their superior regarding a work-related task.

• Example 2: A company implements a new policy requiring all employees to log their work hours using a specific digital system. During a team meeting, an employee openly mocks the new system, encourages colleagues to ignore it, and declares they will continue using their old, unapproved method, even after being reminded of the mandatory policy by their supervisor.

  Explanation: This demonstrates insubordination through a willful disregard for an established company policy and a direct challenge to the supervisor's authority to enforce that policy, potentially undermining compliance across the team.

• Example 3: A restaurant kitchen manager tells a chef to thoroughly clean their workstation at the end of their shift, emphasizing hygiene standards. The chef, instead of complying, leaves the station in disarray, and when confronted, dismisses the manager's instructions with a disrespectful comment, saying, "I'll clean it when I feel like it, not when you tell me to."

  Explanation: This illustrates insubordination through both a refusal to follow a direct, reasonable instruction related to job duties and the use of disrespectful language that challenges the manager's authority and the established operational standards.