Being in a position of leadership doesn’t automatically mean employees will follow you. Sometimes they don’t listen. And worse, sometimes they challenge or undermine your authority.
What should you do when difficult employees are actively undermining your authority at work? In this article, we’ll cover what insubordination looks like, why it happens, and how to respond.
What insubordination at work looks like at work
Dissent raised respectfully and directly is a sign of a healthy workplace, and it differs from undermining. However, left unchecked, dissent can escalate to undermining. Keep an eye out for any of the following behaviors, which can all count as insubordination:
Publicly challenging or criticizing you in meetings, especially in front of others.
Deviating from a stated process, rule, or guideline, either by challenging or “forgetting to follow” that process.
Engaging in dismissive body language or tone (eye-rolling, sarcasm, having a consistently negative attitude in team settings).
Gossiping or spreading rumors about leaders to peers.
Holding informal “meetings-after-meetings” without leadership present to reverse or reinterpret agreed-upon decisions.
Withholding effort or engagement on a regular basis.
Sabotaging projects, or letting them fail so that leaders look bad.
None of these examples are pleasant to deal with, and each can contribute to a toxic work environment.
Why employees undermine their bosses
Different types of insubordination can emerge for different reasons. If you feel your authority is being undermined at work, it’s important to try to understand the root cause of this behavior before you address it.
Burnout: Sometimes, an employee who appears to be trying to create a hostile work environment is actually struggling to stay engaged with their work. If an employee is overwhelmed with their workload, they may miss deadlines, withhold effort, or push back on new tasks. These behaviors are often signs of exhaustion.
Lack of trust or respect: If an employee doubts your competence, judgment, or integrity, they may feel justified working around you. They might question your decisions publicly, seek approval from other leaders, or ignore direction they don’t believe in.
Feeling unheard: When an employee raises concerns and nothing changes, they may stop speaking up directly. Instead, they may resist indirectly through passive resistance, gossip, or going over your head to get a response.
Poor management behavior: Micromanaging, taking credit for others’ work, playing favorites, or being disrespectful can provoke retaliation. Employees who feel mistreated may push back in ways that undermine your standing with the team.
A chaotic work environment: When goals, priorities, and expectations keep shifting, employees may decide for themselves what matters. Unclear direction and weak leadership support can lead them to ignore or test your authority.
Ambition: Some employees want your role or want to look more capable by comparison. They may take credit for your ideas, highlight your mistakes to others, or position themselves as the real decision-maker.
Reactions to organizational changes: Reorgs, layoffs, new leadership, or policy shifts create uncertainty and loss. Employees may direct frustration at the person delivering the news, resisting changes or questioning your authority to carry them out.
If your direct report is undermining your authority for any of these reasons, you’ll need to have a difficult conversation to start to make a change.
How to address insubordination as a leader
If you’re dealing with an insubordinate employee, it’s important to deal with it calmly, quickly, and confidently. Don’t call someone out in front of the team, and don’t let the behavior sit for weeks. Schedule a one-on-one soon after the incident, then follow these steps:
1. Check your own role in the situation first.
Before you meet, ask yourself whether your direction was clear, your expectations were realistic, and your decisions were explained. Sometimes what looks like defiance is confusion, or a reaction to something you can fix. If you do find a gap, own it. That alone can reset the relationship.
2. Be clear about what you’ve observed.
Describe your employee’s objective behavior as clearly as possible (for example, “You skipped the approval step on the last two projects”) rather than what you assume about their motives. Then ask for their side and listen. You may learn about burnout, a trust issue, or a concern they didn’t feel heard on.
3. Set clear expectations and consequences.
Be specific about what needs to change, by when, and what happens if it doesn’t. Vague feedback like “improve your attitude” gives no one anything to act on. Something like “I need you to raise disagreements with me directly before a decision goes out” keeps your employee accountable.
4. Document everything.
Keep a record of incidents, conversations, and agreed next steps, with dates and facts. If the behavior continues and you need to move to a formal written warning or other discipline, clear documentation protects you and the employee. Loop in your human resources (HR) team early, and consult an employment attorney before taking formal action, since the right steps vary by state and situation.
5. Follow up and follow through.
Check in regularly after the conversation, and acknowledge improvement when you see it. If the behavior continues, apply the consequences you described. Consistency tells the whole team that expectations are real and fairly enforced.
6. Address the root cause.
If one employee is undermining you, it may be about them. If several are, look at the bigger picture: unclear priorities, a lack of channels to voice concerns, or leadership gaps. Fixing any structural gaps can help prevent future incidents.
Overall, your feedback should improve performance, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and facilitate teamwork. Many people are open to listening once you bring up an issue—if they’re not, they might not be the right fit for your business.
Remember to loop in HR when you need them, and that difficult but necessary conversations can do wonders to reset a negative situation.
FAQs
Can you fire an employee for insubordination?
In most states, yes. Employment is generally at-will, so employers can terminate for insubordination as long as the reason isn’t discriminatory, retaliatory, or tied to legally protected activity. Because rules vary by state and contract, document the behavior and prior warnings, and consult an employment attorney before terminating employment.
Is it insubordination if an employee complains about their boss to coworkers?
Not necessarily. Under the National Labor Relations Act, employees can discuss pay, schedules, and working conditions with coworkers, even without a union, and employers generally can’t discipline them for it. Personal attacks and knowingly false statements aren’t protected, so check with an attorney before acting.
Can an employee refuse an order without it counting as insubordination?
Sometimes. Refusing an illegal instruction, or work that poses an imminent danger of death or serious injury, can be legally protected. OSHA says the worker must refuse in good faith, ideally after asking the employer to fix the hazard. Disciplining someone for a legitimate refusal can count as retaliation.
What should you do when an employee challenges you in the middle of a meeting?
Stay calm, briefly acknowledge the point, and move on without debating it in front of the team. A line like, “Let’s talk about that after the meeting,” keeps things on track and avoids a power struggle. Then follow up one-on-one soon afterward, when you can listen to their concerns and address the behavior privately.
How do you handle former peers who resist you after a promotion?
Be clear about your new role early, set expectations in one-on-ones, and ask each person what they need from you. Stay consistent and fair, avoid favoring old friendships, and follow through on commitments. Respect usually builds through reliability over time rather than from asserting authority.
