Employees don’t always follow directions what told to do something from their superiors. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes it isn’t. There is a fine line between bad attitudes and being rebellious. Is this grounds for firing someone? Well, that depends. Is it repeated behavior?
What causes rebellious behavior in the workplace anyway – intentional or unintentional?
Other Deadlines
Occasionally, employees have to set aside to-do lists to fulfill a request from their supervisor or vice versa. Every now and then supervisor requests have to wait, because an employee is already in the middle of something important, which cannot be delayed. Therefore, resulting in being side-tracked and, eventually, forgetting all about the request.
Power Trips
Some employees just flat out do not like to be given directions. They like to be independent and do what they want. Employees want to feel superior to others, therefore, neglecting supervisor requests.
Too Much Stress
Stress is a big deal in the workplace and overworked employee is a prime example. They may just throw their hands up and say forget everything or act out of character. It might just be a temporary situation with a simple solution.
Bad Work Environment
When an employee presents bad behavior it could be the workplace itself. The employee could be a victim of bullying or a workplace with bad management, either way, this could cause turmoil.
How should employers react to rebellion or bad behavior from their employees?
Prevention is the solution!
- Make sure employee roles are identified
- Communicate the importance of teamwork
- Offer extensive training
What if the problem is already in motion and it’s too late?
- What were the circumstances around the bad behavior or the reason for being rebellious?
- Could the problem be prevented?
- Did the problem violate anything in the employee handbook?
What are the appropriate disciplinary actions for rebellion or bad behavior in the workplace?
- Remain calm and document the problem and make it known it is a punishable action.
- Reiterate the importance of proper behavior.
- Explain what will happen if behavior does not change.
Regardless if bad behavior is unintentional or not, employers should find proper methods to preventing it from happening. And any event that occurs should be handled in a professional manner. Distinguishing if it is an isolated or an ongoing incident is a big factor in how to handle individual situations.
What is your workplace doing to prevent bad behavior? And when a problem arises, how do you handle it?