DEFINITION: Insubordination is defined in Black's Law Dictionary as "State of being insubordinate; disobedience to constituted authority. Term imports a willful or intentional disregard of the lawful and reasonable instructions of the employer." Webster defines insubordination as "not submitting to authority, rebellious."
IT CAN GET YOU FIRED! Insubordination is one of the major contributing factors in many employee dismissals and is one of the easiest charges to prove. However, it is a concept that is misunderstood by many employees and as a result they place themselves in the position of being insubordinate. In order to avoid this hazard, a thorough understanding of the concept is necessary.
REMEMBER WHO'S BOSS! First, it is important to understand that the principal or immediate supervisor has some management rights simply because he or she is the "boss." Any principal or immediate supervisor has the right to exert leadership, to direct the institutional operations, to enforce rules, policies, reasonable orders and directions so long as they conform to the contract and are clear and unambiguous, not injurious to your health, applied uniformly, and justly administered.
RULE #1: The best rule to follow in regards to insubordination is "Don't be."
WORK, THEN GRIEVE RULE: If a worker at your site comes to you and questions a directive issued by the immediate supervisor or principal, advise him or her to discuss the objections with the principal. If the principal insists that the order be obeyed, advise the member to comply unless it is a threat to the health or safety of the staff member or students. Then file a grievance. This is the "Work, then Grieve" rule.