What is insolence in the workplace?
Asked by: Mr. Kenyon Wisozk | Last update: July 21, 2025Score: 4.5/5 (27 votes)
What is Insolence? Insolence means repudiation by an employee of his/her duty to show respect. Insolence is an employee's disrespectful behaviour towards the employer. When an employee is insolent, it means he has demonstrated rudeness or a bad attitude towards his colleagues or superiors at work.
What is an example of insolent behavior?
This case further provides examples of various types of conduct associated with insolence which includes, but is not limited to talking back; talking over; shouting at; aggressively arguing; talking in a disrespectful, demeaning or contemptuous manner; body language such as eye-rolling, direct finger-pointing, looking ...
Can an employee be dismissed for insolence?
Acts of mere insolence and insubordination do not justify dismissal unless they are serious and willful.
What are acts of insolence?
Insolence is a rude, disrespectful act. The teenager's insolence got her in trouble with her teachers. Insolence is an act of or the trait of being a jerk, especially to someone you should respect. Insolence is what rude and stuck-up people show off every chance they get.
What is insolence to a staff member?
Insolence on the other hand refers to cheeky, rude, disrespectful, abusive, or contemptuous language, directed towards the employer. There is a fine line between insubordination and insolence, but insolence may very well become insubordination where there is an outright challenge to the employer's authority.
[BL112D] INSOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
What are examples of employee insolence?
An example of insolence is when you ignore someone at work who says Good Morning to you. This situation does not warrant dismissal, but it should be handled verbally. A situation where you storm into work and begin swearing, using vulgar language, accusing people, and using racial slurs may be grounds for dismissal.
Can you terminate an employee for insolence?
If you are accused of insubordination at work, your employer may consider they have just cause to terminate your employment immediately. As a result, you may be dismissed without notice or pay in lieu of notice. However, insubordination does not warrant a just cause termination in all circumstances.
What is insubordination vs insolence?
As stated, insubordination is when an employee purposely fails to carry out a legal and reasonable order after accepting it. Insolence, however, is when an employee – whether verbally or nonverbally, engages in: Rude. Derisive. Disrespectful language.
What is an example of insolent?
Examples of 'insolent' in a sentence
The man looked at her as if the question were self-evidently absurd as well as insolent. Townsend, Eileen IN LOVE AND WAR (1989. Along with being proud and insolent and stubborn, and a whole load of other things. Ian St James Awards AT THE STROKE OF TWELVE.
Can you fire an employee for being disrespectful?
The short answer is yes, you can fire an employee for disrespectful behavior. However, terminating an employee can be challenging. You must consult your HR department or outsourced HR provider for guidance on proper termination protocol.
How do you write an employee for insolence?
- Start the write-up process immediately after the incident.
- Use an official write-up form.
- Stick to facts, not opinion, to describe what happened.
- Describe an improvement plan and the consequences of more incidents.
- Ask the employee to sign the form.
What is an insolent attitude?
(of a person or a person's behavior) intentionally and rudely showing no respect: Students were often inattentive, sometimes even insolent, and showed relatively little interest in their work.
What is unfair disciplinary?
Unfair disciplinary actions are those that are disproportionate or unjustified given your employee's behaviour or performance. They fall outside your established, documented procedures for disciplinary action, or are inconsistent from how you've dealt with similar cases in the past.
Can you write-up an employee for being disrespectful?
If an employee's disrespectful behavior is affecting other employees or customers, it's time to take action. Examples of such behavior may include bullying, harassment, discrimination, or verbal abuse. However, before taking action, ensure that you have all the facts and evidence required to justify the write-up.
Is insolence a misconduct?
Insolence is an employee's disrespectful behaviour towards the employer. The test for both forms of misconduct is whether the employee's conduct demonstrates an intention to defy the employer's authority. In (Wooltru. Case 1989), the court equated insolence with impudence, cheekiness, disrespect or rudeness.
What is the difference between rude and insolent?
”Insolent” implies an attitude and deliberate impoliteness. ”Rude” describes behaviour that is inconsiderate and/ lacking in refinement.
What are 3 synonyms for insolent?
Some common synonyms of insolent are arrogant, disdainful, haughty, lordly, overbearing, proud, and supercilious.
What is the best definition of insolence?
Definition of 'insolence'
1. contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech. 2. the quality or condition of being insolent.
What is the legal definition of insolent?
: disrespectful or rude in speech or conduct. an insolent child. 2. : showing boldness or rudeness. an insolent act.
What is an example of insolence?
Examples from the Collins Corpus
It was a piece of insolence, or perhaps a display of power and prerogative. Her father regards this as ludicrous and in some cases as insolence. The king good-naturedly overlooked his outrageous insolence on this occasion, but the inevitable rupture was only postponed.
Can you fire someone for insolence?
In general, several instances of insolence are required to fire someone. However, a single serious insolent act will justify summary dismissal if the employment relationship has been irreparably destroyed.
What is conduct unbecoming of an employee?
What Is Conduct Unbecoming for an Employee? “Conduct unbecoming” has a simple definition: any behavior that your employer believes negatively affects your work. Thus, in contrast to most disciplinary charges, conduct unbecoming is a non-specific charge. This has some potent legal implications.
Is arguing with your boss insubordination?
Employees do have the right to question and argue about an order given by their boss. It is not insubordination if a manager tells a worker to do something and the worker responds by asking questions or giving their reasons why they shouldn't have to do what the boss wants.
What not to say when terminating an employee?
- “This is really hard for me.” ...
- “I'm not sure how to say this.” ...
- “We've decided to let you go.” ...
- “We've decided to go in a different direction.” ...
- “We'll work out the details later.” ...
- “Compared to Susan, your performance is subpar.”
Is eye rolling insubordination?
Examples of Insubordination
Refusing to complete a task. Disregarding basic instructions, safety practices, or other company procedures. Mocking and disrespecting workplace authority verbally or through body language (foul language, snide remarks, eye-rolling, crude gestures, or slander).