HR Advice Hub

Can an Employee Refuse to Be Managed by Someone?

Sometimes an employee will tell you that they no longer want to be managed by a particular person.

There may have been a disagreement between them, the employee may not like their manager's approach, or the relationship may have become difficult over time. In other cases, the employee may have raised a complaint about their manager and believe this means they should no longer have to report to them.

It can put an employer in a difficult position, particularly if there is no obvious alternative manager available. So, can an employee simply refuse to be managed by someone?

Can an Employee Choose Who Their Manager Is?

In most workplaces, reporting arrangements are decided by the employer. Employees do not normally have a right to choose their manager or insist that they report to somebody else because they would prefer a different management style or do not get on with the person managing them.

Managers also have a legitimate role in setting expectations, allocating work, reviewing performance and addressing concerns. An employee cannot normally avoid reasonable management simply by saying they do not want a particular manager to manage them.

That does not mean an employer should dismiss concerns about the relationship. The reason the employee wants a different manager is important.

Find Out Why the Employee Is Refusing

There is a big difference between an employee saying “I don't like the way she manages me” and explaining that they believe their manager is bullying, harassing or discriminating against them.

Before changing reporting arrangements or telling the employee that they have no choice, speak to them about what has happened. Ask them to explain the problem and, where possible, give examples.

Sometimes the issue is a breakdown in the working relationship. Sometimes it is disagreement about reasonable management decisions. There may also be a genuine concern that needs to be looked into separately. Understanding the reason allows the employer to decide what actually needs addressing.

What If the Employee Has Raised a Grievance Against Their Manager?

Raising a grievance against a manager does not automatically mean the manager can no longer manage the employee. If that were the case, raising a grievance could effectively allow an employee to choose a different manager while the complaint was being considered.

However, the employer should look at the nature of the grievance and whether any temporary arrangements are needed. If the allegations are serious, or continuing direct management could affect the investigation or make the situation particularly difficult, it may be sensible to put alternative arrangements in place for a period of time.

In other cases, the normal reporting relationship may be able to continue while the grievance is dealt with. The decision should be based on the circumstances rather than treating a change of manager as an automatic consequence of raising a complaint.

What If the Employee Says Their Manager Is Bullying Them?

An allegation of bullying should be taken seriously, but the word “bullying” on its own does not mean that normal management must immediately stop.

Managers sometimes have to challenge poor performance, question work, set deadlines or have difficult conversations. An employee finding those conversations uncomfortable does not necessarily mean the manager is bullying them.

Equally, employers should not assume that every allegation of bullying is simply an employee reacting badly to being managed. There may be genuine concerns about the manager's behaviour that need to be addressed.

Look at the examples the employee provides and decide whether the concern needs to be handled informally, investigated or dealt with through the grievance procedure.

What If the Relationship Has Completely Broken Down?

Sometimes there is no single serious allegation. The relationship between the manager and employee has simply deteriorated to the point where both struggle to work together.

That does not automatically mean the employee should be given a new manager. Changing the reporting line may solve the immediate problem, but it can also avoid dealing with the reason the relationship broke down.

Where appropriate, it may be better to look at whether the working relationship can be repaired. This could involve clearer expectations about communication, facilitated conversations, mediation or support for both people to establish how they will work together going forward.

There will be situations where a change in reporting arrangements makes practical sense, but it should be a business decision rather than something the employee can simply demand.

What If the Employee Doesn't Like Being Performance Managed?

This is an important distinction. A relationship can sometimes appear to deteriorate when a manager starts addressing issues that were previously left alone. An employee who has not previously had their performance challenged may strongly dislike a new manager asking questions, setting clearer expectations or following up on work.

That does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the management relationship. If the manager is acting reasonably, the employer should support them to manage.

Moving the employee to another manager simply because they object to reasonable performance management can undermine the original manager and leave the underlying performance issue unresolved.

The employer should still listen to any specific concerns the employee raises about how they are being managed. The fact that performance concerns exist does not mean a manager can behave inappropriately.

Can an Employee Refuse to Speak to Their Manager?

An employee cannot generally decide that they will no longer communicate with their manager. Reasonable communication between a manager and employee is a normal part of the working relationship. Managers need to be able to allocate work, discuss priorities, give feedback and deal with issues when they arise.

If an employee refuses to speak to their manager, the employer should first understand why. If there is a genuine concern about the manager's behaviour, this may need to be addressed. There may also be circumstances where temporary communication arrangements are sensible while a serious complaint is investigated.

However, where there is no good reason for the refusal, the employee should be reminded that they are expected to communicate reasonably with their manager.

Can an Employee Refuse One-to-Ones With Their Manager?

An employee would not normally be able to decide that they will no longer attend reasonable meetings with their manager.

One-to-ones, performance discussions, workload meetings and other routine management conversations are a normal part of the employment relationship. If the employee is refusing to attend, find out why and explain the expectation that they participate in reasonable management processes.

If there is a specific concern about the meeting, it may be possible to address that without removing the manager altogether. For example, depending on the circumstances, another person might attend a particular meeting or the employer might agree a different arrangement temporarily.

What is appropriate will depend on why the employee is refusing and what the meeting is about.

What If the Employee Requests a Different Manager as a Reasonable Adjustment?

If an employee says their request for a different manager is connected to a disability, the employer should consider whether there is a reasonable adjustment issue.

This does not mean an employee automatically has the right to choose a different manager because they have a disability. The employer still needs to understand what disadvantage the employee is experiencing, why they believe changing the management arrangement would help and whether that adjustment would be reasonable in the circumstances. There may also be other adjustments that could address the problem without changing the reporting line altogether.

The important thing is not to treat the request simply as an employee refusing to accept their manager if they have explained that there is a disability-related reason behind it. The reasonable adjustment request should be properly considered before the employer decides what arrangements will apply.

What If the Employee Still Refuses to Work With Their Manager?

If the employer has listened to the employee's concerns, dealt with any issues that genuinely need addressing and decided that the reporting arrangement will remain, this should be made clear to the employee.

They should understand that working reasonably with their manager is an expected part of their role. If they continue to refuse reasonable instructions, meetings or communication simply because they do not accept who their manager is, the employer may eventually need to consider whether this has become a conduct issue.

Formal action should not be the first response to a genuine concern about a management relationship. But an employee cannot indefinitely refuse reasonable management after their concerns have been properly considered.

Don't Automatically Change the Manager to Solve the Problem

When an employee says they will not work with their manager, changing the reporting line can feel like the easiest solution. Sometimes it will genuinely be the right one, particularly where there are serious concerns or the relationship is no longer workable. But it should not be the automatic response.

Find out what has happened first. Deal with any grievance or inappropriate behaviour that needs addressing, consider whether the relationship can be repaired and make a business decision about the most appropriate reporting arrangement.

Employees should be able to raise genuine concerns about their managers. They do not, however, generally have the right to decide who will manage them.

Need HR Support?

If an employee is refusing to work with their manager and you're unsure how to handle it, BloomHR can help.

We provide practical HR advice to help small businesses understand the issue, manage difficult working relationships and decide what to do next. Contact us for more information.