It’s unfair to ask someone to do a task they don’t know how to do. This seems perfectly common sense. Unfortunately, life is full of folks who take this reasonable idea and turn it into a way to get out of doing really anything.
Someone asked “What is by far the most blatant example of "weaponized incompetence" you have ever witnessed?” and people shared their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own tales to the comments down below.
#61
I have an 8 and 10 year old… I witness it every day.
But if you’re talking real world, my boss is currently someone who was my boss elsewhere, I love her, she is awesome, but she plays dumb all the time and refuses to tasks that will take 5 minutes because “she doesn’t know how” when it’s a core part of our job.
But if you’re talking real world, my boss is currently someone who was my boss elsewhere, I love her, she is awesome, but she plays dumb all the time and refuses to tasks that will take 5 minutes because “she doesn’t know how” when it’s a core part of our job.
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#62
I have a coworker and the busy work we gave new hires he was spectacularly bad at. Like he cause 20 different issues across the 4 months I worked with him. In my entire time working I had one issue that I fixed. Just one in two years.
We ended up not giving him any more of that.
I personally would have fired him but the manager was friends with him and refused to do so.
We ended up not giving him any more of that.
I personally would have fired him but the manager was friends with him and refused to do so.
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#63
We had a contractor data analyst that distorted so much data that got me in trouble. I finally just learned computer programming and data science on my own from textbooks because this analyst’s response to every error was: “I did what I was told.”
There were many instances when our boss would yell at me but would shower this contractor data analyst with glowing praise.
Lo and behold upper management comes around and wants to know what we are doing because there is going to be some organizational changes. A project manager mapped out what I had to do on a daily basis and quickly realized I was doing two jobs. Contractor data analyst had to go. Didn’t impact me at all as I was already doing their job.
There were many instances when our boss would yell at me but would shower this contractor data analyst with glowing praise.
Lo and behold upper management comes around and wants to know what we are doing because there is going to be some organizational changes. A project manager mapped out what I had to do on a daily basis and quickly realized I was doing two jobs. Contractor data analyst had to go. Didn’t impact me at all as I was already doing their job.
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#64
Honestly, a lot of what's called weaponized incompetence is just bad training or unclear expectations. If nobody actually shows someone how to do it right, calling it a strategy feels like a stretch.
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