Weaponized incompetence isn't just a problem for couples. Here's how your coworker might be taking advantage of you.

"Perhaps you decide that dishwashing should be a solo chore. Anything is better than having to give your partner a nightly tour of the kitchen. This pattern of deliberately performing a task poorly to avoid doing it is called weaponized incompetence. Social media is full of examples of people, mostly men, failing at chores such as neglecting to refill an empty water pitcher or holding a crying infant while their partner is taking a shower."

""Weaponized incompetence is a strategy people use when they attempt to get out of completing a task by feigning ignorance of the task in hopes someone else will do it, likely passing that task to a colleague or manager," Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, neuropsychologist, told Business Insider. Another name for this behavior is willful incompetence. For example, your colleague might ask you to finish a report because they're "too slow" or you're "better at writing." They're capable of doing the task, but they intentionally underperform or downplay their skills to avoid responsibility."

Weaponized incompetence involves deliberately performing tasks poorly or feigning ignorance to avoid responsibility. The behavior appears in both domestic and workplace settings, causing tasks to be passed to partners, colleagues, or managers. Domestic examples include refusing to learn household routines, neglecting to refill essentials, or performing infant care ineffectively. In professional settings, individuals may claim technological ineptitude or slow writing skills to offload assignments. The pattern, also called willful incompetence, leads to unequal labor distribution and increases the burden on more capable or conscientious people.

Read at Business Insider