We explain what ineptitude is and why it can lead to dismissal. In addition, we show you examples of the use of the word in sentences.
What is ineptitude?
The ineptitude is the lack of expertise, skill, or talent when performing a task. It is a term derived from the adjective ineptwhich in Spanish is called someone foolish, who lacks training, understanding or abilities to carry out an action.
Both “ineptitude” and “inept” are words from Latin ineptusmade up of the voices in- (a negative prefix) and aptus (“apt”, “capable”), which derives from the verb adiposci (“attain” or “obtain”). So someone inept is someone inappropriate for what they do or incapable of achieving a goal or objective, and therefore it is the opposite case of someone suitable.
However, there is a distinction in Spanish between “inept” and “inept”, since the first term is used as a pejorative adjective, while the second is not. Thus, for example, a person may be declared “unfit” by a court to perform a job, due to medical reasons that prevent him or her from performing the job without risks to his or her health; while someone who insists on doing a job and ends up ruining everything will surely be accused of being “inept.”
See also: Impericia
Job ineptitude
In some legal frameworks, the figure of job ineptitude as a cause for dismissal of a worker. That is, a worker or employee can be dismissed when he or she proves to be incapable of correctly performing the function for which he or she was previously hired.
However, for work ineptitude to exist, the following conditions must be met:
- May the disability be true (not fake) and permanent (not circumstantial).
- May disability have its origin in the workerand not in the conditions of the context.
- that the inability affect essential tasks and specific to the worker.
- that the inability be foreign to the will of the worker (otherwise it is a disciplinary dismissal).
Job ineptitude is also referred to as work incapacity.
Examples of ineptitude
Some examples of use of the word ineptitude are the following:
- “The security minister was removed from his position for ineptitude”. It means that the minister demonstrated that he was not capable of fulfilling the roles assigned to his position, and consequently he was dismissed so that someone more suitable could take his place.
- “The school administrators turned out to be inept”. It means that the school administrators are not capable of organizing the institution, either financially or logistically, and that therefore they are considered inept, incapable.
- “Miguel was fired from the company for ineptitude supervening.” It means that Miguel was fired from his job at a company because despite his efforts he began to do his job very poorly.
- “I can't believe the ineptitude “with which our rulers handle the crisis.” It means that the person is very critical of the way the government handles the crisis, that it seems to them that they do it in a terrible way, or that the resolution of the problem exceeds the capabilities of the rulers and that therefore they should be replaced.
Continue with: Qualities of a person
References
- “Ineptitude” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Inept” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Inept -ta” in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Ineptitude” in Wiktionary.
