SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee in the media advertising industry turned to Reddit on Tuesday (Oct 1) to seek advice on a difficult decision: should she wait for her 13th-month bonus before resigning, or should she quit right away for the sake of her mental health?
In her post on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, she shared how the stress at work has become overwhelming, mostly because of upper management.
“The big boss micromanages all of us, plans are being switched, and we are all being gaslighted… We are just running around on tip toes due to management’s temper,” she said.
“There are a load of politics which I hate, and there’s a new finance head, so a performance bonus may not be great either. [Also], although I was hired for my role, I’m being pushed to do other things out of my area of expertise.”
On top of that, her direct manager, who is fortunately leaving the company soon, hasn’t been much help, as he often took credit for the team’s hard work and threw them under the bus when things went wrong.
The employee also pointed out that since she only joined mid-year, she wouldn’t even receive the full 13th-month bonus. “If I decide to stick it out, I will only be able to leave next year after getting the 13-month and performance bonus in Dec,” she said.
“I feel extremely stuck now, considering I am unsure what role to jump into [if I leave]. Back to agency?? No, man, the amount of weight I lost and how bad my OT life was… I didn’t hit 40kg, and my working hours were like 10 am-2/3 am daily.”
“You might not get hired if you quit now.”
Below her post, Singaporean Redditors chimed in with a mix of advice based on their experiences. Some cautioned her against quitting right away, saying she might have a tough time finding a new job since it’s not exactly hiring season.
One Redditor pointed out, “I don’t think it’s hiring season; you might not get hired if you quit now. Hiring season should be after performance bonus payout, which is Q1.”
Another commented, “Just close your eyes, and it would be December already. Just give interviews and lineup something meanwhile.”
Others, however, took a different stance and strongly advocated for her mental health and well-being. They argued that no job is worth enduring such a toxic environment, especially one that leaves her feeling gaslighted and undermined.
One Redditor added, “Probably not worth staying in a toxic environment for prorated sum. Plus, you may miss out on the bonuses at your new workplace, move earlier, and you may get a full bonus or higher prorated amount.”
Another expressed, “If you can afford it, please quit now and take care of your health.”
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)