SINGAPORE: A woman has raised concerns about whether some workplaces in Singapore are indirectly pressuring employees to give only positive feedback, even during so-called “anonymous” surveys.
On Wednesday (May 21), she shared her experience on the r/askSingapore forum.
According to her post, staff were asked to participate in an organisation-wide feedback survey, which was promoted as being anonymous. Initially, she thought it was a genuine effort by management to hear employees’ voices.
However, several weeks after the survey was completed, the head of her unit told the team that their department’s director had been singled out for receiving the most negative feedback across the organisation. Following that, staff were instructed to redo the survey.
This time, although management still claimed it was anonymous, the woman said the atmosphere had already shifted—many felt like their responses were being tracked. Then came another surprise: they were told to complete the survey a third time, but now with their full names written clearly on the form.
“We had to redo it yet again, but with our names clearly written. The excuse, if I remember it correctly, was that if anyone was unhappy about it, then they should talk it out.”
Understandably, the woman shared that no one felt comfortable being honest anymore. She admitted that she, along with her colleagues, ended up giving overly positive responses just to avoid being singled out or seen as a troublemaker.
Curious if this was normal in other companies, she asked the community, “Does your workplace indirectly force you to feedback nice things?”
“If you give bad news, you will be fired.”
Surprisingly, many Singaporean Redditors jumped into the conversation to share that they had gone through similar experiences at their own workplaces. While their companies often emphasised the importance of honest and constructive feedback, several users felt there was always a subtle pressure to only say positive things, especially when it came to reviewing higher-ups.
One Redditor commented, “All corporate feedback is the same, whether it is in SG or overseas. It’s only for show. If you disagree with the ExCO leadership and direction, please look for another company that is more aligned with your values. It’s wayang just to say they are a progressive and transparent company. PS, they also know who the troublemakers are, who constantly question their direction. Good luck, slaves.”
Another shared a more extreme example: “We were locked in a room and forced to admit who gave the director a below-average review. Everyone knows these anonymous feedback forms are IQ tests.”
A third simply said, “If you give bad news, you will be fired.”
A fourth added, “The rice bowl is only iron when you polish your boss’s one till it’s shiny and rustproof.”
In other news, a desk-bound employee took to social media to share her confusion and frustration after facing backlash from upper management for taking leave on a Friday and travelling over the weekend, despite not being officially scheduled to work.
In her detailed post on a local forum, the employee explained that she holds a standard 9-to-5 weekday job that does not involve shift work or regular weekend duties. However, due to the nature of the role, the team often works a few hours during the final weekend of each month to meet deadlines.
Read more: Employee gets ‘heat from the higher management’ for travelling on her weekend day off
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