SINGAPORE: When a Reddit user asked to compare notes with others who believe as he does that fresh diploma graduates are “so hard to hire these days”, he found the tables were quickly turned when commenters on his post pointed out that he, rather than the new grads, is likely to be the problem.
In a now-deleted r/askSingaoore post on Wednesday (June 18), the post author wrote that they had just attended a Focus Group discussion with other SME owners and business partners. He claimed that “one recurring issue stood out; none of us have been able to successfully hire any fresh diploma graduates in recent years.”
He asked if this was a problem only they had faced or if it was common to other industries as well.
“We’re wondering: Are diploma grads skipping straight to uni? Are the diploma grads using other options like Career Fair as a main priority for Job Hunt?” the post author wrote, asking to hear from employers and HR professionals concerning the matter, asking as well for other current HR struggles, such as ghosting, unrealistic expectations, and job-hopping.
They added that they also wanted to hear from fresh grads themselves, asking them what turns them off from SME job listings.
On Reddit, a platform where many Singaporeans have expressed despair over their job prospects and struggles, commenters did not take very kindly to the post.
The top commenter posted excerpts from some of the Glassdoor reviews of the post author’s company, and added, “The younger generation is getting more tech-savvy and doing their own diligence on the companies they apply for.”
The reviews allegedly say that employees are fined not only when they arrive late, but “for every mistake” they make. Furthermore, employees are allowed to work from home only when they hit their targets, and 8.5 days of leave out of 14 are blocked by the company, which is not mentioned until employees sign their contracts.
“I understand block leave, but having more than half your leave balance to block leave is ridiculous,” the commenter wrote, adding, “I don’t think you can justify monetary penalties paid to be used to celebrate occasions such as birthdays and team gatherings—not for company profit.”
“Per his post history, this guy is also a landlord and apparently tried to make his tenant co-pay for the replacement of a 17-year-old air-con unit (which he was also lambasted for in the comments),” another added.
“Fining people is such an SME move and a major major turn off. If you need to penalise employees, do it via discretionary pay (ie, lower or no bonus). Or if you need to assess a good employee from a bad one, that’s what a probation period is for. Empower people and earn their trust. It’s a two-way street,” a Reddit user observed.
One wrote that the post author wanted to find out “issues on diploma graduates, got educated on what a toxic company looks like”.
“As someone in HR, here’s my honest advice: Trust your employees to be adults. When you implement rigid policies that monitor and punish, all you’re doing is creating a culture of fear and distrust.
“The idea of a block leave — forcing everyone to rest at the same time — isn’t employee-friendly. It’s a red flag that your team is running too lean. If people can’t take individual time off without disrupting operations, the real issue is that you’re not hiring enough. MNCs handle staggered leave just fine — the difference is that they build resilient teams. You need to ask yourself: why aren’t you?” a commenter advised. /TISG