SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old man took to Reddit to share that his marketing job has turned into a one-man operation for five different brands.
In a post on the r/askSingapore subreddit, the man shared that during the interview process, his employers had clearly stated that his role would mainly involve handling marketing for the company’s primary brand. They also mentioned that he might occasionally provide light support for a few sister companies, but made it seem like those tasks would be minimal and easy to manage.
At the time, the job seemed reasonable and aligned with what he was looking for, so he went ahead and accepted the offer. However, things started to shift shortly after he signed the contract. He was informed that he would also be taking on responsibility for another brand. Although that came as a surprise, he assumed it would still be manageable.
It was only when he officially started work that the full picture became clear. Instead of just focusing on one brand and offering occasional help with a few others, he found himself in charge of full-scale marketing for five different brands.
This includes everything from planning and shooting content to editing, writing, and posting, all on his own. While there is another person on the “marketing team,” that colleague mainly handles admin and minor marketing tasks.
“Sometimes I’m out on shoots the whole day, only to rush back to edit and schedule content for other brands before the day ends,” he said. “So basically, I’m a 1-man marketing department for multiple companies.”
He added that while he has worked both in agencies and in-house roles before, this current job feels completely different because there’s no team to share the load.
“Even when juggling multiple clients or brands (before), I had a team. We shared the load. This? This feels like burnout in disguise,” he wrote.
What has made things worse, he said, is that he recently discovered the company has been posting job ads to find someone to replace him without telling him. There was no conversation, no feedback, and no warning.
“[They’re] quietly putting out feelers for my replacement while I’m still working overtime,” he continued. “I even reached out to TAFEP, and all they said was to talk to my HR or RO… but honestly, that just feels like talking to a wall.”
“So now I’m left wondering: Am I being exploited? Or am I just too soft for this industry? Would love to hear from anyone who’s been through something similar. I feel like I’m going insane trying to justify whether this is just “how things are” or if I’m genuinely being treated unfairly.”
“You definitely need to leave!”
His post quickly caught the attention of many Singaporean Reddit users, who voiced concern and sympathy for what he was going through. A number of them pointed out that being overworked and not even told about their plans to replace him wasn’t just unprofessional, but downright shady. Many encouraged him to start making plans to leave the company as soon as possible.
One user commented, “So you signed up for a job scope that is essentially 5 headcounts for the price of 1, and you’re wondering if you’re being exploited. Yes, you are. The bigger question is why are you even still there instead of resigning?”
Another chimed in with, “This is abuse. Telling you this as someone with both agency and client side experience for years. You definitely need to leave!”
A third said, “If you think you’re being exploited, you’re definitely being exploited.”
On the other hand, a few users suggested that he try raising his concerns with his bosses first.
One user wrote, “I think sharing your concerns with HR and supervisor is the main thing to do. If nobody says anything, they will continue to do the same to every next person after you. Once they get some pushback, they might change their approach, at least slightly.”
Steps to take if you’re facing issues at work
If you’re facing issues at work, the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) recommends raising your concerns through your company’s grievance-handling channels or reporting your supervisor’s behaviour to top management. You can also “approach your union for assistance or seek counselling support”.
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Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)