Tech professional asks if he should take S$17k annual pay cut for better work-life balance

SINGAPORE: A tech professional with about five years of experience recently went online to ask if it would be worth giving up part of his salary in exchange for a better work-life balance.

Posting on the r/singaporefi subreddit on Tuesday (Sep 30), the employee shared that he has received an offer from another company that would pay him S$112,000 annually, which works out to about S$17,000 less than what he is making now.

“Should I do it? My current annual is about S$130,000, [and] my current company is very unhealthy despite the higher pay,” he wrote. “The new role has better WLB, good medical benefits, and general benefits.”

“Mental health is priceless.”

In the comments, some Singaporean Redditors urged him to accept the lower-paying role.

“Yes. Unhealthy work environment means high chance of being terminated anyway. Jump ship while you can. I bet the per-hour pay is better in the new place,” one commenter wrote.

“Move. In the grand scheme of things, that S$17k/y does little for you. Use your more stress-free time to go pursue hobbies, a partner, heck, a second low-stress side gig that’s in something you’re interested in,” another chimed in.

“Yes, do it. Mental health is priceless, and it will provide a longer runway,” a third said.

Others, however, advised him to think about the bigger picture before making the jump. One told him, “You are still young (and single), I would say no, just work harder for the money now and you’ll have a more comfortable time later on.”

Another commented, “In my opinion, never leave one company to join another doing the same role on the promise of better WLB and at the cost of $. Like others here have said, talk is free.”

Additionally, some suggested that he negotiate with the new employer to narrow the gap or have an honest discussion with his current company about work-life balance before resigning.

One added, “Have you tried negotiating for other non-pay benefits? Like travel allowance/stock options, etc. They may be more willing to give those if the salary range is already capped.”

In other news, a woman who went on 29 dates in the past year has announced on social media that she’s officially “done” with dating in Singapore.

In a post on the r/sgdatingscene subreddit on Friday (Sep 26), the woman said that she was immensely disappointed with the 29th guy she went out with because of his lack of attentiveness towards her.

According to her, he was the one who initiated the date, yet throughout the evening, he kept “pulling out his phone” in the middle of their conversations, leaving her feeling ignored.

Read more: ‘I’m tired. I’m jaded,’: Woman calls it quits after 29 dates, deletes all apps