Employee says intern’s non-stop complaints and comments are ‘driving them insane’

SINGAPORE: Most interns worry about making a bad impression at work. This one, however, appears to have made himself unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

An employee recently took to social media to vent about a new intern who they claim has been “driving them insane” with a seemingly endless stream of complaints, comments, and observations about everything happening around him.

Posting anonymously on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, the employee described the intern as someone who always has something to say, even when nobody asks.

According to the employee, even the smallest things can trigger a running commentary.

“Any minor inconvenience – he complains about it for the next 30 min – 1 hr. He smells someone’s perfume – he comments, ‘I can smell it.’ Or if I eat a mint – he comments ‘Urgh I can smell your mint,’” the employee wrote.

While occasional workplace chatter is normal, the employee suggested that the intern’s habit had become so relentless that colleagues were beginning to lose patience.

In fact, the employee admitted they eventually snapped.

Apparently tired of hearing remarks about everyone else’s scents, they decided to return the favour by commenting on the intern’s breath. The remark did not go down well.

“The one time I commented on his breath, he got angry,” the employee said. “When he comes to annoy me while I’m working, I tell him to go away. Even our supervisor told him that he’s annoying, but he doesn’t get the hint.”

According to the post, the intern also has a habit of turning nearly every conversation back to himself, regardless of what topic is being discussed.

“He constantly dominates any conversation and makes it all about himself. Or any topic we’re on, he can somehow make it about himself.”

Ending their post on a frustrated note, the employee said: “I can’t wait for him to go out into the workforce and get what’s coming because people in my industry don’t take kindly to people like this.”

“Try to guide him.”

In the comments, many netizens said they could understand why the post author was so frustrated.

One person wrote, “I don’t think ANY industry will take kindly to people who behave obnoxiously. It sounds like he needs some coaching and mentoring … but this also depends on whether his supervisor has the ability and the bandwidth to do so.”

Another suggested a more practical fix, saying, “Your supervisor should give him more work so that he doesn’t have time to go around being kaypoh.”

A third remarked, “This intern is weird. My interns in my company all quietly do work one. Seldom talk also.”

A few others, however, said the post author should try to step in and guide the intern instead of just venting. 

One said, “Try to guide him. If it doesn’t work, you’ve done your part as a senior”

In other news, a man took to social media to share that he felt “cheated” after his uncle asked him and his two brothers to contribute S$1,500 each towards their grandmother’s funeral expenses.

In a post on the r/SingaporeR subreddit, the man said his uncle approached them to help pay for the funeral, which was held at a temple.

Read more: Man says he feels ‘cheated’ after uncle asked him and brothers to chip in S$1.5k each for grandmother’s funeral cost