‘Every farewell lunch turns into a complaint session’: Employee describes workplace

SINGAPORE: In a job market where many workers are struggling to secure new opportunities, quitting without another job lined up is often seen as a risky move. However, one employee was left wondering whether their workplace had become so unbearable that staff were willing to take that gamble just to get out.

In a post on the r/askSingapore forum, the employee shared that colleagues from different departments had been resigning one after another, with some leaving despite not having another role secured.

“The situation of the Singapore economy is bad, but colleagues from different departments are all taking turns to quit (without backup jobs). They have various reasons, but the main trigger point is that management changed and made their work really tough.”

According to the employee, things began to deteriorate after a change in management about two years ago. Since then, they claimed that newer hires were often favoured over long-serving employees, bonuses were reduced, and overall morale in the office took a noticeable hit.

“The office vibe is super gloomy. Every farewell lunch is unpacking a bunch of messed-up things they did and said to the ex-staff. And…I don’t know… It’s tough going to work while faking you are still motivated and love your job lol,” they wrote.

They added that this whole situation has made them wonder whether “leaving without a backup plan” has become more common in Singapore. 

“Reddit obviously encourages people to find another ship to jump to before they quit, but the number of people doing the opposite around me… makes me wonder if the company is actually really horrible compared to the norm in Singapore.”

Seeking perspective, they asked, “Is it normal that many staff are quitting without having a job lined up?”

“It’s the norm to tell people about your new job AFTER you start.”

In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor said that while resigning without another job lined up is generally not advisable, some people are comfortable doing so because they have built up emergency savings.

“Most Singaporeans are quite kiasu in the sense that they save a lot (e.g. a six-month emergency fund). So they can afford to throw a fit without backup,” the commenter wrote.

Another wrote, “If they have enough savings and/or a safety net, they can just quit without consequences. Different people, of course, have different thoughts.”

Others, however, suggested that the situation may not be as straightforward as it appears. Just because someone says they are leaving without a backup plan does not necessarily mean they are walking away with nothing lined up.

Several commenters noted that many employees prefer to keep their next move private, especially if they are leaving a workplace they consider toxic.

One person shared, “When I resigned from my last job, I already had an offer before I tendered. I kept saying I hadn’t found anything yet till I left. I didn’t want them to know where I was going.”

Another said, “It’s the norm to tell people about your new job AFTER you start, NOT when you quit your current job. Also, if you are financially independent, you don’t really go around telling everyone that. So, I wouldn’t necessarily take the ‘I have no backup plan’ response at face value.”/TISG

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