‘Can they do this to me?’: Singaporean seeks help after being asked to sign retrenchment agreement within 3 days

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee has claimed that her company’s HR department is pressuring her to sign a separation agreement tied to what she says is a “small retrenchment package.”

In a post on Reddit, the employee said she has refused to sign the agreement because the wording is confusing and she has been given little guidance on what it actually requires of her.

“I’m confused by the legal language, and HR is forcing me to sign it in 3 days,” she wrote. “The agreement is vague on what I need to do during the separation period. I need to do a handover, but what does that mean? HR didn’t tell me anything. I surely shouldn’t be handing over work that is brand new?”

“I’m scared and confused right now, and not a lawyer. Can they do this to me?”

To make matters worse, she claimed her boss has continued piling more work on her while also implying that she could lose her retrenchment package if she breaches any of the agreement’s terms.

The employee said she contacted the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for help but was told to seek legal advice instead.

“I called MOM, and they said I should talk to a lawyer. WTF. I tried pro bono services but appointments are next week.”

With the deadline fast approaching, she turned to Reddit in hopes of finding urgent advice.

“I need help and any advice. Is there some emergency employment lawyer I can go to? I don’t have a lot of money,” she wrote.

“You don’t need a lawyer”

Her post quickly attracted responses from other Singaporean Redditors, many of whom urged her not to panic.

One told her, “The moment you are retrenched, your relationship with company is severed. No need to be scared. You will not be penalised even if you do nothing as long as you don’t do illegal stuff. You just need to clock in, put your brain into sleep mode and leave on time. No need for a handover in the proper manner. You will still be paid the same. Just don’t delete stuff or copy company files. That is illegal.”

Another advised her to pay close attention to how the retrenchment payment is described in the agreement.

“Make sure that your retrenchment letter states specifically that the retrenchment package is for retrenchment or redundancy and not payment for goodwill or for services rendered. Retrenchment package is not taxable but if it is not stated properly and the company does not file it as a capital cost, you could get taxed for it.”

A third commenter suggested that her immediate priority should be understanding whether the company had breached any provisions of the Employment Act.

“You don’t need a lawyer you just need to know what part of the employment act they might be violating (nothing in your sharing indicates this for sure btw) so you have a case if you want or deserve more than what they’re giving as severance.”

As for the handover process, one user explained to her, “No one is going to specify what you need to hand over in an agreement. Ask your boss what he wants handed over, or prepare a list and show it to him and ask if there’s anything else he thinks needs to be handed over.”

In other news, a young Singaporean woman expressed her anger online after her father suddenly lost his job despite spending years working hard and remaining loyal to his company.

On a Reddit forum called “r/SingaporeRaw,” the daughter said she found it rather unfair that her father was laid off after the company decided to relocate its production operations to Malaysia.

“My dad did everything society and this government tells you to do,” she wrote. “Worked hard for years, paid taxes, contributed to CPF, raised a family, and stayed loyal to his company. Yet all it takes is one decision to move jobs elsewhere, and suddenly our family’s future becomes uncertain.”

Read more: ‘The company he worked for decided to move production to Malaysia’: Daughter upset after father’s layoff, says he ‘worked hard and stayed loyal’