SINGAPORE: An employee took to social media to ask others how to deal with his employer, “who’s biased and does not balance workload properly.”
In his post on r/askSingapore, he shared his frustration over being “exploited” by his boss. He explained that he always ends up with the most challenging tasks while his coworkers are assigned simpler ones.
To add to his frustration, his boss never acknowledged his hard work or the extra effort he put in.
Despite his attempts to address the issue through a one-on-one discussion with his boss, he said nothing changed. “My boss did not get the point that I am overloaded,” he said.
Unsure of how to proceed, he turned to the local online community and asked:
“What is the most effective way of dealing with such a situation? Just let the boss continue his doing?
And be good to the boss so that you will not be in the small group of minority who are doing a lot of work? I don’t want to go to the extent of bootlicking the boss.”
“Welcome to the working world. Those things you mentioned are pretty normal.”
In the comments section, a few Redditors pointed out to him that such situations are unfortunately prevalent in many corporate settings.
They also advised him to accept that unfairness is part and parcel of life and will persist indefinitely, even in workplace settings.
One Redditor humorously mentioned how experiences with group projects in university prepared everyone for such challenges.
He then sarcastically remarked that everyone should be grateful for the unprofessional professors who assigned them to groups with lazy individuals and implemented vague grading systems.
Another added, “Welcome to the working world. Those things you mentioned are pretty normal. There will be favoritism.”
A third Redditor, meanwhile, suggested that he build a good relationship with his boss and coworkers.
He acknowledged that while the employee might perceive this as “bootlicking,” from the perspective of his colleagues, it might simply be about fostering connections that lead to visibility and job security.
He added, “Opportunities do not discriminate and are always there; either you take it or someone else does. If you discriminate your course of actions and worldviews, you limit the opportunities that come your way.
Don’t do this to yourself. Before pointing out biases in others, maybe first learn to appreciate your own biases.”
Read also: Profit-focused or power-hungry bosses may make SMEs a tough place to work at, netizens say