SINGAPORE: “How do you fake happiness at work?” This was the question a netizen asked Singaporeans in an online forum on Tuesday (Aug 6), sharing his struggle allegedly dealing with a toxic boss at work. “It’s incredibly competitive here, and some bosses might be toxic or have let you down in ways that make it hard to move on, leaving you feeling heartbroken,” he shared.
An employee posted a corporate cry for help in an online forum, sharing how he struggles with his workplace environment. Despite this, he added, “However, you still need to keep pushing forward and work hard for that paycheck. I’m trying to gradually detach myself from this workplace to minimize emotional investment—less hope means less disappointment.”
He then turned to Singaporeans with more workplace experience, asking, “For those dealing with toxic bosses or who have faced disappointment, how do you cope and maintain a positive outlook? Especially with everything being so expensive now, it’s even more challenging to deal with a toxic work environment and stay motivated.”
Singaporeans share advice for staying above workplace drama and politics
A handful of people responded to the post, sharing their own tips for staying sane in such environments. A few pointed out that it’s more important to manage the stress and compartmentalize instead of merely faking happiness as doing so wouldn’t be sustainable.
“If you fake happiness on the outside, on the inside you will still hold lots of unhappiness and resentment which will slowly eat you up and suffer alone so why bother?” said one. “What I would do is separate work life from personal life. Look forward to things outside of work like family, friends or hobbies while maintaining professionalism at my workplace. There is no escape from work politics and try not to idealize how a perfect workplace should be.”
Another shared a few practical tips, saying, “For me, it is to focus on the work at hand to minimise interaction. Although I need to interact with colleagues of different levels, I try to maintain the least amount of communication, especially with toxic people. Listening to rants and gossip but throwing them out of my head after leaving the chat has helped me relax my mind.
“I try as much as possible to remain neutral and not take sides. Unless there is a strong reason (especially to the company’s benefit), I usually will not speak my mind. As time goes by the toxicity level at my workplace reduces. Everywhere there are unpleasant environments. Everyone cannot adjust to my desire, but at least I try to make myself swim in the least affected zones.”
Read also: IMH study links problematic smartphone use to mental health issues among Singapore youths
Keeping your mental health in good shape at work
According to the World Health Organisation, while work can be a way to protect your mental health, it can also be a factor that contributes to making it worse. given this, it is important to actively safeguard and foster mental health especially in workplace environments. Doing so will not only help the individual employees but will benefit the company as a whole.
Work can be a protective factor for mental health, but it can also contribute to worsening mental health. Work-related mental health conditions are preventable. Much can also be done to protect and promote mental health at work and support people with mental health conditions to participate fully and equitably in work.