SINGAPORE: A man recently took to social media to express his frustration regarding the lack of compassion his friend has received from his bosses.
In a post shared on r/askSingapore on Thursday (May 23), the man revealed that his friend had been diagnosed with an end-stage illness and was due to undergo major surgery.
However, rather than receiving the understanding and compassion one would hope for in such circumstances, the man explained that his “superiors have been mounting pressure on him to work from the office (WFO), piling more work onto him, and even asking him to cut short his medical leave and go back to work earlier.”
Adding to the distress, his company also failed to make any arrangements for someone to cover his friend’s duties during his absence, despite being given ample notice.
“Of course, I have advised him to find another job soon after he recovers, even if it means taking a pay cut,” he said.
“I just wanted to know if anyone faced such a situation before and how did you deal with it. Also, are they any legal route to handle this types of situation and in the event he is fired from the company for some made-up reason?”
“They want to entice you to join for the benefits but you never have the chance to claim them if possible.”
The Singaporean Redditors speculated that his company or bosses pressured his friend to resign because they no longer perceived him as a valuable asset capable of working at full capacity.
Considering his illness and hospitalization leave, many Redditors surmised that his bosses probably now considered him a liability, costing them money, and believed he needed to be replaced immediately.
They also noted that this inhumane practice is common in certain companies. One Redditor said, “They want to entice you to join for the benefits but you never have the chance to claim them if possible.
It’s no use expecting companies and management to act like humans. You need the heavy arm of the law to force them to honour their promises. Anything not legislated is just hot air.”
Another Redditor called the practice “disgusting” and insisted employees have basic hospital leave coverage.
He suggested that the government impose hefty fines on companies that engage in such practices, similar to those in Europe and the US.
Meanwhile, others shared heartbreaking stories similar to his friend’s situation.
One Redditor recounted, “A decade ago I was working for a +150 year old SG company that has main office in HK. That time my Senior Associate Director had a stroke. She has worked there for 14 years. They fired her during her hospitalization leave.”
Another revealed, “Had an emergency surgery few years back. Next day after surgery my superior texted, can you work from home?
Knn haven’t even wake up properly from the anesthesia, and I received this text. The anger woke me up entire.”
Read also: Singaporean job seeker says employers nowadays “are paying too little but asking for so much”
Featured image by Depositphotos