SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee has expressed his frustration online after his performance grade reportedly dropped shortly after he received a promotion.
In a post on a local Reddit forum, the employee explained that his supervisor told him the decline was “completely normal in the company to allow others who did not get promoted to have the higher grade.”
He also noted that other employees who had recently been promoted experienced similar reductions in their performance ratings.
“Honestly, I’m finding it hard to accept his explanation. Seemed like a lazy excuse. And I have been putting in lots of heart and effort into my work. This just feels like a slap in the face,” he wrote on the r/askSingapore Reddit forum on Thursday (Dec 25).
“I would rather be told that I did not do enough to attain the higher grade and how I can improve. At least it’s based on actual merit.”
“It’s common, but his explanation is not great.”
The post caught the attention of many working adults in Singapore, with some sharing that similar practices exist in their own workplaces.
One individual shared, “In government, once you get promoted, you’ll receive the default grade (C). The rationale is that it’s quite unlikely you will exceed expectations when you have just been promoted and are considered to be in a monitoring phase.”
Another told him, “The actual reason is that others need to be promoted as well. If you hog the grades, others don’t get to rise, and they will just leave. Some agencies are already struggling with manpower and people leaving will mean more stress for those remaining, especially the bosses.”
A third added, “My company also practised the same thing. I work in a global U.S.-based consulting firm. The higher grade justifies the company giving a higher bonus, while the promoted person gets a pay raise. Win-win for all.”
Others, however, suggested that the employee’s frustration may be coming more from how his supervisor communicated the reasoning rather than the policy itself.
One said, “His explanation is more ‘that’s the way it is’ than ‘here is an explanation that makes sense’.”
Another echoed this view, writing, “It’s common, but his explanation is not great. It’s more like you exceeded expectations for a role at a lower rank, but now that you are newly promoted into the higher rank, it’s possible that with the same performance, you no longer exceed expectations because the expectations are higher.”
In other news, a Singaporean shared on social media that he is now reconsidering early retirement after realising that there is surprisingly little to do in Singapore during weekday hours.
Writing on the r/singaporefi subreddit on Tuesday (Dec 9), the man explained that he recently used a week of leave to “test-drive” retirement. He wanted to simulate what life might feel like once he eventually reaches FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early), so he carefully planned a series of activities to fill his supposedly relaxing weekday schedule.
However, the results surprised him. “I found a few free workout classes during weekday lunch hours and attended some of them, but I realised something unexpected: Singapore is really, and I mean REALLY quiet during weekdays.”
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