SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee took to social media on Monday (Feb 23) to vent his anger after his manager allegedly insulted him for taking medical leave (MC) during his notice period.

In a post on a local forum, the employee said that when he returned to work after being on MC, his manager immediately started tearing into him. He claimed the manager called him “useless,” sarcastically asked if he was “satisfied now,” and accused him of taking MC on purpose, even saying he had “calculated it perfectly.”

The manager also allegedly blamed him for “ruining everything” and said that because he had taken medical leave, he had caused serious problems for the team.

The employee admitted that he lost his temper during the exchange. “I got very angry as well, so I started talking back and asking if he died already or not, and then he started getting aggressive and wanted to attack me or something, but a bunch of people stopped him,” he wrote.

Angry and shaken, the employee said he walked out and was on his way home while writing the post. “I’m wondering if I can do anything or report him or something. I already told the HR about it and asked if I can shorten my notice period because I don’t want to work anymore. I don’t feel safe working in the kitchen with someone with anger issues.”

“Why do they think it’s okay to insult/scream at employees?”

His post quickly drew numerous responses from netizens, many of whom urged him not to brush off the incident. 

One said, “I would suggest making at least a police report for the record. This way if later something really happens, you already have a case ID.”

Another commented, “Did you genuinely feel threatened when he was about to be physical with you? If yes, lodge a police report (it would be good if there’s CCTV footage) and report to HR together with the verbal abuse.”

Meanwhile, several others questioned how managers who behave like this are still around. They wondered why such conduct continues to be tolerated in workplaces.

One expressed, “I hear a lot of complaints about managers/bosses in Singapore. Why do they think it’s okay to insult/scream at employees? It’s like Singapore is stuck in the 80s management style. I especially hear bad things about banks. Is it just the boomers’ personality traits? No one complains in fear?”

Another wrote, “A lot of boomer managers are like that, especially in SMEs. They feel employees will stay regardless of how they treat them because of how bad the job market is. Given that it is hard to find jobs, people would still stay even if the managers are POS.”

The Ministry of Manpower states that threatening, abusive, or insulting language, whether spoken, written, or expressed through non-verbal gestures, is considered workplace harassment.

Individuals who experience such violent behaviour can report incidents to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP). They may also file a police report or seek civil remedies against the harasser in the State Courts.

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