‘I left the company weeks ago’ — SG worker asks if he should reply to his ‘ex-boss who’s still texting for help on weekends’

SINGAPORE: There’s moving on from a job, and then there’s being dragged back into your job by your ex-boss like some unpaid sequel no one asked for.

One Singaporean worker posted on Reddit r/askSingapore, asking the kind of question that many wish they didn’t have to: “Would you still reply to your boss on work questions after you left the company?” And the clincher was “Wah! Mine even texted me on a weekend and asked me to solve their problems?”

So it seems that the poor guy has left the company, but the company clearly hasn’t left him.

“If your ex-boss was bad, then absolutely ignore him!”

While some Singaporeans were quick to suggest blocking the boss entirely, others offered nuanced advice—some serious, some spicy.

“If your ex-boss was bad, then absolutely ignore him!” one commenter wrote. “But if he were a good boss, I wouldn’t hesitate to help. It’s just like helping a friend.”

Another local recalled helping a former manager who treated him well, saying he still received guidance and even job referrals years later: “Everyone’s situation is different… don’t be a pushover either if you don’t see value in the relationship.”

Sometimes helping an ex-boss might pay dividends. Other times, it’s just unpaid labour disguised as a “small favour.”

“Give him (ex-boss) your rate as a freelance consultant and subject-matter expert…”

Some weren’t holding back words about boundaries. “No!” one commenter exclaimed. “On my last day, I always make sure I do a proper handover. After that, I’m done!”

One Redditor dropped this idea: “Give him (ex-boss) your rate as a freelance consultant and subject-matter expert. Then send them an engagement letter… and a liability waiver in case they suffer any losses from your input.”

Whether it was a joke or not, the idea hit home.

One netizen even provided a crash course in “weekend boundaries for professionals,” complete with a retention fee and time-based billing structure: “This is not about being calculative but about managing expectations. If your ex-boss doesn’t see enough value to pay for your time, the question is—do you?”

“Disturbing you on the weekend without pay is insane!”

Other replies were more direct:

• “After you leave the company, that person is no longer your boss. At most, an ex-boss. At worst, nothing.”
• “Disturbing you on the weekend without pay is insane!”
• “Tell your boss you can be hired as a contractor, chargeable in 15-minute blocks.”
• “Napalm that bridge!”

One even recommended ghosting with finality: “Block your boss’s phone number!”

“By helping, you’re hiding problems in the way (a company) is currently functioning…”

To be fair, this saga raises an important question: When does professionalism end, and when does exploitation begin?

A job ends with a handover, not a haunting-over. If you’ve done your due diligence and left everything in order, then no, you’re not morally or professionally obligated to be your ex-boss’s on-call tech support on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

As one Singaporean neatly summarised this incident: “A company should be thought of as an entity with resources, structure, and procedures. By helping, you’re hiding problems in the way it’s currently functioning.”

Read related: ‘So why so many Sinkies complaining about too much work and no rest?’ — S’poreans ask after ‘SG got ranked top in Asia for work-life balance’