“Is it common in SG?” — Worker asks because after he got a car, his colleagues, who had never spoken to him before, are now asking for lifts

SINGAPORE: What’s your limit when it comes to helping coworkers? Would you be up for doing them a favour outside of work, or do you prefer to keep things strictly professional?

A Singaporean man is wrestling with this dilemma after his colleagues unexpectedly asked him for a ride home. He took to r/SingaporeRaw, a Reddit forum, on Friday (Sept 13) to ask others if it would be considered “rude” if he said “no” to their request.

In his post, he shared that since he started driving, random colleagues have been asking for lifts to and from work.

“Mind you, these colleagues have never spoken to me before; I doubt they even know my name except to ask for a ride home. Is this common?” he wrote out his question.

“I always thought the car driver offers lifts and that one should not ask for it… Please share your experience,” he requested.

“No, it is not common. Yes, your colleagues are shameless.”

In the discussion thread, Singaporean Redditors shared their views on the issue. Many agreed that turning down such requests is fine, especially if the coworkers aren’t close or their homes are far from the driver’s route.

One Redditor added, “No, it is not common. Yes, your colleagues are shameless. Yes, you are right to reject them outright. And yes, now you’re finding out firsthand how toxic the social status game is in SG based on material possessions like owning a car, for instance.”

Another commented, “I’m surprised that this happens. Most of the time, when I offer a ride to my colleagues, and it’s on the way, people usually ask if it’s really okay. I’ve never been outright asked by anyone at work to give a ride.”

A few others suggested that if he feels uneasy about saying ‘no,’ he could either try to avoid leaving the office at the same time as his colleagues or propose that they chip in for the cost of gas.

One Redditor advised, “Tell them Grab hitch cost 50% or grab share fare. If not, drive them to the petrol kiosk and ask them to tap their card.”

Another stated, “No harm, I will drop them off at the MRT station nearest my house. Or the MRT station nearest to the office. There is no reason for me to go out of my way.”

Read also: New SG worker breaks down in tears after 1 week in job, seeks advice on “how to stop being emotional at work”

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