SINGAPORE: A newly hired employee has admitted online that she’s been breaking down almost every other week, due to the stress of working under a boss she calls condescending, impatient, and demeaning.
In a Reddit post on the r/askSingapore forum on Wednesday (Sep 3), the employee explained that while she enjoys the work itself — describing it as ‘challenging and interesting’ — the way her boss treats her has made the role increasingly unbearable.
“My boss feels argumentative, tends to gloss over what I say, and constantly questions what I know. She also shows signs of micro-aggression and sometimes uses a tone that is… not the best,” the employee wrote.
“She’s not exactly the most patient person either. I’ve been going crazy thinking I might just be oversensitive, but this has been going on for a while now. At this point, I’m wondering if I’m gaslighting myself.”
Adding to her frustrations, she said her onboarding experience was far from helpful, as she was essentially just told to “read up on past folders and figure work pieces out by herself.” In some cases, she added, she even had to explain certain tasks to her boss, even though neither of them fully understood them.
“There are plenty of other red flags,” she wrote. “But I’ll leave them out for today.”
Seeking advice, the employee asked the online community: “Is it normal to break down almost every other week at my new job? I’m not sure if it’s just me being a wuss. Thoughts would be appreciated here, stranger-pals.”
“If that’s happening, you should leave quickly.”
The post sparked a lively discussion in the comments section, with many agreeing that the employee should prioritise her well-being, even if that means leaving the job.
“If you cannot stand her micromanaging, then you might want to reconsider working elsewhere,” one individual wrote. “A workload that’s crazy high and a culture where every man for himself is, in my opinion, rather unhealthy. You decide from here.”
Another commented, “No, it isn’t [normal]. If that’s happening, you should leave quickly.”
A third shared, “[This] happened to me before. I stayed for a year. Do I regret it? Very much so.”
However, a few others said that if the employee needed the income, she might have to stay for now while looking for other options. “Hang tight!” one person cheered. “I sit and cry in front of the main door every day before entering home, but I have no choice. I have to put food on the table.”
In other news, a young working professional has shared her frustrations online after her mother demanded a S$500 monthly allowance from her, despite not having contributed financially to her education or living expenses throughout her growing years.
Writing on the r/askSingapore forum, the 26-year-old explained that after completing her O-Levels, she stopped receiving allowance from her parents altogether.
