Malaysian says ‘I immediately regretted’ coming to work in Singapore because of its toxic work environment

On the Facebook page, Ricebowl, which calls itself “Malaysia’s first Chinese and English job recruitment website,” a post from a Malaysian who came to Singapore for work has gotten many comments after he expressed regret in choosing to come over.

He said that he had previously worked for three years in Malaysia, but could not save much due to the low salary. And since he’s over 30 years old and single, he decided to “focus on ‘money’” and seek employment in Singapore.

While he admitted that the money is good, it’s the work environment that appears to be giving him the biggest problem. He added that he misses his countrymen, who are “more friendly and patient,” whereas in Singapore, he claimed, his officemates “are very good at speaking ill of others behind their backs. This kind of environment is uncomfortable. There are so many other culture shock things besides these that I can’t name.”

He was able to get a clerical job, and the pay was indeed good. While rent is expensive, food was “surprisingly cheap, and the transportation is also very convenient”. His monthly savings now were higher than how it was back home.

However, “when I came to Singapore, I immediately regretted this choice,” he wrote. 

“If you only look at the money, things are very good, but helplessly, the suffering at work is really not easy to endure. I have always thought of myself as a hard-working person who is not afraid of hard work, but the people in the working environment have a great influence on me.”

If there were a time machine, he said he’d “definitely not choose to come to Singapore. Now it really feels like the days are like years, every day is too difficult. Why on earth did we come to Singapore to make money? When will our country get better, and then we won’t have to leave our hometown?”

Commenters on the post who have been through a similar situation offered encouragement to the Malaysian. 

“Actually the pay and work pressure are proportional,” wrote another.

“Everywhere is the same,” one chimed in.

“In fact, there are backbiting black people behind office politics and cold speeches in Malaysia too,” wrote one netizen.

/TISG

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