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My boss believes overwhelming employees with work unlocks their ‘full potential’—now most of the team is burnt out

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SINGAPORE: One Singaporean worker recently shared on social media that his boss firmly believes the best way to unlock an employee’s “full potential” is to push them to their limits with an excessive workload.

He posted in the Reddit ‘Ask Singapore’ forum on Tuesday (March 18), explaining that his boss overwhelms his employees with work, keeping them busy late into the night and even on weekends. As a result, maintaining any semblance of work-life balance has become nearly impossible.

“There is just SO MUCH WORK, and the culture he created is very unforgiving to mistakes,” the worker said. “Boss always mentions how SG used to adhere to a 5.5-day work week and how we have it easy these days with video conferencing and remote work, both of which he doesn’t believe in. He insists that his work style brings out everyone’s full potential.”

On top of that, the worker mentioned that his boss, who holds traditional views, expects everyone to arrive at the office exactly at 8 am and work overtime if any team projects aren’t finished.

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See also  "I feel like I am not needed there anymore" — Employee says his boss keeps asking when he plans to resign

Because of these high expectations, the worker revealed that most of the team is now feeling extremely exhausted and overwhelmed.

“The team is mostly burnt out but keeping silent and ploughing on. Many are bound by bonds or other contracted reasons that make it unthinkable for them to quit. I am not, and I’m fortunate in that regard, but the job market is horrible (and I’ve just joined the team),” he said.

Turning to the community for advice, the worker asked, “How can I best draw boundaries while not ruining the boss’ impression of and relationship with me? I think it’s important to note that the whole team is toeing the line and I wouldn’t like to be seen as standing out too much.”

“Silent quit and start looking for a new job.”

In the comments, people shared their thoughts and advice on dealing with the situation. One person, who had been in a similar spot before, warned that things probably wouldn’t improve since managers with big egos rarely change.

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See also  "I feel drained" — SG worker says she regrets accepting her 2nd promotion, but it's "not because of the workload—it's the people"

He said, “One thing for sure is it will not get better….I know it’s not the answer you’re looking for but perhaps silent quit and start looking for a new job.”

Another suggested that he tell his boss that he has “commitments on the weekend” to avoid getting roped into extra work. “Take a course in the evening or something to get out of it. Just do all these gradually so that it doesn’t look like a ‘move’ to counter all these OTs,” he said.

A third added, “Any company that makes coming to work on time a given but expects free OT is a red flag to me. If you expect your employees to be on time, you better expect malicious compliance.”

In other news, a Singaporean man shared online that he’s starting to have serious doubts about whether he should stay in his new job after a call from his boss left him feeling uneasy.

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He explained in his post on r/askSingapore that although the job was advertised as hybrid, he was told during the 30-minute call that someone from the team might need to be in the office “daily” and that responsibility could fall on him.

See also  “I feel so used and not valued” — Worker says after becoming "disposable" even after putting in much effort; going above and beyond at work

Read also: Singaporean man fears being overworked in new job after boss’ call, says he was told to ‘work hard and not be calculative’

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)

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