‘My workload doubled with no pay rise’: Employee wonders if he should just leave

SINGAPORE: An employee has questioned whether there’s any point in staying with his company after his workload doubled in under a year without so much as a pay rise.

In a Reddit post, the man shared that he accepted the role after being told during the hiring process that he would handle only one major project and one minor project.

Less than a year later, however, he found himself juggling two major projects and two minor ones, despite receiving no increase in salary or career progression.

When he raised his concerns with his boss, he said he was told it was “a management decision” and that nothing could be done because the company was facing a resource shortage.

The employee added that the growing workload has already driven many of his colleagues to resign.

Despite this, he’s hesitant to leave. He explained that he resigned from his first job after just six months because of a family emergency, and worries that leaving his current role after only 10 months could make him look like a job hopper.

Seeking advice from fellow Redditors, he asked: “Should I stay or start looking for a new job? Also, would listing my 6-month first job and 10-month second job as 1 year 4 months under my second job on my CV be considered acceptable, as they have similar work roles, or would that be viewed as dishonest? Any input is appreciated!”

“I would suggest staying while you look for another job”

In the comments, several users advised the post author against merging his work experience from two different companies into a single résumé entry.

One said, “Listing under the same company would be unadvisable. If a hiring company find out, they might view it as dishonest. You can just be honest and say that you quit after six months due to family emergency.”

Another, who said they work in HR, agreed. “Coming from HR, DO NOT combine your job experience. It is better to be honest because they might do background checks. They may call your previous company or stalk your LinkedIn, etc. Unless you go for SME, where the HR is more lax, but do you really want to lie to get the job and risk getting dismissed by the company? If you get dismissed by the company, you will have even more difficult time to get another job. Very very silly thing to do.”

Some users also urged him not to quit impulsively, recommending that he stay in his current role while searching for a new job.

One wrote, “I would suggest staying while you look for another job. While it may be arduous. Do your utmost best to fulfil your role and responsibilities. If possible, to the point where they will suffer when you leave. And when you do tender, and if an offer to raise your pay comes, counter and ask for back pay.”

Another offered a different perspective, saying, “Any employee could have work piled on them; it’s up to you to manage your manager’s expectations. If you really cannot handle the load, ask your manager to prioritise for you. Unless you’re paid $x per project, then that’s a different story.”

In other news, a Singaporean man has found himself caught between his wife and his mother after his wife insisted that his mum should pay S$400 a month to live in their home, even though she had moved in to help care for the family. 

Posting anonymously in the Complaint Singapore (Anonymous) Facebook group on Tuesday (July 14), the man explained that his mother had encouraged the couple to let go of their domestic helper, saying it would save them around S$800 a month.

Read more: Wife says mother-in-law should pay S$400 rent despite replacing domestic helper