SINGAPORE: A part-time worker at a food establishment in Holland Village took to social media to share that he was scolded and publicly humiliated by his manager while he was on break on his first day.
Writing about his experience on the r/SGexams subreddit on Friday (Oct 16), the worker, who had been hired through an agency, shared that he was about 25 minutes into his break when his manager suddenly called him over to help pack some vegetables.
Although he knew his break wasn’t over yet, he agreed to lend a hand since the manager insisted the task was urgent and needed to be done “ASAP.” Wanting to show that he was cooperative and responsible, he set aside his short rest and got to work.
As he was packing, two customers seated nearby struck up a casual conversation with him. Not wanting to appear rude, he responded politely and engaged in light chat, assuming there was no harm since he was still technically on his break.
However, ten minutes later, the manager stormed over and began shouting at him in front of the two customers, raising his voice for everyone to hear.
“He yelled at me aggressively and rudely, ‘I ask you, what are you doing right now?’ I wanted to reply with something like, obviously, engaging with them. But I still had free time.”
“But before I could even reply back, he raised his voice even louder and shouted, ‘I ask you to pack vegetables, I am the one giving your salary. Reminder that I am the one giving your salary! I asked your agent, and she said you have no break. Let me ask you again, what are you doing over here?’
The worker said he was completely taken aback, not only by the shouting but also by the way the manager used his salary as a weapon to belittle him.
He also clarified in his post that he did not take the break on his own, as another staff member had told him he could rest since he was working a shift that was more than eight hours.
“I don’t think I should be yelled at in front of the customers over something so trivial,” he wrote. “Furthermore, I hated how he pointed out twice that he is the one giving me my salary as if I am a despo for money? If it is anything, I would rather not be paid a single cent than have my pride robbed.”
The worker later contacted his agent to clarify what the manager claimed, only to find out that no such conversation had ever taken place. The revelation, he said, made the situation even more frustrating, as it showed how far the manager was willing to go just to assert authority and make him look bad.
At the end of his post, the worker vowed never to work for an establishment owned by a “China company” again. Looking back, he said that the Western-owned restaurants he had worked for previously were far better when it came to respecting their employees.
“The people are more civilised and are rather more polite and respectful,” he wrote. “They won’t talk down/raise their voice and show their anger. I am not being entitled, but I want to be treated with respect.”
“Some of these bosses just treat people like machines.”
In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor commented, “Thanks for sharing. Truly sucks when people lord over others just because they pay salary. I never experienced something as drastic as your situation, but enough similarities.”
“Made me decide never to be in a situation where you are beholden to others for money. It truly dissuaded me from overcommitting to huge debts.”
Another wrote, “That sounds really awful leh… nobody deserves to be shouted at like that, especially in front of customers. You sound like you really tried your best already. Some of these bosses just treat people like machines, sia.”
“I also worked part-time before, so I kinda understand that helpless feeling. Hope your next job will have nicer people, okay? You deserve to be respected.”
A third added, “Quit and find a different job. Just move on.”
Under Ministry of Manpower (MOM) guidelines, employees who work continuously for up to eight hours must be given a meal break of at least 45 minutes.
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