SG worker earning S$3.4K a month says his manager immediately dismissed him after catching him signing up for a job interview

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee has alleged that he was dismissed from his job immediately after his manager discovered he had signed up for a job interview with another company.

In a post published on the r/asksg forum on Saturday (Feb 21), the worker shared that he was confronted by his manager the very next day.

“He told me I was laid off the next day. No idea how he found out… but I got sacked,” he wrote. “Haven’t received formal notice yet. But he told me I don’t need to report for work anymore.”

The employee added that he had been working at the company for about six months since graduating. 

He noted that his starting salary was approximately S$2,700, which was later increased to S$3,400 after completing a three-month probation period, although he remarked that his pay “isn’t really that high.”

Seeking guidance from the online community, he asked, “So is this legal? And should I have told him about my intent to sign on or look for another job?”

“Employment contracts usually have a clause on termination.”

In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor asked the original poster whether he had used the company laptop to apply for the new job, to which he admitted, “Oh crap, I did lol.”

Responding to this, another user noted, “You are abusing company resources and got caught.”

A different commenter added, “Wah piang. You could have used your phone. Anyway, since you are signing on, just take this time to relax and travel a bit.”

Others, meanwhile, advised him to continue working at the office, at least until his termination becomes official.

One wrote, “You need to get it in writing—it should come from HR and be in your contract. Since you’re past probation, they should give you a month’s notice pay. Wait for all of it in writing and make it official—in other words, report back to work until you get a letter. Otherwise, the company can terminate you for a no-show, which will be worse.”

Another added, “Laid off and sacked are two totally different things. Also, it’s not a valid reason to fire you if you’re looking for another job.”

A third, however, disagreed, writing, “Employment contracts usually have a clause on termination, so it’s pretty much legal as long as it’s in there.”

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) states that a contract may be terminated immediately by either the employer or the employee, on the condition that the other party receives compensation in lieu of notice (“notice pay”). This amount is equivalent to the salary that would have been payable during the required notice period.

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