Shaming workers asking for a higher salary is “toxic,” Singaporean argues

SINGAPORE: A man recently took to social media to ask why people shame others, particularly the fresh grads, for asking for a higher salary. He questioned the motives behind such behavior and labeled it as “toxic.”

“For others, somehow they think that people who ask for a higher salary should be punished’ and shamed,” he wrote on the SingaporeRaw subreddit on Thursday (Jun 27).

“They think they have the right to impose their sense of superiority onto others and sometimes even attack a whole generation for that few instances.”

He argued that many people ask for higher salaries because they don’t know the market rates or worry that companies might lowball them. For him, negotiating salary is just part of the job hunt and “is not a big deal.”

If they can’t agree, he believes it’s best to part ways amicably, so both sides can find a better fit elsewhere without hard feelings.

“Is it unethical to shame others for asking for a higher salary?” he asked, “As a society, I think this is toxic. Dramatise a trivia process in which the other person has their right for request. What do you think?”

“Why pay heed to someone else’s opinion?”

In the comments section, a netizen explained that people did not shame the fresh grads “for asking for a higher salary,” but because they are clueless about the market rate and have an inflated sense of what they are worth.

He added that if someone asks for a raise and succeeds, perhaps because they were previously underpaid by a stingy company or had outperformed their peers without recognition, generally people would clap for them for standing up for themselves.

However, the situation differs significantly for fresh graduates.

Another netizen joined the conversation, admitting that while he criticizes others in his thoughts, he does so because he believes some people who ask for raises don’t necessarily deserve them.

He shared, “Got some colleagues the whole year do nothing siam all work finish all MC allocation and keep taking NPL suddenly to Siam more work. They still get a face to ask for 10%+ and get upset when they don’t get it.”

Another netizen chimed in with some advice for the man, reminding him that he can’t control what others think, say, or do. The only thing he has control over are his own thoughts, words, and actions.

He said, “If you’ve contemplated and justified those honestly, keep your word being honest, then why pay heed to someone else’s opinion?”

Read also: “S$4K starting salary is too high” — HR rep tells fresh grad S$4K is only for “top 3 uni grads with 1st-class honours”

Featured image by Depositphotos