SINGAPORE: A Singaporean IT professional took to social media on Friday (March 21) to share that his team leader made his life miserable the moment he resigned.
Posting on the ‘Ask Singapore’ Reddit forum, he revealed that as soon as he submitted his resignation letter, his team leader started ‘harassing’ him with excessive documentation every single day.
“Even when I thought I did the average load, she brought in another IT colleague from a different department to vet my work, as she is not technically inclined,” he wrote.“[As a result], I had to do more again—comment on every single line of my codes, describe every function, draw pretty pictures of flow diagrams, pin every SQL and screen capture every step.”
The worker added that his team leader justified her demands by asking, “What if you gave this document to someone who doesn’t know IT?” Frustrated, he pointed out that it made no sense to hand over such technical work to someone with no relevant expertise.
He then asked fellow forum members if they had faced similar treatment during their notice periods.
“Did your bosses try to make your life difficult when you were serving your notice period? In any context, be it handing over, documentation, attitudes, increase hostility?” he wrote.
“If your boss does that, you will be pleased to have made the right decision…”
In the comments, several Singaporean Redditors shared shared their own resignation horror stories.
One recalled that after he resigned, his boss assigned him to the “maintenance team who are on 24/7 rotational standby support” for two weeks straight.
Another shared, “I was squeezed dry until the very last minute, and IT had to pester me to return my laptop. Only then could I stop working.”
A third wrote, “My boss made me do reports and other things until my last day. Good luck to them doing the follow-up because my email and profile will be deleted after I leave.”
Others weighed in on the worker’s situation, agreeing that leaving the company was probably the best decision.
One commented, “If your boss does that, you will be pleased to have made the right decision. The true colours of humans show when they no longer have control over you.”
Another remarked, “One ear in, one ear out. If they make it difficult for you, do a half-hearted job. Since you’re leaving, let them drown themselves since they don’t give you respect.”
How to handle excessive work during your notice period
Prioritise what you can actually finish
If your boss starts piling on extra work, don’t feel pressured to take on more than you can realistically complete. Instead, be upfront about what you can manage. You could say, “I only have time to complete X or Y before I leave. Which one should I focus on?”
You don’t have to work overtime
Some managers assume that just because you’re leaving, you should push yourself to finish everything, even if it means working past your usual hours. However, you are under no obligation to do so. If your boss insists that you stay late, work during the weekends or take on an unmanageable workload, you could say, “This is more than I can complete before my last day. I will do what I can during my normal working hours, but I will not be able to finish everything.”
Don’t take criticism personally
If your boss starts expressing frustration or making passive-aggressive comments about your workload, try not to take it to heart. As long as you’re doing your job professionally, there’s no need to engage in unnecessary conflict. Just focus on wrapping up your work and remind yourself that you’re moving on.
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