Singaporean asks if they should return to company that fired them 6 months before

SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user sought work-related advice, saying that the company they used to work for laid them off six months before had approached them anew with an offer for them to come back to work.

Although u/dumbesET wrote in their Feb 20 (Thursday) post on r/askSingapore that they were looking forward to going back to work at their former firm, they still wanted advice, asking if anyone else has had the same experience.

They also asked how much of a pay increase they asked for and whether the company offered what they expected.

Surprisingly, one Reddit user said the post author’s situation is not that unusual.

“It’s quite common since the 90s,” they wrote adding that their acquaintances in the oil and gas, semiconductor sectors, even at HDB-Sabana had the same experience but warned that the company should allow the post author to keep their severance pay.

“Easiest $300K earned; I had an uncle who got half a million from oil and gas; he’s not even a high-level executive, and got hired back as a contractor after the severance clawback window,” the commenter added.

Many said that if the post author is still unemployed, then they should take the job. However, they should also play hardball with the company.

“To get the best deal in this situation – negotiate for a higher salary, continue working for them. Continue to apply for jobs outside and negotiate for an even higher salary with this new salary. Walk away before the company replaces you. They have already played dirty by letting you off, there’s no point in being loyal and building a career with them.”

“Ask for the 6 months back pay, a sign-on fee, and increased pay. Then look for a new job,” wrote another.

Others also advised the post author to ask for a substantial pay bump but to keep look for new employment. If the company could lay the post author off once, they can do it again.

Another wrote, “Start looking for another job straight away with your new salary as the starting salary quote. Companies seem to prefer hiring someone currently employed vs. unemployed,” and added that the post author would never know what their employer might be planning.

One said they should ask for a 40 per cent pay raise and a two-month signing bonus.

A Reddit user wrote that the post author should add a clause to their contract that would prevent “any clawback of a severance package, if any, in the previous round of layoffs,” and to “add in non-negotiable work from home arrangements too.” /TISG

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