“The reason I stay is cause of the money” — Employee working in company for 6 years is unhappy but has family to support

SINGAPORE: In a forum on Wednesday (April 17), an online user went straight to the point, saying, “I need help. I feel unhappy with my new department. What should I do? I have a family to support.”

He also shared the reasons he feels hesitant to leave. “I’ve been working in this company for almost six years and I’ve recently moved to a new department to gain more knowledge,” the employee shared.

“But I find myself feeling unhappy as the work I do is in a high-stress environment and the boss I answer to micromanages your work and is someone that schedules meetings with you if you make an error.”

However, the man shared his motivation for staying at his job anyway. “The reason I stay is because of the money and if I apply outside, I’ll most probably get a pay cut. I feel stuck.”

He then gave the floor to other Singaporeans, asking, “What are your thoughts?”

A handful of online users shared their thoughts on the matter. Some suggested that the employee could be experiencing a learning curve, as is normal with such department transitions. 

“You’re unhappy because you just came from spending six years in a role and environment which you had grown used to and comfortable in,” said one.

“It’s normal to feel some level of unease in the transition period – ultimately, the mature thing to do is try not to react emotionally but instead evaluate objectively if the reasons why you decided to make the move (to gain more knowledge) can be realised.”

Another wrote, “You may have been fairly comfortable in your old role before requesting for transfer.

You could give yourself more time to learn and adapt while concurrently looking out for new opportunities outside if this doesn’t work out as job hunting may take months or even years.

No harm stopping the job hunt if you feel like staying on after some time. Another option may be to request to transfer back to your previous role assuming the role is still open and your manager is willing to take you back.”

Others blatantly suggested finding a new job. “Move,” one wrote. “Money can be earned back. But not health and mental well-being. Do not work for a toxic culture.”

“Yeah probably find a new job,” said another. “Then again it is hard to tell if the new job/environment/boss is similar to what you’ve been experiencing in this new department, at least not until you get the job and experience it yourself.

Moving back to the old department will be harder and raise even more questions than you finding a new job. That’s why it is important to know more about the new position/department/boss first before switching, that was the key mistake.”

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