SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user crowdsourced for advice after hearing an employee who had been around for longer then they have tell a new hire that it wasn’t their job to teach the newbie.
“Hearing that is really disheartening. Is your workplace as unsupportive as mine too?” wrote u/BeautifulScar2886 in a post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (Dec 26).
The post author explained that they are working in the manufacturing industry and understand that new hires need to learn the ropes in the business and grow to quickly become as independent as possible.
However, they also wrote that everything is new to those who have only recently been hired, and new employees need help with “connecting the dots” at work as well.
Industry experts would beg to disagree with the senior employee that the post author overheard since leadership, mentorship, and collaboration are all characteristics of a healthy workplace culture.
After all, the members of a firm share the common goal of seeing their company flourish. When this happens, it’s a win-win for everyone.
“Collaboration and teamwork underpin a cooperative environment where groups work together to achieve collective objectives. This approach enhances problem-solving, innovation, and efficiency while also building a supportive work environment,” reads one HR blog post on the matter.
Commenters on u/BeautifulScar2886’s post certainly agreed with the post author rather than the senior employee.
One wrote that the senior’s attitude “stinks of a lack of ownership” that can be found in someone who “doesn’t care if the team succeeds or suffers as long as he doesn’t get blamed.”
This type of person is also likely to say that he is not at work to make friends, the commenter added.
Another chimed in to say that an attitude of “don’t expect to be spoon-fed” is merely an excuse for a manager’s incompetence or lack of knowledge.
Others wrote sympathetically that they’ve had this type of manager or boss, which means it’s not an uncommon experience for Singapore employees.
“People who refuse to explain tend to refuse because they don’t know how to. People who know how to explain usually cannot wait to have an opportunity to show their stuff,” another Reddit user observed.
A commenter wrote that their friend heard a manager say, “You’re not here to learn; you’re here to work.” They asked, however, how people are expected to work well if they don’t learn about what they’re supposed to do in the first place. /TISG
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