A young Singaporean has said that she has been unemployed for nine months after she was allegedly pressured to resign from the first job she got after graduating.
Writing to Gilbert Goh, an activist who runs the transitioning.org website that offers support for the unemployed and the underemployed, Evangeline wrote that she was bullied at her last workplace and was “pressurised/threatened” by her superiors to resign after nine months of working there.
Revealing that she received little help from her ex-company’s Human Resources (HR) department, who allegedly only have her superiors a verbal warning, Evangeline said that she has been having difficulties finding a new job and suspects her former bosses may have slandered her.
Sharing that the incident and her inability to find another full-time job has left her feeling isolated and depressed, she wrote:
“Dear Mr Gilbert, I have been unemployed for 9 months and have been reading your website for encouragement. I’ve finally worked up the courage to email you – I would like to receive a copy of your ebook if possible, and also join a support group. It can be very isolating and depressing.
“As a recent graduate, I was bullied at my first job and unexpectedly pressurised/threatened by my very young bosses to resign after nine months. During the trying time, I had reported to HR about my situation. HR appeared sympathetic and apologised, saying their behaviour was unprofessional, but apart from a verbal warning to my bosses, nothing else was done for me.
“I have since experienced great difficulties securing a full time job because most companies conduct background checks, and I suspected my ex bosses may have slandered me.
“I wish to express my thanks and gratitude to you and your team, for establishing this website for unemployed persons like myself. Looking forward to hearing from you.”
Earlier, in May, another Singaporean told Mr Goh that he was bullied by his foreign colleagues at his previous workplaces due to his mental condition and that he was jobless after being fired by two companies in a span of months.
Revealing that he is desperate for a job due to his dire financial circumstances, Feng Ping wrote that the loss of his jobs from the two companies “was traumatic to my emotional health.”
He added: “I was a victim of workplace bully by the “foreign talents” in my previous companies. I was outnumbered by the foreigners and the management didn’t manage (sic) to help resolve this issue. This has resulted in further worsening of my mental condition which was just a very mild case previously.”
Sharing that he had actually recovered from his mental condition and had been leading a fulfilling life after graduating with a degree in accounting and finance prior to the workplace bullying, Feng Ping wrote that the bullying worsened his mental health.
He revealed: “Currently I am jobless and couldn’t find a job despite sending my resumes to many employment agencies and even the government sector. This has caused traumatic blows to me and I am in emotional distress. I locked myself up at home everyday hoping to get calls for job interviews.”
Appealing for help, Feng Ping concluded: “My family is very poor and I couldn’t find a job, I need desperate help.”
According to preliminary data gathered by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for the third quarter of 2019, the number of retrenchments and the unemployment rate has continued to rise. Overall, the unemployment rate went up from 2.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent while the unemployment rate for Singapore residents (including permanent residents) went up from 3.1 per cent to 3.2 per cent.
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