SINGAPORE: Many people often claim that working in a multinational corporation is far superior, as small and medium-sized enterprises are supposedly toxic. But for one 31-year-old Singaporean, the opposite proved true. Based on his own experience, working in a large corporate environment turned out to be far worse, due to poor communication, unclear expectations, and a lack of support.
In a post on a local forum on Monday (Nov 10), he shared his story in detail. He wrote that even though he held a so-called “lead position” in the MNC, he had little to no authority and no clear direction.
“I was stuck in middle management with no authority or direction,” he wrote. “My boss and department head didn’t agree with how I worked, and there were no clear goals—just endless weekly reports and competitor checks with no objective.”
Communication within the team was also almost non-existent. His boss never shared meals or spent time with the team, and in the five months he was there, they never had a proper team lunch or even a discussion about ongoing progress.
According to him, most communication was limited to text messages, and half the time, he was not provided with the full background or the necessary contacts to complete his tasks.
He explained, “When I asked for help or clarity, I was told to ‘figure it out on the ground.’ When I sent updates, they weren’t read or acknowledged. When mistakes occurred—usually due to missing information—I was blamed for not ‘showing enough effort.’”
The situation worsened when his direct boss resigned in his third month. She left without handing over any information or guiding him through the transition. The person who replaced her also failed to communicate with him for weeks.
Eventually, HR called him into a meeting and told him he was not “meeting expectations.” “I was confused because nobody had ever discussed what improvement was expected. By the time they told me I wasn’t being confirmed, I’d already mentally checked out.”
“The final straw? The person taking over my role after me wasn’t even informed—he found out the same day I was let go, even though he already had a full workload.”
Reflecting on his experience, he said the ordeal “really opened my eyes.” “In my SME job, I might’ve been underpaid, but I was trusted and felt useful. In corporate, I felt completely unsupported, isolated, and treated like a disposable placeholder.”
He concluded his post by asking the forum, “Has anyone else gone through a similar SME-to-corporate transition? How do you deal with losing motivation or trust in leadership after something like this?”
Corporate world is not for everyone
In the comments, several Singaporean Redditors echoed the sentiment that multinational corporations (MNCs) can often be far more toxic than smaller enterprises (SMEs).
One Redditor, who had transitioned from an SME to an MNC, shared that they were often blamed for missed timelines caused by “management’s constant changes,” thrown under the bus by their own leader, and frequently worked until 2 a.m., even on weekends.
“I eventually left without another job lined up and decided to start therapy, because I don’t want my self-worth to depend on my job anymore.”
Another shared their observations, writing, “The good thing about SMEs is that because they’re small, bosses are more hands-on and do peer review on a weekly basis to understand how to help you and your colleagues. They’re very family-focused and tight on budget.”
“Corporate, on the other hand, you’re replaceable and expendable lol. That’s a fact. They have the money to replace you. Everywhere and everything is a competition. Corporate is great if you know how to play politics and leverage yourself.”
A third remarked, “Corporate world is not for everyone. Some will thrive in it; some will fail. But remember that your life is NOT the company. Your life is your family. Don’t make the mistake of believing that the corporate world owes you a job. The day you lose your usefulness, they will dump you.”
In other news, a Singaporean employee was shocked when he discovered that his boss—whom he described as someone “who was foolish and clueless at their job”—only got hired because he was “closely related to the CEO.”
Posting on the r/askSingapore forum, the employee said that his boss did not understand “basic knowledge of the industry and often asked questions that made him look foolish.”
