SINGAPORE: After collecting her annual bonus, a Singaporean worker has found herself at a crossroads, wondering if it might finally be time to resign.
In a candid post on the r/askSingapore forum, the worker shared that the initial relief and happiness she felt after receiving her bonus were short-lived. She said she enjoyed the feeling for just one weekend before her stress began to surface again in an unsettling way.
“After receiving my annual bonus, I felt pleased for a weekend, and the nightmares, literal nightmares, started again at night,” she wrote. “Every night I dream about work, bosses, colleagues, clients, etc…[and I] can’t find any job to match my current remuneration, but the burnout is so real.”
Turning to the online community for advice and reassurance, she asked fellow users whether anyone else was feeling the same way or planning to resign after receiving their annual bonus.
“No amount of money can buy your mental health.”
Her post quickly struck a nerve, sparking an outpouring of responses from fellow Singaporeans who said they were experiencing similar struggles.
One commenter revealed, “My brother and I are planning to quit without a job ’cause we’re just tired.”
Another shared, “I want to resign so bad. I already prepped the letter but haven’t gotten another job yet, but I feel like either my mind or body will give in soon.”
A third added, “I know of one ex-dept colleague who resigned just 1 month before getting up to 6 months’ company performance bonus. Being curious, I asked him why.”
“He mentioned to me that the price of seeing his bosses scrambling and shocked faces upon receiving his resignation letter 1 day before Christmas Eve was worth it. Now he is in a better workplace with work-life balance, even though he had a pay cut.”
Others, meanwhile, urged the post author to prioritise her well-being and leave the company.
One told her, “Mental health has been downplayed for too long. If you see any other openings in the meantime, at worst, tender your resignation to protect your health. Having nightmares isn’t normal, for sure.”
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “If you are thinking about work every night and burnt out, then you should quit. No amount of money can buy your mental health. Money can always be earned, but you may never get your health back once it’s lost.”
In other news, a Singaporean family is facing financial uncertainty after the father, who is over 50 and the household’s main breadwinner, was retrenched from his job as part of a company-wide layoff affecting more than 100 employees.
On Dec 13, his son took to Reddit to vent, writing, “Honestly, this came as a huge shock to me, and I’m still in a daze since I got the news a few days ago.”
