SINGAPORE: A man who had been job hunting for nearly five months took to Reddit to share that the brutal job market had pushed him to accept a toxic contract role with zero work-life balance.
On the r/singaporejobs forum, he explained that when he first started looking for work, he had a clear idea of what he wanted. He was looking for a job with a decent work culture, a healthy and supportive environment, and a role that offered some sense of fulfilment. These were non-negotiables for him.
But as weeks turned into months and rejection after rejection piled up, he slowly began to let go of these priorities.
Each time an application failed, the pressure to just “land something” grew stronger.
“I was aware I had to compromise a lot of my important factors, basically my pickiness, which were work culture, environment, and job fulfilment,” he wrote.
So when an offer finally arrived a couple of weeks ago, desperation took over.
Without taking a moment to weigh the pros and cons, he accepted the job immediately.
Unfortunately, he found himself regretting this choice on his very first day, as his boss immediately asked him to work until 8 PM. Soon after, he was also instructed to come in and work on Saturdays without compensation.
Looking back, he wrote, “Very funny, when I was unemployed, I was panicking about not landing a job at all. But now that I’ve actually got one, it feels like I should not have abandoned my preferences in hindsight, lah. I’m weirdly grateful… but grateful nonetheless.”
“The work culture in SG is really terrible.”
Resonating with the man’s struggles, one Singaporean Redditor shared their own experience, writing, “Same. My job also has no OT pay. But at least they mostly let me go on time. Best of luck to all of us in these hard times.”
Another shared, “My new job, which starts in January next year, also asked me during the interview how many times a month I’m willing to work after hours. It’s over.”
A third remarked, “The work culture in SG is really terrible.”
Some commenters also advised the man to check whether he is legally entitled to overtime pay. One wrote, “Is it legal to not pay for OT? Seems a bit sus eh. Better to check with MOM. Read through your contract to see if it mentions anything about that.”
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), non-workmen earning a monthly basic salary of $2,600 or less and workmen earning a monthly basic salary of $4,500 or less are eligible for overtime compensation.
