SINGAPORE: A local employee has turned to Reddit to voice her frustration after being dismissed just three weeks into a new job, claiming she was fired without warning and given unrealistic expectations from the outset.
Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit, she wrote that her manager told her she was “too slow” and that her content creation work did not meet the company’s standards. However, she stressed that at no point before her dismissal was she informed that her pace or performance was an issue.
According to the employee, she was hired to replace a colleague who only spent four days training her before leaving the company. During that brief handover period, she was introduced to backend e-commerce tasks and order processing, areas in which she had no prior experience.
Aside from the short training, she was given a handover list outlining the steps she needed to follow, which she relied on to complete her work.
Once the previous employee had left, she said she was expected to handle the full workload quickly and independently. Compounding the situation, her manager was on leave at the time, leaving her to take instructions from other colleagues instead.
“I was given tasks by other colleagues, and I tried to ask questions whenever I was unsure about certain procedures,” she explained.
Despite this, when her manager returned from leave, she was allegedly terminated almost immediately, with the reason given that she was too slow.
Reflecting on the experience, the employee said, “I just feel that I need more time and closer guidance to fully master my work and align with the company’s style of marketing content and unspoken rules?”
“I wonder, is this normal in Singapore workplaces? Was I slow to master my work, and if I was slow, is there any advice on how I can improve? Is it normal for a manager to expect that I can work quickly and independently by week 2-3?”
“Do them a favour and share your experience on Glassdoor.”
In the comments, many Singaporean Redditors shared their thoughts and personal experiences.
One said, “I was in a similar situation as you in my very first office job. It was just basic data entry with some other ad-hoc stuff. The manager teaching was like, ‘Whatever, you do this like that and this like that.’”
“On the third week, I asked something to confirm the process; the reply was ‘you should know by now,’ and they got so passive-aggressive in showing me. I was terminated with only one month working there.
Another commented, “Unfortunately that is how the working world is. Well put together company training is very rare. Most of the time, we will be kicked onto the ocean to swim. Either we find a resolution or we are drown. No longer the same as Uni days.”
A third wrote, “Very much often, yes, it is very normal. Usually there is only 1 week handover period. After that, you should know the SOP and everything about your scope already.”
A fourth commented, “Companies don’t train you well then say you’re incapable. Take it as a blessing. Do them a favour and share your experience on Glassdoor.”
In other news, a 30-year-old Singaporean woman took to social media to share that her boyfriend’s behaviour took a turn for the worse after he lost his job two months ago.
In her post on a local forum, she listed all the “red flag” traits she had noticed, beginning with his attitude towards part-time work.
Read more: Woman claims BF who has less than S$1K savings became difficult and emotional after losing job
