SINGAPORE: While most workers are doing everything they can to avoid being shown the door, one Singaporean has admitted that he is secretly hoping to be retrenched.
Sharing the unusual reason behind his wish on Reddit’s r/singaporejobs forum, the man said his company, which he hinted was in the automotive industry, had already gone through two rounds of layoffs, with a third reportedly expected this month.
According to him, employees who have been with the company for at least a year are entitled to one month’s salary for every year of service as part of the retrenchment package.
For someone with more than a decade at the company, that could amount to a sizeable payout.
The man acknowledged that the job market is far from ideal, but said he was still quietly hoping to be among those let go because he did not want to “waste” his “10+ years package.”
“[There’s an] inside rumour that there might be a 4th round with reduced package or even PIP,” he wrote. “I lowkey hope to get retrenched. I don’t want to waste my 10+ year package eh.”
He went on to write that morale at work is low across the board, with everyone buried under ongoing projects yet no sign of new ones on the horizon. According to him, all the projects have already been assigned to counterparts in India and China, which only makes matters worse.
Add to that, he said, everyone has suddenly “started playing politics in the company.”
‘Start to look out for other jobs’
His post struck a chord with fellow Singaporean Redditors, many of whom confessed to feeling the same way about their own jobs.
One user shared, “Honestly, same here. I’m damn jaded with my job, and every Sunday I get super depressed to go back to work again, but it pays decently, and I’ve stayed in the company for some time, so the golden handshake payout will be substantial. If no layoff, honestly speaking, I don’t think I have the guts to resign—especially not in this type of job market. I considered being honest with my boss that if there is a subsequent layoff, I would like to volunteer, but I had an ex-colleague who tried that, and they ended up just managing him out.”
Another added, “Me too. I’m burnt out with impossible deadlines, with a small hope to get laid off since headquarters moved to MY + mass hiring last year. Though everyone is leaving willingly one by one already.”
Several Redditors also advised the man to start looking for another job now rather than relying on the promised payout.
“I am thinking, why don’t you start looking in the meantime? Getting a job [nowadays] is really tough, and some people take up to a year or even longer, and in the event you really get laid off, at least you really have the ‘extra’ 10 months as a bonus. Even if you don’t, you found a better role that you don’t dread dragging yourself to.”
Another echoed this view, saying, “Start to look out for other jobs. The retrenchment news may come randomly one day when you don’t expect it, and with a job lined up you will be the last one laughing.”
In other news, a Singaporean jobseeker who has spent six months looking for work is questioning whether a three-month stint on his CV could be costing him job opportunities after interviewers repeatedly challenged him over why he left so soon.
The jobseeker took to the r/singaporejobs forum on Thursday (Aug 3), saying he was left “pretty shocked and demoralised” by some of the questions he had received during interviews.
Follow Google News
Join us on WhatsApp
Follow us on Telegram