Today my team’s HR/Admin representative sent a mass email + WhatsApp broadcast to the entire department: “Hi everyone, Hungry Ghost Festival is approaching! We are organizing the 7th Month prayer for good luck and company prosperity. Please PayLah/PayNow $25 per pax to Ah Huat by this Friday so we can buy roast pig, fruits, joss paper, and offerings.”
EXCUSE ME???
I read the message three times to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me. $25 PER PAX? For the COMPANY’S 7th Month prayer?
In my entire working life, across three different SME and MNC companies in Singapore, this kind of religious/cultural prayer is 100% company sponsored one. Company want to ask for fa cai, company want the huat, company pays for the roast pig! Since when staff need to co-fund the company’s financial success? If we pray already and company strike $10M revenue next quarter, is the boss going to divide the profit and PayNow back to me $250,000? NO WHAT! At most give us some leftover burnt roast pork that has been sitting under the afternoon sun for 4 hours.
If the company balance sheet so tight until $300 for folded joss paper and orange also cannot clear under corporate claims, then don’t pray sua! Don’t do it! The good brothers also will understand one, low budget don’t force it. Why must guilt-trip employees to pay for your company’s fengshui and luck?
What makes it worse is the passive-aggressive culture. If you don’t pay, Ah Huat will mark your name on the Excel sheet as “Pending”, and during the actual burning session, everyone will stand around looking at you like you are the one pulling down the company’s luck.
Seriously, is this even legal under MOM guidelines or what? Any other Singaporeans face this kind of ridiculous SME pattern before, or is my company taking cheapo to a whole new world-class level?