Need to post this here before I burst an artery at work.
I (32M) have been working at a mid-sized local SME for about 3 years now. Ever since I joined, my boss loves to spam this classic corporate phrase during town halls and team lunches:
“We are not just a company, we are a family! Work hard together, harvest together!”
Walao, throughout the year, whenever he needs someone to OT until 10 PM, debug server issues on Sunday morning, or tank extra project scope because someone resigned, who does he call? His “family member” (me). And like a loyal, gullible son, I always stepped up, took the hit, and delivered. I even pulled off a major system migration early this year with zero downtime!
Fast forward to performance review and bonus payout season this week.
During our 1-on-1, he sits me down, gives me a big warm smile, and hands me the bonus letter. I opened it expecting at least a decent 1.5 to 2 months payout based on my KPI performance and how much extra weight I carried for the team.
The figure on paper? 0.5 months.
I literally froze and looked at him. I asked, “Boss, sorry ah, is there a typo or something? My performance rating was ‘Exceeds Expectations’ for all quarters.”
You know what this uncle told me with a completely straight face?
“Ah Jie, times are tough now, global economy very uncertain. Company must conserve cash flow for rainy days. We need to look at the bigger picture. You must understand the company’s difficulty lah, we are family right?”
BRO. WHAT FAMILY?! 💀
If I am family, why am I getting treated like the unwanted stepchild from a distant branch of the lineage?!
When it’s time to OT on weekends, I am his precious eldest son. When it’s time to pay out profit sharing and bonuses, suddenly I am a distant relative he only sees once every 12 years during Chinese New Year!
The best part? Last month he just bought a brand new Class E Mercedes, but when it comes to rewarding staff who sacrificed their weekends, suddenly the company is on life support and fighting for survival.
Lesson learned: Never, EVER fall for the “we are a family” trap in any Singaporean company. It’s pure brainwashing to make you do 2-person workload for 0.8-person pay. From tomorrow onwards, I am adopting strict “Quiet Quitting” mode. Work ends at 6 PM sharp, laptop shuts down instantly.
Anyone else working for a boss who acts like your loving father during crunch time, but becomes a stingy stranger during appraisal season? How do you guys survive this kind of SME nonsense without losing your mind?