My manager is a joke. He has a zoology degree, yet manages the IT department at our company. I don’t understand how he is qualified to do this job, and it turns out the CEO is his friend. It feels like an abuse of power.

I have worked at our company for a few years now, and I have been in the IT department for almost all of that time. We have always had a manager for this department, but this new person has me scratching my head. H

He has a zoology degree!

At first, I thought it was strange, but I didn’t think much of it. After all, I’m sure there are many transferable skills from zoology to IT “right?!”. But then I started to get suspicious when the CEO and the new manager started to spend a lot of time together.

I asked around and it turns out that they were friends from uni. This made me think that the new manager was given the job not because of his qualifications, but because of his friendship with the CEO. This felt like an abuse of power to me, and it didn’t sit right.

I’m sure the new manager is a nice guy, and I’m sure he tries his best in the IT department. But I can’t help but feel like he was given the job out of favoritism and not because he was the most qualified.

It makes me think, what if this was the case for other people in the company? What if other people were given jobs and promotions based on favouritism and not because of their qualifications? This would not only be unfair, it would also be a waste of the company’s resources.

I understand that having friends in the company can be beneficial, and having a good relationship with the CEO can be beneficial too. But it shouldn’t be used as a way to get ahead. It should be used to help the company succeed, not to get someone a job that they are not qualified for.

I’m sure this kind of things happen out there right?

I’ve been in a relationship with my boyfriend for four years now and things were going great until recently.

He recently told me that he wanted to take up a new job at Sims Ave, which is quite close to Geylang. For those who don’t know, Geylang is an area in Singapore that’s well known for its nightlife and prostitution. Needless to say, I was not too happy about the idea of my boyfriend working there and I wasn’t shy about expressing my disapproval.

At first, I thought he was joking but it turns out that he was serious.

He said that the job was a great opportunity and he couldn’t pass up on it. I had to remind him that the area was dangerous and he could easily get into trouble if he’s not careful. I also reminded him that it was not a good idea for him to be around such an environment as there are many activities that are illegal in Singapore.

My boyfriend was quite taken aback by my reaction and he asked why I was so against the idea. I had to explain to him that it was not just the danger of working in such an area, but also the fact that it was not a good place for him to be around. The last thing I wanted was for him to be influenced by the activities going on in the area, or even worse, get involved in any of it.

I made it clear to him that I did not want him to take up the job. However, he was quite insistent that this was a great opportunity and he could not pass it up. I had to remind him that there were plenty of other job opportunities out there and that he should look for something else.

Eventually, after a lot of convincing, he agreed to not take up the job and look for something else.

But he ended up still working there thinking I won’t find out, he told me to feed him and give him an allowance if I don’t want him work there.

He said he can quit but I must pay him $5,000 a month + CPF contribution.

He said that I was thinking too much saying he work there does not mean he will go find the chicken there.

What should I do? Should I just close one eye?

 I’ve been working at my job for a few months now, and it’s been great. I get along with everyone and I’m doing well in my position. All in all, I’m happy with my job. Well, I was happy until last week.

One of my co-workers, let’s call him John, started flirting with me. At first, I thought it was just a harmless joke, so I went along with it. But then he started making advances, and I started feeling uncomfortable. I tried to avoid him, but it was hard because he was always around.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to make a scene and I didn’t want to lose my job, so I just kept quiet. The problem was that John was also my ride to work. I live quite far from work, so he drives to my house every morning and takes me to work.

I didn’t want to stop taking the rides, because it was convenient and it saved me money, but I also didn’t want to give John the wrong idea. I was worried that if I kept taking the rides, he would think I was encouraging his advances.

So I decided to confront him. I told him that I was uncomfortable with the way he was behaving and that I wanted him to stop. He seemed surprised, but he agreed to stop. He also said he was sorry and that it wouldn’t happen again.

I was relieved, but I was still worried about the rides. I didn’t want to stop taking them, but I also didn’t want to be in an awkward situation every morning. I didn’t want to be in a car with someone who had been making advances toward me.

So, I had no choice but to spend at least $30 on Grab rides daily.

Now i start to feel a bit dumb as daily Grab rides is about $700 a month…

As an employee, I have experienced my fair share of annoying managers. One of the latest was the one that decided to start a WhatsApp group chat for every single topic imaginable.

At first, I thought it was a great idea. I liked having a way to stay connected with my co-workers and the manager about any task, event, or idea. Plus, the group chat was a great way to share updates and collaborate on projects.

But soon enough, the group chat became an annoyance. Every time the manager had an idea, they would start a new group chat. Every time a new task came up, they started yet another group chat. And every time something was supposed to be discussed, they started yet another group chat.

Here are the list of groups

• Toilet breaks too long
• Lunch
• Team Bonding
• Project A
• Carpark space reserved for managers
• and many many more… (Total more than 40)

I found myself constantly being bombarded with notifications from the group chat. It was hard to keep up with all the topics, and often I would miss something important because the manager had started a new group chat and I hadn’t seen it. I was also worried that if I didn’t respond quickly enough, the manager would be annoyed.

I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Other employees were starting to get frustrated too. We all felt like the group chats were taking up too much of our time and energy, and it was starting to be more of a burden than a help.

Finally, I decided to speak up. I asked the manager to limit the number of group chats they started. I explained that it was taking up too much of our time and energy, and that it was making it difficult to stay on top of all the topics and tasks.

The manager who is an outdated piece of… told me to shut up and do my work.

I know many workplaces outside faces the same problem.

I was recently fired from my job after 20 years of dedicated service. I’ll never forget the day I was told I no longer had a job. I was given no warning, no explanation, and no thanks for the years of hard work I had put in. I was simply told that I was no longer needed.

At first I was in shock. I had been with the company since its inception. I had seen it grow and I had been an integral part of that growth. I had even been promoted to an executive position in the company. So to suddenly be told that I was no longer needed was a shock.

I soon discovered the reason why I had been let go. The company had recently been bought by a new CEO and he had decided to make some changes. One of those changes was to get rid of some of the older, more experienced employees. He wanted to bring in younger, more energetic workers who were more in line with his vision for the company.

I understand that businesses need to change to stay competitive and modernize, but it still stung to be on the receiving end of that change. I had dedicated two decades of my life to this company and I felt a deep sense of betrayal at being treated this way.

I wasn’t alone in this experience. A number of my colleagues were also let go, some of them with even more years of experience than me. We were all devastated by the news, but we also had to accept the reality of the situation.

The company had made a business decision and we were the ones who had to suffer the consequences. We had to find new jobs and start over again. It was a difficult process, but we eventually got back on our feet.

The experience was a painful reminder of the volatile nature of the business world. You can work hard and dedicate yourself to a job for years, but it can all be taken away in an instant. It’s a lesson I won’t forget.

I hope that other employees won’t have to go through the same thing. No one should have to experience the sudden shock of being let go after so many years of loyal service. Companies should be more mindful of their employees and treat them with respect.

At the same time, I can’t deny that the new CEO had a vision for the company. He wanted to make it more successful and he had the courage to make the necessary changes. It’s just unfortunate that some of us had to pay the price for his ambition.

I was an engineering student at a university in Singapore, and I just had a conversation with a few of my friends that left me feeling a little frustrated.

I had been studying hard for my degree for the past few years, and I was proud of the fact that I was able to make a decent living by working part-time in the IT industry. I was able to make around $4,000 a month, and I was satisfied with that.

My friends, however, were not so satisfied.

They were all working as Grab drivers and making around $8,000 a month. They would often talk about how much money they were making and how easy it was for them to make it. It was a little disheartening to hear them talk about how much money they were making.

I couldn’t help but think to myself, why did I spend all this time at university to make half of what my friends were making?

Sure, I had a degree and I could take on higher-paying jobs in the future, but at the moment, I was making much less than my friends. I was starting to feel like my decision to go to university wasn’t worth it.

I didn’t want to feel this way, so I decided to look at the situation from a different perspective. Sure, my friends were making more money than me, but they weren’t doing anything that was particularly meaningful. They were driving around town all day and picking up fares. There was nothing challenging or rewarding about that.

On the other hand, I was using my degree to do something meaningful. I was applying the knowledge I had acquired to solve real-world problems and make the world a better place. Sure, I might not be making as much money as my friends, but at least I was doing something that had a real and lasting impact.

I realized that university was worth it.

Sure, I might not be making as much money as my friends, but I was doing something that was meaningful.

But this trail of thought was disrupted after I had a gf

She started to say that my salary was a mere $3.2k after CPF and I cannot afford a car nor fancy holidays.

Should I start part-time Grab?

I’ve been with this woman for over 15 years. We’ve been married for 2+. 2 kids, one teenager and one toddler.

In April ’22, I went to the hospital, which eventually led to me being hospitalized for a rare form of blood cancer. I was hospitalized for three weeks. Those three weeks sucked being away from my 2 kids and my wife.

Especially hard on her since I took care of mostly everything around the house and now she was being forced to be a single parent while I was being treated.

On the day of my discharge, my wife admitted to me that she had been talking to her ex-fiance for support. She claimed I stopped talking to her and he’s the only one she can easily open up to. If this was as far as it went, I would have been fine with it..

Past

For some history, we had some fights six or seven years ago, where for a few weeks, we ‘took a break’ (this was prior to marriage). She told me she was leaving to go see him. For those few weeks, I didn’t really care. I was kind of done. So to my surprise a few weeks later, we have ‘the talk’ and asks what I want. I told her that I figured we were over and that’s what she wanted. Turns out that she decided to stop seeing him and said that we need to work on our relationship.

This felt like a complete 180 from what I was expecting. So when she didn’t expect it, I snooped.

This is the man of her dreams, soulmates, whatever. Even at this point where I’m at now, these two are made for each other. So why did she suddenly want to fix our relationship?

Through my snooping, I found out they were hooking up on the regular. Also read that she would choose him over me any day of the week without question. (I only found out within the last few months that she stopped seeing him because he was getting married)

I naively thought things would be better, so I stayed. I had my son to worry about at the time too….

After hospital release

Once I was home, it just didn’t sit right with me. During the night, I snooped again. I didn’t trust her this time. Especially when it involved him.

It started off innocently enough, with talking about my condition and how hard life was for her doing single parent duties while I was in the hospital.

Then it broke into how she missed him and their relationship, and he went all in on all the things that he missed about her. She sent him dirty messages. Talked about how much they missed f-ing each other. After reading for a while, I just couldn’t anymore. But the thing that hurt the most was reading… that she didn’t even miss me, just the fact that I wasn’t around to help in the house.

This broke me. For the next few nights, I made excuses to not sleep in the same bed as her. Told her I was too used to sleeping alone or the rigidness of the hospital bed.

After the first week home, she asked if she could go see him. She reassured me that it was all friendly. To not look like the possessive husband, I agreed. She could tell I was growing resentment.

So the next night, after some arguing, I finally told her that I knew and she was cheating. Of course she denied any wrongdoing. Until I told her I knew that she was sending him nudes.

Now

Here I am almost a year to the anniversary of my diagnosis. She leaves every other night after our youngest is asleep to see this man (who is going through a divorce now). I stay home and spend time with my eldest son and game.

I don’t love her anymore, but I care about her wellbeing. She has a chronic illness where if she doesn’t get her meds, she’ll die. So I can’t just get rid of her.

Truth is, I know I’ve just been a doormat the last year. But I know that going through a divorce is going to fuck me in the court system.

I seriously don’t know what to do. I have no one to talk to, as she essentially didn’t let me have many friends in the years we’ve been together because it was always ‘what about me while you’re out?’

There’s definite gaps I didn’t fill in here, and I apologize for that.

Some project managers are just too much!

Got one IT project manager, always like to nickpick on the details, explained to him liao he also don’t understand, then when we face difficulties in executing some of the minute tasks, he will keep nagging why we are unable to resolve them/why we didn’t foresee them.

Then hold 6-8 meetings throughout the week to catch up on the status and every meeting stretch over an hour. Really time consuming and we can’t get any work done.

I put my foot down and told him that I only need to give him the overview pointers, the rest of the details is up to me to decide, and he shouldn’t be bothered with them.

Do you have such ngiao chee ngiao lan PM at your work place?

Netizens’ comments

• You don’t have to accept all the meetings. I skip some meetings in my current job because either I don’t have anything to contribute or I don’t see any value in the agenda.
  • (OP) i skipped once and he grumble to my management and whine about my lack of participation.
• That’s their job, to look busy. You cannot tell them not to look busy when their rice bowl depends on it.
  They are always the first to go in any layoffs, exactly because it really doesn’t make a difference whether they are there or not.
• Take it up with your boss, if the excessive meetings are hurting your productivity, it needs to stop. Can’t let some incompetent pm screw the ones doing the actual work and cause everything to be delayed.
• Sad you didn’t get a hands on project manager. There are project managers out there who row the boat with their down line. This guy sounds like he just applied for the role on those generic job websites.
• If PM is just task master without adding value, that sucks and most PM’s are like that. If one wants to grow in PM area, got to understand industry and be hands on more than just making few slides for status, risks, and challenges. Edit: i am a program manager and oversee Project Managers.
• Their favorite way to make everyone busy and himself look busy: daily updates meeting

A netizen shared a photo of a notice that he took at his company, announcing that they had banned employees from bringing their own lunch because they are trying to “cut costs”.

Here is what the notice said

Employee Notice

As discussed in our company meeting on 15th March,
Personal Lunches are no longer permitted on the premises.

This is due to:

1. Our Air Conditioning system being unable to filter out the smells from hot food. causing an uncomfortable environment for other employees.
2. Pests entering the property at night and causing damage.
3. Rising energy costs affecting our ability to run and maintain nonessential company equipment. We could invest these funds into considerations of higher importance.
4. Budget Imitations affecting our ability to contract in a cleaner.
5. Other contributing factors

We understand the concerns shared during the meeting. We understand that times are tough with the cost of living crisis, but this also works both ways with both the employer and the employee.

You may store personal kindles In your car and consume them outside of the premises. Alternatively, there is a local supermarket nearby to socialise with other employees on your lunch break

We apologise for any distress this may have caused. I’m sure you understand.

Netizens’ comments

1. That sign is a warning to everyone they are about to go out of business, so start looking for other jobs.
2. Too broke to run a fridge and a microwave? If that were true the company is on it’s way to going under anyway.
   Insist employees leave the property for lunch? Sounds like lunches just got a half hour longer.
3. If paying for cleaning and running a fridge and microwave are too much for your company to handle, your company probably needs to close up shop.
4. If your boss is telling you that the cost of running a fridge and microwave is going to cause the business to go under, then you need to start looking for a new job now. Before the paychecks start bouncing.
5. “I’ll stop bringing meals once you start providing them”
6. Do not hesitate to get in touch via email: leaves email space blank
7. You’re telling me to leave the premises to consume nutrition? I’ll just keep on walking, thanks.