1 hour interview, didn’t ask me a single question.

I went in for an interview at this new, fancy hotel that opened up in my city. Interview started at 10 ended around 11:15.

The whole time the hiring manager was talking about how great the company is, her vacation she just took with her family, her son graduating high school, and about her has a teenager in high school.

Not once did she ask me about anything on my resume, or anything about me. When she would talk about the company and what it has to offer, she would immediately talk over me if I had something to say like “That’s wonderful to hear about the company!”.

At the end of the “interview”, she didn’t even offer me a position, she just told me that she was going to email me new hire paperwork to fill out and that my start date was the following Monday.

I laughed about it with my mom afterwards because it was such a weird experience. It’s been a while since I have had interviews, is this normal now? Lol.

Netizens’ comments

1. I had an internal interview very similar to that. The boss (whom I would work for for 10 years) was telling me about the department, all the things they were doing…20 minutes in, I tried to pivot to selling myself, but I quickly realized the job was already mine.
2. It sounds like they were required to do an interview but they had already decided to give you a job.
3. This happened in my most recent interview I had with an aviation company. I was sat in a conference room and a panel of 7 came in to interview me. All in all, I was asked about 5 actual interview questions, mostly about my background and why I wanted to work there. For the rest of the interview that went for about an hour, we were all just having conversation, joking, & laughing. They said they’d be in touch in about a week after the interview ended but I instead got a call half an hour later telling me the position is mine!
4. I have landed multiple jobs like this. It sounds like this person wasn’t a great interviewer, but liked talking with you. This is actually a really good sign. If you were able to carry on a conversation for an hour plus talking about nothing, that’s great.

Boss demoted me because he found out I have a second job.

I’m 9 months pregnant and my boss demoted me from manager after 6 years because he found out about the second job I’ve had for 2 years.

I didn’t feel the need to disclose it because my schedule was entirely unaffected by it (even for covering shifts).

He says to other employees (not me) that his “buddy” saw me working at my other job and called him up to tell him about it.

The whole situation is off-putting and very poorly timed. He tells me I didn’t tell him about it because I “knew it was wrong” to have the second job.

The second job I even told him point blank when confronted about it that I needed the extra money due to family emergencies when I got it.

Netizens’ comments

1. It isn’t poorly timed. It’s timed exactly to save the boss money.
2. 9 months pregnant and NOW he decides to dismiss you for having a part time job? TIME TO SUE.
3. Call a lawyer! He did not demote you for the 2nd job, he is worried about your maternity leave.
4. Tell your boss, and confirm in writing, that he demoted you, he says, because of a second job that doesn’t interfere with your hours, etc and is not a competitor. Also remind him that you are pregnant and he knows that you are pregnant, and you believe he demoted you because of your pregnancy. Tell him that you intend to file a complaint based on pregnancy discrimination, and if any further actions are taken against you, you will assume it’s retaliation for filing a complaint.
5. Do you not think it’s.. fishy that a 9 month pregnant woman gets suddenly demoted?
6. Sounds like you were discriminated against because you are pregnant… Contact a lawyer.

NS Lovers are just so weird

They support the involuntary conscription, saying it’s just 2 years suck it up. Yet on the other hand, they themselves can’t even take some negative comments about NS on the internet…..

it’s just some negative comment about NS, suck it up.

what’s that compared to being forced to serve with unprofessional regulars, f-kers you have to sleep with, risk of death due to blur sotongs, lifelong injuries you have to live with….

seriously these NS lovers are just so weird….

Netizens’ comments

1. I can see the importance of NS or at least why it’s necessary. What I can’t stand is the absolute rubbish “allowance” they give us to do it . Go stuff the 600 bucks up yours I’m not paid enough to do half the things I do there
2. Singapore’s defence budget is 18 billion. Estimate about 40000 babies a year, probably less and 50% guys, estimate about 40000 NSFs in service at any one point in time. Pay everyone about 1000 more a month (still barely minimum wage but better than nothing), that’s about 480 million a year. That’s about 2.6% of the defence budget. A lot? I don’t think so. They can definitely cut the budget from somewhere if they wanted to.
   It’s not my job to provide the answers but maybe can cut some of the regular force because I would estimate anecdotally from my own experience that 20-30% of them literally don’t do anything, or do so little or are so unqualified and stupid an 18 yo nsf can do a better job.
   Plus we all know the price of everything when it comes to the SAF is ballooned, like the meals supposed to be worth ?6-7 dollars a meal but it’s so dogshit I could cook the same for half the price. Definitely doable
   Everyone knows nsfs deserve more.
3. Probably those who don’t need to serve NS (foreigners, 1st gen PR, etc) and those fast-tracked elites and white horses.
   Only they find NS useful, because they are the ones who do not need to bear any real responsibility of going through the full NS

I was just fired for going to the bathroom

So I used to work for a food place. The manager on duty at the time hates my guts cause the I filed a complaint on her. That complaint was I had a wardrobe malfunction and needed to go home and she wouldn’t let me.

Back to today where I said I had to go to the bathroom. Mainly out of courtesy to let them know someone would need to man the checkout in case a customer came up.

It wasn’t rush or anything and everyone that was there had their food and everything. I was told no. I stood confused for a moment not certain as to why she said no.

She then proceeded to send someone who not only had a short shift but arrived after me on break so we definitely wouldn’t have any coverage for the front without shorting the back.

I asked SIX times before I felt like I was going to explode. Each time making sure I had eye contact so she heard me and she just didn’t even respond.

I couldn’t take it and ran to the bathroom. Women’s was full so I did what anyone about to wet themselves would do. I went into the men’s.

I come out and she is yelling at me for not cleaning during down time and running away and being on my phone, at this point I was messaging our head boss I was so rattled.

Next thing I know I’m told I’m fired for “walking out” on the job.

Netizens’ comments

1. Congratulations. You left a horrible workplace with cause. You can try to go the legal route, or the easiest thing to do is go into any restaurant nearby and ask for a job.
2. Get her fired too
3. Well you didn’t “walk out” since you were still there. Contact HR and report her for refusing to allow you to go to the bathroom.
4. What is this, elementary school?
   Just leave and go to the bathroom. If they ask, inform them.

Are people so obtuse in public transport settings?

I was riding on a double decker bus this morning, and a lady sat behind me; I wanna say around mid twenties.

It was a long bus ride through the expressway, bus 960E for those who know. I’m just listening to music and dreading the long day I’m about to have, and this lady starts to get comfortable by pushing her knees against the back of the seat I’m sitting in. At first I just kept quiet about it, because it could’ve been a mistake or just some adjustment in seating. But it starts to get more frequent and harder against my back.

I’m just trying to get some peaceful time with the music and the greenery we’re passing by, but no, I had to deal with this.

So I turn around and tell her that she’s pushing against the seat and that I would appreciate her not doing so. What would a normal person’s response be? Maybe apologise? Not do it again?

Well this lady, not normal, IMO. She proceeds to shout at me that I’m disturbing her sleep, and that I don’t own the bus. Well yeah, I don’t, neither does she..? I just sighed and switched seats, not worth the effort tbh. I’m gonna be having a really long day and I just don’t want to waste anymore energy on such a small matter.

But it got me thinking if this is what others have gone through? I mean this is not the first time I’ve encountered a backseat pusher, but this lady’s reaction shocked me. Is this normal?

Netizens’ comments

1. Take the seat behind her and do the exact same and say the exact same.
2. Really hate this kind of people tbh..
   At times, I would purposely sit down hard and “slamp” my heavy self onto the seat/back to signal them. Or keep adjusting and back slamp the seats.
   When it didn’t work once, I ever turn and ask them if they can placed higher to near my shoulder. He gave the wtf look and shifted away
   But of cuz, if there’s other empty seats esp the one behind him, I would go for it.
3. Sit behind her and start kicking her la

Am I having a cultural shock?

I came to SG yesterday to formally accept a job offer and relocate from UK. The meeting went great but the whole day I spent indoors, never got out and feel asleep early due to jetlag.

Today I started exploring the city and somewhere mid-day, out of nowhere, I felt like I want to cry (I’m a man in my 40s). I held it until I got back to my hotel and just burst into tears.

I do feel miserably hot, yes.
I do fear bringing my whole family over, yes.
I am afraid my wife willl loose her job, sure.
I am afraid my kids will not take well the new school and environment, naturally.
I am afraid how I will fascilitate the move itself, sure.

But none of these reasons are big enough for such an emotional responce. I was traveling in MRT whole day and I was always the only european person around, while everyone I talked to told me SG is this super diverse ‘melting pot’. This was my first trip here. Maybe my expectations didn’t come true?

Anyways just needed to write tthis somewhere as I feel reall terrible right now.

Netizens’ comments

1. Just walk around raffles place mrt weekday lunch time if you wanna feel you’re not the only European.
2. You’re just feeling overwhelmed from the sudden change in environment and not having your family and friends around, my friend. I can’t promise you that life’s gonna be a bed of roses over here, but you’re most definitely not alone as the expat population is very sizeable here. Brit food and booze is available easily as well, and if you’re a football fan you’ll be making friends (and “enemies”) in no time.
3. Yeah I would say you are probably feeling shock from being “alone”. Humans are very tribal and it feels like you don’t have your own tribe around anymore.}
   My advice is to go hang out at the downtown bars, there are many europeans living there. You can also get all your comforts from home at M&S.
   But yeah the European expats are not fully integrated here, they live quite separate lives from the local Singaporeans.
4. Not exactly culture shock per se, but you may be experiencing some form of adjustment disorder. Rest assured that this can happen to anyone going through a big change.
5. Hey, welcome to Singapore! Don’t feel terrible about crying, it’s probably a mixture of stress, culture shock, fatigue and the changes.
   As with all changes, it takes time but it will get better. There are definitely different European communities around, maybe try to reach out in Facebook groups. Even if you are the only European amongst the locals, don’t worry! Feel free to reach out or ask if you need help and most people will generally help (Singaporeans don’t go out of their way to ask if you need help, but if you ask, most are very friendly and willing to help).

More than half of my team in my organisation is nearing retirement. As a young employee, what can I get out of this?

My organisation has a small team, consisting of less than 40 staff. More than half of them are nearing retirement in more or less than 5 years. I joined the team half a year ago and that’s when I noticed the composition of our team with more than half nearing retirement (as they have been in the organisation for so many years) and the other half are young folks around less than 40 years old. Only 1 or 2 at the age 40 category. The succession planning is pretty poor, in my opinion.

The working culture is laid back and lots of learning in my job because being in a small team, bound to cross to other areas, so I’m good. My goal is to climb the corporate ladder and achieve as high an income as I possibly can, although I am perfectly aware that high salary comes with greater responsibilities = more pressure and added stress (that’s another discussion for another day).

I want to ask the experienced people here if anyone has come across such a situation before, because this sort of situation can be viewed as a leverage for younger staff like us during mid-year review to push for salary adjustment or one grade higher.

What other positives/negatives can we, young employees, potentially achieve from such a position? One red flag I can think of is the handover.

Netizens’ comments

1. Organize a Paintball team bonding activity and expedite the process
2. How old are you and how many years of working experience do you have? If one retires, are you the next in line? Do you know what are your company’s criteria for promotion? Is your current role compatible to succeed one of the upcoming retiree’s position?
3. Salary increments and promotions are typically given to those who have consistently demonstrated that they are already capable of performing at the next level. So what you should do now is to ask to take on more responsibilities, asking your senior colleagues to teach you what they know, etc. I have no idea why impending colleague retirements = leverage for your increment/promotion if you haven’t don’t anything yet to deserve one.
   If you’re eyeing the position of a retiring colleague, please first self evaluate if you are performing at their level and/or have the same level of skill/knowledge as them. It’s not a no brainer at all OK, the firm could easily decide to hire someone with more experience than you from the outside if the gulf of experience/quality between you and the retiring colleague is too wide to bridge.

My co-worker asked me for a bj

He asked me over text last night. he’s 40 and i’m 20. ive been trying to sort this out in my head since it happened. it feels weirdly surreal.

i thought we were friends, but im looking back on the last 1.5 years since i started working there and im realizing some of his comments or jokes weren’t just that simple.

i feel rather objectified. i feel dirty and gross. he said “my loss” when i told him no. that did not help my self loathing.

i know i should report him. it’s weird because he’s been there for 17 years. there’s definietly an imbalance in our value to the company.

Netizens’ comments

1. Just take it to HR and take a large step back, he is no longer your work-friend
2. You take that message straight to HR. It happened to me in my first job. I was married with a son, and I was horrified. I was only 22, and it was the 80s, and he was a VP. I was so afraid to tell my husband because he would have gotten himself arrested. There was no harassment training then and not an HR department in sight. I put up with it for 6 months while secretly looking for another job, and then the company was bought out. Was never so happy to be laid off.
3. Yes you should report him. He is 40 you are 20! He has been there for 17 years he should know better. And he clearly feels that his request is totally normal and okay
   Trust me this is not his first time doing this and it won’t be the last. Some girls might not be as strong as you and say no. They might feel pressured to do as he says if they feel a no could impact their work situation
   You have done nothing wrong even if he tries to tell you that you did. Unacceptable behavior towards a coworker.
4. Oh my god gross. So inappropriate and such a power imbalance. So sorry this happened to you. If you have somebody trusted you can share this with or are able to report it to HR, please do.