Let me tell you my story. I thought I got lucky getting this job, but end up my boss is the “Bridge-Crosser(I no need say from which country lia)” type also. You know the kind—standard Wayang King.
The Morning 3-Minute “Court Case”
Every morning, this guy will sit at his desk, but his eyes not on the monitor one. His eyes are on the glass door.
One time, I reach office at 9:03 AM. Why? Because the MRT MRT-ed lah, what else. You know what he do? He don’t even say “Good Morning.” He just look at his watch, look at me, and then loud-loud say, “Abit late today, ah? You know the company policy is 9:00 AM sharp or not? If everyone is like you, the whole system collapse.”
I was like, “Bro, it’s 3 minutes, and I stayed back until 8:00 PM last night to finish that report.” But cannot argue one. They are very rigid, very niao. To them, 9:03 AM is a crime, but staying late for free is “passion.”
The “Siam” Hour (5:00 PM to 6:00 PM)
The most bo-liao part is the evening. My work all done, KPI hit, inbox zero. I want to leave at 5:55 PM to beat the crowd at the bus interchange.
The moment I pack my bag, he give me that “Death Stare.”
“Where you going? Work finish already? If no work, sit down and think of new ideas. Don’t simply leave early, not professional.”
So end up what? Me and my colleagues just sit there, opening Excel sheets to act busy, or go toilet five times just to scroll TikTok. We are literally sitting there doing nothing for one hour just to “respect” the clock. Knn, the efficiency is zero, but the wayang is 100/100.
The “Kampong Recruitment” Scheme
And you are spot on about the turnover rate. In my side, three local guys already throw letter in six months. And guess who replaces them? His “long-lost” kaki or cousin from across the bridge.
It’s like a slow-motion invasion. They create an environment so toxic and gei gao that all the locals want to siam, then they can tell HR, “Oh, Singaporeans don’t want to do this work, let me hire my own people.”
Why Like That?
I think some of these bosses, they carry that “survival mode” mentality from back home, but they don’t realize that in SG, we value results, not just who can sit on the chair the longest. Being a “bitch” about 3 minutes doesn’t make you a good leader; it just makes everyone hate coming to work.