Is it just me, or has the corporate culture in some of these “MNCs” in Jurong and Changi Business Park become absolutely toxic? I’m writing this while shaking with rage in the disabled toilet cubicle because I need to vent before I actually do something that gets me a police report.
I’ve been with this company for over two years. I hit my KPIs, I don’t “ORD oh” at 5:59 PM, and I cover for my teammates. But we recently got a new manager—an expat FT who seems to think he’s a colonial governor from the 1800s. Today, during a 1-on-1 about a project timeline that was unrealistic (because half the vendor team is on leave), he looked me dead in the eye and said:
“You need to remember your place. Your job is just one email to HR away. If I send it, you’re gone by Friday. So don’t give me excuses, just obey me.”
LANCIAO LAH. Who even talks like that in 2026?
Since when did “Manager” become “Slave Master”? This isn’t about productivity anymore; it’s about a power trip. He knows the job market is tight right now, and he’s using my rice bowl to threaten me like some low-tier triad member. The irony? He’s on an EP. He’s a guest in our country, yet he’s threatening a local’s livelihood over a PowerPoint slide?
I wanted to ask him, “Bro, you think HR is your father’s company is it?” But I know how it works. These guys play golf with the directors, and HR is just there to “manage risk,” which usually means protecting the higher-up, not the staff getting bullied.
I’m so tired of this “Yes Man” culture we have in Singapore where we just tahan and take the verbal abuse because we have a mortgage, CPF to pay, and a family to feed. If I “obey” now, what’s next? He’s going to ask me to buy his coffee and wash his car?
I’ve already started BCC-ing my personal email on every single interaction. I’m documenting every toxic remark. To all the middle-managers out there: we are employees, not your property.
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of blatant “one email” threat? Is TAFEP even going to do anything if I report this, or will I just be “restructured” out of a job anyway?
TL;DR: My manager thinks he’s God because he can email HR. Currently looking for a new job and a spine.
Edit: To the people saying “just resign,” I have bills to pay, leh. Not everyone has a rich daddy.