Singaporean 'feels lost in life due to burnout at work' caused by her micromanaging boss and toxic work culture
In a post on the r/askSingapore forum, she explained that her boss 'constantly micromanages' how she runs her team. Instead of trusting her to lead in her own way, her boss closely monitors her actions and often undermines her authority by dictating how she should interact with her team.
She shared that one of the more troubling aspects was being discouraged from 'having lunch' with her team members or forming closer connections with them.
'She [my boss] thinks that you are only a good manager if your team is afraid of you and if you scold them for every single tiny mistake they make.'
The post also described how her boss's behaviour has created a toxic and uncomfortable work environment. She recounted several instances where her boss shouted at her team members in her presence and sent 'nasty' emails to them over minor mistakes.
Things came to a head when her boss told her to reprimand her team for spending time in the pantry after lunch, even though they were still within their allotted one-hour break.
Since she felt her team wasn't doing anything wrong, she hesitated to enforce the instruction. However, her decision not to act was later met with disapproval. In a one-on-one meeting, her boss expressed disappointment that she didn't step in to play the 'bad cop.'
Despite the job offering good pay and flexibility, she now questions whether it's worth staying.
'I am seriously thinking of quitting without a job and changing my career because I am starting to hate this corporate rat race lifestyle. I am also feeling depressed and wondering why do I have to work so hard and be bashed by my boss to live a life when every day is so depressing,' she wrote.
'After working for almost 20 years, I am financially stable with my own HDB and can get (a) good meal when I want to. I will probably survive for at least one to two years without income, but not enough for retirement. I have been thinking about what I want to do, but I am just so lost. Call me old school, but I have been brought up being told that only corporate work life is the way to success,' she added.
Seeking advice, she asked the local community, 'For those who successfully made a mid-career change and quit from your regular day job after graduating, can you share with me some insight on how you did that, and maybe your story also?
'Hoping to be inspired by other people's success stories to help me overcome this depressing period.' 'Find a job first before leaving…'
In the comments, one user advised her not to make rash decisions, writing, 'Network, network, and more network. Ask around to look for a new role. Don't quit without one impulsively. If you are a decent manager, you can get good referrals if you ask for them.'
Another user echoed this sentiment: 'Update your resume and find a job first before leaving. It's a lot easier. Then plan a month break between jobs to refresh yourself. Being jobless with a mortgage is much more stressful.'
A third shared, 'It depends if you think you can go without a job for some time. I have been in this situation and left without one. Have around the same number of years of working experience as you. Corporate gets tiring.'
In other news, a fresh graduate in Singapore took to Reddit after falling into what he called the comparison trap. He said he started doubting his own career path upon learning that some peers in finance were earning up to S$13,000 a month straight out of university.
Read more: Fresh grad says he fell into the comparison trap after learning 'finance folks are pulling S$13k/month straight out of uni'
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Trump, Xi might meet ahead of or during October APEC summit in South Korea: Report
US President Donald Trump might visit China before going to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit between Oct 30 and Nov 1, or he could meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC event in South Korea, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday (Jul 20) citing multiple sources. The two countries have been trying to negotiate an end to an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has upended global trade and supply chains. The two sides have discussed a potential meeting between the leaders in the region this year, but they have not confirmed a date or location yet, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump has sought to impose tariffs on US importers for virtually all foreign goods, which he says will stimulate domestic manufacturing and which critics say will make many consumer goods more expensive for Americans. He has called for a universal base tariff rate of 10 percent on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from the most "problematic" ones, including China: imports from there now have the highest tariff rate of 55 percent. Trump has set a deadline of Aug 12 for the US and China to reach a durable tariffs agreement. A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment about the reported plans for a meeting with Xi in the autumn. The two countries' most recent high-level meeting was on Jul 11, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had what both described as a productive and positive meeting in Malaysia about how trade negotiations should proceed. Rubio said then that Trump had been invited to China to meet with Xi, and said that both leaders "want it to happen."
Business Times
4 hours ago
- Business Times
Aberdeen extends its deemed interest in CapitaLand India Trust to 6%
OVER the five trading sessions from Jul 11 to 17, institutions were net buyers of Singapore stocks, with net institutional inflow of S$113 million adding to the S$94 million net inflow for the preceding five sessions. This further reduces the net institutional outflow for the 2025 year through to Jul 17 to S$1.65 billion. Institutional flows Over the five trading sessions through to Jul 17, the stocks that saw the highest net institutional inflow included Singtel , Keppel , City Developments Ltd , Singapore Airlines , Seatrium , Sembcorp Industries , OCBC , Frasers Hospitality Trust , CapitaLand Ascendas Reit , and Singapore Exchange . Meanwhile, DBS , UOB , NTT DC Reit, PSC Corporation , CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust , Mapletree Industrial Trust , Yangzijiang Shipbuilding , ComfortDelGro , CapitaLand Investment , and Mapletree Logistics Trust led the net institutional outflow over the five sessions. From a sector perspective, industrials and telecommunications booked the highest net institutional inflow, while financial services and materials & resources saw the most net institutional outflow for the five sessions. Industrials and telecommunications have also led the net institutional inflow for the year to Jul 17, while financial services has led the net outflow. CapitaLand India Trust On Jul 15, an acquisition of just over 2.5 million units of CapitaLand India Trust (Clint) at S$1.126 apiece increased the deemed interest of Aberdeen Group from 5.96 per cent to 6.15 per cent. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This followed the group emerging as a substantial unitholder of Clint with its deemed interest crossing above the 5 per cent threshold on Jun 30. Clint is a Singapore-listed business trust that owns and manages income-generating real estate in India, including IT parks, industrial facilities, and logistics assets. Its portfolio spans major Indian cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Mumbai, with a strong focus on technology and software development sectors. The properties serve a wide range of tenants, including global and Indian companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Amazon, and Applied Materials. The trust grows its portfolio through acquisitions, forward purchases, and developments, including IT parks and data centres. The manager of Clint also maintains a disciplined capital management strategy, with a significant portion of its debt on fixed rates. It distributes most of its income available for distribution and repatriates income regularly from India to Singapore. Clint's development pipeline includes future projects in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The trust benefits from India's resilient economy and rising demand for commercial real estate, especially in tech-driven sectors. For its FY2024 (ended Dec 31), Clint reported improved performance, with higher distributions and stronger income. The increase was driven by contributions from newly acquired properties, higher rental income from existing assets, and positive rent reversions. Clint is scheduled to report its H1 FY2025 results after the Jul 30 close. Share buybacks The five sessions through to Jul 17 saw eight primary-listed companies make buybacks with a total consideration of S$53.5 million. UOB led the consideration tally, buying back one million of its shares at an average price of S$36.80. On its current buyback mandate, UOB has bought back 0.6 per cent of its outstanding shares as at Jul 17. DBS also bought back 350,000 shares at an average price of S$46.18 per share. Secondary-listed Hongkong Land Holdings also continued to conduct share repurchases, buying back 950,000 shares at an average price of US$6.27. Since Apr 24, the company has bought back US$121 million of its shares. Director transactions Over the five trading sessions leading up to Jul 17, a total of 55 director interests and substantial shareholdings were filed. Across more than 25 primary-listed stocks, directors or CEOs reported five acquisitions and no disposals, while substantial shareholders recorded eight acquisitions and six disposals. This included director or CEO acquisitions in Asian Pay Television Trust (APTT), Stamford Land Corporation , Aims Apac Reit and Singapore Shipping Corporation . Both share buybacks and director filings were fewer than the usual quota, as the local market nears a busy few weeks of financial reporting. Singapore Shipping Corporation On Jul 9, Singapore Shipping executive chairman Ow Chio Kiat acquired 2.5 million shares at an average price of S$0.275 apiece. This increased his total interest from 43.77 per cent to 44.39 per cent. The married deal was a significant step-up in pace compared to the 161,100 shares at the same price between Jul 3 and Jul 8. Ow has been gradually increasing his interest from 42.97 per cent in May 2024. For its FY2025 (ended Mar 31), Singapore Shipping achieved a net profit of US$11.4 million, which grew 24.6 per cent from FY2024. The group also maintains a net cash position of US$56.1 million and maintains that it ensures cash flow resilience with fixed-rate borrowings below prevailing deposit rates, insulating from rising interest rate risks. On the current industry outlook, Ow says that the global trade environment is becoming increasingly fragmented and uncertain due to rising tariffs, shifting geopolitical alliances, and new policy threats, such as potential US punitive fees on Chinese-built ships, which risk deeper economic dislocation. Despite these challenges, he notes that Singapore Shipping has remained steady, with its ship-owning segment delivering resilient earnings through long-term charters and the renewal of a five-year time charter for the mv Boheme with a blue-chip partner. Ow also adds that Singapore Shipping's agency and logistics business has swiftly adapted to the changing trade landscape, helping clients realign their supply chains and respond to new trading routes with greater confidence. Asian Pay Television Trust Between Jul 14 and 15, Lu Fang-Ming, non-executive director and vice-chair of the trustee-manager of APTT, acquired 417,100 units of the business trust for a consideration of S$38,230 at an average price of S$0.092 per unit. This increased his total interest from 1.25 per cent to 1.28 per cent. This followed his purchases of 400,000 units in June, 263,600 units in May and 319,400 units in April. APTT is Asia's first listed business trust focused on pay-TV and broadband. It invests in mature, cash-generative businesses in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore, aiming for operational ownership and control. Food Empire Holdings On Jul 15, independent director Adrian Chan exercised 105,000 share options at S$0.802 apiece. This took his direct interest in the multinational food and beverage manufacturing and distribution group to 0.02 per cent. He is also head of corporate at the law firm, Lee & Lee, and has been in legal practice for over three decades. He was first appointed to the board of Food Empire Holdings in January 2022. Food Empire owns proprietary brands such as MacCoffee, CafePHO, and Kracks, with MacCoffee leading in core markets through localised, innovative brand-building. In its Q1 FY2025 (ended Mar 31) business update, the group reported a 16.3 per cent increase in topline revenue from Q1 FY2024 to US$136.6 million. Food Empire has long identified Asia as a key growth region, with South-east Asia – led by Vietnam – now its largest revenue contributor, and recent investments including a coffee-mix facility in Kazakhstan set to complete by end-2025. On Jul 9, Food Empire announced that it will invest US$37 million to expand its coffee facility in India, boosting capacity by 60 per cent. The project, part of its vertical integration strategy, begins in Q4 2025 and completes by end-2027. The group remain cautiously optimistic about sustaining strong top-line growth, backed by brand building and market leadership. Its Asia-focused strategy and robust expansion pipeline positions it well for emerging market demand. At the same time, it maintains it continues to monitor macro risks – such as climate-driven coffee price volatility and trade tensions – and will adjust strategies to mitigate potential impacts. The group also remains confident that its strong brand equity will provide resilience against the direct impact of tariffs in the geographical segments where it operates. With a return on equity of 17.8 per cent, the stock's P/E ratio has increased from 7x to 17x this year, while average daily trading turnover at S$1.21 million in the 2025 year to Jul 17 has almost doubled the S$670,000 in 2024. The writer is the market strategist at Singapore Exchange (SGX). To read SGX's market research reports, visit
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Orchid farms say buyers have halved since 2020, hope national events spur interest
Plant nurseries say local buyers of orchids have fallen by up to 50 per cent compared to five years ago. And they are counting on national events to boost the profile of the flower, which has long been associated with Singapore. The nation marks its 60th birthday this year, as well as the 10th anniversary of the inscription of the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Eugene Chow with more, Sabrina Ng with reporting.
