I am an IT Professional and this is my true story.
In 2007, when I was working in my previous IT Company, I came from India to work for one of their public sector projects in Singapore. During the initial settling phase itself, the new guys were bullied by the project managers (all Singaporean PRs) to prove their own worth (many of these managers had prior experience with similar public sector projects in Singapore). Since it was my first onsite trip, I somehow adjusted to the situation. Unfortunately at that same time I faced certain health issues, had a surgery also (took a couple of weeks off).
After sometime, my program manager (like senior manager) asked me a favour by working overtime for another assignment in another project. This senior manager was extremely bossy and known for being hard. I thought that this was a good chance to prove myself in his eyes. So I accepted and started working even harder to fulfil the tasks in both projects (my role at that time was of a senior developer). Fortunately I started enjoying my time in this other project, due to some appreciation by colleagues and managers in that project. And finally it ended up with a positive feedback.
Then came the annual appraisal in the mid of 2008. This senior/program manager recommended me for a promotion in the initial phase of the appraisal process. And this was in spite of the negative feedback (not so good) of my immediate project manager (who disliked me). Then came the final phase of the appraisal process which was decided by the senior/middle management based on vertical and company profits. It was during this time that my immediate project manager became a real bully.
He passed a lot of underline comments, sometimes became abusive, and tried his best to undermine all my hard work. He behaved as if my tasks counted for nothing, and could not be achieved without his inputs (none of which he actually ever gave). Every time he tried to keep me out of the loop including those discussions/meetings which directly related to my tasks. Eventually this frustrated me and I discussed this with my colleagues (many of them were facing similar heat from this manager directly or indirectly). But none of them raised voice because it was appraisal time and everyone wanted to play safe.
Finally because of his negative and biased behaviour, my appraisal was screwed (an average rating). The senior manager blamed this on me because I discussed about what was happening with the fellow colleagues. After that I started searching for another job in Singapore, but nothing worked (being on Employment Pass was also a factor).
Then in early 2009, the chairman of this previous company got involved in a huge scam. The company was in a lot of trouble and it was hell (sleepless nights). Everyone (from the bottom to the top) in the company was afraid of losing their jobs and were just appeasing their bosses. I took it as an opportunity to pursue some certifications and credentials, hoping that it may help find another job quickly. In next few months, I completed one technical certification and one project management credential (PMP). Everyone thought that I will definitely leave now because I may get a good job, and hence things (bullying) improved a bit.
Unfortunately I did not get any job offer, and eventually in early 2010 my program manager (he was a new one, the earlier one was thrown out by the company in mid of 2009) asked me to contribute more by working overtime for another assignment in other project (and this was completely off the record). Once again I agreed hoping that it would be a learning phase. But it turned out to be another nightmare. That project was the worst I ever imagined (a horrible mess). Till today I do not understand why the client (a Singapore public sector company) did not sue them. Eventually I had to say no to that project’s leadership and come out of it. Now this senior manager used this as a negative point against me. He even criticized me for my work, overlooking all the hard work that I had put in. Before that I thought that this guy was cool, but then I understood what others said about him was true.
Then came the appraisal process of 2010, it was during this time that this senior manager asked to do a huge task all alone without a team, and the timeline given was totally impractical (it was virtually impossible). In spite of all my effort and hard work, my appraisal was completely screwed (this was the worst in my career). The sole reason was that this management wanted some scapegoats because the project’s contract extension was almost denied by the client (they had already put up a tender). That was the first time I felt that I did a mistake by coming in this IT industry. Maybe I am too simple a person for such cheap/unprofessional politics & tactics.
Finally by god's grace, that horrible project was taken away by the client in the end of 2010. And then the company asked everyone in the project team to either leave (for Singaporeans) or go back to offshore (where at that time, the situation was worse and the future was insecure). It was during that time that I got a job offer (a permanent one) from my present company (a reputed IT company based out of Singapore). So I resigned and then joined my present company in early 2011.
Here I enjoyed the first 2 days of the company’s induction program. After that I had to meet my supervisor who happened to be one of the directors (by designation). I will never forget my first meeting with that classy lady. She was not only demoralizing but abusive also (trust me on this). It was my third/fourth day in the company. You can imagine my pain. How can someone join under such a person? I simply did not understand that if the directors feel so uncomfortable talking to people at my level (a project lead), then why should we directly report to them. Can they not create a hierarchy to streamline the process and the person of contact?
After that I met my project manager who initially happened to be nice but was completely out of control of his team. He was even bullied by them. That made things worse for me also. The colleagues with whom I had to initially liaise for my tasks simply took advantage of this manager and he slowly started losing faith in me. This is the first company I have seen where the concerned people do not share the necessary stuff also for the other person to work (and the managers do not intervene at all).
Here most of the project managers are sitting ducks. Some of them even prefer doing the low level tasks on their own just to avoid their team bullies (not because they wanted it). When these project managers are not in control, then how can they make sure that a new team member gets a nice environment. These managers often pretend as if they are in control of their team and they are the ones on whose order the bullies are being bullied. In reality, these project managers now do not have a choice.
This bullying culture is highly abusive in nature, and most of the victims are not only abused personally, but they are literally tortured mentally. And to add to their pain, this bullying is being completely backed by the HR and the Senior/Middle Management. Those who ignore or support this bullying culture are allowed to work by this management. All those who show signs of discomfort or talk against this bullying culture are made bullying victims immediately.
And above all, this Director, her Vice President (whom she reports) and other Senior Management people (who are sitting close to their large teams) simply ignore whatever is happening. It appears as if they are enjoying all this. I am working here since last 15 months, and I still do not understand how this bullying (highly abusive) culture satisfies the goals from the senior management's perspective.
This company certainly has the worst HR department possible. Here only the management dictates terms. And to add to the dismay, some of the HR people themselves are being bullied badly by the foot lickers of this Senior Management. Seeing all this, how can someone approach these HR guys for help and on what basis (when they are themselves ignorant of this bullying culture)?
Honestly like me there are many more victims in this company. I feel more upset when I see them giving in to this bullying culture. Is this the true face of today’s job industry in Singapore?
I have even complained to MOM for the same. According to them there is no legislation on workplace bullying in Singapore. The Employment Act, which the Ministry of Manpower administers, could only inquire into disputes between an employee and employer arising from the contract of service between the two parties or from the provisions of the Act. The Ministry has no jurisdiction to intervene in any "personal dispute", verbal abuses, management style/ lack of professionalism on the part of the employer or among colleagues.
One more strange aspect to this bullying culture is the use of SPY GADGETS by the team members (either guys or gals) to get some proof against the rival team/member. The use of spy gadgets is a common trend in this company. These gadgets are mostly used by the long-serving employees of this company.
Generally in a team, at the least one person definitely owns some sort of a spy gadget. Their strategy is to FIRST BULLY (to ANY extent possible, be it personal or abusive, you just cannot imagine) the rival team/person and EXCITE them to REACT/SAY something offensive/ridiculous. Then they RECORD this rival’s voice/video (ONLY WHEN the bullied team/person reacts) and present this to the senior people (managers/senior leads) and complain about the wrong behaviour of the rival team/member. Most of the managers are aware of this and they don’t care. But this tactic also works like a sort of blackmailing the rival team/member by telling them indirectly (by getting this information passed through someone else) so that they do not complain as they themselves may get in trouble.
I am sure that most of these bullies are aware that there is NO legislation in Singapore for bullying (verbal abuses or inappropriate behaviour) and hence the only defence has to be from the Civil/Criminal Law. That is the reason every team/member is desperate to have these recordings to save from any legal action/consequence.
Most of the new employees in this company are black-mailed using this bullying tactic. First they are bullied in a very bad way (abusive/personal, you cannot imagine), and then eventually their REACTION gets recorded by someone (generally the rival group of the team he/she has joined). Thereafter they are blackmailed for doing whatever the rival team/member wants, be it bullying someone else or working against their own team, could be anything. These senior employees threaten for any LEGAL consequence (in case someone complains, then their recording might also be used).
And as I told earlier also, the HR, the Senior Management are aware of everything, yet they are completely ignorant. Many people have tried to complain in the past but none of them has got any support/justice from either the HR or the Senior Management.
And this bullying is also impacting my job search in another company. As we all know that all company HR do internal reference checks before deciding on a candidate for any job position. Generally before closing on a candidate, HR of a company checks with the HR of the candidate’s company. And HR always has links all around.
With my experience I can say that YES the bullying victims face a lot of trouble getting through the selection process of any job position. Due to the negative feedback from internal reference checks by HR, they are lesser preferred over other candidates.
In my job search (both in my previous company and the current company), I have often experienced that in spite of ALL my effort, repeated follow-up, interest in the job opening, perfect fit for the role, being a victim to the bullying culture does make the selection chances very lesser.
I am really tired of trying. In spite of ALL my credentials, certifications, education, all what matters is that I have suffered at the hands of the bullies. How to get out of this trap?
How to leave this place (worst HELL you can ever imagine) when there is NO other job offer in hand?
I am sure that there are many others who would have faced similar situation in their careers. If you are reading this, then please share with me your experience. How did you come out of it? What different did you try? Your ideas, suggestions could do wonders for me.
Please suggest something practical and effective.
Hi there,
While I'm not in your shoes, I do empathise with your situation. It's not uncommon from what I've seen in Singapore (I'm an expat also) and when I first moved here the local office culture was very similar and driven by a Singaporean manager who I was forced to replace within weeks of arriving due to fostering that same sort of attitude amongst staff.
I have seen similar in friends businesses here and also amongst local suppliers I work with, I feel it's almost seen as expected for middle managers to bully their subordinates rather than help them grow - perhaps this is due them feeling threatened to be usurped or perhaps they feel that's what they went through and now it's their turn to pass it on. In any case, it's destructive for both the individuals and the company.
Do you have an internal HR department that you can raise this with? Starting dialogue with them is an important step and they can drive the changes themselves. If not, it sounds like you may need to talk to someone you get on with in senior management, explain how it affects your performance, moral of the business and potentially the companies bottom line - they may be more interested in the productivty side of things, but perhaps you could suggest management training for your immediate boss to help with those aspects - as it's likely they're imitating what they've seen from others due to lack of training, rather than being an intentional cunt.
Changes dont happen overnight and IT staff in Sg are treated like disposably, so tread carefully and be prepared to invest in change slowly but surely for the medium term or if your shut down intially, then it would pay to keep your eyes out for another job/industry and work on it with a new employer who may be open to listening and creating a culture of knowledge sharing than repression.
Best of luck.
Why do you want to still work in singapore when there are clearly more better jobs in India's booming IT industry particularly in Bangalore?
Although I have some good indian friends in malaysia and singapore, I've worked with them and they gave me a good impression, I, on the other hand had bad experiences with indian migrants in australia.
Here is one story. My family and I was about to board a flight from australia to home so we called a special hatchback taxi that can fit all our big luggages. The driver was an indian migrant. He parked his car in front of our apartment, opened the boot, just stood there like a stupid statue, while my family and I, struggled with our big luggages - he didn't even bother to help. In contrast when i got back to malaysia, we got an airport taxi, the malay taxi driver, even though he was only a small guy only 5 feet tall, but he took the initiative to carry our big luggages into his taxi car.
Then there is another story in australia. I was new to melbourne and decided to take a tram to a destination. So I took this tram, but not sure if thsi tram is going to this certain street, so i asked the indian tram driver (when I boarded the tram) whether this tram goes to this street. His answer was "No". Idiot ! When I got off, I looked at the tram signboard again and it turns out it does go there. Its no wonder the Aussies hated the indian "I don't care" culture.
My third experience, I joined this USA MNC many years ago because there was a job opening. It turns out that there were trying to outsource this job function to Bangalore, but the Bangalore guys screwed up big time and the company complained that they were rude like hell. So they decided to hire me to takeover. When I tookover, I had to ask the Bangalore people on the job handover. The bloody idiot in Bangalore was so rude, when he passed down all the job, it was crap messy.
I don't know about you - but I am sick and bored of the way those professionals coming india work - they only think about themselves and want to maximise every cent for the little work they do - so calculative.
Why do you bother about reference checks?
Go back to Bangalore where the IT industry is much more advance than singapore's. Its so many miles away, that their reference checks only cover phone calls.
Also, they only conduct reference checks after you successfully got the job ! Not after the interview, or else, the HR would be inundated with unnecessary work.
So once you get the job, even though your former company gave you unfavourable feedback to your new employer, work as hard as you can to prove yourself to your new employer.
Your story is very long, I don't have time to read everything. All i can say as to the reason why you are being bulled is because you are being exploited.
Why? First and foremost its because you are on employment pass - they want to take advantage of you. Second - you are a foreigner, therefore, to them you are disposable.
Quit and find another job, it doesn't have to be in singapore. India's economy is booming, there's a lot of vacancy there.
Originally posted by Rddgrt:I am an IT Professional and this is my true story.
In 2007, when I was working in my previous IT Company, I came from India to work for one of their public sector projects in Singapore. During the initial settling phase itself, the new guys were bullied by the project managers (all Singaporean PRs) to prove their own worth (many of these managers had prior experience with similar public sector projects in Singapore). Since it was my first onsite trip, I somehow adjusted to the situation. Unfortunately at that same time I faced certain health issues, had a surgery also (took a couple of weeks off).
After sometime, my program manager (like senior manager) asked me a favour by working overtime for another assignment in another project. This senior manager was extremely bossy and known for being hard. I thought that this was a good chance to prove myself in his eyes. So I accepted and started working even harder to fulfil the tasks in both projects (my role at that time was of a senior developer). Fortunately I started enjoying my time in this other project, due to some appreciation by colleagues and managers in that project. And finally it ended up with a positive feedback.
Then came the annual appraisal in the mid of 2008. This senior/program manager recommended me for a promotion in the initial phase of the appraisal process. And this was in spite of the negative feedback (not so good) of my immediate project manager (who disliked me). Then came the final phase of the appraisal process which was decided by the senior/middle management based on vertical and company profits. It was during this time that my immediate project manager became a real bully.
He passed a lot of underline comments, sometimes became abusive, and tried his best to undermine all my hard work. He behaved as if my tasks counted for nothing, and could not be achieved without his inputs (none of which he actually ever gave). Every time he tried to keep me out of the loop including those discussions/meetings which directly related to my tasks. Eventually this frustrated me and I discussed this with my colleagues (many of them were facing similar heat from this manager directly or indirectly). But none of them raised voice because it was appraisal time and everyone wanted to play safe.
Finally because of his negative and biased behaviour, my appraisal was screwed (an average rating). The senior manager blamed this on me because I discussed about what was happening with the fellow colleagues. After that I started searching for another job in Singapore, but nothing worked (being on Employment Pass was also a factor).
Then in early 2009, the chairman of this previous company got involved in a huge scam. The company was in a lot of trouble and it was hell (sleepless nights). Everyone (from the bottom to the top) in the company was afraid of losing their jobs and were just appeasing their bosses. I took it as an opportunity to pursue some certifications and credentials, hoping that it may help find another job quickly. In next few months, I completed one technical certification and one project management credential (PMP). Everyone thought that I will definitely leave now because I may get a good job, and hence things (bullying) improved a bit.
Unfortunately I did not get any job offer, and eventually in early 2010 my program manager (he was a new one, the earlier one was thrown out by the company in mid of 2009) asked me to contribute more by working overtime for another assignment in other project (and this was completely off the record). Once again I agreed hoping that it would be a learning phase. But it turned out to be another nightmare. That project was the worst I ever imagined (a horrible mess). Till today I do not understand why the client (a Singapore public sector company) did not sue them. Eventually I had to say no to that project’s leadership and come out of it. Now this senior manager used this as a negative point against me. He even criticized me for my work, overlooking all the hard work that I had put in. Before that I thought that this guy was cool, but then I understood what others said about him was true.
Then came the appraisal process of 2010, it was during this time that this senior manager asked to do a huge task all alone without a team, and the timeline given was totally impractical (it was virtually impossible). In spite of all my effort and hard work, my appraisal was completely screwed (this was the worst in my career). The sole reason was that this management wanted some scapegoats because the project’s contract extension was almost denied by the client (they had already put up a tender). That was the first time I felt that I did a mistake by coming in this IT industry. Maybe I am too simple a person for such cheap/unprofessional politics & tactics.
Finally by god's grace, that horrible project was taken away by the client in the end of 2010. And then the company asked everyone in the project team to either leave (for Singaporeans) or go back to offshore (where at that time, the situation was worse and the future was insecure). It was during that time that I got a job offer (a permanent one) from my present company (a reputed IT company based out of Singapore). So I resigned and then joined my present company in early 2011.
Here I enjoyed the first 2 days of the company’s induction program. After that I had to meet my supervisor who happened to be one of the directors (by designation). I will never forget my first meeting with that classy lady. She was not only demoralizing but abusive also (trust me on this). It was my third/fourth day in the company. You can imagine my pain. How can someone join under such a person? I simply did not understand that if the directors feel so uncomfortable talking to people at my level (a project lead), then why should we directly report to them. Can they not create a hierarchy to streamline the process and the person of contact?
After that I met my project manager who initially happened to be nice but was completely out of control of his team. He was even bullied by them. That made things worse for me also. The colleagues with whom I had to initially liaise for my tasks simply took advantage of this manager and he slowly started losing faith in me. This is the first company I have seen where the concerned people do not share the necessary stuff also for the other person to work (and the managers do not intervene at all).
Here most of the project managers are sitting ducks. Some of them even prefer doing the low level tasks on their own just to avoid their team bullies (not because they wanted it). When these project managers are not in control, then how can they make sure that a new team member gets a nice environment. These managers often pretend as if they are in control of their team and they are the ones on whose order the bullies are being bullied. In reality, these project managers now do not have a choice.
This bullying culture is highly abusive in nature, and most of the victims are not only abused personally, but they are literally tortured mentally. And to add to their pain, this bullying is being completely backed by the HR and the Senior/Middle Management. Those who ignore or support this bullying culture are allowed to work by this management. All those who show signs of discomfort or talk against this bullying culture are made bullying victims immediately.
And above all, this Director, her Vice President (whom she reports) and other Senior Management people (who are sitting close to their large teams) simply ignore whatever is happening. It appears as if they are enjoying all this. I am working here since last 15 months, and I still do not understand how this bullying (highly abusive) culture satisfies the goals from the senior management's perspective.
This company certainly has the worst HR department possible. Here only the management dictates terms. And to add to the dismay, some of the HR people themselves are being bullied badly by the foot lickers of this Senior Management. Seeing all this, how can someone approach these HR guys for help and on what basis (when they are themselves ignorant of this bullying culture)?
Honestly like me there are many more victims in this company. I feel more upset when I see them giving in to this bullying culture. Is this the true face of today’s job industry in Singapore?
I have even complained to MOM for the same. According to them there is no legislation on workplace bullying in Singapore. The Employment Act, which the Ministry of Manpower administers, could only inquire into disputes between an employee and employer arising from the contract of service between the two parties or from the provisions of the Act. The Ministry has no jurisdiction to intervene in any "personal dispute", verbal abuses, management style/ lack of professionalism on the part of the employer or among colleagues.
One more strange aspect to this bullying culture is the use of SPY GADGETS by the team members (either guys or gals) to get some proof against the rival team/member. The use of spy gadgets is a common trend in this company. These gadgets are mostly used by the long-serving employees of this company.
Generally in a team, at the least one person definitely owns some sort of a spy gadget. Their strategy is to FIRST BULLY (to ANY extent possible, be it personal or abusive, you just cannot imagine) the rival team/person and EXCITE them to REACT/SAY something offensive/ridiculous. Then they RECORD this rival’s voice/video (ONLY WHEN the bullied team/person reacts) and present this to the senior people (managers/senior leads) and complain about the wrong behaviour of the rival team/member. Most of the managers are aware of this and they don’t care. But this tactic also works like a sort of blackmailing the rival team/member by telling them indirectly (by getting this information passed through someone else) so that they do not complain as they themselves may get in trouble.
I am sure that most of these bullies are aware that there is NO legislation in Singapore for bullying (verbal abuses or inappropriate behaviour) and hence the only defence has to be from the Civil/Criminal Law. That is the reason every team/member is desperate to have these recordings to save from any legal action/consequence.
Most of the new employees in this company are black-mailed using this bullying tactic. First they are bullied in a very bad way (abusive/personal, you cannot imagine), and then eventually their REACTION gets recorded by someone (generally the rival group of the team he/she has joined). Thereafter they are blackmailed for doing whatever the rival team/member wants, be it bullying someone else or working against their own team, could be anything. These senior employees threaten for any LEGAL consequence (in case someone complains, then their recording might also be used).
And as I told earlier also, the HR, the Senior Management are aware of everything, yet they are completely ignorant. Many people have tried to complain in the past but none of them has got any support/justice from either the HR or the Senior Management.
And this bullying is also impacting my job search in another company. As we all know that all company HR do internal reference checks before deciding on a candidate for any job position. Generally before closing on a candidate, HR of a company checks with the HR of the candidate’s company. And HR always has links all around.
With my experience I can say that YES the bullying victims face a lot of trouble getting through the selection process of any job position. Due to the negative feedback from internal reference checks by HR, they are lesser preferred over other candidates.
In my job search (both in my previous company and the current company), I have often experienced that in spite of ALL my effort, repeated follow-up, interest in the job opening, perfect fit for the role, being a victim to the bullying culture does make the selection chances very lesser.
I am really tired of trying. In spite of ALL my credentials, certifications, education, all what matters is that I have suffered at the hands of the bullies. How to get out of this trap?
How to leave this place (worst HELL you can ever imagine) when there is NO other job offer in hand?
I am sure that there are many others who would have faced similar situation in their careers. If you are reading this, then please share with me your experience. How did you come out of it? What different did you try? Your ideas, suggestions could do wonders for me.
Please suggest something practical and effective.
You are not alone. Singaporeans are also subjected to bullying by Singaporean bosses/superiors.
I also get verbally abused, backstabbed and all sort of bullying. Except that, I didn't take it lying down. I stood my ground and argued. I proved my abilities. After making everything impossible possible, I submit my letter.
"Thank you for your guidances."
Right now, I am in an European MNC and I am not subjected to bullying.
i was bullied too by singapore permanent residents from malaysia after NS.but i whacked that guy so bad until he transferred out from my section.for the chinaman who was fierce to me becsause i didnt understand his brand of shanghai chinese..he was sent back to china. and this happened in the private sector that has no spore gov in control.
anyone wants to know what happened to the tall rude american in malaysian territory?
Originally posted by Rddgrt:I am an IT Professional and this is my true story.
In 2007, when I was working in my previous IT Company, I came from India to work for one of their public sector projects in Singapore. During the initial settling phase itself, the new guys were bullied by the project managers (all Singaporean PRs) to prove their own worth (many of these managers had prior experience with similar public sector projects in Singapore). Since it was my first onsite trip, I somehow adjusted to the situation. Unfortunately at that same time I faced certain health issues, had a surgery also (took a couple of weeks off).
After sometime, my program manager (like senior manager) asked me a favour by working overtime for another assignment in another project. This senior manager was extremely bossy and known for being hard. I thought that this was a good chance to prove myself in his eyes. So I accepted and started working even harder to fulfil the tasks in both projects (my role at that time was of a senior developer). Fortunately I started enjoying my time in this other project, due to some appreciation by colleagues and managers in that project. And finally it ended up with a positive feedback.
Then came the annual appraisal in the mid of 2008. This senior/program manager recommended me for a promotion in the initial phase of the appraisal process. And this was in spite of the negative feedback (not so good) of my immediate project manager (who disliked me). Then came the final phase of the appraisal process which was decided by the senior/middle management based on vertical and company profits. It was during this time that my immediate project manager became a real bully.
He passed a lot of underline comments, sometimes became abusive, and tried his best to undermine all my hard work. He behaved as if my tasks counted for nothing, and could not be achieved without his inputs (none of which he actually ever gave). Every time he tried to keep me out of the loop including those discussions/meetings which directly related to my tasks. Eventually this frustrated me and I discussed this with my colleagues (many of them were facing similar heat from this manager directly or indirectly). But none of them raised voice because it was appraisal time and everyone wanted to play safe.
Finally because of his negative and biased behaviour, my appraisal was screwed (an average rating). The senior manager blamed this on me because I discussed about what was happening with the fellow colleagues. After that I started searching for another job in Singapore, but nothing worked (being on Employment Pass was also a factor).
Then in early 2009, the chairman of this previous company got involved in a huge scam. The company was in a lot of trouble and it was hell (sleepless nights). Everyone (from the bottom to the top) in the company was afraid of losing their jobs and were just appeasing their bosses. I took it as an opportunity to pursue some certifications and credentials, hoping that it may help find another job quickly. In next few months, I completed one technical certification and one project management credential (PMP). Everyone thought that I will definitely leave now because I may get a good job, and hence things (bullying) improved a bit.
Unfortunately I did not get any job offer, and eventually in early 2010 my program manager (he was a new one, the earlier one was thrown out by the company in mid of 2009) asked me to contribute more by working overtime for another assignment in other project (and this was completely off the record). Once again I agreed hoping that it would be a learning phase. But it turned out to be another nightmare. That project was the worst I ever imagined (a horrible mess). Till today I do not understand why the client (a Singapore public sector company) did not sue them. Eventually I had to say no to that project’s leadership and come out of it. Now this senior manager used this as a negative point against me. He even criticized me for my work, overlooking all the hard work that I had put in. Before that I thought that this guy was cool, but then I understood what others said about him was true.
Then came the appraisal process of 2010, it was during this time that this senior manager asked to do a huge task all alone without a team, and the timeline given was totally impractical (it was virtually impossible). In spite of all my effort and hard work, my appraisal was completely screwed (this was the worst in my career). The sole reason was that this management wanted some scapegoats because the project’s contract extension was almost denied by the client (they had already put up a tender). That was the first time I felt that I did a mistake by coming in this IT industry. Maybe I am too simple a person for such cheap/unprofessional politics & tactics.
Finally by god's grace, that horrible project was taken away by the client in the end of 2010. And then the company asked everyone in the project team to either leave (for Singaporeans) or go back to offshore (where at that time, the situation was worse and the future was insecure). It was during that time that I got a job offer (a permanent one) from my present company (a reputed IT company based out of Singapore). So I resigned and then joined my present company in early 2011.
Here I enjoyed the first 2 days of the company’s induction program. After that I had to meet my supervisor who happened to be one of the directors (by designation). I will never forget my first meeting with that classy lady. She was not only demoralizing but abusive also (trust me on this). It was my third/fourth day in the company. You can imagine my pain. How can someone join under such a person? I simply did not understand that if the directors feel so uncomfortable talking to people at my level (a project lead), then why should we directly report to them. Can they not create a hierarchy to streamline the process and the person of contact?
After that I met my project manager who initially happened to be nice but was completely out of control of his team. He was even bullied by them. That made things worse for me also. The colleagues with whom I had to initially liaise for my tasks simply took advantage of this manager and he slowly started losing faith in me. This is the first company I have seen where the concerned people do not share the necessary stuff also for the other person to work (and the managers do not intervene at all).
Here most of the project managers are sitting ducks. Some of them even prefer doing the low level tasks on their own just to avoid their team bullies (not because they wanted it). When these project managers are not in control, then how can they make sure that a new team member gets a nice environment. These managers often pretend as if they are in control of their team and they are the ones on whose order the bullies are being bullied. In reality, these project managers now do not have a choice.
This bullying culture is highly abusive in nature, and most of the victims are not only abused personally, but they are literally tortured mentally. And to add to their pain, this bullying is being completely backed by the HR and the Senior/Middle Management. Those who ignore or support this bullying culture are allowed to work by this management. All those who show signs of discomfort or talk against this bullying culture are made bullying victims immediately.
And above all, this Director, her Vice President (whom she reports) and other Senior Management people (who are sitting close to their large teams) simply ignore whatever is happening. It appears as if they are enjoying all this. I am working here since last 15 months, and I still do not understand how this bullying (highly abusive) culture satisfies the goals from the senior management's perspective.
This company certainly has the worst HR department possible. Here only the management dictates terms. And to add to the dismay, some of the HR people themselves are being bullied badly by the foot lickers of this Senior Management. Seeing all this, how can someone approach these HR guys for help and on what basis (when they are themselves ignorant of this bullying culture)?
Honestly like me there are many more victims in this company. I feel more upset when I see them giving in to this bullying culture. Is this the true face of today’s job industry in Singapore?
I have even complained to MOM for the same. According to them there is no legislation on workplace bullying in Singapore. The Employment Act, which the Ministry of Manpower administers, could only inquire into disputes between an employee and employer arising from the contract of service between the two parties or from the provisions of the Act. The Ministry has no jurisdiction to intervene in any "personal dispute", verbal abuses, management style/ lack of professionalism on the part of the employer or among colleagues.
One more strange aspect to this bullying culture is the use of SPY GADGETS by the team members (either guys or gals) to get some proof against the rival team/member. The use of spy gadgets is a common trend in this company. These gadgets are mostly used by the long-serving employees of this company.
Generally in a team, at the least one person definitely owns some sort of a spy gadget. Their strategy is to FIRST BULLY (to ANY extent possible, be it personal or abusive, you just cannot imagine) the rival team/person and EXCITE them to REACT/SAY something offensive/ridiculous. Then they RECORD this rival’s voice/video (ONLY WHEN the bullied team/person reacts) and present this to the senior people (managers/senior leads) and complain about the wrong behaviour of the rival team/member. Most of the managers are aware of this and they don’t care. But this tactic also works like a sort of blackmailing the rival team/member by telling them indirectly (by getting this information passed through someone else) so that they do not complain as they themselves may get in trouble.
I am sure that most of these bullies are aware that there is NO legislation in Singapore for bullying (verbal abuses or inappropriate behaviour) and hence the only defence has to be from the Civil/Criminal Law. That is the reason every team/member is desperate to have these recordings to save from any legal action/consequence.
Most of the new employees in this company are black-mailed using this bullying tactic. First they are bullied in a very bad way (abusive/personal, you cannot imagine), and then eventually their REACTION gets recorded by someone (generally the rival group of the team he/she has joined). Thereafter they are blackmailed for doing whatever the rival team/member wants, be it bullying someone else or working against their own team, could be anything. These senior employees threaten for any LEGAL consequence (in case someone complains, then their recording might also be used).
And as I told earlier also, the HR, the Senior Management are aware of everything, yet they are completely ignorant. Many people have tried to complain in the past but none of them has got any support/justice from either the HR or the Senior Management.
And this bullying is also impacting my job search in another company. As we all know that all company HR do internal reference checks before deciding on a candidate for any job position. Generally before closing on a candidate, HR of a company checks with the HR of the candidate’s company. And HR always has links all around.
With my experience I can say that YES the bullying victims face a lot of trouble getting through the selection process of any job position. Due to the negative feedback from internal reference checks by HR, they are lesser preferred over other candidates.
In my job search (both in my previous company and the current company), I have often experienced that in spite of ALL my effort, repeated follow-up, interest in the job opening, perfect fit for the role, being a victim to the bullying culture does make the selection chances very lesser.
I am really tired of trying. In spite of ALL my credentials, certifications, education, all what matters is that I have suffered at the hands of the bullies. How to get out of this trap?
How to leave this place (worst HELL you can ever imagine) when there is NO other job offer in hand?
I am sure that there are many others who would have faced similar situation in their careers. If you are reading this, then please share with me your experience. How did you come out of it? What different did you try? Your ideas, suggestions could do wonders for me.
Please suggest something practical and effective.
u fight and win or fight to die.80% of people are foreigners.if they were sporeans u still would get the same end result too..u are in this world only for a short time, do what u need to be happy and survive with the least casualties..
I hate working for singaporeans.
I once work for a singaporean mix blood arse.
I report directly to this idiot. He likes to blame me for every small thing. In front of me, he talk to me like he is so nice and he claim I do a great job. Behind me, he go and backstab me. Some more gave me below average appraisal.
There was another department that didn't like me, so the stupid lady there always go and backstab me by complaining to this stupid mix blood singaporean director (indian mix blood). So he always call me into the meeting room and blame me this and that. Every time I defended myself, he claim I insubordinate. Can't say much because he is boss.
The day of reckoning came when my company got taken over by an Euro company, the idiot singaporean was forced to quit his job. Hahaha serve him right. He got what he deserved - he reaped what he sowed.
If i see him in the streets again, I will surely kick him in the gonads.
Why come to Singapore?
Things won't look rosy as what is proclaimed in the papers
It's an oppressive society with abusing of power, heavy workloads, unscrupulous bosses using intimidating tactics to compel workers to work overtime against their will by giving unrealistic deadlines
that's why most of them are so stressed up in Singapore, to the extent of depression and mental failure
Even singaporeans are treated like 2nd-class citizens
Originally posted by No_10_Tomas:Why come to Singapore?
Things won't look rosy as what is proclaimed in the papers
It's an oppressive society with abusing of power, heavy workloads, unscrupulous bosses using intimidating tactics to compel workers to work overtime against their will by giving unrealistic deadlines
that's why most of them are so stressed up in Singapore, to the extent of depression and mental failure
Even singaporeans are treated like 2nd-class citizens
they came over because it was neat ,clean and nice as from postcards.
Times are bad.
Haiz.
Originally posted by No_10_Tomas:Why come to Singapore?
Things won't look rosy as what is proclaimed in the papers
It's an oppressive society with abusing of power, heavy workloads, unscrupulous bosses using intimidating tactics to compel workers to work overtime against their will by giving unrealistic deadlines
that's why most of them are so stressed up in Singapore, to the extent of depression and mental failure
Even singaporeans are treated like 2nd-class citizens
Precisely ! Singaporean employers are arseholes.
I worked for one - heavy workloads, intimidation, threats and under-appreciation.
like this one. you work so hard, do you know that ypu will appear as a threat to his position? he's bullying you with hopes that you will quit and his threat dissappear.
i tell you, appear slack infront of him, bit work hard before the big boss.
Suddenly... Sgforums become a....
If you dun feel like working.... just stay at home and play with your balls lor.... no one is pointing a gun at you.... right ?
At work everyone will bully anyone who can be bullied.
Some will bully more people, some will bully only just one person.
Sometimes no one else to bully, bully the cleaners.
Rddgrt, since u r from India, I reckon u must be familiar with the caste system. I'm quite sure u have a bunch of low level caste workers , u yourself or ur family members hav looked down upon and abused before.
Now put yourself in their shoes and u will understand why u r being treated such by your superior.
it is quite amusing to see some higher caste Indians from India demanding they be treated equally by foreigners when they work for a foreign company. When Indians themselves r discriminatory back home. Why the double standard ?
Treat your own with respect and dignity first before u can expect from others.
BTW I used to work for an Indian boss.
Roti-prati at her best.
So it doesn't matter who, just the person you met.
There is only 2 professional for indians here, either IT or bankers, when you see them walk down the Shenton way, their heads are alway up up and away, more up then local Singapore girls and aunties, end up all rushing to foodcourt, mrt and bus. Our corporate lawyer, a singaporean who also do liquidation for firms use to tell me, every other day, someone will fall over the road or near construction site, and mostly are Indian IT and bankers from india.
Originally posted by angel7030:There is only 2 professional for indians here, either IT or bankers, when you see them walk down the Shenton way, their heads are alway up up and away, more up then local Singapore girls and aunties, end up all rushing to foodcourt, mrt and bus. Our corporate lawyer, a singaporean who also do liquidation for firms use to tell me, every other day, someone will fall over the road or near construction site, and mostly are Indian IT and bankers from india.
Got 1 more.
Roti prata man.
And this culture will fashion on as you get into bigger, more reputable company. I am just surprised that employees, belonging at the upper rungs of the hierarchy, are even experiencing the same, underhanded bullying just as much as those holding down non-executive roles.
I put it down to such bullies as their ways to hide their insecurities or to show "who's still the boss around here".
I experienced the same once. The passive-aggressive bullying came from my immediate superior and what's more, she had the whole team - whether they liked it or not - under her thumb to 'intensify and prolong' the bullying experience. Less than a month later, I resigned and never turned back since. I'd rather let go off that sum of steady income than end up bitter and hardened like her. That's not me. Not my style.
Originally posted by BabylonPunkette:And this culture will fashion on as you get into bigger, more reputable company. I am just surprised that employees, belonging at the upper rungs of the hierarchy, are even experiencing the same, underhanded bullying just as much as those holding down non-executive roles.
I put it down to such bullies as their ways to hide their insecurities or to show "who's still the boss around here".
I experienced the same once. The passive-aggressive bullying came from my immediate superior and what's more, she had the whole team - whether they liked it or not - under her thumb to 'intensify and prolong' the bullying experience. Less than a month later, I resigned and never turned back since. I'd rather let go off that sum of steady income than end up bitter and hardened like her. That's not me. Not my style.
Whether bullies hide their securities by unleashing their tension to you or not, truth is bullies are everywhere - at home/ office/ church/ road/ etc. Unfortunately the one at the other far end is always the victim.
Yes you would rather let go your steady income but when you have a family to feed or kids to feed, its not as easy as ABC to quit and find another job not epecially when you are in your 40s or 50s, where this age is very unemployable in singapore.
It is an unfortunate truth but dear forumers, be prepared whether we like it or not, we bound to meet bullies in office - one day.
Originally posted by speakoutfor:
Whether bullies hide their securities by unleashing their tension to you or not, truth is bullies are everywhere - at home/ office/ church/ road/ etc. Unfortunately the one at the other far end is always the victim.Yes you would rather let go your steady income but when you have a family to feed or kids to feed, its not as easy as ABC to quit and find another job not epecially when you are in your 40s or 50s, where this age is very unemployable in singapore.
It is an unfortunate truth but dear forumers, be prepared whether we like it or not, we bound to meet bullies in office - one day.
Because it's discouraging. It really affects one's mentality and performance. I can't perform well when someone pulls a cloak and dagger on me like that. Anyone can call it "tough love" to make less of that situation but it's not. Now I don't like taking the easy way out too but since I can't handle the heat in that kitchen, I get out. Rather cripple myself now than be labeled a complete fool who's out of depth.
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for replying and even sharing your own stories.
My only intention here is to know WHAT to do to come out of this situation. Your suggestions, stories, ideas, experiences are immensely VALUABLE to me. My story is long, but trust me every paragraph will either tell you something OR will make recall your own experience.
Well my present company has a very high percentage of those people who are working from a long time in this company. Here, either people leave very quickly OR they just get STUCK like me. Majority of the staff is of Singaporeans.
There is no internal HR department. This company is only driven by Managers (roots of this bullying culture). This bullying culture flows from Top to Bottom.
Prior to this company, I have worked will top notch organizations of the IT industry. This is the smallest company (an SME) in my profile so far. Bullying is definitely persistent in big companies also, but NOT to this extent. This abusive bullying is clearly a violation of the civil laws.
Well I am trying my level best to get a job back home in India. But these reference checks (inter-HR) are the reason why I am still struggling to find a job. I cannot leave this job unless I find another one (in India).
When I came from India, I was totally unaware of this oppressive society (a complete abuse of power). Next time, I will think thrice before moving to any country for a Job/Assignment (unless it is a short one).
The caste system is India is now History (certainly not in 21st century). Inter caste/religion marriages are quite common (rather a trend) now.
What FUN it gives to bully anyone ? Why can’t we be strong enough to be at peace ?