SINGAPORE: A fresh graduate took to Reddit to vent their frustration after feeling that they had become the go-to person for all the “saikang” (menial) work in the office simply because they are the youngest member of the team.
On Wednesday (May 6), they posted on the r/singaporejobs forum, explaining that the workload in their department feels “pretty uneven.”
“Me and another colleague will be OT-ing to finish our tasks while the other 2 [senior] colleagues will be using their phones or chit-chatting during work, and they leave work on time.”
“I am the youngest and newest on the team, so all the tedious and time-consuming saikang gets pushed to me because nobody wants to do them. Their excuse for pushing the work to me is that I can do it faster because I am younger.”
The fresh grad also admitted that the constant pressure has been emotionally draining. Juggling multiple tedious assignments and tight deadlines while watching others appear far less burdened has left them feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and trapped in a cycle they cannot seem to escape from.
“The more I think about it, the more unfair it feels,” they shared, adding that these assignments offer “zero visibility.”
“They are tasks that are essential to complete, but you won’t get credits for completing them because they are saikang, after all. It just feels unfair to me, because I am constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed at work, having to work on multiple tasks with tight deadlines while they are slacking off.”
Wanting to know whether this kind of workplace dynamic is common, the fresh grad turned to other users for advice and perspective.
“I don’t know. Is this normal? What should I even do? I feel so stuck in this endless loop of saikang.”
“Learn to not submit your work immediately”
In the discussion thread, some users encouraged the fresh grad to try looking at the situation from a more positive angle instead of seeing it as entirely unfair.
One commenter wrote, “This is good that you learn this so early in your career: good work is rewarded with more work. You just have to make sure it’s also rewarded financially and that you are okay with the workload.”
Another advised the fresh grad to treat the extra responsibilities as a chance to build experience and learn how to manage expectations at work. They also suggested not rushing to complete and submit tasks too quickly, as doing so may lead colleagues and managers to assume they can constantly take on more work.
“Learn not to submit your work immediately after you complete it. Rather than sit on it for a few days, check before submitting. Let your boss know your limits; say you have quite a few ongoing tasks and ask if he/she is okay with you [prioritising] one over another.”
A few users also suggested bringing up the issue during a performance review or check-in with management so supervisors become more aware of the uneven workload and the amount of unseen “saikang” work being handled behind the scenes.
“Talk to your boss as part of the performance review. If there’s no value adding and [you’re] being bullied, find another job,” one user wrote.
In other news, a Singaporean jobseeker has shared online that he feels rather “hopeless” after being unable to secure a job despite lowering his salary expectations to around S$3,000 to S$3,500.
Posting on the forum singaporejobs on Monday (May 4), the 26-year-old described the job market in the city-state as “brutal.”
Read more: ‘SG current job market feels brutal’: Singaporean applicant with S$3.5k salary expectations says he’s losing hope after 8 months of job hunting
