Netizen shares video of maid painting rooftop under scorching sun, sparking outrage among fellow helpers
SINGAPORE: A concerned netizen took to social media to share a video of a domestic helper painting the roof of a house under the scorching afternoon sun.
The 23-second clip was posted on Wednesday (Jul 16) in the Facebook group 'Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper.'
In the video, the helper is seen wearing just a pink shirt and shorts while standing on a sloped metal roof, using a brush to paint. The sun is visibly harsh, and she appears to be working without any safety equipment. Photo: Screenshot from 'Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper'
The caption on the video, written in Filipino, reads: 'Anong masasabi nyo d2 guys? Pinapaakyat sa bobong para mamintura tapos tirik na tirik pa ung araw.'
Translation: 'What do you guys think of this? She was told to climb up and paint the roof, and the sun was scorching hot too.'
In the post, the netizen added, 'Pwede ba yan na tayo ang magpintura? Wala na yan sa #contract natin pero inuutos at pinagawa sa kanya. My God.'
Translation: 'Are we even supposed to be painting? That's not in our contract, but she was made to do it anyway. My God.' 'This is not a helper's job.'
At the time of writing, the video has drawn over 10,000 views. In the comments, many domestic helpers urged the netizen to report the incident to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Several pointed out that dangerous tasks like painting rooftops shouldn't be part of a helper's job. One wrote, 'Should complain to MOM. This is not a helper's job. If my employer asked me to do this, I wouldn't agree.'
Another said, 'Get the unit number of the house and send the video with the address to MOM if you truly care.'
A third shared their own experience: 'This is what my employers made me do at their parents' house. I was painting under the hot sun from 8am to 5pm. I only rested to eat. That's why I didn't renew my contract with them.'
A fourth commenter added, 'It's better to send [the video] straight to MOM and give the full address. Did MOM say painting is part of a helper's job? No, right?'
A fifth commented, 'Danagerous. No safety. This employer is too much. Abusive employers like this should be reported.' Where to seek help
Helpers who feel unsafe or mistreated can call the MOM FDW Helpline at 1800 339 5505, or the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) at 1800 2255 233.
Additionally, anyone who wants to report a case or share information can email [email protected] or call 6438 5122.
Read also: 'Are you single?': Female jobseeker disturbed by personal questions on marital status during job interview document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { const trigger = document.getElementById("ads-trigger"); if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { entries.forEach(entry => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here observer.unobserve(entry.target); // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); observer.observe(trigger); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
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CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
More couples in Singapore are stopping at one child – what does this mean for families and society at large?
Whenever Ms Christel Goh's daughter was asked if she wanted a sibling, the six-year-old's answer would always be an unequivocal "no". Ms Goh, 34, who owns her own communications agency, said: "To her, it's like, 'If mama has one more child, how is she going to carry both of us?' She cannot wrap her head around that." Though it may sound juvenile, the child's answer is in line with the sentiments that Ms Goh and her husband have of not wanting to divide their resources and attention among a few children. "After our daughter was born, we were thinking, 'Okay, now we know what it's like to have a child', but we didn't see any compelling reason to have more," she added. Like Ms Goh, 36-year-old housewife Nikko Aw and her husband, a 36-year-old centre manager for a non-profit organisation, have one child, a girl, and they have no plans for now to add more. They did not initially plan to stop at one, but what held them back from having another child was their professional goals. They wanted to do their master's degrees separately and by the time they had completed their degrees about a year ago, they were already 35 and the higher risk of pregnancy complications concerned them. Around that time, they also had to move to South Africa because her husband was offered a work stint there. It so happens that Ms Aw is also the only child in her family, while her husband has one sibling. Her view is that people who come from small families have the tendency to keep their own families small too, just as those who grew up in a big family would prefer to have more children. Single-child families such as Ms Aw's and Ms Goh's are gradually on the rise in Singapore. In 2024, the percentage of ever-married female residents aged between 40 and 49 who had just one child was 25.1 per cent. This was up from 22.3 per cent in 2015, and 17.3 per cent in 2005. Ever-married females refer to women who have been married before and are currently married, widowed, divorced or separated. The 40-to-49 age band is a common reference point because women in this group are typically nearing the end of their childbearing age and are unlikely to have more children. Child development and sociology experts said that this growing trend is not unique to Singapore. Although like-for-like figures are not publicly available, many developed countries globally are also seeing family sizes shrinking: In the United States, the percentage of women who had only one child by the end of childbearing age nearly doubled from 10 per cent in 1980 to 19 per cent in 2010 and this has since plateaued In the European Union, among all households with children, 49.8 per cent were one-child households in 2024, a slight uptick from 47 per cent in 2018 In Japan, the proportion of couples who were considered to have completed childbearing but had only one child was 19.7 per cent in 2021, up from 15.9 per cent in 2010 In South Korea, 24.9 per cent of married women aged 40 to 49 in 2020 had only one child. This was compared to only 9.5 per cent for an older cohort of women aged 60 and above who had just one child Parents in Singapore who spoke to CNA TODAY had various reasons for not wanting more than one child, though these were underpinned by one common desire to put their best efforts and resources into one offspring, instead of dividing them among a few. Sociology and gerontology experts said that such trends are driven in part by practical factors such as cost of living and limited parenting time, given that most families are dual-income today. A shift in values further shapes this development. Previous generations were more likely to have viewed having more children as having a safety net for themselves in their old age. However, parents today do not feel that way, so they may be less motivated to bear more children. Whatever the causes may be, the experts generally agreed that this slow but sure trend, against the wider backdrop of a declining total fertility rate, is one that would be hard to reverse. Singapore must then brace for the impact that the rise of single-child families has on individuals, families and the society as a whole, they said. THE FEWER, THE MERRIER When she was in primary school, Ms Aw recalled asking her parents why she did not have siblings like some of her friends. Her parents said to her then that if they had more children, the family might have to make some lifestyle adjustments, such as going for fewer holidays overseas, and Ms Aw would have to share a room with a sibling. "I said 'no', so that's why my parents also said, 'Okay, if you say 'no', then we're all aligned with this, then we're just going to have you'." Indeed, cost was one common reason that parents who spoke to CNA TODAY cited for not having more children. However, the financial cost of raising a child is not the sole factor that plays into parents' calculations, the experts said. Associate Professor Helen Ko from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) said that there are cases of couples who doubt their ability to afford children after having to look after their ageing parents. Longer life expectancies and falling birth rates have already caused Singapore's old-age support ratio to be on a steady decline over the years. In 2024, the ratio was about 3.5 working-age adults for every older citizen aged 65 and above. In 2020, the ratio was 4.3, and in 2010 it was 7.4. For Ms Aw, finances were part of the consideration, but not the "limiting factor". "I think it's the childhood that I want to curate for my kid, or the sort of parent I want to be for my kid – these are limiting me to have just one kid. "I don't want to be so tapped out physically and drained out emotionally that I'm not present for her." The experts also said that other trends, such as couples marrying at a later age and delaying having their first child, also contribute to the growing number of single-child families, since the couples would have a shorter childbearing window. The median age for resident mothers who gave birth for the first time has been climbing: It was 31.9 last year, from 30.4 back in 2014 and 29.3 a decade before that. For some couples, health issues influenced their family planning decisions. Civil servant Rawdah Juma'at, now 40, did not plan to have a child, but a routine full-body health check and a referral to a specialist doctor in her 30s uncovered a health issue, which meant that she only had a small window of time left to conceive if she wanted to do so. The stark discovery threw her into an existential state of mind and this led her and her husband to revisit their decision to stay childless. "It was a difficult and emotional conversation, but after having that option be 'robbed' from us, we decided we should proceed with having (a child)," she said. She gave birth to a baby boy five years ago at the age of 35. The mental, physical and emotional toll that the journey to motherhood took on her led the couple to decide to stop at one. "My pregnancy was a high-risk one and the baby was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after birth. I also suffered from bad post-partum depression. The thought of repeating this cycle was just ... ooof," she told CNA TODAY. Changes in societal values and perceptions towards children are another contributing factor to shrinking family sizes. Dr Tan Poh Lin, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), noted that in the past, couples were motivated to have more than one child so that their firstborn would have a playmate, so they could try to have a child of a different gender or simply to adhere to social norms of what makes a family "complete". These motivations "appear to have less sway" in family planning decisions today, Dr Tan said, whose areas of research include population, fertility and marriage. "In particular, as gender preference weakens, fewer families are willing to have another child just to have their ideal gender composition. As time goes on, this trend will be self-reinforcing as the social norms shift towards one-child families being just as 'complete' as families with two children," Dr Tan added. Adding to this point, Assoc Prof Ko of SUSS noted that in the past, the older generation tended to look at children as investments. "But these days, those in their 20s to 40s are not looking at it like that anymore, because they are generally more financially independent," she said. Indeed, Ms Goh said that she and her husband do not have the expectation that their daughter will be financially responsible for them in old age. "In this day and age, it is not realistic to have this perspective." Agreeing, Ms Rawdah said: "I'd be more than grateful if my kid takes care of me, but I'm uncertain if this would hold him back from achieving greatness (or goals) he has set for himself in the world." BEHAVIOURAL OUTCOMES OF GROWING UP WITHOUT SIBLINGS When encountering an only child, a common perception one may have is that the child must be pampered by the parents, especially in terms of material privileges, or always gets his or her way at home. Mr Yazid Ahmad, 36, an only child who is a senior consultant in a communications firm, agreed that his parents, although they were strict disciplinarians, did not hold back on spending on him whenever they had the means to do so when he was young. "For example, I came home from school one day to discover that my mum had bought a full set of encyclopaedia for me – and I did not even ask for it." However, as with other single children who spoke to CNA TODAY, Mr Yazid said that he generally has no problems with sharing his possessions, which his parents had taught him to do from young. The discomfort arose, though, when it came to sharing personal space, such as when he went for sleepovers and had to share the bed with his cousins, whereas at home, he was "spoiled" by having his own bedroom. "I loved that privacy but I just had to give and take, because I was aware I was at someone's house, so I needed to be respectful." As a parent of one now, Ms Goh the entrepreneur admitted that it is a delicate balance that she and her husband try to strike between providing the best for their daughter and avoiding pampering her. For instance, they will not always accede when their daughter asks to buy something, because "she needs to know she cannot have everything", Ms Goh said. She and her husband also try to impart a sense of independence and responsibility in their daughter by getting her to pack up her toys after she is done with playtime, even though they have a domestic worker at home. Indeed, experts debunked the concept of "little emperor syndrome", a popular term describing such children in China who were stereotyped as overindulged and socially inept. China had introduced a one-child policy that ended in 2015. Assistant Professor Cheung Hoi Shan from the National Institute of Education (NIE), whose research interests include parenting, psychology and child development, said that the phenomenon is not well-researched in Singapore, if at all. Furthermore, a society where having only one child is state-mandated versus one where the decision is made by the parents is not "very comparable" to each other. "The way we (parents) see children also becomes very different," she added. Associate Professor Atiqah Azhari from SUSS' psychology programme said that the "little emperor" description itself has "limited empirical support" to begin with. 'Research shows that only-children in Asian societies, including China, are not more selfish. They sometimes demonstrate higher pro-social behaviour, especially when raised in warm, structured environments,' she said. Another common perception of an only child is that they have trouble socialising and interacting with others due to the absence of a sibling at home. There is some truth to this – Dr Tan from IPS said research shows certain benefits of having siblings. "Older siblings can sometimes gain leadership and teaching skills through their interactions with those who are younger, while younger siblings have the benefit of having more role models," she added. "At older ages, siblings can offer each other intra-generational support, which can help to stave off loneliness, particularly in an age of rising singlehood." On their part, parents who decided to stop at one told CNA TODAY that they make a conscious effort to avoid all the potential drawbacks their child may experience growing up without siblings. For instance, Ms Aw takes her daughter out for frequent playdates with other families in the neighbourhood. 'And we address their older children as jie jie or gor gor (older brother or sister in Chinese), so we use the same sibling terms that we would have used with our own family,' she said. "While we might not be related by blood, we are definitely bonded as an extended family. And I think that helps address the only-child syndrome." Growing up without siblings, a child receiving undivided attention and greater resources from one's parents may not always turn out to be socially inept. Assoc Prof Atiqah pointed to a study in 2022, which found that children without siblings outperformed their peers in linguistic performance and emotional management, "suggesting a clear developmental benefit when parents can focus their resources and time on one child". "In resource-rich urban environments like Singapore, this dynamic can be further amplified, given parents' heavy involvement in education and enrichment activities," she added. Longitudinal studies indicate that such children go on to attain "comparable or better educational outcomes and professional achievements" as they grow older, Assoc Prof Atiqah noted as well. Asst Prof Cheung from NIE said a recent study in Singapore found that most children really enjoyed uninterrupted one-on-one time with their parents. Such quality time, which could take the form of a car ride between classes, or having a solid bedtime routine, makes the children feel loved by their parents. However, she highlighted that even if the parents have just one child, such quality time may not be guaranteed because the parents might have busy schedules or be distracted by their electronic devices, though technically it would be easier to set aside one-on-one time with just one child as opposed to multiple children. HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FROM PARENTS Adults who grew up as the only child told CNA TODAY that their parents were sometimes stricter, overprotective or had higher expectations of them, precisely because they were the only child. Mr Koh Ying Xi, 20, an undergraduate, said his parents generally did not let him hang out with friends outside school when he was younger. "I would ask and they would just say, 'No, just come home'. So there was a strictness in terms of not being able to do things with my own time or interact with other children as much," he added. Professional stunt driver Jason Tan, 48, recalled having to take motorcycle lessons in secret without his mother's blessing, because she felt that riding a motorcycle was dangerous. "One day, she saw me downstairs with my motorcycle. She got very mad," he said. When he started his career as a stunt driver 12 years ago, he said that it took time and plenty of conversations to allay his mum's concerns over his physical safety. Even more than a decade later, he still walks on proverbial eggshells sometimes to avoid worrying her. "The most dangerous stunt that I did recently – it involved the car overturning multiple times … I did not tell my mum about it. I did it first and after it was done, I told her," he said. Many of these only-children told CNA TODAY that they also feel an added pressure not to disappoint their parents who have invested so much in them, even if their parents have never outrightly expressed such expectations. Ms Aw, though, said that her parents did express their expectations of her, which she then internalised. "There was always some form of expectation. When you were young, it was academic. When you were old enough, it was about work and employment. And when you were older, it was about family-oriented expectations," she said. Given that they had done so much for her, she grew up feeling the need to do well so her parents could be proud of her and be able "to brag to everybody else, like at weddings or parties or important events like Chinese New Year", she added. As a result of this, she believes only-children feel more intense guilt and become critical of themselves when they do not meet their parents' expectations. Asst Prof Cheung from NIE said that regardless of how many children there are in a family, parents and family members must manage their own expectations of their children and learn to step back. "So for families who cannot do that, then the child might still get anxiety and depression no matter how many children (the parents) have," she added. Similarly, many of the differences in children's developmental outcomes are influenced by their childhood environment and parenting practices, and not directly caused by the presence of siblings or otherwise. For instance, a child can still fail to learn the importance of sharing even if he or she has siblings at home, where the parents overindulge them and fail to instil empathy, Asst Prof Cheung said. "So it's very hard to just say, 'Oh, because I have only one child, or I have many children, therefore the child is set on a particular trajectory'. No, it depends a lot on the other contextual factors." INEVITABLE CAREGIVING PRESSURE While the growth and development of only-children is a pressing issue, what may be of bigger concern is what lies ahead for them in their adult years in terms of caregiving responsibilities, Asst Prof Cheung said. This certainly weighs heavily on the minds of those who spoke to CNA TODAY. Mr Tan the stuntman lives alone with his 73-year-old mother and 93-year-old wheelchair-bound grandmother. He counts his blessings that his mother is still mobile and active and that his grandmother does not have major ailments besides being unable to walk. Previously, though, he took care of his sick grandfather for about two years before the latter passed away, a task that he described as "very emotionally, physically taxing". Thinking about his mother growing older and frail in the future is enough to worry him. "I cannot take too long a trip. Even though I can, since she is relatively healthy, I will feel uneasy, in case anything happens," he added. In the case of Mr Yazid the senior consultant, he is thankful his job allows him to work from home most of the time, which allows him to be with his mother, 68, a divorcee who would live alone otherwise. However, there were professional opportunities that would have helped him advance in his career that he had to forgo. This was due to his caregiving responsibilities that he had taken on years before his parents separated. 'So, for example, there were relocation opportunities to regional cities like Bangkok, Jakarta … I had to decline or I couldn't even consider applying for those, because if I had taken them up, then who was going to take care of my parents?" Economist Walter Theseira said that in the bigger scheme of things, "it is quite impossible" for most adults who are only-children to take on caregiving roles for two elderly parents unless they have financial support. The support needed is not limited to just finance, but also in overall caregiving capacity such as time and physical ability. 'I think the reality is that many single children will need state or purchased support such as foreign helpers or nursing homes,' Associate Professor Theseira from SUSS said. Dr Kelvin Seah, an economist from the National University of Singapore, said a sustained trend of single-child families, similar to that of childlessness, will have long-term implications for Singapore's labour supply and economic growth. One potential policy tool is to provide financial support for families who aspire to have larger families but are financially challenged, he said, though he added that financial incentives have been shown to have a limited impact. Both economists proposed that there be more family-friendly employment practices, for example, to help parents better juggle their careers with caregiving responsibilities – whether for their children or parents. Dr Tan from IPS said: "The increased pressure on our informal caregiving infrastructure could force workers out of full-time work, or make Singapore workers less competitive relative to foreign competitors, if caregiving provisions at the workplace are not adequate." Giving a realistic take on the situation, Assoc Prof Ko of SUSS said that pro-natalist policies to increase birth rates, often through government incentives, do not seem to be very successful in many countries. "So reversing this trend (of shrinking family size) is going to be quite an uphill task." In light of this, society needs to adjust and embrace the eventual increase of the caregiving load on individual families, experts said. Assoc Prof Ko pointed to the reliance on fictive kin – kinship that goes beyond biological family. She noted that there are already many helpful Singaporeans who help to provide some form of caregiving to their elderly neighbours who live alone. In the future, as family units shrink further, there may be more of such cases of seniors relying on close friends and neighbours for their caregiving needs, she said. And so, it would be good if flexible work arrangements for caregiving could also be extended to this group of people, instead of just to immediate family members. "I know implementation may not be that easy, but then if there's some evidence to demonstrate that this person is providing some form of caregiving, perhaps based on a set of criteria, then I don't see why we should not extend such benefits to these caregivers," she said. On their part, parents of only-children who spoke to CNA TODAY said they are fully aware that they must prepare themselves for their elderly years to minimise the burden on their children in future. Ms Aw and her husband, for example, are trying their best to ensure that they are prepared financially and socially for their silver years. This includes having a good social network and healthy hobbies and interests, so that they do not need to turn solely to their daughter for their emotional and social needs in the future. As for herself as an only child, Ms Aw recalled feeling some "internal tension" when she was mulling the decision to move to South Africa. This was especially because her father had experienced a minor health scare just before they were due to relocate. Now, she tries her best to call her parents daily and tap extended family members and her parents' friends to check on them or take them out on special occasions. Ultimately, she and her parents arrived at the mutual understanding that she, too, needs to do what is best for her own family – even if it means that she cannot be physically present for them all the time.
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- Independent Singapore
Locals list cheese, truffle, matcha, mentaiko anything as the most overhyped foods in Singapore
Photo: Freepik (for illustration purposes only). SINGAPORE: When a local Reddit user wanted to know what others feel are the most overhyped foods among Singaporeans, for both local and overseas cuisine, others on the platform were very willing to share their thoughts. U/GoldenRuler2021, who penned the post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (July 17), started the ball rolling by saying that cheese is 'way overhyped' in Singapore. 'People go crazy over cheese fries, cheese tarts, cheese pulls, everything cheese,' they wrote, adding that they've tried many cheeses, even 'atas' kinds such as brie and camembert, but found them to be only 'meh.' 'Sometimes sour, sometimes plasticky, and when it melts and stretches, it feels like it's pulling something inside me. No joy at all,' they added. Also, although they acknowledged that cheese has some health benefits, since it contains protein and calcium, it's just not something they would crave, like others seem to do. They also find tacos and burritos to be only 'okay, not bad,' even the ones they tried in Mexico. 'Honestly, I'd prefer prata or chapati. Just feels more satisfying and flavourful to me,' the post author wrote, asking others if there is a food that everyone else loves but they find simply overhyped. Some Reddit users said they don't get the hype behind the truffle craze. 'Anything 'truffle' is just an excuse to charge you extra for a few cents worth of truffle oil,' one opined, while another wrote, 'Most places don't use real truffles as they are too expensive to get. For most of the time, they use 'truffle oil' that has no truffle infusion. It's artificial flavouring.' 'Truffle anything and matcha most things have become oversaturated and really quite poor in quality,' agreed another. 'Overhyped would be churros during Covid or the raclette cheese pasta or cheese wheel pasta,' wrote a commenter. Another person who's tired of the cheese overhype wrote that 'cheese fries, cheese pulls, nacho cheese, are really just flavoured oils and fats.' 'Truffle anything and mentaiko, both don't taste really good to me, idk why, just very meh,' contributed another commenter. 'Mentaiko. There was one period when almost every food had mentaiko on it, bread, rice, noodles… although the flavours don't match,' another agreed. One brought up mala hot pot, which they characterised as 'cheap junk food in China but sold more expensive than zhi char here.' 'Mala. What's the point of food if the spices numb and burn away your sense of taste?' another asked. When one wrote they found McDonald's Chilli Crab Burger to be overhyped, others agreed, saying they found it overpriced. Others said that they found salted egg on 'everything' to be tiresome. One wrote that food cooked with salted egg yolk sauce or flavouring is 'underrated.' /TISG Read also: Filet-O-Fish burger with 'cheese 1/3 of 1 pc' sparks shrinkflation complaints among Singaporeans () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- Independent Singapore
Iron rice bowl but in boiling water? S'porean ‘miserable' in gov't job wants to know if anyone else can relate
SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user who vented about the miseries of working in their particular government job wanted to know if anyone else out there is experiencing the same thing. In a post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (July 17), u/bigDolphin1357, wondered if they're just unlucky in their job. Part of the problem is that most of the people at work are in their 50s, and the few young ones 'backstab each other because we're each other's only competition.' Adding to the misery is rampant gossip 'because there's too little work, and people have to fight for it,' and the post author claimed they are busy but openly play games on their phones. 'Information is prized and used as social currency, or if it's yours, it's weaponised against you. As a result, I don't have a single friend here, and I trust no one in my department,' they added. The post author's salary is also substantially smaller than their friends working in the private sector, and they asked why they're working for such little pay, 'when everything goes to scholars?' They'd like to quit their job but can't afford it. One popular comment on the post described the post author's job as an 'Iron bowl but on boiling water.' 'Iron rice bowl' refers to work that has guaranteed security, which is often public sector or government jobs with secure and stable income. The phrase comes from a Chinese idiom, 'tie fan wan' ( 铁饭碗 ), referring to a now-abolished system of lifetime work in China. 'I have worked in three different gov't agencies, and every single agency has really burned me out mentally and physically. If you are pushing for promotion, then you should avoid the rat race. If you wish to have higher earnings, then you should leave as soon as possible. The reason is that your portfolio may not be as attractive compared to those who are already in the private sector. It is your call. I also wish I could shake a leg, but I see more people resigning due to the workload. Iron bowl but on boiling water,' the commenter wrote. Others also expressed they were surprised that the post author had written that there's not enough work to keep people busy at the post author's work, since most government employees they know experience the opposite and are overworked. 'What agency is that? Over at my place, we're worked to the bone,' a commenter noted. 'It sounds like a localised issue. I assure you, there are other parts of the gov't where the work is overflowing,' another added. Others offered the post author advice. 'There are no friends at the workplace because everyone has a conflict of interest. I think you can consider an internal transfer or continue job hunting in private. Meanwhile, continue to upskill yourself,' one advised them. 'Why don't you just jump to another government sector like you said? Private sector may not necessarily be better btw… It could be even more competitive, and you can easily be retrenched, and office politics is everywhere, no matter where you go, so you won't be able to avoid that,' another wrote. 'Ask for a transfer out, but be prepared to be overworked elsewhere; I never had a lack of work to do while in civil service,' said a Reddit user. One who had a similar experience and could relate to the post author wrote that the young people they used to work with, 'those in their mid to late twenties, like you said, are very susceptible to politics and still kinda childish. They have trouble regulating their emotions to stay professional. IMO, millennials kinda hit the sweet spot, like those from their 30s onwards, because they have some work experience and are not too traditional-minded like the boomer generation. Best to identify your tribe and stick with them. But maaan, I feel you, I too wish I could be like my cousins or friends in a corporate or NGO setting aligned with their passions and having a better work-life balance. All the best, man, comes down to luck at this point!' /TISG Read also: No longer an iron rice bowl? Is public service losing its appeal to the new generation?
