‘Toxic as hell' — SG financial agent calls out her company director for imposing fines and spending hours gossiping about other agents

Independent Singapore

2 days ago

SINGAPORE: A financial consultant recently shared on Reddit that she is considering leaving her agency due to what she described as a 'toxic' and 'unprofessional' management team.
In her detailed Reddit post, she claimed that a particular director was responsible for creating such a toxic work environment. According to her, this director imposed fines on agents who missed meetings or events, which were later relabelled as 'courtesy contributions' to make them seem less punitive.
'The late fees and no-show fines have been changed to 'Courtesy Contributions,' but they are still compulsory. She [the director] mentioned that the compliance department approved this and taught her how to collect using this alternative name. But if you don't pay, she will exclude and eliminate you like an outcast.'
The consultant also mentioned that the director often spends hours gossiping about other agents instead of actually managing the agency.
'It's really unprofessional. If they have so much free time for this, shouldn't they be focusing on making the agency a better place and helping it grow?' the consultant wrote.
She added that there is clear and constant favouritism at play. The director's own daughter, who is also in the agency, reportedly gets away with a poor work ethic and unprofessional behaviour.
'She shows obvious favouritism toward her daughter, who faces no consequences for her unprofessional behaviour. It's really like mother, like daughter. The director manipulates situations by presenting one-sided stories to turn agents against each other. So we just listen with one ear in and one ear out because we don't want to get involved in all this drama.'
The toxic behaviour reportedly extends to the manipulation of facts. The consultant explained that the director often twists stories and presents one-sided narratives to turn agents against one another.
She then described a disturbing incident that took place during a recent European convention trip, which was supposed to be a celebration for high-performing agents and their families. According to her, one agent who was planning to resign was targeted by the director.
'She deliberately excluded a family with a child from joining the bus tour just because she heard that that particular agent was intending to quit, and they were left alone in Europe all by themselves!' she continued.
'She used the bus journey as an opportunity to badmouth agents in front of our families and children. Our parents and kids, who just wanted to enjoy our holidays, had to listen to workplace drama and negativity instead of experiencing the trip we deserved.' See also Malaysian singer Yuna gets signed on as model
In closing, the consultant said the environment has become so toxic that it no longer feels like a place where people can thrive.
'My ears have been ringing from listening to such constant negativity and unprofessional conduct, and it makes it impossible to focus on building a sustainable career here,' she said.
'Has anyone else experienced similar toxic management at your insurance agencies? Can anyone recommend agencies that maintain professional standards and actually focus on business growth rather than workplace drama?' she asked at the end of her post. 'Go hunt for the right person to guide you…'
In the comments, many netizens offered their support and encouraged the consultant to walk away from the toxic environment.
One individual, who identified as an insurance agent with over a decade of experience, wrote, 'I have heard many stories about toxic directors with zero empathy and management skills. I highly encourage you and any fellow agents to go hunt for the right person to guide you. Don't be afraid and take the threats from your director.'
Another user chimed in to share their own experience of leaving a toxic agency, saying, 'I left the red company for similar reasons and joined as an IFA. I'm sure there are plenty of teams and agencies out there that are really good.' See also Zalora ropes in Gunjan Soni from Myntra as its new CEO
Meanwhile, a third individual reflected on the deeper reasons behind such toxicity, writing, 'In my opinion, the more empty and useless a department or company is, the more drama and politics there will be. When a company has real value to provide to society, and has actual goals to meet, people within naturally operate with direction and are less preoccupied with politics and drama.'
In other news, a Singaporean employee claimed on social media that he was wrongfully terminated after being accused of leaking confidential information.
On Monday (June 2), he took to the r/askSingapore Reddit forum to seek advice and share his experience with fellow locals. In his post, he explained that he was recently dismissed from his full-time position because his employer alleged that he had disclosed sensitive company information to other departments or colleagues. However, he firmly denied these accusations, stating that they were completely 'untrue.'
Read more: 'My boss terminated me without proper cause' — Employee claims he was wrongfully terminated over leaked info accusation
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)