‘Am I the bad guy?' — Worker says his colleague got retrenched after he automated 90% of her tasks
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean worker has sparked discussion on Reddit after sharing that he may have indirectly caused his colleague to be retrenched.
In a post on the r/askSingapore subreddit, the worker shared that his colleague, a working mother, often complained that she was overwhelmed by her workload. After some restructuring in the company, she was given many Excel-related tasks, including copying and pasting large amounts of data, manually checking thousands of rows, and creating reports in both Excel and PowerPoint.
She also told others that she was struggling to cope with work while taking care of her child at home, and that she 'felt burnt out.'
To help ease the situation, their supervisor assigned the worker to assist her. As someone who was experienced with VBA, Python, and AI tools, he eventually automated around 90 per cent of the work. According to him, what used to take hours could now be completed with just a 'single click.'
At the same time, the company had introduced upskilling opportunities for staff. Employees were encouraged to take online courses on platforms such as Coursera and Udemy, with the costs covered by the company. However, the colleague chose not to take part. She said she found formulas and automation too difficult to learn, and was not interested in coding.
'We acknowledged her burnout and even offered that on Fridays after 1 p.m., she can have her free time to upskill herself, but she kept nope the way out.'
Eventually, a round of layoffs was announced. The colleague was among those let go. She was told by their boss that since most of her tasks had been automated or could be outsourced, her role was no longer required.
He added, 'She does not have the skills to maintain this automation. And my bosses openly told her that all her work will be maintained by me since I was the one who automated her work.'
The worker shared that since then, he has heard from others that the colleague has been blaming him for her retrenchment.
'I heard from my other colleagues that she was bad-mouthing and said that I was one of the top reasons she was laid off. I was super hurt by it, and it doesn't help as I have some ego myself (which I know isn't good for me), so I get uneasy if people talk badly about me, and it's been bothering me ever since.' 'Don't be too hard on yourself…'
The post received numerous responses from fellow Redditors, many of whom reassured him that he was not at fault.
One Redditor said, 'People who do this nonsense have really high ego and refuse to acknowledge that they might not be the best in what they do, so they take the easy way out and blame others. Ignore her, keep your head up.'
Another wrote, 'Don't be too hard on yourself. She saw this train wreck coming from far away. And she was given plenty of warning. That's already more than many retrenched people get.'
A third commented, 'Seeing how your company gave her chances to upskill and learn the necessary tools/skills to continue working there, and you have provided advice on it, you are not in the wrong.'
A fourth added, 'She refuses to adapt and learn. So that directly puts her on the retrenchment list.' See also Blockchain's Impact on Traditional Banking: A New Era or Crisis? AI and automation spark job loss fears
AI and automation are reshaping the workforce, and while these advancements have largely benefited large companies through increased efficiency and cost savings, they have also left many workers fearful about job security and the risk of retrenchment.
A recent Ipsos study featured in a People Matters Global article found that 65% of respondents in 31 countries and regions fear AI will result in work dismissals and outright job losses—up from 64% last year. This apprehension is predominantly noticeable in Southeast Asia, where AI-driven dislocation appears to be an imminent certainty.
Read more: AI takeover? Why workers in Southeast Asia fear losing their jobs to automation
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
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