SINGAPORE: A 27-year-old worker felt ‘embarrassed and angry’ after being publicly called out in a team meeting for supposedly “not being a team player”. She later discovered that the remark was made because she did not volunteer to take on her older colleagues’ unfinished workload after completing her own.
Sharing her experience on the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit on Monday (April 14), the worker poured out her frustration and disbelief. She explained that she had only been in the role for seven months and, up until that point, believed she had been doing everything right.
The worker wrote that she took her job seriously. Every day, she made the effort to arrive at work 15 minutes early. She would skip her breaks, stay focused on her tasks, and avoid chatting with colleagues.
She also mentioned that her work-life balance was extremely important to her. Because of that, she always tried her best to complete all her tasks within the workday so that she could leave on time without bringing stress or unfinished work home with her.
However, her dedication seemed to backfire. During a meeting, one of her colleagues, someone she was not even close to, pointed out in front of everyone that she seemed “to not be interested in her work because she comes early and leaves on time and on the dot”
When she asked what the problem was with leaving on time, her colleague clapped back that it was “impossible” to complete all tasks on time, considering the rest of the team often had to work overtime or take work home.
The worker said this prompted her manager to give a long speech about being a “team player”. She wrote, “I was embarrassed and angry because my (tasks) and work for the day (have) almost always been submitted and done on time. Even if the task is not urgent, I try to finish it if it (is) tasked to me for the day. Very rarely I rolled it over to the next day if I couldn’t complete it on time.”
After the meeting, she approached her manager to clarify that she left on time because “she always completed the important and urgent tasks and valued her work-life balance after hours”.
However, her manager responded by saying that this was just the “work culture,” and if she didn’t “hustle,” she wouldn’t get promoted.
Curious about any other feedback from her colleagues, she also asked her manager what else was said. He told her, “They said you did not offer to help with their tasks after finishing yours and that it reflects poorly on your attitude towards teamwork since teamwork is supposed to be everyone helping each other.”
She replied, “They singled me out because I finished my work and did not offer to take on their work.”
The manager then responded, “Basically, yes. Gen Zs are never willing to do extra work to help out. This is the attitude that a lot of Gen Zs have, and I can tell you that this attitude won’t fly in any company at all. Gen Zs and their closed-off personality and strawberry mindset is not how you work in a team.”
At the end of her post, she asked the Reddit community, “Am I in the wrong here? Is this a work culture I did not know about? I asked my mum, and she said this is how work life is like, and I shouldn’t be too sensitive to what had happened, but I really can’t help but feel embarrassed and angry, especially for being called out in front of everyone on the team.
“I don’t want to be labelled as a strawberry for being upset about this incident, but it really feels like I’m in the wrong for completing my work on time for the day.”
“If you feel this toxicity will sap your energy, start looking for another job.”
Numerous Redditors quickly flocked to the comments section to let the worker know that it was perfectly reasonable to leave work on time if all her tasks for the day were done.
One commented, “Your colleagues and manager can live like their work is their life, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. At the end of the day, you are just a replaceable headcount to your company.
“If I were you, I would start finding a new job to prepare to leave and leave remarks on GlassDoor and LinkedIn without any fear. These (kinds) of work environments should be named and shamed. It’s toxic and backwards.”
Another remarked, “You are not wrong! As long as you do what’s required of you, you’re doing good.”
Others slammed her older colleagues for ganging up on her about her work ethic. One Redditor said, “This is the reason why nobody likes boomers. They’re all so entitled into thinking the younger gen (has) to do the work for them while they bask in all the glory.
“Your manager is right in that, across many different (cultures), boomers would rather spend their time gossiping and making their work their whole identity and expecting the younger gen to pick up their mess because they are older. Props to you for standing your ground!”
Another added, “I think they must be having a crappy family or personal life. They are hurting inside, and they can’t bear someone like you (having) a balanced work life. It could be due to jealousy also. If you feel this toxicity will sap your energy, start looking for another job, but until then, just bear with this place.”
Dangers of overworking
In today’s fast-paced work culture, many employees feel pressured to work long hours, believing it will boost their productivity or make them stand out. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the more time you spend working, the better the outcomes will be. However, research has consistently debunked this myth, even showing that overworking can harm your health. According to the World Health Organization, working 55 hours or more per week is associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% greater chance of dying from ischemic heart disease compared to those working a more typical 35- to 40-hour week.
Moreover, working excessive hours over a long period of time can cause a whole range of problems for both employees and companies. Studies have shown that chronic overwork leads to burnout, fatigue, stress, and various health issues. Also, when people are constantly pushing themselves beyond their limits, it can result in more sick days, higher employee turnover, and a significant increase in health insurance costs for employers.
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)