‘I’m really pissed off’: Employee claims manager calls his mum during hospitalisation leave over a ‘non-obligatory company survey’ AURORATOTO GROUP

SINGAPORE: An employee turned to Reddit for advice after his manager crossed a major line by contacting his mother during his hospitalisation leave over a so-called “non-obligatory company survey.”

Posting on the r/askSingapore forum on Saturday (Sept 6), he explained that he strictly avoids work matters on his days off, which is why his supervisor—who was formerly a colleague and has recently been promoted—could not reach him while he was on leave.

However, instead of simply respecting his absence, the supervisor allegedly escalated the matter to the manager.

“He complained to my manager, and he couldn’t reach me either, and for an unknown reason, he contacted my mother instead. All that just for a non-obligatory company survey,” the employer said.

“I’m really pissed off. It’s nothing urgent, and I don’t see the need to get my family involved for a voluntary survey. I don’t even know how he got my mother’s contact number.”

He also revealed that the company never sent him the ‘hospitalisation leave hamper’ they had promised.

“I never received any hamper for my hospitalisation leave, as I was told. It’s a good thing they don’t send, though; I don’t want to feel like I owe them something,” he wrote in frustration.

“But you can tell what kind of rubbish management I have. Five resignations in less than a year is another proof of the toxicity at my workplace, specifically my department. That minus a few are still looking for new jobs, including myself.”

Looking for advice, he added, “I’m thinking of reporting to HR, but I’m not sure if they will do anything. So I’m thinking about reporting to MOM. Does anyone know if that will help?”

“Don’t remain quiet because this kind of action needs to be called out.”

The employee’s post quickly drew responses from other users, many of whom agreed that contacting an employee’s family over a non-urgent work matter was completely inappropriate.

“It pisses me off that they think they can just contact your mum! Is this the workplace or primary school?” one commenter said. “Don’t remain quiet because this kind of action needs to be called out, and they need to be held accountable.”

“It’s completely unacceptable for your supervisor to get your mother involved in something like this,” another wrote. “It sounds like a toxic environment, and it’s understandable that you feel the way you do.”

Several others also chimed in to give the employee some advice. One suggested, “You can send an email to HR explaining what had happened, and you may also need to block his and/or the company’s number from your emergency contacts, as this does not warrant an emergency. Make it clear that you will not provide an emergency contact for the company if this is how they handle things.”

Another added, “The employer probably got your parents’ contact details because you listed them under emergency next of kin. But it looks like this isn’t an emergency, and it definitely caused you distress. If HR does nothing, report this to MOM and TAFEP. Get your parents to record the date and time of the call.”

In other news, a woman took to social media to vent about her neighbour, who she says has been burning strong, perfumed incense multiple times a day right outside their HDB flat.

In her post on the r/askSingapore subreddit, she explained that the neighbour had set up an altar just outside the door and would light incense sticks as often as “two to three times daily,” usually during “breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Read more: Resident frustrated as neighbour burns perfumed incense outside HDB flat multiple times a day