New hire says his manager shuts him down instead of helping, tells him to ‘figure things out’ alone
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SINGAPORE: A newly hired worker shared online that his first few months on the job have been miserable, largely because his manager refuses to give him even basic guidance.
Writing on the r/askSingapore forum, he said that whenever he tries to clarify where to get data, who to approach, or even understand how certain work was done before, his manager brushes him off. Instead of pointing him in the right direction, the manager simply tells him to “figure it out” on his own.
He added that it’s obvious his manager ‘doesn’t like to communicate at all.’ “I get shut down pretty often, citing I should have been able to figure it out myself independently,” he wrote.
“I don’t expect to be told the answers to reach the end product, just maybe what the tools or sources of information are, where I can seek help, or some clarification?”
Still early in his career, he asked if this kind of hands-off treatment is normal in the working world or if he’s just being overly dependent.
“Am I asking too much, or not getting enough support? ” he asked. “I’m at a junior stage of my career, so I want to know, is this the norm in the professional world, or how could I have done better? How do I tell if I’m being too dependent or just lacking guidance?”
“Gain a year or two of experience and leave for a bigger company.”
In the comments, several Singaporean Reddit users said this kind of situation is unfortunately common in SMEs.
They explained that many of these companies also lack formal processes, such as standard operating procedures, clear workflows, or comprehensive onboarding programs. As a result, new hires are frequently left to navigate their roles on their own, learning through trial and error rather than through structured support.
Some also pointed out that managers in such companies often bring in new staff not to mentor or develop them, but simply to offload tasks they either don’t have time for or don’t want to handle themselves. So instead of being guided, the new hire ends up figuring out processes, solving problems, and sometimes even setting up systems from scratch.
While this might sound like good exposure, many noted that the skills gained in this way “don’t always align with industry standards” and can leave employees feeling stuck.
Still, there were a few users who said it’s not always about neglect. Sometimes, they wrote, managers themselves are inexperienced or overwhelmed.
“Never expect your manager to know everything…he may be struggling also. [It’s either] he knows but dun tell you, or he also dunno. That’s why he hired you to help find solutions,” one remarked.
“My suggestion is to gain a year or two of experience and leave for a bigger company,” another user advised.
“This happens everywhere, unfortunately. I think you can try asking fewer questions and winging it instead of being scolded all the time. Also start applying,” a third added.
In other news, a local man took to social media to question whether young couples here are truly marrying for love or simply bending their lives to fit the rigid Build-To-Order (BTO) timeline.
In a post on the r/sgdatingscene subreddit on Thursday (Aug 28), the man said the HDB BTO process has become such a central part of a young couple’s journey that it now dictates how relationships progress.
Read more: Man asks, ‘Are we getting married for love or for our BTO queue number?’