Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
An anonymous employee at a local SME shares how a bad-tempered boss eventually caused 9 staff to quit over Hari Raya.
I was employed in an advertising agency in KL, a small place with about 15 staff. We did the usual things: digital adverts, filmed commercials, and content creation for different social media platforms.
The boss brought in too much work which overwhelmed the staff
It was common practice for the boss to bring in business, brag about it, and then reveal how he had way over-promised the clients.
Of course, we’d fail to deliver. We could never meet a single deadline due to the overpromising. When we tried to explain how we were given too little time to complete our tasks, he refused to listen to us.
In his view, everything that went wrong was our fault. If things weren’t done according to the clients’ schedule, he would issue threats of demotion and other forms of harassment, at all hours, day and night. At some point, we had stopped telling him when we couldn’t meet the deadlines, because it was like talking to an angry brick wall.
Being six months pregnant, I’d made the decision to leave and kept my head down to minimize whatever scrutiny I could come under. I tendered my resignation, and my last day was just before Hari Raya.
A few days after I gave my notice, the entire agency imploded.
Three employees resigned at the same time
It started when three employees tendered their resignation at the same time, prompting an explosive temper tantrum after the boss received the news.
Since they were also clearing their ‘balik kampung’ leave balances, they were effectively gone two weeks before Raya, leaving the company short of 3 people in terms of manpower.
He got so angry about this state of affairs that he called a Company Town Hall Meeting that day. Then, he proceeded to rant at everyone about ungrateful employees, and about how those leaving had no respect for him or their coworkers.
His ranting included claims that he had “taken them under his wing” and trained (micromanaged) them to be productive, hardworking and efficient.
He was also angry that he would now be wasting time posting on job boards – which was HR’s job – along with a lot of ranting and cursing directed at the departing employees.
He said that his kindness was at an end and there would be no bonus again – not that a bonus at Year-end, Chinese New Year, or Hari Raya had ever been given. His lou sang came out of a box from Jaya One.
To no one’s surprise but his own, all the insults, abuse, gaslighting, and guilt-tripping didn’t go down well with the team.
More people resigned after Hari Raya
6 more people resigned after Hari Raya: Two graphic designers, a video editor, a cameraman, a sound designer, and a scripter/storyboard artist.
The company headcount went from 20 to 11 in about a month. With almost half its staff lost, the agency will not be able to meet its deadlines. The angry clients will be calling any day now.
This prompted yet another Company Town Hall Meeting where new heights of toxicity were reached.
In the meeting, the Boss demanded overtime for everyone to pick up the slack due to the “ungrateful” people who left. UNPAID overtime. Also, plenty more verbal abuse was thrown around. Guess how many people were planning to leave now?
Hope came from the chaos: whispers filtered through the rank and file that the original departing trio were opening their own agency. They were offering similar terms and WFH with twice a week meetings in person.
People quit bad company culture, not just for higher salary
This wasn’t quiet quitting; this wasn’t rage quit. This was just bad company culture coming to a head. A bad boss breeds a toxic work environment, which is the number one reason people will quit.
Many employees are sick and tired of being undervalued and unappreciated. They no longer want to work for tyrant bosses and inhumane working conditions, for meager pay that has no opportunity for growth or career advancement.
The younger generation will not sacrifice themselves in body or mind for work and a career. They now value respect, autonomy, and growth prospects as much, if not more, than a paycheck.
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Read also: How Hiding the Signs of Burnout Led to Mass Staff Resignations
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