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SINGAPORE: A newly hired Singaporean at an SME took to Reddit to vent about his \u201cderanged boss,\u201d who apparently gets offended whenever he asks for guidance on big, complicated projects he has little experience with.<\/span><\/p>\n Posting on the r\/askSingapore forum on Wednesday (Dec 17), he explained that when he was handed these projects, his boss told him to \u201cfigure things out on his own,\u201d while also saying it was fine to ask questions if he wasn\u2019t sure about something.<\/span><\/p>\n But when he did try to ask for clarification, the responses were reportedly harsh and dismissive. He said his boss would make comments like, \u201cYou think?\u201d, \u201cDid you think of the question before you asked me?\u201d, and \u201cExecutive still needs to ask this kind of question?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added that he was accused of not \u201cusing his brain\u201d and was told, \u201cI pay you a premium to hire you, and you ask me this type of question?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When mistakes eventually happened, the blame reportedly shifted to him. His boss allegedly said, \u201cWhy never ask me questions? You\u2019re new, so you need to ask me more questions,\u201d and added, \u201cBack in the army, I was an officer, and you know what a CSM is. Don\u2019t think like a CSM. Think like an officer. Etc.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back at his previous job, he said the difference was huge. \u201cI came from a large organisation, and there are a lot of walkthroughs and senior project leads to show me the ropes before I am given my own projects to manage,\u201d he wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n Unsure whether this experience was simply part and parcel of working in an SME, he turned to the online community for perspective. \u201cIs this normal in SMEs? Or is he just a deranged boss? Do I need to just suck it up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In the discussion thread, many commenters noted that while bosses like this are relatively common in SMEs, such behaviour is neither normal nor acceptable. They highlighted that taking offence at simple questions or giving contradictory instructions reflects poor management practices.<\/span><\/p>\n Several also advised the employee to prioritise his own well-being and carefully consider whether remaining in such an environment was in his best interest.<\/span><\/p>\n One user commented, \u201cA good boss sets you up for success, not failure. Get out ASAP, my friend, before you get saddled with some major failure that impacts your ability to get hired elsewhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Another said, \u201cDeranged for sure. Moving forward, ask all the questions in the form of Teams or email so that you have a black-and-white record of all the times he questioned you for not asking. CC everyone in the department. Malicious compliance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A third advised, \u201cPlease run if you can. But if you can\u2019t, make sure you document everything\u2014projects and tasks you have been asked to work on, your progress to date, your requests to other team members, questions you asked your boss, responses you\u2019ve received, and the dates and approximate times when that occurred. You may need to use that in case your supervisor accuses you of not doing your job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In other news, a Singaporean woman has sparked an online discussion about emotional availability and long-term compatibility after sharing her doubts about whether her relationship with a 33-year-old man with a \u201cdismissive-avoidant attachment style\u201d can truly last.<\/span><\/p>\n In a post shared on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, the 29-year-old said she has always considered herself emotionally secure and initially believed her boyfriend\u2019s avoidant tendencies were manageable.<\/span><\/p>\n Read more: <\/span>\u2018I feel like a spare tire\u2019: Woman questions future with 33 yo BF who has dismissive-avoidant attachment style<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cPlease run if you can.\u201d<\/h2>\n