Public humiliation, pressure to resign: Threads user alleges toxic workplace bullying at Singapore MNC

SINGAPORE: A Threads user has alleged that her husband experienced workplace mistreatment and bullying at a Singapore-based multinational corporation, claiming he was publicly humiliated, verbally abused and pressured to resign while still learning his role during his probation period.

The user, who goes by the username aaainn.z, said the alleged incidents involved harsh remarks, intimidation and comments that she considered harassment.

She claimed the matter has since been reported to the authorities after her husband resigned from the company.

The company involved was not identified by the user.

Initial post raises concerns over treatment of new employees

The issue was first raised by aaainn.z on 19 June, when she posted questions on Threads about how employees should respond when they make mistakes while adapting to a new workplace.

She asked about situations where employees who had joined a company for about a month were still learning processes but were publicly humiliated after making mistakes.

The user questioned what steps new employees could take to protect themselves while continuing to learn and adjust to workplace expectations.

At the time, she also sought advice from lawyers regarding workplace mistreatment and bullying in Singapore.

Allegations of verbal abuse and intimidation

In an update posted on 21 June, aaainn.z shared details of her husband’s alleged experience, saying she decided to raise the matter after hearing accounts of what she described as a toxic department environment.

“After listening to my husband's stories about how toxic the department is, I felt like reporting everything that has happened,” she wrote.

She alleged that most incidents involved verbal exchanges, including harsh remarks, intimidation and behaviour she described as harassment.

According to her account, her husband was called “stubborn” and remained silent about the treatment.

She further claimed that there was a comment telling him they would “kill him” if the department’s performance dropped.

The user did not identify the person who allegedly made the remark or provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the comment.

Employee allegedly pressured to resign during probation

In later posts, aaainn.z claimed her husband had been repeatedly pressured to resign despite making clear that he did not wish to leave the company.

She questioned how the company could determine that his performance was poor when he had only worked there for six weeks of a three-month probation period.

“Probation is meant to provide new employees with time to learn, adapt, and improve,” she said.

According to her account, her husband had remained committed to his work, attended work consistently, arrived on time and made efforts to understand his responsibilities.

She alleged that instead of receiving guidance, support or an opportunity to improve, he was repeatedly asked to resign.

She described the situation as an unfair employment practice and said the family was seeking a fair investigation and appropriate action regarding what she considered a wrongful dismissal process.

Complaint reportedly followed up by TAFEP

On 23 June, aaainn.z said the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) had followed up on the alleged harassment and bullying case involving her husband.

She said her husband had only been with the company for about one month when the alleged incidents occurred.

The user also said she had worked in multinational corporations and corporate environments for many years and had never experienced similar treatment in her own workplaces.

“When I heard what my husband has been experiencing, I couldn't help but feel worried and upset as his wife,” she wrote.

The Online Citizen had written to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and TAFEP to ask whether they had received such a case involving a MNC, whether they had handled complaints involving pressure to resign, public humiliation or alleged bullying, and what circumstances could lead to intervention.

Employee seeking evidence and new employment

Following responses from members of the public, aaainn.z said her husband was collecting evidence of the alleged mistreatment and preparing to report the matter to relevant authorities.

She also said he was searching for a new job.

Some commenters advised the alleged victim to keep records of workplace interactions and gather evidence. Others suggested seeking assistance from a union if the company was unionised.

In response to questions about whether the matter had been raised internally, aaainn.z said her husband had reported his concerns to human resources but felt the issues were not effectively addressed.

She said the first few weeks at the company had been smooth during orientation, but “things took a turn recently”.

According to her account, her husband was still on probation and had shown improvement before being informed of his last working day.

User calls for fair treatment of employees

Aaainn.z said she did not want to publicly name or target any individual or company, but hoped the matter would prevent similar situations from happening to other employees.

She stressed that employees, whether new hires or experienced workers, should not face harassment or threats at work.

“No employee, new or experienced staff should face harassment or threats at work, including threats of violence tied to performance,” she said.

Although her husband was no longer employed by the company, she said she hoped the case would encourage fair and responsible employment practices.

She added that employees, particularly those still undergoing probation, should be treated with dignity and given a genuine opportunity to learn, improve and be assessed through a fair and transparent process rather than being pressured to resign over alleged poor performance.