‘Won’t look bad on your records’: Singapore worker claims company disguised his redundancy as a resignation

A Singaporean worker claimed that his company falsely terminated his employment but requested him to present a resignation letter instead, allegedly promising that doing so would not negatively impact his records. In a post on the r/singaporejobs forum on November 11, the individual recounted being verbally dismissed by his employer without any explanation for the decision.

On Monday, the worker was informed that he was let go, and the following Friday was his final day. No performance improvement plan (PIP) or termination letter was provided, and he was simply informed that his employment had ended. The company also instructed the worker to utilize his accumulated leave, which amounted to approximately one month of unused off-in-lieu days and annual leave, instead of serving his notice period.

The worker was told to clear his leave, rather than granting him the notice period, in order to avoid paying him during that time. Seeking advice on how to explain his departure to potential employers, he asked whether this would be considered a redundancy, as he could not substantiate the reason for his resignation other than stating that he was fired.

Another employee was replaced with a similar position once he left. Several Reddit users, including an HR professional, commented on the situation, noting that while a company can terminate an employee with notice without providing a reason, the act of being asked to submit a resignation letter constitutes a dismissal under MOM's guidelines.

The HR professional advised the worker not to label the situation as a redundancy unless it is documented on paper, and suggested filing a wrongful dismissal claim with TADM if the last day of employment was within one month.