'I resigned because I knew I deserved better'

"People don't quit a job or company", as the saying goes; "they quit a boss". I can relate to that.

I worked at my previous company for several years, but when the pandemic hit, I resigned because I felt that my boss, Angela*, didn't care about us enough to let us work from home.

In fact, despite the fact that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) instructed everyone to work from home where possible, Angela continued to go to the office and expected the rest of us to do the same.

If you didn't go in to work, you were labelled a non-team player, and would be called out for it during weekly conferences with the big boss.

That's what did it for me. It's not that I minded going to the office, but there was the issue of violating the government mandate.

Plus, I didn't want to risk exposing myself to the virus every time I travelled to and from work. As someone who lives with vulnerable family members, I had to be extra careful not to bring the virus home.

The anxiety kept me awake at night and I began to question if I wanted to work for such a boss and, by extension, such a company.

Sick of being treated unfairly, I started looking for a new job. Our border restrictions meant that employers had a limited pool of talent to hire from, which translated to less competition for me. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

A few months later, a role in an MNC popped up as a skills match on my LinkedIn feed. I applied immediately.

During my interview, the bosses made a great impression on me, so when they offered me the job, with a higher salary and more benefits, I said yes.

I have no regrets about leaving my old job. I may be a small fish in a big pond right now, but I'm confident about my long-term prospects. I'm also grateful that I'm allowed to work from home.

When I submitted my resignation to Angela, she offered to match the salary and benefits of my new job, but I wasn't interested. I'd made my decision, and there was no looking back.

*Names have been changed.

This article was first published in Her World Online.