SINGAPORE: A man’s life took an unexpected turn after his company informed him, seemingly out of the blue, that he was “effectively redundant due to company restructuring.”
On Wednesday (Mar 31), he shared his experience on an online forum, revealing that the firm, where he had been employed for a year, had paid out his notice period in full, along with an additional two weeks’ redundancy pay.
“Like all of a sudden, I just lost the purpose in life,” he said. “I do not know what to do, like I want to marry my girlfriend and give her a good life, [but] now without job security, I feel damn useless.”
He went on to share that when he woke up one morning after losing his job, he was overwhelmed by “negative” and even “extreme thoughts,” although he added that he is slowly working through them.
Despite the shock, he said he is trying to remain practical. He has emergency savings that could cover about six months of living expenses but stressed that he does not want to remain unemployed for long.
“I touched up my CV and LinkedIn to start applying for jobs, and so far I’ve applied for 60+ jobs. I hope I’m able to secure something soon while I wait to hear back about interviews. I really don’t want to feel useless, and I’m hoping I can land a good job as soon as possible.”
“Every closed door can be an opportunity.”
In the comments section, several users offered encouragement and practical advice to help him cope during this period.
One commenter reminded him that his emergency savings were meant for situations like this and urged him to stay focused on taking action rather than worrying too much about outcomes.
“Mentally, it will be tough—try to keep moving so that your focus is on the action and less so on the outcome… this will help to keep your sanity,” they said.
Another pointed out that while losing a job can be difficult to process, it can also open up new opportunities depending on how one chooses to respond.
“Every closed door can be an opportunity. It depends on how you decide to react. If you give up, things will definitely go downhill, but if you open your mind, especially to new things, you might get to a point you’ve never reached before,” they wrote.
A third advised him to prioritise his mental health by staying active through activities such as “walking or jogging,” while also keeping in touch with his network and reaching out for potential job referrals.
Others suggested taking on gig work in the meantime. One said, “Do GrabFood even if you have your emergency funds. It gives you a sense of purpose while you look for a job. The exercise is also good for both physical and mental health. I was in your shoes in September last year, and I want you to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Keep applying, and I wish you all the best!”
In other news, a Singaporean mum shared on Reddit that she felt stunned and overwhelmed after her mother-in-law interfered with how she disciplines her child.
In a post on the r/asksg subreddit on Monday (Mar 30), the woman said she and her mother-in-law had argued a few weeks ago because her mother-in-law disagreed with her approach of “shouting” or lightly “tapping her son’s hand” when he misbehaved.
Read more: Woman claims mother-in-law used S$10k debt to dictate how she disciplines her son
This article (‘Company paid off my notice and made me redundant overnight’: Man says he’s applied to 60+ jobs already) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.
