I have been working as an administrative executive at a mid sized trading firm for about two years now. Usually, weekends are strictly reserved for rest and personal time. But three months ago, my boss called me into his office with a serious look on his face.
He told me that our team had secured a massive regional contract and needed someone reliable to handle weekend documentation and client coordination. He promised me that all legitimate work expenses incurred during these extra shifts would be fully reimbursed. Trusting his word, I agreed to give up my weekends.
For the next twelve weeks, my Saturdays and Sundays vanished completely. I spent hours commuting across the island to various client sites and warehouses to collect urgent paperwork. Because public transport options were limited on weekends for those industrial areas, I had to rely on private hire transport to make sure documents arrived on time.
I kept every single receipt neatly organized in a folder, just like company policy required. By the end of the third month, the project was successfully delivered, and the client officially signed off. I submitted my transportation expense claim amounting to S$800, feeling relieved that the hustle was finally over.
A week later, I received an email notification that my claim status had been updated. When I opened the portal, my heart sank. The entire S$800 claim was stamped rejected.
Confused, I immediately walked over to my boss office to ask what went wrong. He leaned back in his chair and told me very casually that weekend transport was considered a personal choice since I could have planned my travel better during off peak hours. I stood there in complete shock, realizing he had zero intention of honoring his original promise.
Now I am stuck wondering whether I should escalate this matter to upper management and risk my entire career here, or just swallow the loss and quit quietly
Would you stay in a job after finding out you were being treated like this?
