Employee unnerved after manager tries to borrow money again after lending him S$1,000 previously
A Singaporean employee has expressed discomfort after their manager repeatedly asked to borrow money, raising concerns over the professional boundaries being crossed.
This incident has sparked a wider discussion online, with many netizens advising the employee to report the situation to Human Resources (HR).
Manager asks to borrow money from employee
The issue was raised in a r/askSingapore post on 5 Jan, with the employee recounting their discomfort when their manager, who had been generally supportive, began requesting loans.
“We were quite shocked,” the original poster (OP) said.
Manager requesting to borrow money from my colleague and I
byu/thehydroash inaskSingapore
According to the post, the manager texted the OP and their colleague late at night on 23 Dec 2025, asking to borrow S$1,000 for a “friend”.
This was the first time the manager had made such a request in the year they had been working together.
After discussing it with their colleague, the OP decided to lend the manager the money, reasoning that they didn’t urgently need it and hoping it would be a one-off.
Their colleague, in contrast, didn’t reply to their manager at all.
As promised, the manager repaid the sum at the end of the month.
Manager pesters colleague for loan
The situation escalated on 4 Jan when the manager reportedly started “spam calling and texting” the OP’s colleague.
He allegedly asked to borrow another S$1,000 for a supposed friend’s surgery.
When she declined, he reduced the amount to S$500, saying it was “critical”. However, she still refused.
Source: wutzkoh on Canva, for illustration purposes only
The manager then allegedly contacted the OP, once again asking to borrow S$1,000. This time, he claimed that it was for his friend’s mother’s surgery.
The OP said no, explaining that they were saving money for the year ahead.
After both employees declined, the manager did not reply to either of them.
Employee raises concern over workplace boundaries
The OP shared that they now feel “really uncomfortable” as their manager was responsible for appraising their performance and assigning tasks.
They questioned whether the manager might start treating them differently and if such behaviour was allowed in the workplace.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that the OP and their colleague were unable to leave the company this year, making the tension even more stressful.
Netizens urge OP to report matter to HR
Many Redditors weighed in, with most advising the OP to escalate the matter to HR.
Source: Reddit
Another commenter echoed the advice, calling the manager’s actions as a “misconduct and conflict of interest”.
Source: Reddit
One Redditor shared a similar experience, mentioning that they had reported a similar situation to HR, resulting in the termination of the offending manager.
Source: Reddit
MS News has reached out to the OP for more information.
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Featured image adapted from kittiimages on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
