‘Is quiet firing becoming common?’: S’pore employee says restructuring is pushing staff to quit, netizens say it’s common

Employee asks if ‘quiet firing’ is becoming a thing in Singapore workplaces

A Singapore-based employee has sparked discussion online after asking whether “quiet firing” — where workers are indirectly pushed to resign — is becoming more common locally.

In a post on r/askSingapore on 13 April, the Original Poster (OP) described ongoing changes at their company following a restructuring exercise that began in late 2024.

Roles reshuffled as headcount frozen

According to the OP, several employees have left the organisation since the restructuring.

However, instead of hiring replacements, the company has reportedly frozen headcount, leaving remaining employees to take on redistributed responsibilities.

Employees are said to be frequently reassigned to new roles, with job scopes changing as departments are reshuffled or merged.

‘Unspoken expectation’ to accept new roles or leave

While no formal layoffs have taken place, the OP described what they felt was an “unspoken expectation” for employees to adapt.

This meant that employees must either accept the new roles and changes or eventually leave if dissatisfied.

“The environment seems to push people out over time,” the OP wrote, adding that they were unsure if this reflected a broader workplace trend in Singapore.

“Is this something that’s becoming common in Singapore now?” they asked, hoping to hear from others, especially Human Resources (HR) professionals.

Netizens say practice is not uncommon

The post drew responses from other Redditors, many of whom said such practices are not uncommon.

Some attributed it to companies seeking to cut costs or maintain growth without conducting formal layoffs.

One commenter also suggested that stricter return-to-office requirements could be another form of “quiet firing”.

Another Redditor also cited offshoring and restructuring as contributing factors for the shift in HR policy.

A netizen highlighted that this practice is “becoming more common globally”, with companies avoiding formal layoffs but reducing headcount indirectly.

Also read: Opinion: ‘Quiet Quitting’ Isn’t Possible In S’pore Where Hustle Culture Is Normalised

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Featured image adapted from RyanKing999 on Canva, for illustration purposes only.