There’s a Directory in S’pore That Lists Down People Who’ve Been Retrenched in S’pore

Just because a company let go of you doesn’t mean they don’t care about you, and none proves this more than a new directory which popped up in the middle of this pandemic.

According to TODAY, there is a directory in Singapore which lists down the people who were retrenched in Singapore.

No, not because they want you in the hall of shame, but because they want someone else to pick you up.

Not Sure How It Began

It wasn’t known how the practice started but companies have started putting up lists of employees they had to retrench during this recession.

Some companies include Deliveroo, Klook and even LinkedIn.

In total, there are more than 550 PMETs in Singapore on the lists.

Airbnb has 44 employees named on its directory while Grab has 46 of its former employees in Singapore consent to appear on the list.

Grab said that the directory is part of their “toolkit” to help their former employees get employed again.

Skyscanner is a website which helps customers to find the cheapest airline deals available, and given how global travel is practically dead, you’re probably not surprised that they are letting people go too.

The company spokesperson has something good to add to the situation, saying that employees who are retrenched understand that it’s not because of their performance but the situation as a whole.

Skyscanner’s directory lists their employees down as “some of our amazing and talented team”.

Gojek also set up their own directory and made sure to emphasise that the employees who were let go is an “asset for any company” and “it’s not their fault”.

Community-Based Efforts

It’s not just companies who are putting up lists; there are also two lists (spreadsheets) of retrenched employees which are making their way around the internet too.

One is SEAecosystem.com, a spreadsheet which allows people who have been laid off to put their names to a public list so companies which are hiring might come across them.

So far, the list has more than 1,500 individuals and garnered over 500 job listings.

Another spreadsheet is named the Covid-19 Support: Helping Talents in the Travel Industry which is focused on helping people in the travel industry who were laid off.

It Makes Sense To Be On The List

Some employees have reservations about being named on the directories, which doesn’t make sense to a 32-year-old talent acquisition executive who was laid off.

She said that after she was listed, her Linkedin received more profile views and five people have reached out with opportunities to her.

A 33-year-old employee, Silas Khua, who was recently laid off from Grab, said it makes sense to be part of Grab’s directory.

During this period, it’s better to have more sources put your name out there for potential employers, he pointed out.

FreshlyBaked.io

Okay, so you have many directories out there, most employers wouldn’t be bothered to go through each and every list, right?

Apparently, we aren’t the only ones to do so and a local initiative called FreshlyBaked.io decided to collate all of these lists down into one directory, including the ones that are community-led.

The current job market is extremely tight now with thousands of applicants applying for a single position.

MOM recently revealed the number of retrenchments and job losses in Singapore from the April to June 2020 period and it’s even worse than SARS back in 2003.

So if you’re recently retrenched, you might want to check out Freshlybaked.io and see if your name can be added to the list.

That or see if your company has one for you to be listed on.