Our “Your Stories” series are submissions shared with us via email or in one-on-one interviews, for the purposes of our research and campaigns. All names have been changed (unless the use of real names was explicitly permitted by the author), and we have sought permission to publish from the authors/interviewees themselves. The opinions expressed in these posts do not represent those of AWARE.

J: I had been working at this company for about four years. I became pregnant and I took the full 16 weeks of maternity leave. They paid the maternity benefits and everything was properly executed.

On the day that I went back to work after my maternity leave, my boss told me that they did not have that position for me anymore. My position was being retrenched.

Prior to me going back to work, I had emailed my boss to inform her that I might have to take some time off to look after my child in case my child is not well. I was intending to send my child to infant care, but I was just letting my boss know that if my child needed to stay at home, I would be taking some time off work. I emailed my boss during my maternity leave, but there was no response. It seemed fishy, but I didn’t want to think too much about it. I thought my boss wasn’t responding because she was busy.

When I went back to work, first thing in the morning, my boss called me in to the meeting room. And she told me that they didn’t need my position anymore. They already had prepared the retrenchment letter and the cheque for retrenchment. And that was it.

At that time, I didn’t want to make a big fuss about it. I asked them what the reason was for this, and their reasons were quite standard: The company was not doing well, they didn’t need my position anymore. They were giving me retrenchment benefits which, back then, were in line with MoM law. It was all very well planned. There was nothing I could find fault with. Everything was done according to law, so there was nothing really to dispute. But it happened exactly on the day that I came back to work, and there was no other staff member being retrenched.

A part of me had been kind of expecting it, because of the way the company had treated other staff before that—but it was still a shock to me. I felt discriminated; I felt that it was not fair. I was furious. I told family and close friends about it, and they helped me through that time. They were all very supportive and encouraging, and they told me that I should let them know if I needed any help with anything. Family and friends are always the most important circle around you.

In hindsight, it wasn’t doomsday. After the whole incident, I took a year off to spend time with my daughter. Looking back now, after years have passed, I am probably in a better job and role today then if I had stayed there. But of course at that time it was horrible.

A lot has changed over the last couple of years in Singapore, but I think that a lot of it is just talk, for show. There is not enough support for working mothers in Singapore. And even though everyone is talking about work flexibility for working mothers, sometimes it is just not possible within a company because of the scope of the job. The changes that need to be done take too much effort. It then comes down to the people in the company and their willingness to make the effort to implement these changes. Often it takes too much effort, and they just do not do it.

It’s about how the leaders of the company want to present themselves to employees. It’s about personal ethics and personal leadership choices.

I wanted to share this story because I am sure that I am not the only one who was let go after coming back from maternity leave. Usually when companies want to do these kind of things, they follow the law and do it the “right way”. Ethically and professionally it is not right, but legally it is.

I hope this story brings hope to people who are in this situation, because at the time it happens, you feel horrible and unwanted—but at the end of it, it’s what you make out of the situation. A few years down the line, it might not seem as bad anymore. But it is still something that should not have happened.

If you are facing discrimination at your workplace, you can call AWARE’s Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory (6777 0318, Mon-Fri, 10am – 6pm). An advisor will listen to your experience and suggest some options based on your situation.