Leaving at 6pm, ah? Half day today?” This was a common refrain at one of my previous jobs. At my first proper job as a writer, my boss once told me ominously: “I know what time you leave…” What she meant was, she knew that I left work at 7pm on the dot (our work hours were from 11am to 7pm), while my colleagues would stay till 2 or 3am.
Looking back, I realise now that leaving on time meant that I was meeting my deadlines adequately and managing my time effectively – but back then, the implication was that my good performance counted for naught because I didn’t do OT (or over time, for those of you lucky enough not to know this term).
I ended up internalising these seemingly innocuous jabs, and they led me to believe that being constantly active and working till 11pm every night meant that I was being productive, efficient, and worthy of climbing the career ladder.
And I know I am not alone. In Singapore, the typical response to “How are you?” is “Busy”, and we wear that busyness like a badge of honour. “[We say busy] almost as
