PETALING JAYA: “You can help lah.”
It’s a familiar line in many workplaces, often heard when festive holidays near, year-end leave piles up, or overtime slots go unfilled.
More often than not, it lands on the same group – single employees.
The assumption is simple – they are more “available”. And they have to step in for married employees who “need” to go on holidays.
For engineer Poon Chee Wai, that idea misses the reality.
“Being single doesn’t mean you don’t have a life.
“You don’t have to be married to have responsibilities or commitments,” he said.
“People choose to stay single for many reasons; some are caring for parents or siblings, or even stepping in for relatives’ children.”
Logistics supervisor Ruhaida Azman said the expectation can be especially high during festive periods.
“People say single employees can ‘cover’ during public holidays and festive leave, but they don’t see what we sacrifice.”
Ruhaida cares for her elderly parents on her own.
“After work, even when I’m exhausted, I still have to look after them. Do people think we don’t get tired?”
Even among employers, such arrangements are often seen as routine rather than problematic.
Key accounts manager Saleem SB said he encountered such practices earlier in his career and still sees them today.
“It seems like a normal arrangement, especially when senior staff want to prioritise family time during festive seasons.
“In my line of work, tasks can sometimes wait. But in other industries, someone else has to step in to fill the gap,” he said.
“It also didn’t occur to me that this could be discrimination, as staff usually don’t complain because they understand, especially when our staff are mainly made up of a single race.”
However, he acknowledged that a fairer approach may be needed.
“I think we should take turns when it comes to festive leave.”
Physician Dr Lee, a former unit head at a public hospital, said he ensured on-call duties during festive periods were shared equally.
“Everyone has family and commitments; fairness means not assigning work based on marital status,” he said.
