Some of us are lucky. We have encouraging bosses who take the time to mentor us and ensure that we’re on the right track when assigned new tasks. But not everyone’s this lucky as some employers out there pretend to care for you but in reality, they just make full use of you before chucking you aside. That shouldn’t be the case. Here are 8 common things your boss shouldn’t be doing to you.

Not getting paid for doing OT

It is illegal for employers to make you work OT for free if your monthly salary is less than $2500. Your hard work should be properly appreciated and compensated fairly. If you find yourself not getting paid for working OT, you’re being cheated. There is no reason for companies to make you slave away for zero benefits.

If you’re working more than 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week and earning less than $2,500 per month, you’re entitled to 1.5 times the hourly basic pay for every hour of OT you do. On top of that, you should not work for more than 12 hours a day, or have more than 72 hours of overtime in a month.

Paying your salary late

There’s only one thing worse than not paying someone for working OT, and that’s not paying them at all. It’s irresponsible for employers to drag the payment of salaries. When you sign a contract with a company, you are exchanging your skills and time for a salary. You have every right to expect to have your salary paid on time.

Being made to do menial tasks all the time

Everybody likes to be given meaningful work. Being asked to run to Starbucks to fetch your boss a coffee doesn’t count as meaningful work. Being constantly given menial tasks might not feel like a legit reason to feel aggrieved, but it is. These tasks take time away from your primary responsibilities and could cause a drop in your performance level.

Make sure the tasks you do at work are covered within the job scope as stated in your contract. If it’s not, and it’s taking a substantial amount of attention from your actual work, initiate a discussion with your superior to redefine your area of work.

Discriminating based on race/age/sex/nationality

It’s unethical and illegal to make decisions regarding hiring or promotions based on race, gender, or age. You didn’t work so hard to be shoved aside by employers who don’t recognize your worth because of your age, gender or race. If you or your colleagues are getting unfair treatment because of something you can’t change, then someone has to have a talk with your boss.

Having unsafe workplaces

Employers have to ensure that their employees are provided conducive and safe workplaces. Safety and wellness are two simple things which should be at the top of any employer’s list of things to do.

Unfair dismissals

Most people assume that just because you’re terminated, you don’t get any say in the matter. However, if you’re unfairly terminated, you can do so much more than just keep quiet. There are unions which look out for unfair treatment of employees, depending on your industry. Drop them an email and they’ll look into your case and seek compensation for you.

Make sure your employer is paying the necessary CPF contributions into your account

Just to be safe, every local employee should gain access to their CPF account details and check that his employer is paying the right amount of CPF money from day one. Your CPF funds should be credited together with each payment of salary, even for a pro-rated first month at work.

Make sure your boss keeps his promises

The working world can be quite cut-throat in Singapore, and when bosses are desperate to hire someone cheap they’ll often promise the sky, only to later conveniently forget their sweet words.

Your boss may have promised you a bonus of a certain amount. He may have said he would raise your salary after a certain amount of time, or for those on probation or internships, convert you to a permanent employee. It’s up to you to make sure the company makes good on their promises in a timely fashion. If they aren’t doing so, chase them. And if they still refuse to fulfil their promises and have no good excuse, then the decision to leave for a more ethical employer is yours to make.