“Office tales 0001 from Oscl”

In Malaysia, we all know bosses who love to talk. But my boss? He wasn’t just a talker—he was a brainwashing expert. Every time he heard something bad about the economy, he would tell us as if it was the end of the world. At first, I believed him. I thought I had to stay in the job no matter how unhappy I was. But one day, I decided I’d had enough.

The WhatsApp Economist

My boss had one habit: sending WhatsApp messages every time he read bad news.
“Another company tutup kedai!”
“Economy teruk, things will get worse!”
Whenever he heard someone say the economy was bad, he’d tell us immediately. It didn’t matter if it was true or not—he just wanted us to feel scared.

Trump’s Victory and More Doom

When Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency, my boss acted like it was the end of the world for Malaysia. “You see? Trump menang! Our country’s economy will get worse now,” he declared, as if he had inside information on global economics. He made it sound like Trump’s victory directly meant we’d all be jobless by the next day. Malaysians were still lining up for nasi lemak and teh tarik, but in my boss’ world, it was all over. Every new piece of political news became another reason for him to remind us to “stay put” because “things will only get worse.”

I used to check his messages and feel worried. But after a while, I realized something: he wasn’t helping us. He just wanted us to think we were lucky to have him.

Grateful or Stuck?

One day, he said, “You all should bersyukur. Look outside—so many people don’t have jobs.”
At first, I thought, “Ya, he’s right. I should be grateful.” But then I wondered—why does he keep repeating this? It felt like he was trying to scare us into staying, not trying to motivate us.

I started to see through his tricks. Gratitude is important, but not when someone uses it to control you.

What about you? Have you ever had a boss like this? Or worse, do you still have one now? If yes, I have only one question: Do you want it? Leave your comments below—I promise I won’t send you WhatsApp messages about the economy! 😄