In many workplaces today, there is a growing silence among those in leadership positions — a silence not born out of ignorance, but out of choice. A choice to protect personal interests, job titles, and salaries, while the workers under their supervision are left to suffer in silence. These are workplaces where middle managers and supervisors have become voiceless, hiding behind the excuse that they are merely following instructions from above.
But leadership was never meant to be about protecting a position. Leadership is about responsibility. It is about standing up when things go wrong, not standing aside and watching.
Modern-Day Exploitation of the Voiceless Worker
Across sectors like hospitality, cleaning, and other unskilled jobs, workers are being subjected to extreme workloads. Teams are downsized, yet the tasks remain the same. One person is now expected to perform the job of two or even four people. Workers are forced to run from one department to another within large premises, without support, without rest, and often, without even being allowed to voice their exhaustion.
This exploitation targets the most vulnerable — migrant workers on work permits, young employees unaware of their rights, and others in precarious positions. They fear losing their jobs or their residence rights if they speak out. And so, they stay silent, even as their health deteriorates.
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Collapse Does Not Start When a Worker Falls
Collapse Does Not Start When a Worker Falls
When a worker slumps to the ground, it becomes a visible emergency. The sirens, the ambulance, the headlines. But what about the invisible collapse that happens every day?
There are many who have already collapsed inside. They are walking with bodies burdened by pain, stress, and exhaustion. Their minds have slumped. Their spirits have slumped. But they continue to move because they have no choice. They are waiting for the day their bodies will slump too.
The truth is, collapse does not begin when someone hits the ground. It begins long before — in the moments of ignored complaints, in overloaded schedules, and in silent meetings where management chooses to look the other way.
The Silent Managers: Protecting Positions Over People
One of the most heartbreaking realities is that many managers are fully aware of this exploitation. They witness workers breaking down, yet they hide behind the excuse of following instructions from above. They fear challenging higher management because they want to protect their position, salary, benefits, pride, uniform, arrogance, self-interest, and authority.
In doing so, they become part of the very system that is crushing the people they are supposed to lead. Their silence becomes their complicity.
Leadership is not about sitting in a position of power while watching people suffer. It is not about using “we are just following orders” as a shield. True leadership is about amplifying the voices of the voiceless and taking a stand, even when it is uncomfortable.
Migrant Workers and Young Employees: The Perfect Targets
Among the most exploited are workers on work permits. They are trapped in a system that uses their vulnerable status against them. Employers know that these workers need to keep their jobs to maintain their right to stay in the country. This fear is exploited to overload them with tasks and silence their voices. Some managers use these vulnerable workers to please their superiors, seeking personal benefits by crushing those beneath them.
Teenagers and young workers are also given tasks far beyond their capacity. They are told to “learn by doing” while being physically and mentally drained. Many are unaware that their rights are being violated because no one has ever told them. Even those who know their rights often stay silent for fear of losing their jobs and becoming homeless or more vulnerable.
However, a few still refuse to be silenced. They face the hard road, refusing to be corrupted or to participate in this modern exploitation, even if it costs them.
Complicity Through Silence
It is easy for middle managers to blame the system and claim powerlessness. But every time a manager sees a worker being overworked and chooses silence, they become an extension of the exploitation. Silence is not neutrality. It is complicity.
Choosing not to speak up to safeguard one’s position is choosing to watch others suffer. Every collapse, every health breakdown, is not just a result of top-level decisions but also the silence of those who had the chance to raise their voice and did not.
A Call to Ethical Leadership
The time for silent leadership is over. If you are in a position of authority, no matter how small, you are responsible for what happens under your watch. You can either be a leader who hides behind instructions or one who protects the dignity and welfare of those you lead. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse, especially on issues that are publicly discussed and actively campaigned against by the government.
Leadership is not about a title. It is about humanity.
The exploitation of vulnerable workers, especially those on work permits and in unskilled jobs, is not just a workplace issue. It is a human rights issue. Until more people in leadership positions choose to use their voices, the cycle of suffering will continue.
When the next worker collapses, when the next life is in danger, we should all ask ourselves—did I do everything I could to stop this? There are many already collapsing inside, every single day, just waiting to physically collapse.
Final Thought
Speaking up comes with risks. But staying silent comes with a far greater cost.
The true test of leadership is not how well you protect your position, but how well you protect the people who depend on you. Humanity must come first in all that we do. It should not take a tragedy for us to realise how our actions — or inactions — have contributed to the suffering of others.
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