AIA Malaysia (Insurance) Reviews

need to control your stress because of the workload

The company tends to micromanage its employees, closely overseeing and controlling their tasks and activities.

Work life balance, work load, politics

Focus on recruitment to go long way

No work life balance, especially during month end

Toxic work culture, older employeers useless yet unfireable

Long working hours, often weekends have to work

Workload too heavy No time for learning/training Month end closing too long

It currently has a hybrid setup but it can soon be 100% onsite

This review serves as a warning to anyone keen on joining the Digital team in AIA SG due to the very toxic leadership attributed to the HOD SYS. It has been a few years since I left the org but seeing that nothing has changed, this review would still be highly relevant. The HOD is someone you would deem as a plain horrible human being – someone you would stay clear of in any capacity and yet have the laughable audacity to self-label as a ‘leader’. I will explain: 1) FAVOURITISM – HOD practices this to the T. If you hang around the HOD long enough, if you say YES often enough to the ridiculous suggestions and ill-informed and uneducated decisions, if you transform yourself into a favourite pet (which there are numerous), you will be rewarded, you will get your contracts extended. Do the opposite and you will never get anything approved and the HOD will go the distance to make sure it is so. The level of pettiness with the HOD is so high it makes you wonder how a person can operate like this and yet not get called out – one of the failings of the company and HR to protect its own employees. 2) EVERYONE’S WRONG EXCEPT ME – HOD doesn’t entertain any input which is different/ more sensible. Repeated attempts on driving your own opinions will be put down and get you into the blacklist book. The only way is the HOD’s way and you are just setting yourself for career suicide as your life will be made miserable if you don’t fall in-line. On the other hand, if you sucker up, be a Yes-man 24/7, be a soulless slave to the HOD, you will be promised good things, you will be favoured. 3) COWARDNESS – HOD doesn’t have the courage or knowledge to tell you off in your face or confront you directly, again reinforcing the fact that there is nothing substantial behind the title. Instead, the HOD will harbour bad feelings and use it against you eventually. Really pathetic for someone who touts being a people leader and having all the qualities of being one when there is none to speak of. A real hypocrite and coward. 4) UNQUALIFIED TO LEAD – HOD doesn’t have any real skills. Period. Said person has been hanging around the org for 10 years and for good reason. I bet you there is no other place that would accept someone of this poor quality and with the org condoning such toxic behaviour, we will probably see this character with the org till the end of time. It is also evident from the multiple short department postings throughout said person’s ‘career’ with the org, that there is really nothing being brought to the table, except a lot of hot air, putting others down and getting favours. All the output from this HOD are frivolous endeavors which doesn’t move the needle on anything. There is nothing, absolutely nothing Digital about this person, just a lot of pretenses and sucking up. You will get it immediately when you make an educated challenge. I feel sad for an org which is investing so much into digitalization yet wasting the endeavor on said incompetence, especially when there is a ton of talent outside of the org. 5) TOTAL LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM – Said person not only creates and propagates toxicity within the department, but bad mouths other departments and individuals behind closed doors. Sheer stupidity on display. If you can spit poison on others in a team setting, what kind of impression are you leaving on the team? I guess this is one of the ‘people qualities’ said person constantly displays. In addition to the open displays of distaste of others, said person’s favourite office activity is the behind the scenes politicking and maneuvering to get more power and scope (which is of course delegated to others to execute), compared to doing the real work that matters. Someone who is so vindictive, petty and immature should be investigated thoroughly and removed for the betterment of everyone. ************************ Although I know nothing will be done and these practices will continue, I sincerely hope change will come soon to the department, as there are good people there and they don’t deserve a toxic leader like that. AIAS will do so much better for employees if they look into matters like these.