Can a company stop you from resigning in Singapore?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that Singapore’s employment framework gives employees an explicit and practical right to exit their jobs by either serving notice or compensating the employer for that notice, and employers have no legal power to veto that decision. The right is not a courtesy and it is not contingent on managerial approval. It is a baseline rule that keeps the employment relationship contractual rather than coercive, and it exists to give both sides a predictable path out when the fit is no longer right.

That rule matters because power dynamics at work can make even simple processes feel complicated. A manager may signal that a resignation is unacceptable, or HR may suggest that timing is impossible due to business needs. You may hear that your departure will be ignored or that you must wait for an unspecified green light. These tactics do not change the legal position. Under the Employment Act, an employee can always resign by serving the contractual notice or by paying salary in lieu of notice. The Ministry of Manpower states this plainly and adds that it is an offence for an employer to disallow an employee from leaving. That clarity is your anchor whenever opinions or pressure start to blur the picture.

It helps to understand how notice operates. Think of the notice period as a contractual buffer that lets both sides plan the transition. If your contract specifies one month, you can either work through that month or pay an amount equivalent to one month of your base salary instead. The law treats those paths as equal in principle and it also allows both parties to waive notice by mutual consent, which is why negotiated early releases are common. None of these mechanisms require moral approval from your manager. They are built into the way termination is supposed to work.

Payment in lieu of notice often triggers the most debate, not because the rule is unclear but because it shortens the company’s runway. If you choose to buy out your notice, you are not asking for permission. You are exercising a contractual option. Once you tender the correct payment, the employment relationship is set to end on the date specified in your letter. Your employer may prefer that you serve, or may propose a shorter runway that still includes a partial handover. You can agree if that suits you, but you do not have to accept a schedule that exceeds your contractual obligation. The Ministry’s guidance confirms that termination can occur with payment in lieu and that the notice period can also be waived by agreement, which means timing becomes a matter of arithmetic and consent rather than unilateral veto.

A stubborn response can still complicate the human side of exit. Some managers try to slow-roll approvals for handover, restrict access to files, or hint that resignation is invalid until a counter sign appears. None of that changes the legal reality. If you have served valid notice or paid salary in lieu, the relationship is in its termination phase and the remaining tasks are administrative. When confronted with friction, reply in writing, restate your last day, and attach links or quotes from the Ministry’s guidance that an employer cannot reject a resignation and that disallowing an employee from leaving is an offence. This keeps the conversation grounded in rules rather than personalities and it creates a clean paper trail if you need to escalate.

There is a separate category of cases where resignation does not feel voluntary. If you were pushed to resign through threats, discriminatory treatment, or retaliation for asserting your rights, you may be looking at a wrongful dismissal scenario rather than a straightforward resignation. The Tripartite Guidelines on Wrongful Dismissal treat involuntary resignation as a form of dismissal when the resignation is not a genuine choice. If you believe this applies to you, you should file a wrongful dismissal claim at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management within one month of your last day, after which unresolved cases may proceed to the Employment Claims Tribunals. The one month window is short, so act promptly if you suspect that pressure or discrimination forced your hand.

The process for employment claims is designed to be accessible. TADM will review the facts, mediate if possible, and direct unresolved matters to the ECT for adjudication. If your claim proceeds to the tribunal, you will file through the Community Justice and Tribunals System. The Judiciary’s guide explains that once TADM issues a Claim Referral Certificate, you must bring the claim to the ECT within four weeks. These timelines matter, so mark them in your calendar alongside your last day.

Practical exit planning starts with your contract. Confirm your notice period, understand how salary in lieu is calculated, and identify any clauses on gardening leave, confidentiality, or post employment restraints. If you choose to buy out, check how the company accepts payment and whether the amount should be pro rated by days if you will be working a partial notice. State your last day clearly in your resignation letter and confirm whether you will be serving notice or tendering payment in lieu. Precision reduces the room for misunderstanding and prevents unnecessary back and forth.

Next, map your handover. List ongoing projects, status, owners, and what can realistically be completed before you leave. Send that list to your manager and HR in the same thread as your resignation letter. You are not obligated to perform beyond contract, yet a crisp handover reduces post exit noise and protects your reputation. If the company asks for an extended timeline, you can steer the conversation to feasible deliverables within your remaining period or propose a paid consultancy arrangement. The key is to keep the structure of the exit intact. The last day remains as stated unless both sides agree to change it or unless you have already paid in lieu.

Pay attention to final pay logistics. Under Singapore law and standard practice, employees should receive all sums due, including salary up to the last day, encashment of unused annual leave if provided for, and any other contractual payments. If the termination is initiated by the employer, some payments must be accelerated, while resignation timelines can permit payment within a short window. The broader MOM and statutory guidance pages on termination and payments outline these obligations, and your HR team should specify your company’s payroll timing. If pay is late or disputed, you can raise a salary claim at TADM, which handles both wrongful dismissal and salary related issues.

A word on counteroffers. When talent is tight, employers may try to retain you with pay bumps or role redesigns. There is nothing wrong with listening. Just do not pause your plan without clear commitments and dates. If you have already served notice, any withdrawal of resignation should be recorded in writing with HR to avoid confusion about your employment status. If you have paid in lieu, a retained employment arrangement is essentially a rehire, which should be documented with a fresh confirmation that the payment is refunded or voided and that continuous service is preserved if that matters for benefits. Clarity now prevents administrative headaches later.

Foreign employees on work passes should take an extra step before resigning. Coordinate timelines with your new employer to avoid long gaps without a valid pass and to ensure you can remain in the country if needed. Your current employer will eventually cancel your pass after your last day, and that cancellation triggers a short stay period on a special pass. Plan for the handover of your pass card and any medical insurance documentation. If you need advice on immigration timelines, check official MOM resources or consult the new employer’s HR, since these processes are standardized but time sensitive.

Unionised employees and public sector officers sometimes have additional frameworks. Unions may provide advice or representation in disputes and public officers often follow civil service HR directives. The core right to resign remains the same under the Employment Act and broader tripartite guidelines, yet you may have extra steps or internal appeals that are helpful to know. If you are in such a category, review your staff handbook and speak to your union or HR focal point for procedural specifics. Matters that fall outside the Employment Act can still be channelled to mediation or the tribunal if they involve salary or wrongful dismissal within statutory scope.

What about performance investigations or allegations of misconduct. Employers sometimes initiate formal inquiries close to a resignation. You can still resign. The company may continue its inquiry for record keeping or may choose to terminate without notice for misconduct if it believes it can justify that step. In any such situation, keep your replies factual and concise, cooperate with reasonable requests, and preserve your right to challenge any wrongful conclusions via TADM and the ECT. MOM’s materials distinguish between ordinary termination and dismissal for misconduct and describe the inquiry requirement before summary dismissal. That framework still does not grant an employer the right to reject your resignation.

Non compete and non solicitation clauses are a different issue. They do not stop you from resigning, but they may constrain what you do after leaving and they can become a separate legal conversation if the scope is broad. Many employees resolve this by choosing roles or client relationships that do not trigger the restraints or by negotiating a limited waiver. If you believe a clause is unreasonable, consider taking legal advice, since enforceability depends on the specific wording and the legitimate interests the employer is trying to protect. Keep this analysis distinct from the resignation itself, which remains your right under statute.

All of this leads to a simple playbook. Decide whether to serve or buy out. Put your decision in writing with dates. Keep your tone professional and your documents tidy. If anyone claims that your resignation is not accepted, reply once, attach the Ministry’s guidance that employers cannot reject a resignation, confirm your last day, and continue with your handover. If payment or paperwork is withheld, file a claim at TADM. If you suspect wrongful dismissal in the form of a forced resignation or discrimination, make a timeline of events, collect the evidence, and file within one month of your last day. If mediation fails, be ready to bring the matter to the ECT within four weeks of receiving the referral certificate. These are the pathways designed for exactly these disputes and they work best when you act promptly and keep everything in writing.

One final point for managers who are reading this. The law protects employee exit rights for the same reason it protects employer termination rights. Both reduce uncertainty. When an employee resigns, your job is to use the notice period or the buyout payment to preserve continuity. Set a clear handover agenda, decide what truly must be completed, and identify the smallest set of tasks that keeps clients and colleagues whole. If the situation is business critical, you can ask for specific help. You can propose incentives to extend notice or to complete a short consultancy after the last day. What you cannot do is assert the power to deny the exit.

Resignation should not feel like a soap opera. It should feel like an orderly transaction that releases both sides to move on. Singapore’s framework is built for that. It says you can leave at any time by serving notice or by paying in lieu and that no one can lawfully keep you in the job against your will. Once you accept that premise, your energy shifts from arguing about permission to executing a clean transition. For employees, that means a precise letter, a focused handover, and timely escalation if something goes wrong. For employers, that means respect for the rule, prompt settlement of dues, and a calm hand on the offboarding plan. The myths survive because people repeat them, not because the law supports them. Your exit is a right. Use it with clarity, and let your last week be measured not by conflict, but by a handover that leaves your work and your reputation in good order.