Dayanti’s story as a kopi stall worker in Singapore

I Thought Being Quiet Was Part Of The Job

Dayanti moved to Singapore from Indonesia at 42 years old, hoping to support her two children back home after her husband fell ill. She found work at a small coffee shop drink stall in the east, where her days started before sunrise. Every morning, she arrived at 5 a.m. to prepare ingredients, boil water, and clean the stall before customers flooded in. Although her shift was supposed to end in the evening, she often stayed long after closing to wash utensils and prepare for the next day. Most weeks, she worked over 13 hours a day with barely any breaks in between.

At first, Dayanti believed the exhaustion was something she simply had to accept. Many of the younger workers around her moved faster, carried heavier loads, and adapted more easily to the fast-paced environment. Customers would sometimes grow impatient when she took slightly longer to prepare drinks, and a few made comments about her age under their breath. Over time, she began doubting herself, wondering if she was becoming “too old” for the job despite years of experience working in food service.

What affected her most was not the physical strain, but the feeling that her hard work often went unseen. While younger staff were encouraged to learn new responsibilities and take on supervisory roles, Dayanti was rarely given the same opportunities. She worried about speaking up regarding her work hours because she feared losing her job entirely. “I thought being quiet was part of the job,” she shared. “You don’t want to seem difficult when people already think older workers are slower.”

Eventually, after opening up to a community support group, Dayanti realised many older workers shared similar experiences of burnout, workplace pressure, and age-related bias. Hearing other stories helped her feel less isolated and reminded her that experience and resilience still carry value. Today, while she continues working at the stall, she hopes conversations around workplace ageism can encourage more empathy towards older employees whose contributions are often overlooked despite years of dedication.