Workplace reviews and discussion: 大地光纖股份有限公司

1. The salary is relatively high in Kaohsiung; the starting salary for graduates with a master's degree from National Cheng Kung University is NT$43,000.

2. Flexible working hours, with the government’s “one fixed day off and one flexible rest day” policy; no seven-day workweeks.

3. No overtime pay; compensatory leave is reported and reimbursed based on actual time after deducting the half-hour meal break.

4. Employees deemed unsuitable are laid off, guaranteeing that you will not encounter colleagues who lack ability.

5. Employees only need to pay a little over NT$1,000 for company trips, allowing them to travel during the two-day weekend.

6. Lunch is provided in the employee cafeteria; NT$25 is deducted regardless of whether you eat or not.

7. There are five days of paid sick leave per year, which may only be taken when you have no annual leave or compensatory leave remaining. For the sake of fairness, you cannot use proof obtained that evening to take sick leave the following day.

1. There is no good communication channel between the Taiwan R&D team and U.S. marketing (there is no PM position). Many recurring issues happen repeatedly.

2. The boss has the final say on product specifications, which are often changed again and again. Even the product name can still change right up until shipment.

3. To reduce year-end bonus payouts, management secretly alters employees’ performance evaluations. The 360-degree peer review system is merely for show.

4. The organization is flat, so promotion opportunities are scarce and raises are small. After nearly four years of work, my salary has increased by less than NT$3,000.

5. Manufacturing is not valued by the company, so employees cannot improve their skills. R&D still has to resolve all problems that arise after mass production.