Workplace reviews and discussion: 威進國際資訊股份有限公司

I have been working for several years and have changed jobs a few times. I have seen companies that were clearly making money while the boss kept asking everyone to weather the difficult times together. I have also seen bosses wait until the day an employee resigned to offer a pay raise.

But the boss of this company almost takes the initiative every year to give most employees raises and year-end bonuses (the amount depends on the individual). Basically, this is a company that takes care of its employees.

It is a “project-based company” that takes on information-service projects for government agencies. It only earns revenue when it has projects. Everyone has a chance to bid, but no one can be sure of winning, so the company tries whenever there is an opportunity. Its reputation among clients is fairly good, however, and its scale has grown over the past few years.

Plans falling behind changes, being chased by projects, being unable to finish all the work, and heavy pressure are common occurrences.

I. Benefits:

1. Three seasonal bonuses (Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and year-end bonuses)

2. Subsidy for employees purchasing laptops (once every three years, with a subsidy of over NT$20,000; unless you choose a top-of-the-line model, it covers almost the full cost)

3. One domestic company trip each year (usually held together with the year-end banquet); last year’s trip was overseas

II. Salary

1. Those with professional skills, certifications, distinctive qualities, or relevant education and experience can usually negotiate a better salary.

2. Those who are new to programming after graduation generally cannot work independently when they join, so the compensation is average. However, I have heard that it is still not bad compared with what their classmates receive.

III. Environment

1. Most colleagues are young and easy to get along with.

2. The office was redecorated at the beginning of this year, and is fairly clean and comfortable.

3. Everything required and covered by the Labor Standards Act is provided.

As for whether you can learn things, I think it depends on the individual.

Since most colleagues are young and most supervisors worked their way up, leading by example, working alongside you, and quietly getting things done are the norm.

For those who are willing—and able—to take on more work, more tasks will keep coming. There is a lot to learn and many problems to solve, and you may even have the opportunity to independently manage projects. There are many opportunities.

If you are used to waiting for assignments, or leaving obstacles unresolved…

you will have a very difficult time here, because project deadlines are what they are.

There is no well-defined management system or standardized SOP workflow. You could say there is a great deal of flexibility, but this also means the company tends to stumble over the same issues during execution.

There is no standardized training. New employees initially spend some time learning from experienced employees in related positions. Whether they develop successfully depends on their own effort.

Most supervisors will come down and work alongside everyone, but the handoffs between responsibilities and work assignments are not very clearly defined. You have to ask questions and confirm things frequently yourself; otherwise, time may pass and you may complete something different from what they wanted. Getting scolded and feeling wronged afterward can happen.

The working hours are long, with a responsibility-based system. Basically, you can leave after completing eight hours, but in a project-based company, sometimes a client suddenly requests something, sometimes there is a sudden bid to prepare, or several projects reach completion at the same time. There are several particularly busy months each year.

Although the colleagues are young and easy to get along with, they relatively lack experience. Small problems arise from time to time, requiring the team to handle them urgently together. Everyone is quite nice; although they may grumble verbally, they will still help, but it can be somewhat tiring.