Workplace reviews and discussion: 巨鷗科技股份有限公司

1. The company atmosphere is lively and not gloomy (though there are some undercurrents).

2. There is a convenient meal-ordering system (but you have to pay for it yourself).

3. There are many activities to participate in (though participation is somewhat compulsory).

4. Working hours start between 8:00 and 9:00, with one hour of flexible working time (but being five minutes late results in the same deduction as being half an hour late).

5. There are many books available to borrow (if you “have time” to read them).

6. There is a health checkup once every two years (although not annually).

7. It is very suitable for people just starting their careers to gain experience, because there is a large volume of work, everything has to be done quickly, and most newcomers to the workforce do not place much emphasis on salary and benefits.

1. It operates under a responsibility-based system: regardless of how much overtime you work, you only receive NT$60 in meal compensation, and you still have to submit it for system approval. Overtime is frequently required, and some managers even call you in to work overtime on holidays. Even with the NT$159 performance bonus, it is not enough to make up for the overtime pay you deserve.

2. Although unused annual leave is converted into cash, you can only receive NT$800 per day (effectively an hourly wage of NT$100).

3. The company is extremely reluctant to spend money. “Sharing the hardship” means that only employees suffer. The company’s penny-pinching behavior may make you think it runs every business at a loss. It particularly likes exploiting employees, part-time workers, and vendors, while making it sound as though everyone volunteered.

4. In my opinion, the benefits are poor. In addition to not providing bonuses for the three major festivals, employees also have to pay the company NT$200 every month as a welfare fee, yet the company cannot explain what it is used for (setting aside how it is spent, shouldn’t benefits be paid for by the company to be called benefits...?). The soda machine has also been removed. Even when one was available, you had to pay for the drinks yourself, and they were not cheaper. Group dinners almost never happen, the top prize in the year-end party raffle is less than NT$50,000, and overseas travel subsidies are very small (even after working there for 10 years, the maximum subsidy is only NT$15,000; the average subsidy is just NT$5,000).

5. Although performance reviews use an A–E rating system, an A seems to be predetermined, with the same people rotating through the rating. Everyone else can work themselves to death and still only get a B. An A rating only adds around NT$1,000 to your salary, while a B adds about NT$800. If your salary grade is higher, the increase will of course be somewhat larger, but that also means your workload will become so large and miscellaneous that you are practically immersed in work 24 hours a day. Becoming a senior employee only adds around NT$2,000 to your salary.

6. The turnover rate is astonishingly high. On average, people do not even stay for three months; staying for one year is enough to make you seem senior. Yet newcomers are told that the company’s turnover rate is very low.

7. Taking parental leave makes some managers unhappy. They feel that you are wasting the company’s time and money, and will keep trying to persuade you to return to work immediately after giving birth. After you return from leave, they will give you twice the workload.

8. The colleagues at the company are, on average, very capable, both academically and technically. However, in addition to the generally low salaries, their enthusiasm is quickly worn away, and it is easy to feel exhausted.

9. The coaches have little presence because they are all very busy (or rather, almost everyone in the entire company is unbearably busy every day). As a result, no one is likely to take the initiative to check on you, and few people are willing to proactively teach you.

10. Take the promises made by upper management with a grain of salt; you will never get to eat the pie they describe. Simply put, they are very good at placating you with grand-sounding words, often failing to match their words with their actions and refusing to honor previous agreements. Therefore, whenever terms are agreed upon or something is confirmed at work, be sure to keep a record to avoid being taken advantage of.