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

The platform’s culture of anonymity (8)(0) really shocked me, so I decided not to remain anonymous and not to target any particular review. I’m simply sharing my personal views on Jǜ-Ōu Technology and letting everyone judge for themselves~

I have been in the workforce for more than 10 years, and Jǜ-Ōu is the company I have stayed with the longest. I am currently still employed there.

Before that, I spent approximately 2–3 years each at Data Systems Consulting Co., Ltd. and Tun Yang Technology.

Don’t these two listed companies offer better opportunities? Why have I stayed at Jǜ-Ōu the longest?

It all depends on what the job seeker personally wants to pursue.

Yes, that’s right. Like most job seekers, I want to pursue a higher salary and a higher position~

To earn a high salary and attain a high position, you must first have the “right attitude toward handling things” and “good work abilities,” then gradually work your way upward.

So let’s discuss whether the company can improve our “attitude toward handling things” and “work abilities” in these two areas.

(I) Attitude toward handling things

I believe that basically 60–70% of one’s attitude toward handling things comes from personal cultivation, while the remaining 30–40% is influenced by the external environment.

Because Data Systems Consulting and Tun Yang Technology are large companies, guidance on attitude toward handling things was mostly limited to reminders and instruction from department managers.

At Jǜ-Ōu Technology, however, in addition to department managers, the general manager gathers everyone each month for the Jǜ-Ōu People’s Assembly, where the month’s observations and the company’s overall situation are shared. This is an education in seeing things from the shoulders of giants.

Ask yourself: unless you are already a senior executive, how many companies have a general manager who comes to share these things with you every month?

In addition, the company has repeatedly invited the renowned industry lecturer Lin Sihai to teach courses related to workplace communication and other topics (Teacher Lin is very expensive). In my opinion, company executives willing to do this are running their businesses in a very positive, forward-looking way. (Therefore, I suggest that job seekers search online for companies that have invited Teacher Lin Sihai to teach; these companies can all be added to your shortlist.)

(II) Work abilities

1. I once saw a department manager sit beside an engineer and guide the engineer through coding line by line. (I imagine a programming tutor would charge more than 500 per hour, right?!) When I was at Data Systems Consulting, I was also trained this way by my manager. I am very grateful that my manager at the time was willing to put aside their own work simply to help me get on the right track.

2. Every year, Jǜ-Ōu provides a variety of free training opportunities, including in-house and external training, taught by internal and external instructors. Jǜ-Ōu’s training is not arranged randomly: at the end of the previous year, they gather representatives from different functional groups, and everyone proposes the skills they want to strengthen as training objectives for the following year.

In large companies, this probably does not happen often. If you want to improve, you may have to find courses outside the company yourself—and professional courses like these are usually not cheap.

3. The company has repeatedly invited well-known programming experts such as Brother Bao (Huang Baoxi), Chen Chuanxing, Bill Chung, and others to teach everyone. Although these classes sometimes take place on weekends, just look up the prices of these lecturers’ external courses online and you will know how much value we are getting.

4. When company activities are organized at large companies, employees are usually merely participants. They do not know how many meetings or how much preparation goes on behind each event. At Jǜ-Ōu, it is easy to get opportunities to plan activities like this.

5. Ability to handle matters: Because this is a project-oriented company, we encounter all kinds of issues arising from all kinds of stakeholders. At first, we may be unable to cope, but managers give us direction and help us handle matters systematically. Over time, we become more calm because our abilities improve. (This can be improved at any company, as long as you face problems positively.)

6. Planning and proposal abilities: Perhaps because Jǜ-Ōu was the first company where I participated fully in planning proposals, this is the area in which I personally improved the most.

7. As mentioned earlier, because there is a Jǜ-Ōu People’s Assembly every month, we can absorb lessons about the spirit of running a company from the general manager’s sharing each time. Moreover, because this company was established only a little over 10 years ago, it is still considered a growing company. We can clearly observe the management process as the company is reorganized and improved. These are things you truly cannot get at a large company!

The drawbacks cannot be left blank:

1. Large workload and high pressure

Even so, I still deeply believe that “pressure comes from a lack of ability.” For example, when it comes to system-planning projects that I know like the back of my hand, I can take on 10 out of 10. But when I encounter an unfamiliar marketing project or have to write a book, I can sit in front of the computer all day without producing anything… As the deadline approaches, the pressure increases.

2. Regarding promotions

Everyone thinks they are the person who most deserves to be recognized. I do too. But promotions require comparison. Look at the people who were promoted and compare yourself with them: do you really have their abilities? If not, do as I do—quietly keep your mouth shut and continue improving. If you do have the ability, talk to your manager~

3. Regarding overtime pay and certain benefits

Maybe I want to make a lot of money—I want an annual salary of more than NT$1 million—so I do not have time to think about minor benefits such as overtime pay or coffee beans…

4. Where are the managers?

When managers encounter problems, they always want to resolve them in a calm, rational, and peaceful way. I am the kind of person who cannot stand by and watch, so I always cannot help jumping in, whether it is arguing with the person in charge or posting here now… (This is probably also why I have not been promoted XD)