Workplace reviews and discussion: 中華藝術館

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Violations of the Labor Standards Act: unpaid overtime; excessive overtime, including working overtime for two consecutive weeks without taking days off; failure to enroll five or more employees in labor and health insurance; and delayed wage payments.

Interview (there were two rounds) — During the second interview, the mainland Chinese boss, who spoke with a mainland accent, asked many questions about the interviewee’s family members and romantic relationships. He then asked you to cooperate by working overtime on Saturdays and Sundays for events, saying the events would take place about once a month and that everything would comply with the Labor Standards Act, with all benefits provided according to the law. At the time, I thought it was a forward-looking mainland Chinese company with opportunities for overseas assignments. Because it is located in Taipei 101, people generally assume it is a forward-looking, internationalized company. Unfortunately, the reality is the opposite, and many people only find that out after joining.

After joining — I discovered that the company asked me to provide information but did not enroll me in labor or health insurance (which is illegal). In terms of work, the boss and supervisors lacked company management, time management, and a clear business direction. Sometimes the mainland boss was nowhere to be seen, and when he returned to the office on Fridays, he would often question whether my workload was too light and demand that I work overtime the following Saturday and Sunday to make up for progress. I was also asked to “help out” by serving tea and receiving government officials and artists, sometimes working until very late (a disguised way of forcing overtime, not because there was actually an event). On Saturdays and Sundays, you might also be required to show up whenever called, and both men and women had to move things and perform manual labor. For actual events, the preparation period was roughly two weeks from start to finish, so the time was very short and overtime was common before events. Before events, matters had to be reported through several layers, and waiting for the boss’s instructions took a long time. Afterwards, he would question why I or the team were so slow. The supervisor was extremely evasive, often assigning public-area cleaning and miscellaneous chores, and would not discuss how the company operated. New employees had no idea about the company’s policies or direction (if it even had any). They might also be told on the same day that they did not need to come in the next day. Naturally, you had to fight for severance pay and overtime pay yourself. The supervisors and boss would cut costs wherever possible and pretend not to know the Labor Standards Act, while repeatedly emphasizing in meetings that they would “follow the Labor Standards Act” and requiring employees to come in and work overtime on Saturdays and Sundays (How is that legal?). Regarding excessive working hours, under the Labor Standards Act, working overtime on statutory days off requires not only compensatory leave but also overtime pay. However, the supervisor claimed that because of the special nature of the industry, the matter had already been reported to the city government, so there was no need to pay additional wages for overtime on statutory days off. Yet no such report could be found on the government’s public website. The supervisor would demand that you quickly use up your compensatory leave, while rarely taking compensatory leave himself (he could claim overtime pay, right?).

The boss was emotionally unstable, and his decisions regarding projects constantly changed. He spoke loudly and made large physical gestures, and he made physical contact with me and my colleagues. The situation became increasingly frequent, and my colleagues had already discussed this issue; it felt very uncomfortable (sexual harassment). When the supervisor was informed, he would turn a blind eye and give you roundabout excuses such as: the boss is very busy, the projects in mainland China are large, and he is under a lot of pressure. The boss would often criticize new employees behind their backs in front of senior colleagues. The senior colleagues did not dare talk back and could only obediently nod. The actual job duties differed from what had been described initially. When the supervisor asked to speak with you, it was to test you, and then he would say that the boss had not seen your efforts and achievements and that you needed to work harder to win the boss’s favor. Salary payments were often delayed by several days compared with the originally agreed payday, and the company did not notify employees in advance. The boss hoped employees would accompany him to drink and attend social engagements, so colleagues who cooperated would win his favor. This provides a complete picture of the system of Taiwan’s traditional authoritarian bosses. If the boss was unhappy with or disliked a colleague, he would constantly nitpick and find ways to cause trouble, openly or indirectly implying in meetings that a certain person was incompetent.

For the reasons above, I suffered physical and mental distress and am no longer with this company. I recommend not wasting time interviewing there. The company has very high employee turnover: people are either dismissed without warning or are capable employees who cannot tolerate staying. The only ones who remain are the few long-term employees, who naturally benefit from the situation and will not help convey employees’ opinions to the boss. Regardless of their abilities, they all hold power over you.

The related companies of Asia-Pacific United Industrial Co., Ltd. — China Art Gallery and China International Auction (they are actually the same company; note that the job listings on employment websites constantly change, but they all belong to the same boss and the same team).

Honestly, this is not a long-term company for anyone who takes their work seriously. Don’t come here and waste your valuable time.