Workplace reviews and discussion: 正新橡膠工業股份有限公司

1. Cheng Shin’s Xiamen plant is located in the Jimei Industrial Zone in Xiamen; it takes approximately 15 minutes by taxi to reach the nearest metro station.

2. It is fairly close to downtown Xiamen, about 30–40 minutes by car.

3. The work is relatively straightforward; it is probably similar across departments.

4. The basic Taiwan salary for an expatriate assignment is fairly decent.

5. Married couples can apply to live in company-funded apartment housing outside the factory.

1. It is the most traditional type of traditional industry. Apparently, the petrochemical industry is like this: seniority and hierarchy are clearly defined, and young people may find it unbearable or need to suppress themselves to survive.

2. Internal operating procedures are also very traditional, with a lot of paper-based work that is already outdated and often delays the handling of affairs.

3. Cross-departmental communication is difficult. The people in other departments you need to deal with may be local employees from mainland China, and their communication style is very different. It can take quite a while to adapt; simply put, many people are difficult to communicate with.

4. Business trips are mainly for section-chief level employees and above. General staff have few opportunities to travel and cannot travel independently.

5. There is insufficient delegated authority within the system; matters both big and small require approval from senior managers (even very minor matters unrelated to the company’s interests may require it).

6. The employee management system is inflexible. Everyone goes to the cafeteria together after meals, and everyone is expected to attend religious ceremonies. Perhaps nothing would happen if you did not come and go with everyone else, but when most people follow the group and you do not, you appear unconventional and may become the focus of discussion.

7. The company is basically quite profitable, as can be seen from Cheng Shin’s publicly available financial reports as a listed company. However, only section-chief level employees and above receive bonuses. Those below that level basically receive a fixed two months’ year-end bonus in Taiwan and another two months in mainland China, paid in two installments.

8. Because you live at the factory (the dormitory is inside the factory), you have to follow factory regulations, such as curfew and access control. It is difficult to live like someone working in the city and go downtown after work; even when going downtown, you generally have to take a taxi at your own expense.

9. You live in the factory dormitory. Although it is designated for supervisors, the building is old and the rooms are not very large. It does not feel comfortable at first, and there are occasionally pest problems, such as rats.

9. Your Taiwan-based colleagues, supervisors, and department heads all live in the same dormitory as you. Basically, your personal life and work are combined.

10. Entertaining clients mainly takes place at local open-air food stalls. Generally, the ingredients are not fresh, and the environment and dishes can be somewhat disgusting. Many foreign clients do not even want to take one bite. It takes a very, very long time to adapt to eating in places like this.

11. The computer hardware, software, and equipment are all very outdated. They are still using extremely old computer systems, and the printers frequently break down.

12. The qualifications and capabilities of mainland Chinese colleagues vary widely. For example, some overseas sales staff handling European and American clients have very poor English.

13. Most people in most departments do not understand English at all. Those who can speak English have to take on translation duties, both interpretation and written translation.

14. The expatriate allowance is far too low. The local cost of living is not low, and simply eating out and taking taxis on holidays can easily exceed the allowance.

15. Lunch and dinner are very unappetizing. It is a problem with both the flavors and the ingredients, and even the plain rice is not good. As a result, you often have to spend your own money eating outside.

16. Being assigned to a company that operates on a factory-based model means giving up a normal life in Taiwan. In addition to the poor industrial-zone environment, including the air quality, the location is very remote and there is little in the city center either.

17. There are actually very few days off. The Xiamen plant works half a day on Saturdays, and statutory holidays only include the legally mandated days—for example, one day for the Dragon Boat Festival. If a statutory holiday happens to fall near a Saturday or Sunday, the company may decide to grant consecutive days off, but you must make up the work afterward; they will not simply give you the extra days for free.

18. The company often announces how statutory holidays will be observed only a few days beforehand. As a result, it is difficult to plan holidays or arrange trips to other places in advance. The exception is if you apply in advance for your own return-to-Taiwan leave, which you can choose to spend either returning to Taiwan or staying in mainland China. However, if the company later decides to grant consecutive days off, you will have wasted the return-to-Taiwan leave you applied for.

19. You often encounter departments that do not help one another and instead pass the buck. It is hard to understand why everyone is so afraid of taking responsibility.