Workplace reviews and discussion: 宏祥紙器有限公司

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This company’s “Graphic Design/Layout” position is more like a “Prepress Imposition and Proofreading” role. There is very little design work—almost none—and the job title does not match the actual duties.

Job duties:

1. Processing and revising clients’ design files, producing samples, proofreading, preparing final artwork, imposition, etc.; contacting clients to discuss issues with their files, and so on.

2. Evaluating artwork, preparing final prepress files, and managing color differences in printing.

3. Contacting vendors and outsourcing printing of the print-ready files.

4. The company mainly produces paper boxes, so it has a paper-box proofing output machine. You must operate the large-format printer and paper-box cutting machine.

Company environment and benefits:

Salary and benefits: The job posting states “salary negotiable (regular monthly salary of NT$40,000 or more),” but the actual salary is below NT$30,000. Salary adjustments and benefits are up to the boss.

Not compliant with the Labor Standards Act:

1. The company uses the old system under the Labor Standards Act. It does not enroll employees in labor and health insurance on time from their first day. The company’s systems are inadequate. Employees have to clock in themselves when arriving at work (the boss says he dislikes employees being late), while leaving work is based on a duty-based system (someone regularly “helps” clock employees out at 17:00 and says there is no need to clock out). In reality, working hours are 9:00–18:00, with a one-hour lunch break. Employees usually cannot leave until 19:00, and they do sometimes have to work overtime when busy, with no fixed end time and no overtime pay.

2. It is a family business, and almost everyone in the company is part of the owner’s circle. The boss’s son is in sales. He often gives unclear instructions, is emotional, and assigns you multiple tasks at once, then supervises you while saying you have not done this or that.

3. There is a female graphic artist who has worked there for a relatively long time. She has a very servile attitude and loves to smugly say, “I’ll teach you; I want to give you a concept.” She has no design experience and does not understand design, yet loves teaching others about design. She criticizes people’s designs or working methods with a very unprofessional attitude, speaks sarcastically like a veteran employee, calls herself a teacher, and teaches only dead-end tasks unrelated to design.

3. If you want to do design work, I recommend not coming here. If you want to learn prepress imposition and final-artwork preparation, you can come, because the female graphic artist and the boss’s son love to teach (they like showing off how capable they are). However, be mentally prepared: their attitude toward newcomers is not good. They use a lot of unnecessary words and give unclear instructions, so when you feel something is urgent, you may wonder, “Could you just get to the point?” They also waste your time after work. They will belittle you and then say that their way is the correct one. They do not communicate through mutual discussion; they like to stand beside you while you work and criticize every detail. If they teach you something incorrectly, they take no responsibility. Everyone works independently, and people in the same position do not help one another. The work atmosphere is poor. They will not admit when they give incorrect instructions. Even after you confirm repeatedly, you are still blamed when something is wrong. The female graphic artist or the boss’s son will badmouth you behind your back, and then the boss will come and lecture you.

4. The work is relatively routine, and most of it is not what a graphic designer should be doing. When operating the paper-box sample-cutting machine, you may feel like an assembly-line worker. Since this is not a design company, they have very little respect for design and do not understand it. They even criticize their designer clients behind their backs, calling the designers lazy and saying they do not understand printing.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to do design work not come here. They do not care about your design work. Even if the company receives a design project—which is rare—you will not have time to properly think through and create the design. No matter how experienced you are as a designer, your skills will not be put to use here.