Workplace reviews and discussion: 台灣松下電器股份有限公司

1. The company’s benefits are pretty good: it provides bonuses for all three holidays plus a birthday bonus, totaling about NT$1,200.

2. Lunch is paid for by card, with NT$50 deducted from your salary each time.

First, I want to clarify that this review concerns the Parts Quality Assurance unit in the TV division and does not necessarily represent other departments.

1. I originally applied for a position specializing in the repair and analysis of electronic products. In principle, I thought I would be learning to repair circuits and developing a professional skill.

However, there were two interviewers: one was a supervisor around 60 years old, who said the unit was in Quality Assurance, and the other was from the automotive electronics repair department. I initially chose the automotive electronics department, but the unit supervisor and I were not a good fit and I was not selected.

I later joined the RoHS testing unit. At the time, I did not think too much about it and figured it would be a good opportunity to get in first and start working. Only after joining did I realize something was wrong. On my first day, a senior colleague told me that this department was extremely demanding and that they worked overtime almost every day, sometimes until 7:30 p.m. Sure enough, during my second week, I began working massive amounts of overtime every day. After doing this for a month, while still having two days off per week, I could earn around NT$5,000 in overtime pay.

2. When I was learning, if I asked a question for the third or fourth time, the senior colleague would become impatient and say things like, “Didn’t I already tell you? Why are you still asking? Do you know how much I have to do? And I still have to teach you...” When I reported this to the section manager, he only supported the senior colleague’s view. The older generation there seemed to believe that you should be very grateful simply because a senior colleague was willing to teach you; they would say that no one had taught them in the past. Unless you had a better method than the senior colleague, you were expected to listen to him and follow his instructions.

I thought to myself, “No wonder nobody wants to come to this department. Even people from the technical department who had previously come to provide support told me about the problems here: they have no patience for teaching, yet you still get scolded.” Below, I will describe a typical workday.

3. At 7:50 a.m., you have to attend the morning assembly on the 1.5th floor and sing the company song. After that, you go to the fourth floor to prepare the equipment for inspection and perform water maintenance—there is a lot of it. If you do not do it properly, the senior colleague will scold you. Before 8:50 a.m., you must complete the overtime form and email it to the manager. Then you begin RoHS testing: cutting materials into very small pieces and testing them inside a metal-analysis machine. You keep testing until noon, when it is time for lunch. If you need to go anywhere—even to use the restroom—you have to report it to the senior colleague and section manager. It is ridiculous; there is not even a break in between. Lunch is only 50 minutes. You have to eat quickly and return to the office around 12:25 p.m. to rest. After getting up, you continue testing without any break until 5:00 p.m.

From 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. is the break period. Overtime snacks are provided by the company, usually bread. At 5:30 p.m., you continue working until 7:30 p.m. All I can say is that it is exhausting. You only have about 20 seconds to drink water or a beverage. The pressure of testing continuously is quite high. Even when you test as quickly as possible, the senior colleague is still dissatisfied and only says that you are testing too slowly, and that phosphorus and benzene also need to be tested. The senior colleague was at least considerate enough to help test the phosphorus and benzene. This routine of working overtime every day continued for about three months, and I eventually could not take it anymore. I had no interest in the work, so I left.

4. Regarding salary, I originally hoped for a compensation package of around NT$35,000, but during the probationary period the company only pays NT$33,000. I am not sure whether this violates the Labor Standards Act.

5. Overtime is extremely common in the Quality Assurance unit. Of course, if you want to earn a living through overtime pay, enjoy working overtime every day, and are willing to be lectured by the senior colleague every day, you are very welcome to join this unit. If you make even one mistake in a procedure, you will be lectured.

6. I also heard that someone who joined at the same time as me, in the mechanical R&D department, conducted experiments and wrote reports every day. He was also nearly unable to take it anymore. New graduates and other newcomers to the workforce should think carefully before joining. If you are someone who enjoys a culture where working overtime is commonplace, this may suit you. I cannot say it is bad; I can only say that I personally had no interest in it. The work is monotonous, and no one chats with you. If you like solitude and quietly working on cutting tasks, and dislike lively environments, this job may suit you. If you are considering it only for Panasonic’s benefits, it may be worth considering.