Workplace reviews and discussion: 詰麒貿易有限公司

Probably only cats can enjoy playing there.

I worked there for about five months and only found out before resigning that the owner had not enrolled me in employment insurance. As a result, I had no years of insured service and could not receive unemployment benefits. Please think twice before interviewing or working there!

After I had worked for five months, I was told that I was unsuitable for the position. This is the owner’s side business. The owner is a woman, and apart from her, there was only one accountant, also a woman. The week before I was supposed to leave, both of them happened to go abroad. After returning to Taiwan, the owner changed her mind and said that she thought I had performed well while she was away and wanted to retain me. At the time, all three of us sat down to discuss it. However, just a few hours before my originally scheduled departure date, I learned from the accountant that it had all been a misunderstanding and that I was expected to leave that same day.

Most importantly, when I asked the accountant that afternoon, on my last day, I found out that the company had never enrolled us in employment insurance. Therefore, even if we were laid off, we could not receive the government’s unemployment benefits—I confirmed this with the Bureau of Labor Insurance at the time. She said that she had mentioned it to the owner before, but the owner refused to enroll us. Also, on my last day, I asked the company to provide my monthly pay slips. Previously, they had only asked me to sign them without giving me copies, though fortunately I had taken photos for my records. On payday, the accountant replied to me on LINE that the company does not provide pay statements. What exactly had they done that they were afraid to disclose?

Later, during labor mediation, the owner even said that my failure to find a job quickly was due to my lack of ability and inability to perform the work. Then what was the point of the meeting where she said she wanted to retain me? She also stated emphatically that she had no idea employers were required to enroll workers in employment insurance—was the accountant lying? She even said she was grateful that I had made her aware of employment insurance, and so on. At the time, my family was also present, and she was very rude in the way she spoke to me. It was clear that this owner did not care about her employees at all. Besides doing my actual job, I also cleaned her home, watered the plants, cared for her cats and fish, and drove her children to register for swimming lessons. In the end, this is what I got!

The owner is stingy. Typhoon days off were unpaid. The key point is that wages were calculated by the “day.” If the monthly salary was NT$30,000 and there were 22 working days in a month, then 30,000/22 = NT$1,363. This meant that taking one day off or having a typhoon day off resulted in that amount being deducted from the salary. In addition, the only gifts provided for the three major holidays were pomelos. Yet the owner herself drove a Mercedes-Benz.

There is no need to say much about the female coworker. I was given a show of authority as soon as I started. Almost every morning, when I opened Skype, I would see a long string of messages—longer than a letter. She liked to control how other people worked, including how files were archived and how much plants should be watered. Even when I came back after turning on the air conditioner in the 35°C summer heat, I would be nagged about it.

In short, this is a new company, and the office is the owner’s home, so you are expected to handle all kinds of miscellaneous chores. The key point: if the company you work for does not enroll you in employment insurance, you do not even have the most basic protection. Can you really feel secure working there?

This was the worst work experience I have ever had, and I still regret it. At the time, choosing to work there meant turning down many good job opportunities. I once posted online to share my experience because I truly do not want anyone to follow in my footsteps. Everyone’s life is limited, and time is precious. Please do not waste your valuable time because of one wrong choice—as I did. You deserve a better job and a better life.