Workplace reviews and discussion: 昱網科技股份有限公司

Basically none. At most, I was exposed to and learned some programming-related technical knowledge. Since I did not have a technical background and was working as a marketing planner at the time, looking back, this was all very superficial and could probably have been learned through self-study anyway.

1. At first, I really believed the lies told by the exploitative boss. (I was young and inexperienced back then, and accidentally helped perpetuate the toxic culture.) For example: not requiring clocking in was supposedly to allow flexible working hours; employees were valuable company assets; every Saturday was for training (or overtime if there was no training)....and so on and so forth (there are too many examples to list). During the interview, I specifically asked about the company’s size (number of employees), only to discover afterward that even counting his wife and children, the total still did not reach the number he had claimed, haha.

2. He constantly called you into the office for isolated one-on-one talks, criticizing this and that. He was very good at talking, but often made it difficult to tell what his point was. He would go on and on about the company’s lofty goals and dreams, while the tasks he assigned were vague and broad. You could not even discuss them with him to reach any concrete conclusion; it felt like he himself was unclear and simply very good at giving orders. In addition, during working hours, he would sometimes monitor you from the back of the office like a shadow, which put you under enormous pressure.

3. Initially, I estimated that only about 20% of the work was related to the position. (I am referring to the marketing planner role; I do not know about the others.) Basically, it was no different from administrative work. You even had to double as a telemarketer (effectively being responsible for sales targets) and a classroom assistant. There was no overtime pay or compensatory leave, and—this is important!!!—he loved summoning you to meetings just before the end of the workday. As mentioned above, these meetings were extremely long-winded and lacked focus, often dragging on until 7 or 8 p.m. before he was satisfied. (If I remember correctly, you were required to start work at 8:30 a.m.) He loved handling everything personally, but it often ended up feeling like you were just accompanying him while he practiced (or killing time?).

4. He was extremely suspicious!!! All day long, he would probe you with a distrustful look, as if you were obviously going to leak the company’s confidential information.

5. In summary, I could not see any future there, while being taken advantage of and subjected to inexplicable levels of stress day after day, so I resigned. I am still very grateful for that decision. After switching to a better job, I now live a relatively happier and more relaxed life every day. ^^

I recommend that friends who think the salary and benefits look good not try it lightly. (If you actually calculate it, the salary he paid could not even cover the time you spent working overtime, let alone the additional mental stress.) Unless—you really want to see what an exploitative boss looks like in person. ^^

If you do end up joining and find yourself strongly relating to everything above, please be brave and stop the bleeding as soon as possible. Do not settle just because you are afraid you will not find something better. I truly do not think it is worth it.