Workplace reviews and discussion: 台灣智能機器人科技股份有限公司

Each department at our company has approximately four to five people. Working hours are from 8:30–9:30 a.m. to 5:30–6:30 p.m.; you leave at the time you arrive and work a full eight hours. More than half of our employees are in R&D. The senior colleagues in software, firmware, SA, and QA are all very kind and capable. They are neither impatient with nor neglectful of new hires. There are good communication channels among everyone, and you can learn a lot about work and project development. Outside of work, we share snacks, chat, discuss our personal financial management experiences, and organize group purchases. Departments other than PM are not as familiar with one another, but we still collaborate happily. Overall, the work atmosphere is harmonious.

Do not join the PM department. Not long after I joined, one person resigned and another was laid off. In my observation, the PM manager often only talks without taking action, telling subordinates to hurry up and telling the R&D department to produce the product as soon as possible. The project schedules are never discussed with the R&D department; the manager sets them unilaterally from afar. When the schedules are too tight, we are told to work overtime to catch up, while the manager never comes down to help and leaves work on time every day. The manager also normally does not communicate with R&D, instead having subordinates act as messengers. When training new hires, the manager teaches them nothing. The manager attends every meeting, yet is unable to answer any questions. Once, when the new hire responsible for a project took leave, the manager did not step in to host the meeting; instead, we in R&D had to take over the PM role ourselves. In the end, the schedule was delayed and the new hire was laid off. This is truly a very poor-quality manager.