Workplace reviews and discussion: 敦樸企業股份有限公司

The office has distinctive decor in an industrial, eco-friendly style. The greenery is pretty good, with fish and vegetables. If it weren’t for the boss’s shouting at employees, you could even hear the gentle sound of running water while at work.

Actually, this is a confession. Before joining, I should have believed that the 100% negative reviews online were absolutely not fabricated or baseless. I thought that anyone who posted an online review must simply be an unhappy employee, so naturally there would be no positive reviews. But the consequence of stubbornly refusing to believe them was that I experienced the very things people had described online. So I’m writing this advice for anyone considering interviewing or working here: first evaluate for yourself whether you have the following traits suited to this company, to avoid needlessly increasing the turnover rate or being laid off.

1. Extremely stress-resistant: Meetings may finish just before the end of the workday, and then you’ll be expected to produce the materials discussed in the meeting that same day. When the boss asks for materials, they are usually due that day or the next. You may find that you’ve spent the entire workday in meetings and only have time to prepare the materials after work.

2. An EQ as high as the sky: Whenever the boss is at the company, they are yelling at people. There is a victim every day—today coworker A gets scolded to keep everyone else safe, and tomorrow coworker B takes the fall. I’ve heard the boss call coworkers “garbage” and “pigs,” and even throw their documents.

3. Physically healthy, especially with no blood-sugar or stomach problems: The boss likes to hold meetings around 11 a.m., which usually means missing lunch. You can only rush through lunch and then continue working. Alternatively, an impromptu meeting in the evening may last until 8 p.m., with no meal or snacks provided. Sometimes lunch is eaten during a meeting, with everyone working while they eat—resulting in terrible indigestion and no lunch break.

4. Preferably single: You will often spend the day in meetings and the evening preparing materials, or impromptu meetings will delay you past the end of the workday. People with families should think twice before joining. Once you enter this company, all your time belongs to the boss. Whatever they suddenly feel like doing, you have to accommodate. Ideally, you should even be available on weekends to go to their mountain to plant vegetables or do woodworking!

5. Able to elevate yourself to the boss’s position: The company operates under a responsibility-based system with no overtime pay. Joining this company means treating the company’s work as your entire life—and of course, there is no overtime pay. This has been documented by the Ministry of Labor and is absolutely not an unfounded claim. Anyone interested can check the Ministry of Labor’s system for querying businesses (employers) that have violated labor laws and regulations; simply enter the company name.

6. Have at least one month’s living expenses on hand: If you have a mortgage or other regular loan payments, prepare enough cash reserves before joining this company, because the company does not pay salaries until the fifth working day. For example, in October this year, because of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and National Day at the beginning of the month, salaries were not paid until the 12th.

7. Like change: Constantly changing orders and reversing decisions are the norm at this company. The boss frequently changes decisions so abruptly that you are caught off guard.

8. Like challenges: You may apply for job A, but after starting, be told to do job C as well as job B. Whether or not you are skilled at it or have relevant expertise, if the boss wants you to do it, you have to do it.

9. Be seriously short of money or looking for a stepping-stone job: Because of the company’s online reviews, it has trouble recruiting people, so if you are really short of money or looking for a temporary job while searching for something better, you can give it a try. Why are people looking for a stepping-stone job suitable? Because you never know when the boss will take a dislike to you or decide that your cost-performance ratio is not worth your salary and arbitrarily find a reason to tell you to leave. If you have a career plan for yourself, I personally feel this place is absolutely unsuitable.

10. Familiarity with labor laws and regulations is a plus: The boss may clearly be the one telling you to leave, yet still not want to pay severance or wages in lieu of notice. It is strongly recommended that only people familiar with labor laws and regulations take a job here. Otherwise, keep the Labor Bureau’s consultation hotline on hand and seek advice whenever necessary, so that even the most basic legal protections are not overlooked.

11. Young people: Jobs are easy to find, so if you are suddenly laid off, you can quickly return to the workforce. Because of its online reputation, the company likes to recruit older people, but if a middle-aged or older employee is suddenly dismissed, finding the next job can be difficult. This place is definitely unsuitable for them.

12. People without financial pressure: If you discover that the company truly isn’t suitable, you can walk away freely, rather than being caught in a dilemma or being severely exploited by the boss but afraid to leave because you need the money.

Because people who can meet all the conditions above are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, the company’s turnover rate is extremely high. People either resign very quickly or are told to leave by the boss. The company has no hiring plan at all: it may decide today that it needs to hire an EE, then decide a few days later that it is no longer needed and tell the person to leave. It keeps changing job titles to recruit people, but the work is actually the same—you are expected to handle A, B, and C simultaneously. You work yourself to death, yet they complain endlessly and scold you every day. You think you are working hard and doing what is best for the company, but the company treats you like a tissue: use it once and throw it away. However, I should clarify that the company does hold birthday parties. I heard that health checkups have not been held for many years, although they used to be. As for other benefits, I really can’t list any—perhaps I’m not senior enough to have received them. In short, enter at your own risk! Finally, I hope the gods protect us and grant the boss wisdom, so they will stop treating employees this way!

A friendly reminder: If you find that you are scolded no matter what you do, or even scolded when something has nothing to do with you, the boss may be trying to drive you out. You can assess for yourself whether to stay or leave.