Workplace reviews and discussion: 聲寶股份有限公司

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Recently, I saw that Sampo is recruiting management trainees again, which prompted me to write this cautionary post for everyone’s reference.

I have a friend who was a management trainee in a certain year. At the time, Sampo widely recruited management trainees at job fairs held by many schools, and the campaign was conducted on a grand scale, almost like a nationwide audition. They also invited many people to interview at Sampo.

In the end, they hired around 20-some people, but very quickly, half of them had left within a year, only one-third remained within two years, and fewer than two people remained after five years.

Those two people were still working in entry-level positions. As for claims that outstanding performers would be promoted ahead of schedule, those were all lies.

With so many people ahead of you blocking the way, how could you possibly get promoted? Even if you really became a manager, you still couldn’t manage those veterans.

When a project handled by a veteran required overtime to finish at night, they would leave on the company shuttle. Whether you were a manager, a rookie, or a management trainee, you had to help complete the work for them. That’s just how this company operates. They also can’t afford severance pay, so they don’t dare casually ask people to leave.

As for the salary... You’d be better off working in equipment at TSMC!

Also, some departments don’t pay overtime, and working days of more than 14 hours are very common.

And there’s something else—this is very important. During the first year, management trainees are frequently invited to discussion sessions, creating a very warm atmosphere, and they are also evaluated regularly. But after a year, once half the people have left, none of this remains. No one remembers that you’re a management trainee. They only bring it up when they want to exploit you, using reasons such as “unreasonable requests are training” to make you do “good deeds” and help others with their work.

After several years, you still won’t be able to get promoted; it somehow never becomes your turn. You’re also very likely to encounter managers and senior employees who play workplace power games. The salary is the same: in the tech industry, people with five years of experience can earn annual salaries of over NT$1 million, while here, you can consider yourself lucky if you break NT$600,000.

So please think it over carefully! I remember that the president once even invited students from National Cheng Kung University to intern, but not a single one wanted to join after graduating.

Unless your foreign-language ability is genuinely poor, your professional knowledge/skills are also inferior to others’, and you actually enjoy remaining a rookie for more than ten years, this place really is a good fit for you.