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I experienced a great deal of psychological pressure here. While doing this job, I heard a lot of unpleasant things and was often scolded by the boss, including personal attacks. The boss would openly or indirectly imply that employees had something wrong with their brains, insinuate that employees lacked good fortune, and often drag employees’ family members into conversations, among other things. There was once an employee who cried almost every day while eating lunch. The boss’s likes and dislikes toward employees were also very obvious. As part of the office, you could clearly sense which employee the supervisor was targeting recently. Based on my observations, the target rotated irregularly, and basically everyone was targeted eventually. When returning to work after taking leave—regardless of the type of leave, even annual leave—employees were especially likely to be scolded.

Although the working hours listed on 104 end at 5:30 p.m., I could count on one hand the number of days I actually got off work at 5:30. More often, the boss would assign work just before the end of the day, and it was impossible to leave without finishing it. At the end of the day, we also had to report to supervisors at every level before we could leave. The company said this did not count as overtime. They seemed to regard leaving at 5:30 as a benefit—as if it were charity bestowed on employees—so it was only available when they felt like bestowing it.

There is a great deal of administrative work here, so much that finding your next job afterward could count as the equivalent of ten jobs’ worth of experience. Administrative staff have to go to designated locations before work to buy flowers for the company, play Buddhist scriptures for the boss, handle matters concerning the boss’s foreign domestic helper, buy things for the boss’s daughter, and so on. I have also heard of employees being required to buy things for the boss on holidays and deliver breakfast to the boss’s home.

I have also heard homophobic remarks here, such as saying that LGBTQ+ pride parades are full of demons and monsters, and that same-sex marriage had been an eye-opening experience for them. At weekly meetings, I also often heard the boss say that employees nowadays could not endure hardship and were unwilling to sacrifice and devote themselves to the company. I am not sure why they would expect low-paid employees to throw themselves into the line of fire for the company.

The company’s year-end banquet is still held at lunchtime, with only one hour allowed for eating before returning to work. During lunch breaks, employees also have to take turns staying on duty in the office and serving as the duty person, helping the boss take out the trash, and so on.

The Taipei office and the Kaohsiung office have the same boss, so apart from the working hours being slightly more normal, there is not much difference. The turnover rate is still fairly high, though. I met several people who left within less than three months. Turnover in Kaohsiung is also very high; many people have come and gone.

I am sharing my own experience so that those considering joining can make their own decision. In any case, as the person in the previous post said, there are still plenty of people who want to try it themselves and only regret it afterward.