Workplace reviews and discussion: 紐頓電子有限公司

Part-time workers can choose their shifts, but their working hours may be compressed.

Very few questions were asked, and there were not many questions that needed answers. Basically, as long as you responded, that was enough. I received the job offer the next day and immediately reported to the department. After learning my position, I gradually learned the work. I also had to learn some Photoshop to create images and upload products. The equipment was terrible—almost 10 years old—and would crash from time to time. The supervisor and the boss did not treat people very well either. The supervisor also seemed to be gay and repeatedly sexually harassed male employees. When I told him to stop, he would give me a dirty look. Even after I reported it to the boss, nothing improved. Many employees lacked computer knowledge, often confusing basic matters, and would even argue loudly with customers.

Whenever there was an event, there were never enough staff. The scheduling system was very problematic: whenever workers were needed, shifts were constantly cut, so the workplace was always understaffed. The wage calculation was also very problematic. If you were one minute late that evening, you were required to make up 15 minutes. There were no pay stubs, and no one knew how much was deducted for labor and health insurance. When I asked the boss why there were no pay stubs, he would give me a dirty look and keep putting it off, acting as though he might or might not provide them.

The people there had no basic computer knowledge. This was true for both the physical stores and online shopping operations. When customers called to ask about products, the service staff would just go in circles. The supervisor would directly scold customers, and employees would also be scolded if they helped other stores. He kept asking inexplicable questions. When I tried to discuss problems with the supervisor, his emotional intelligence was extremely poor and he would easily lose his temper. When asked about company policies, he could not explain them clearly. The company did not follow the Labor Standards Act at all. When I tried to report overtime, they simply used “That’s your responsibility!” as an excuse not to pay me. Even during breaks, employees were disturbed. They had to keep following conversations in the company group chat on their phones; if they did not respond, they would receive repeated calls until they answered.

The wage system was also very strange. Because there were no pay stubs, it was completely impossible to know how much you had received. You had to go back and update your bankbook to find out. The job listing on 104 stated a salary of NT$32,000, but many deductions were made, so the maximum was only NT$28,000. When I asked the boss why I received so little, he simply brushed it off by saying, “Because business performance was poor.” When the 10th of the month fell on a holiday, payment was delayed rather than made early. If you wanted to receive it early, you first had to borrow the money from the boss and have it deducted from your salary, even though the payment could have been made early and they simply did not want to do so.

The supervisor of the online shopping department was always a strange person. He sexually harassed male employees and repeatedly shouted at customers. He also became very angry and shouted at other outsourced promotional departments, causing performance to keep declining. Whenever there was an event, there were never enough staff. He would also make inappropriate physical contact with busy colleagues, including pinching male employees’ nipples. Even when told to stop, he would not stop until someone shouted at him. He completely failed to understand the situation. When I tried to discuss problems with the supervisor, his emotional intelligence was extremely poor and he would easily lose his temper. When asked about company policies, he could not explain them clearly and just kept going in circles. When asked for a clear policy, he kept talking about how things were done elsewhere instead of addressing the problem.

There was no proper lunch break, either. We were not allowed to eat outside and had to bring food back to eat.

The Taipei City Department of Labor also fined the company many times; you can look it up.

The scheduling system was also very strange. Part-time workers could choose their days off, but additional working days would still be added. This was not explained clearly during the interview.

I sincerely recommend that anyone considering this company not join it. It will be a huge waste of your time.