Workplace reviews and discussion: 元大金融控股股份有限公司(元大金控) (元大證券) (元大銀行)

Anyone can get hired as a bank teller just by applying.

The bank has an extremely low standing within Yuanta Financial Holdings; the securities arm controls all the company’s resources and power, and bank employees are often expected to provide free labor for the securities branches. If you want to work for a bank, don’t choose Yuanta; if you want to work for Yuanta, don’t choose the bank.

Yuanta’s corporate culture is extremely conservative and rigid, much like an ancient imperial court with a strict hierarchy. Even an assistant branch manager can publicly humiliate clerks, and the bank’s regulations are stricter than those of other banks. All sorts of bizarre rules make things difficult for bank employees—for example, when a customer closes an account, employees are still forced to update the customer’s information, including taking a photo. The customer is no longer planning to do business with this bank, yet employees still have to go through these unnecessary procedures. Various other miscellaneous tasks also have to be handled at the branch after hours. If a customer makes multiple transactions, a report may be generated requiring the bank employee to call and ask the customer about each transaction one by one. If the customer says they did not make one, the employee must keep asking repeatedly until the customer remembers; otherwise, an audit of the recording will make a big issue of it and mark it as a deficiency.

As for pay, the starting salary for new hires here is notoriously low. Although it is a bank under a financial holding company, the compensation is about the same as that of a third-tier bank. During the interview, they say they guarantee 14 months of pay, but the details are always vague. The extra two months are not all counted as year-end bonuses; the three seasonal bonuses are also included in the 14 months. If you have not worked for a full year, the amount is prorated based on the time you were not employed, and the probationary period is not counted as time employed either. In addition, every branch must have someone receive the lowest performance rating at year-end. At some branches, there must be one person at every rating level. As long as you are a new hire, even if your KPI ranking is near the top and your workload exceeds expectations, you will receive the worst performance rating in your first year.

The salary offered is extremely low, yet they always demand people who can contribute immediately. They cannot afford the salaries of experienced bank employees, but expect inexperienced newcomers to know everything as soon as they join. At the same time, they provide little instruction while expecting employees to handle every miscellaneous task. The return for all that effort is completely disproportionate. Ambitious people leave after only a short time, resulting in a severe “dead sea” phenomenon throughout the company. Almost everyone who remains has little ability; as long as they flatter superiors and push work onto others, they can receive good performance ratings year after year. Over time, many unsuitable employees are even promoted into managerial positions.