As someone who spent many years working at Guanglai, I noticed that this platform is rarely updated. Although I left the company a long time ago, I’m here to provide an update on its current situation. I’ll discuss both the pros and cons, all based on my personal experiences, observations, things I’ve heard, and personal feelings. Don’t let the person below with all the “aka” references accuse me of being biased. For everyone who thinks of Guanglai, I hope this helps you reflect on your own youth and future!
1. The lunch provided is nutritious. If you aren’t particularly picky about food, you can basically eat happily and won’t go hungry. The meals are plentiful. As for why, you can fill in the blanks yourselves—it shouldn’t be difficult.
2. Other posts have said that the company lacks systems and efficiency. I don’t entirely agree. The company is indeed improving, but not every change is necessarily an improvement. As for efficiency, that depends on your interpersonal relationships within the company.
3. The colleagues at the company are generally very nice. As long as you aren’t a strange person, everyone will welcome you. They’re willing to share their experiences and ways of doing things, and you can make many good friends.
I can’t think of any more advantages. I’ll add more in the comments if I think of any......
Let me start by saying that I’m only highlighting the key points, because there are honestly too many.....
1. The NT$2,000 perfect-attendance bonus is real, but NT$500 is deducted for just half a day off, and it’s gone after two days of leave. The important point is that this is counted as part of your regular salary, so when negotiating your salary—or when you’re called and told you can report for work—make sure to ask clearly about it. Don’t let the boss’s wife gloss over it. That said, you don’t really have room to negotiate your salary anyway~
2. The Monday and Wednesday morning meetings used to include chanting the Guanglai spirit slogan. Fortunately, they stopped doing it later; otherwise, chanting it really would have felt hypocritical.
3. Everything requires asking the boss and the boss’s wife. For technical matters, ask the people inside; for anything involving money, ask the outside business manager—aka the boss’s wife, aka A-Mei, aka May. Basically, everything depends on whether the two of them like you. It’s a textbook double standard. Once they blacklist you, there’s no coming back—that’s when you should resign.
4. The company posts announcements when something affects its own interests. Anything involving the company’s rights will definitely be announced at morning meetings and on the bulletin board. But when employees’ rights are affected, they turn a blind eye; they’ll only tell you if you ask. So if you plan to join Guanglai, you need to understand your own rights and not let them deceive you for months, or all that hard-earned overtime pay will be gone.
5. I’ve heard that the staff in the office’s sales department are in constant turmoil every day because of the air-conditioning issue, with many people looking miserable. The indoor temperature has to reach 28°C before the air conditioning can be turned on, and it can only be set as low as 27°C. Many people bring their own fans, but you still have to apply to the company to bring one in, and can only do so after receiving approval. The reason is that electricity usage is related to information security, so the boss’s wife has to approve it. I’ve heard that the boss’s wife’s position is the coolest in the whole company. It’s hilarious.
6. The company has a consultant—an old consultant—who often applies experiences from a company he worked at several decades ago to this one. These ideas are basically outdated. For all the women out there, please think carefully, because this consultant objectifies women, and many people can’t stand that kind of attitude.
7. The overtime culture is very strong—to the point that leaving the company before 5:30 p.m. makes you feel as if you’ve done something wrong. If you don’t work overtime, people assume you aren’t serious enough, and if you resign, they say it’s because you didn’t put enough effort into your work.
8. The company has some so-called “nominal” bonuses. Basically, they’re visible but unattainable, and you’re toyed with like a monkey chasing a banana. Even when they are paid, the amount is insulting enough to make you wish they hadn’t bothered.
9. Guanglai no longer compares itself based on turnover, because although there are many interviews, basically nobody actually starts working there. Even if someone does join, they quickly experience the full reality of the company and usually leave after about a month.
10. Basically, if you take out your phone during working hours, there will be trouble. If a family member urgently needs to reach you, they’ll tell you to call the company phone number, and the sales staff will transfer the call for you. Truly very considerate—mwah.
11. The company has a Guanglai R&D Business Division that it is very proud of, with two managers. When projects fall behind, there are especially many excuses. Since the boss doesn’t understand the work, they lead him around by the nose. How tragic.
12. As for the year-end bonus, you can count yourself lucky if you get half a month’s salary.
13. The person above with all the “aka” references loves to meddle in everything. Whether they understand it or not, they have to get involved to feel comfortable. The key point is that they basically understand nothing except money, so many colleagues often end up with terrible headaches because of them.
14. It’s very common to see office colleagues eating breakfast outside first thing in the morning. If you don’t ask, nothing happens; but if you do, you find out that many of the people associated with “aka” say it will affect the office atmosphere, so office staff aren’t allowed to eat or drink, and may not even be allowed to use their phones.
15. The company randomly inspects people’s computers, including Skype chat records. In other words, during working hours you’re only allowed to do official business.