國泰商旅股份有限公司

None

The interview experience was extremely bad!

The position I applied for was an HR department part-time position.

When I arrived at the reception desk, there was no one there, and I had no idea whom to look for.

A colleague happened to walk by and asked me what I needed.

I said I was there for an interview, and they helped me find the HR department.

At first, HR took me to a small meeting room.

During the interview, they did not ask me to introduce myself at all, nor did they ask why I wanted to apply for this position, etc. Aren’t these basic interview questions? = =

HR first explained the job responsibilities and so on (the duties covered practically everything, and HR was even expected to shoot videos???), then asked whether I knew Excel. I said I was okay with the basics.

HR simply said “Okay,” and at that point we waited for the supervisor to come in.

As soon as the supervisor came in, they said to me: “You know HR needs to be extremely proficient in Excel, right?”

Then they walked out.

I was completely ??? and stunned. What was that supposed to be?

Then the interview ended after just 10 minutes—what was that???

Overall, it was a very unpleasant and uncomfortable interview experience.

I felt that the job seeker was treated with great disrespect.

The salary is decent, and there are many people on the HR team.

They tried to force me to resign by demoting me and cutting my salary, in order to evade their responsibility to provide severance. My family told the company that this violated the Labor Standards Act and did not comply with the company’s internal regulations, so the company backed down. However, they then used departmental rotations and cross-location support assignments to pressure employees into leaving. So I eventually resigned anyway. A company should not be so heartless toward colleagues who have worked hard together.

Cathay Hospitality is like a big tree—when the tree is big, it provides plenty of shade. Senior executives all sit under the tree enjoying the shade, while junior employees work overtime without overtime pay, receive a pitiful year-end bonus, and one person does the work of several. Enduring hardship is treated as if it were receiving a benefit.

The general manager basically doesn't concern himself with anything, making him the number one person relaxing under the tree. As for the vice presidents, you'll basically wish they would also go sit in the shade, because the more they try to manage things, the worse it gets.

I don't know where they found some of these awful managers. They are only there to hold positions of authority, not to do any work. It's a truly pathetic company.

And the most serious issue is really the internal infighting. Factional conflicts are severe, so if you like working in a harmonious atmosphere, you might as well not even try.

If you're looking for a job in the hotel industry, I suggest prioritizing some five-star brands or international chains, as they will be more helpful for your career credentials. Otherwise, changing jobs later will be very difficult. In the hotel industry, experience at Cathay Hospitality is a disadvantage, not an advantage—really, consider it carefully.

Can't think of any

The processes are very complicated, with a huge pile of reports and paperwork

It's like writing a thesis or taking the GSAT

Simple things just keep becoming more complicated

There are tons of rules, and employees are treated poorly; the environment isn't very good either

The salary isn't high, and the year-end bonus is tiny—or there isn't one at all

The hotel itself doesn't have decision-making authority over many matters

Things can be changed just because someone higher up says so. Great, huh?

After work or during your days off, you'll still be asked to complete things. If you don't finish them, watch out for the queen throwing a tantrum

When there aren't enough people, you'll be required to provide support across departments

There are so many drawbacks that I can't finish writing them all

To the senior management: if you want to retain talent, please consider treating your employees a little better! Also, respect is pretty important

The interview with the unit's design supervisor was fairly relaxed and pleasant.

The company went back on its word. We originally agreed on a monthly salary of 4*k for the position of Design Director, but one week before I was due to start, they called to say that after HR's approval, the salary had been changed to 3*k per month, and the job level would also be downgraded to Design Specialist. I was absolutely stunned.

I interviewed at the K Hotel Taipei on August 21, 2019. The interview took approximately 1.5 hours in total, and I spoke only with the design supervisor throughout. There were no senior executives or HR representatives present. Afterward, I went straight home. There was no second interview. On September 2, I emailed to ask about the interview result, and on September 6, the design supervisor replied that I needed to wait a little longer and asked me to email some of my photography work so it could be shown to senior management. I sent everything requested that same day.

On September 19, the design supervisor who had interviewed me called to tell me that I had been hired. He verbally told me that my monthly salary would be 4*k, with an adjustment after the probationary period, and asked during the call whether I could accept it. I said that I could. (In fact, considering their benefits as a whole, the overall package was not better than what my original company offered, but at the time I really wanted to work in the hotel industry, so I accepted.) He then asked me to confirm as soon as possible when I could leave my then-current company and start working at the K Hotel Taipei, urging me to do so as quickly as possible. He also sent me an employment offer that day, but it did not clearly state my future salary. Without noticing this, I submitted my resignation to my then-current company and confirmed that I would start working at the K Hotel Taipei on October 15.

On the afternoon of September 23, the HR manager at my former company told me that the K Hotel Taipei had called that day to inquire about my current salary. Naturally, the HR manager did not disclose it. Then, on the evening of September 25, I received a call from the marketing and public relations manager of the K Hotel Taipei's tourism business division. He said that because he had not interviewed me initially and the company's HR department had not met with me in person, the final HR-approved decision was to adjust my salary to 3*k per month and change my job level to Design Specialist. I was completely stunned by the news. The manager then asked whether I could accept it, while repeatedly emphasizing his job title. He said that if I accepted the position, he would be the highest-ranking supervisor in my future department. I did not really understand why he kept emphasizing his title at the time.

Overall, this experience made me feel that I had been completely deceived. The final salary was a full ten thousand dollars less than originally agreed, and the job level was also downgraded. It was utterly speechless. If they thought my abilities were unsuitable in the first place, they should not have told me I was hired, much less asked me to resign from my original company. Moreover, I had more than five years of relevant experience, yet the salary they later offered was considerably lower than what I had been earning in my previous job. It made me feel completely humiliated. I strongly advise anyone considering applying for a similar position at this company to think carefully. At the very least, make sure you receive the official offer from HR and confirm your start date before resigning from your current company. Don't make the same mistake I did by relying on a verbal agreement and then resigning from your original job.

The financial resources of the Cathay Life Garden Group are truly substantial: all five hotels are operating at a loss, losing a great deal of money, yet the group continues to open more and plans to open two additional hotels. It continues expanding without having found a profitable business model... The interests of shareholders and policyholders are a cause for concern.

The profitable business model has not been found, and the turnover rate among senior executives in the business-travel hotel division is extremely high. Changes among general managers and associate general managers seem to be the norm. Is this because the company is unable to foster cohesion and loyalty, or are all of the company's operational difficulties being shouldered by senior executives? It is normal for managers to take responsibility, but the turnover rates among the level 8, 9, and 10 managers—the actual decision-making center—are very low. Shouldn't they be held responsible? There is a major gap at the level 7 manager tier, and talent is already in short supply.

To an outsider, it simply looks laughable. Can the senior management of the Lin Yuan Group really remain so calm and detached?

The atmosphere among colleagues is pretty good

(maybe because the source of the suffering is the same?)

Basically, if you don't get along with your manager, you're doomed to suffer

And I've heard that a manager in a certain unit, because they don't have to clock in,

uses a different excuse every day for not coming to the office or only showing up in the afternoon

Even swollen eyelids can be used as a reason not to come in

(and they don't even get docked pay—so awesome)

Yet they are extremely strict about their subordinates' attendance

And they also won't allow people to claim overtime pay

If you work overtime without pay and are late in the morning, you have to use personal leave

The reason is that they're afraid an increase in the department's labor costs will draw criticism

Basically, the standard here

is simply whatever mood the manager happens to be in

In short, if you can become a manager here, it's actually pretty great

You can yell at people extremely loudly in the office

(The vice president even emailed the manager telling them to speak more quietly when scolding people)

You can also come in whenever you feel like it, and you won't be docked pay if you don't feel like coming in

You can even tell your subordinates to prepare reports and then just piece them together yourself

If you're not a manager,

just pray that you get along with your manager

Trying to stay out of trouble is useless

Because some people insist on being joined at the hip

They'll even create group chats with their trusted subordinates to badmouth other subordinates

Everything above was just something I dreamed about

Any resemblance is purely coincidental—blame Chiao Hu

The colleagues are all nice.

The manager is like a lunatic.

You go to work every day feeling constantly on edge,

terrified that one day she’ll go crazy again.

Then your whole day is ruined.

Everyone works overtime every day without knowing what they’re working on.

Almost everything submitted gets sent back at least twice

for some inexplicable reasons and completely nonsensical standards.

If you leave early, people will think you have nothing to do (and “early” already means 8 p.m.).

You also have to be careful about suddenly receiving messages on holidays.

You can’t claim overtime pay even when working overtime.

And they still call it “human-centered management”—it’s ridiculous.

There is a large budget, and it is easy to apply for funding. It is a place where you can gain practical experience through hands-on practice. Organizing an event, you can casually spend several million; for publicity, hiring performers and bloggers, they spend money without hesitation. So the work is very fulfilling.

It is much like watching a palace-intrigue drama. The general manager and deputy general manager fight back and forth, but wear masks while doing so, leaving all the employees caught in the middle. The deputy general manager also plays mind games with senior executives. Many erroneous policies stem from ideological issues and are not really intended to make the company better.

Generally complies with the Labor Standards Act.

There are absolutely no benefits to speak of.

The mid- and senior-level managers are embroiled in infighting and only target, make things difficult for, and humiliate employees without formal titles. Inexperienced people direct experts, employees keep leaving, staffing is severely inadequate, and the company is unwilling to hire replacements. Employees are expected to work overtime indefinitely and must provide long-term cross-departmental support without objection.

Standards for doing things are inconsistent, and responsibility is passed around from top to bottom. Many people are all talk and cannot actually do the work. Although meal fees are collected, there are only leftovers every day—sometimes even food from the previous night. The quality is poor, and the portions are pitifully small, not even as good as a 50-dollar boxed meal.

When the company has money, it only spends it on superficial things and is unwilling to spend money on even basic tools for generating revenue.