The lady boss is beautiful and kind-hearted. Everything I buy is delicious. It’s rare to come across a boss lady like her.
Our supervisor has a high EQ and often serves as a great bridge between the boss and us. Every supervisor at the company is wonderful! The design department is highly cooperative, and the administrative department is very supportive, giving those of us fighting battles out there peace of mind.
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Our business mainly works with photographers and designers. The heads of the photography and design departments are both quite responsible, so I think that’s great. The main thing is that when we have support from the teams behind us, our work goes more smoothly. The company places great importance on our relationship with clients and the client retention rate. When we receive support from the teams behind us and the retention rate increases, our bonuses can be quite high.
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I am responsible for handling school-related business. There are more tenders in the second half of the year, but the working hours are still fairly normal. Every year from March to May is very busy, and I have to work overtime, but I think the salary is quite good—it exceeds my expected salary. Overall, I think it is pretty OK.
None.
The work environment is okay, and the colleagues are pleasant to work with.
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The work environment is pretty good, it’s fairly close to home, and I get along very well with my colleagues.
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Because I had relevant work experience before, I find the workload here manageable, and I got up to speed fairly quickly.
No major problems.
Completing the tasks assigned by my supervisor, and the working relationship is quite pleasant.
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The work environment was quite good, and there weren’t many miscellaneous tasks. I left because it was a bit far from home.
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All my colleagues are very helpful, and the supervisors treat everyone very well. Work is enjoyable, and there is not much particular pressure.
Everyone helps one another.
Sometimes the office is too noisy....
Working hard and complaining together with colleagues who joined around the same time, without overtime pay.
Colleagues from other departments are also very nice. Since there is no direct conflict of interest, they treat people politely and kindly.
1. Every day, you are supposed to arrive at the company and clock in at 9:00, but they have a strange grace period, and the latest you can clock in is after 10:00.
Most employees do not arrive on time, so it is possible to be locked outside, waiting for an employee with a key to come in. I later found out that they hide their keys somewhere else.
2. It is a responsibility-based system: if you have not finished your work, you have to stay, no matter how late it is, and there is no overtime pay.
I once heard other employees say that, because there was no MRT, they had no choice but to take a taxi. The next day, they discussed how much they had spent on the taxi fare.
Yes, there is no overtime pay.
3. There is no system to speak of. Basically, nothing is ever properly discussed or agreed upon; supervisors simply handle everything on the spur of the moment.
For example, when a comic from the design department failed to make money, they held a meeting and said they would use a simple method to process things in batches, then cut the salaries of two young women in the design department to make up for their own losses. Later, I heard that when they really could not keep going, they forced them to leave; if they refused, they were ultimately laid off.
4. There is an unbelievable amount of office gossip. They love complaining about upper management, and every person has different gossip to share every day.
I am a former employee who has already left. I don't know what happened to you, but I worked at this company for three years, so I would also like to share my experiences from those three years.
I was a recent graduate with no work experience. On my first day reporting to the company, I had to sign a non-compete agreement. The HR staff let me read it carefully, and I asked questions about some parts I was unsure about. It seemed to contain the kinds of requirements stipulated by most companies, so I signed it.
When I didn't know how to do anything at first, my supervisor and experienced colleagues taught me. The process was indeed very painful, but I really learned a lot. The difficult part was that whenever I didn't do something well, it was repeatedly revised, and I also had to work overtime; the benefit, however, was that my professional skills improved. Therefore, the people who often worked until very late may have been new employees or inexperienced people like me.
By my second year, the whole situation had improved. I may have become familiar with the work and faster at completing it, and I no longer had to work overtime constantly as I did in my first year. The more projects I took on, the more money I earned, so I could receive more than 40,000–50,000 per month. Preparing proposals really did require overtime, and if a project won the bid, there was also a performance bonus of 10,000. Their system was that the more capable you were, the more you earned—not that the more senior you were, the more you earned. I also had to work overtime from February to April because all the graduation yearbooks had to be completed at the same time. The pressure was truly enormous.
After three years, I left because I wanted to learn new things in a different industry. During an interview, the company I was interviewing with asked me to provide a recommender from my previous company. They may have wanted to first understand my actual situation at my former company!
What goes around comes around!!! When I didn't understand things, my supervisor and experienced colleagues taught me a lot. Once I got the hang of the work, I worked with them quite smoothly. When I interviewed, my former supervisor must have recommended me; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been hired by my current company. Although I wasn't very familiar with him, I am very grateful!
I am a former employee who has already left. I don't know what happened to you, but I worked at this company for three years, so I would also like to share my experiences from those three years.
I was a recent graduate with no work experience. On my first day reporting to the company, I had to sign a non-compete agreement. The HR staff let me read it carefully, and I asked questions about some parts I was unsure about. It seemed to contain the kinds of requirements stipulated by most companies, so I signed it.
When I didn't know how to do anything at first, my supervisor and experienced colleagues taught me. The process was indeed very painful, but I really learned a lot. The difficult part was that whenever I didn't do something well, it was repeatedly revised, and I also had to work overtime; the benefit, however, was that my professional skills improved. Therefore, the people who often worked until very late may have been new employees or inexperienced people like me.
By my second year, the whole situation had improved. I may have become familiar with the work and faster at completing it, and I no longer had to work overtime constantly as I did in my first year. The more projects I took on, the more money I earned, so I could receive more than 40,000–50,000 per month. Preparing proposals really did require overtime, and if a project won the bid, there was also a performance bonus of 10,000. Their system was that the more capable you were, the more you earned—not that the more senior you were, the more you earned. I also had to work overtime from February to April because all the graduation yearbooks had to be completed at the same time. The pressure was truly enormous.
After three years, I left because I wanted to learn new things in a different industry. During an interview, the company I was interviewing with asked me to provide a recommender from my previous company. They may have wanted to first understand my actual situation at my former company!
What goes around comes around!!! When I didn't understand things, my supervisor and experienced colleagues taught me a lot. Once I got the hang of the work, I worked with them quite smoothly. When I interviewed, my former supervisor must have recommended me; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been hired by my current company. Although I wasn't very familiar with him, I am very grateful!
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Low pay and long working hours
Salary deductions under various pretexts (for example, deducting 100 in “welfare fees” every month despite providing no benefits at all)
Clock in when you start work, but work on a responsibility-based system after hours; overtime is unpaid
The situation is basically exactly the same as in that post from two years ago. Two years have passed, and this company is still the same. Run while you can
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I interviewed with this company last year, and it seems they are still continuously hiring, haha.
I wrote about my interview experience at the time, but it disappeared, so I’m writing this from memory for everyone’s reference.
1. The salary was so low that it was insulting and also violated the Labor Standards Act (I reported it to the labor bureau as soon as I got home from the interview).
2. After looking at my work experience and portfolio, they said, “You know all of this software,” and that after one year, knowing one software program would add 1,000 to your salary.
3. Overtime and working on holidays are required before graduation season, but there is a two-month break during the summer (it is unclear whether it is paid).
In summary, don’t waste your time.
The person who interviewed me was probably not a supervisor, just an employee. She politely told me that someone who could live at home and had no financial pressure would probably be a better fit, haha.
There is no such thing~
A lousy company that tampers with your salary and deducts money under all sorts of pretexts!!!!
They underreport your labor insurance salary, causing your labor pension to decrease; even after being reported, they still pretend nothing happened and refuse to pay the money back. Absolutely despicable!
(They insure you based on the lowest salary, which may be only around the labor basic wage of 18,000 NTD!!)
This is a job where it wouldn't be surprising to get home at midnight—even later. You won't get enough sleep and it will exhaust you!
I’ve been working at the company for almost a year now. I was initially quite lost, but thanks to the highly systematic internal support, I can now handle projects independently from start to finish! The company has a very well-established system, with a supervisor assigned to assist at every stage so everyone can support one another. Although there are occasionally conflicts caused by friction in the way we work, they are unavoidable and ultimately help us cooperate better in the future! There are also weekly supervisor and department meetings, allowing us to address and improve the previous week’s issues. It’s truly an honor to grow together with the company! The company atmosphere, which I value most, is also wonderful here. We’re all like family now—even when projects are exhausting, coming to work is still enjoyable! I’m very honored to have joined this big family~
The only drawback is that you have to walk a little to find places to eat near the company. In summer, I really recommend eating at the nearby 7-Eleven~
The work environment is pretty good. During the busiest times of peak season, the work gets more stressful, but otherwise it's fine.
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The staff get along quite harmoniously, and because I had design experience before, I was able to get the hang of the work fairly quickly.
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Since I applied to a transmission design company related to my major, I found the work fairly easy to get the hang of. I didn’t encounter any difficult clients—perhaps I was just a bit lucky.
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The work environment is pretty good, and colleagues get along well. When rushing to meet deadlines, though, everyone's emotions run wild.==
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Everyone gets along quite well at work. Sometimes there’s more stress when we’re rushing to meet a project deadline, haha.
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The air conditioning in Taipei 101 is very strong! People who get hot easily will probably like it!
There are too many drawbacks and problems to list. I’ve written several posts sharing my experiences in the Chat section~ I’ll continue updating them in the future.
I’m posting here to make sure people who may not have seen the Chat section notice this 0.0 Whether you’re currently working there, planning to join, or interviewing, you can go take a look~!
I remember that when I first joined the Sales Department, I encountered tendering and coordinating photography schedules with schools during my first semester. I felt very lost about what to do next, but my supervisor always accompanied me to meetings and helped me build relationships with clients. We also regularly discussed tenders together with the boss, which helped me become increasingly capable—and I could even receive generous winning bonuses! The winning bonuses alone far exceeded my expected salary!! As long as you are willing to work hard, you can earn them! The Photography Department supervisor was also extremely supportive and easy to coordinate with when arranging photographers, and would remind us of important details that made clients feel more reassured. This made serving schools not only smooth but also highly rewarding! When helping students with classes, the Design Department thoughtfully arranged for designers to accompany me, allowing me to feel at ease while learning design-related knowledge! Starting in the second semester, we began proofreading. Although it became somewhat busier, taking a project step by step through printing and bookbinding was an incredibly interesting and rewarding process! I especially loved the sense of unity when everyone discussed how to handle each school’s project in a way that would best satisfy the client. It made me feel truly honored to be part of the team! Finally, when the school inspection revealed an unexpectedly excellent finished product, the school’s enthusiastic praise made me even prouder to be a member of the Sales Department!
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There are very few pros, but there are still some 0.0
I wrote everything I wanted to share in the chat section~ Feel free to take a look, everyone. If I see your comments, I’ll reply to you all~
I’m one of the longer-serving employees at the company. The reason I’ve been able to stay this long is definitely not because the work is very easy (work is never easy, is it?); rather, it’s because the atmosphere at the company is harmonious, colleagues support one another, the boss solves our problems, and I’ve continued to grow here. As long as you’re willing to work hard, your performance is reflected in your income, which I think is great. The company has a system of rewards and penalties, but in practice, the boss also gives additional rewards or waives penalties based on employees’ work performance. The boss is very considerate of employees and is a generous, big-hearted leader.
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Photography/Curatorial Department
United and selfless; experienced colleagues mentor newcomers, and team cohesion is strong.
I am a photographer responsible for taking photos and setting up venues.
Besides taking photos, I usually also help with other company tasks (such as administration, design, video editing, and so on).
Photography work is usually busy until June or July.
I feel that the company has really improved a lot from before until now!!
Both the salary and the systems have begun to improve.
The supervisors are also very considerate of employees.
The boss treats employees generously as well.
傳動 is like one big family.
As long as you are willing to contribute to this big family,
the boss and supervisors will definitely see your efforts and give you corresponding rewards.
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I’m currently a new employee in the Planning Department, having joined just a few months ago, and I’m still in the learning stage. When I first started, I had no experience organizing events at all, so I felt pretty discouraged. But over these past few months, my colleagues and supervisors have been great and patient in guiding me. Since I’m not very confident, they often encourage me, and whenever I encounter something I don’t know how to handle, they come over to help. That left the deepest impression on me. Sometimes we get barbecue or braised snacks that the boss’s wife orders from outside. In short, you can learn things here as long as you’re willing to put in the effort.
Nothing really.
Planning Department—The supervisor is very kind, and the team supports one another, working together to complete projects. Not only are the clients satisfied, but I also gain a great sense of accomplishment.
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Everyone in the design department helps one another and shares design tips. The supervisor is understanding.
The job offers opportunities to work on different types of design and accumulate diverse experience.
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Working overtime to the point of overwork and ending up in the emergency room counts as a pro?
I really wish this company would stop manipulating its reviews :(
The company has many departments, some with more people and some with fewer, but everyone is like one big family. Even colleagues from different departments help train new employees. Working at 傳動 gives me a strong sense of belonging, and the atmosphere of working together is great.
I want to work here until retirement.
The supervisors are all pretty good. They follow up on projects and help whenever problems arise. Colleagues also help one another.
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The company has a lot of resources, and you can start learning the editing you’re interested in. It’s pretty awesome.
Still thinking.
I don't know what it was like before,
but here you can learn a lot efficiently and improve quickly.
My colleagues are all easy to get along with,
and my supervisor takes good care of everyone too.
The workload is very heavy.
I receive too much bonus money.
Relationships among colleagues are pretty good, and our supervisor takes fairly good care of us. The work atmosphere is quite good overall.
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The company’s salary is performance-based, and I received more than what was discussed at the time. I don’t know if this is the case for everyone.
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Working hours are very flexible, and the boss takes good care of the employees. As long as you do your own work well, you basically have a lot of freedom.
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I initially looked for a design company close to home to save time commuting to and from work. Since I had experience before studying in this field, I was quite familiar with the job duties. I completed the tasks assigned by my supervisor and did not encounter any problems.
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None at all…
All kinds of ways to exploit employees
can be experienced here.
Companies with high turnover
usually have serious problems.
Recent graduates, take note:
if it’s not because you’re too sensitive,
then there’s something wrong with the company.
I was young and didn’t do my homework back then,
and accidentally joined.
The turnover here is very high.
Next, check whether the company has employees who have been there for many years.
I recommend looking at the Business Planning and Design Departments;
that’s more accurate.
Here, people are either older or have been here for a long time.
Please take note!!
But you can only find this out after joining.
Within a few days of starting, you can ask around and get the facts straight.
If you feel there’s something wrong with the company, leave quickly~
I simply didn’t do my homework back then.
Finally, the salary!
Be careful not to be sold an overly rosy picture~
You may not necessarily receive performance bonuses,
and they aren’t paid every month either.
Sometimes, they may even owe you money……
Before joining, make sure to ask clearly and get everything explained.
This company paints a very big picture,
but not everyone gets to enjoy the benefits~
I hope this helps those of you looking for a job~
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This is a company where working overtime is habitual. For some projects, even the supervisors themselves have never done the work. Supervisors only talk about procedures in a formal sense, while the specific execution is left for you to figure out on your own. I suggest everyone ask questions and clarify things before considering whether to join the company. Endless overtime is the norm! The effort and the returns are not proportional! (Although they make things sound very good during the interview.)
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I don’t know what the company is like; I only know that they dump work on you directly and then don’t care whether you live or die. Working overtime until midnight is considered perfectly normal. What do you mean, performance pay higher than overtime pay? They just deduct several months’ accumulated wages, and if you don’t meet the target, you may even end up owing the company. The facts speak for themselves—go ask around yourselves!
The supervisor and the boss are always right woofwoof
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The more you work, the more you learn; the less you work, the less you learn. I want to do less work but still earn a high salary.
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Have you given employees their salary slips?
Are employees enrolled in Labor Insurance and National Health Insurance based on their salaries?
Are overtime payments provided for overtime work?
Will you continue using one person as multiple employees?
Will you continue making grand promises to gain trust?
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I only found out from the comments that six managers left within a year! That’s terrifying… Thank goodness I left quickly! Even the managers couldn’t handle it!
Some people leave after the interview, some leave after working for a few days, and some stay for more than a decade. The same rice feeds all kinds of people.
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None for now
Thank you for always caring so much about the feelings of former employees! How come you never did that when we were still employed?
Please stop wasting time on former employees! Treat your current employees well—they are struggling to hold on! If your company did a good job, current employees would invite their friends and relatives to join this high-paying team! Then you wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to find people, nor blame former employees for the reason you can’t find anyone! You keep trying to whitewash things.
A wise bird chooses a tree on which to perch; a worthy minister chooses a master to serve. I recommend leaving on good terms.
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This was originally posted in the casual chat section,
but the post was deleted.
Wherever one passes, one leaves traces behind.
I’ll still help document this company.
I had a dream.
Some stories happened in the dream.
Any resemblance is purely coincidental.
In that dream, I dreamed that a strange post appeared on this forum.
It was posted by someone at a managerial level who had worked there for twelve years.
That manager had already resigned, and then wrote about how great the company was, how happily the employees got along, and various things about the company’s journey from Sanchong to Taipei 101. They expressed gratitude for everything the company had once given them, thanked the boss for the care, thanked the support from those under them, and lamented that young people could not take hardship. The only drawback was that interviews should assess candidates’ moral character and education, and so on~
I continued sleeping and continued dreaming.
I dreamed that comments began appearing below, asking:
Are you the person in question? If you’re speaking as someone else, that’s a moral issue!
What was impressive was that the person in question also appeared and said, Oh, oh, I didn’t post this! Don’t impersonate me—moral education is very important!
Then, after comments flooded in and the person in question came out to say it wasn’t them, the post was deleted!
In the end, the dream never revealed who had written the post.
Only a few words surfaced: “Cut ties, spin, whitewash.”
I woke up and hurried to brush my teeth, wash my face, and head to work!
The first person to take things seriously is the one who loses~
It’s okay—if you surrender, count that as losing only half!
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Luckily, former employees have written about it; otherwise, it would waste valuable time.
I think the connections between people vary. When someone leaves, it’s best to part on good terms—why keep badmouthing former employees for no reason? Learn to let go. If you think they’re no good, why let them continue to disrupt your life? It makes you keep responding to every negative comment about the company’s poor transmission, and you even have to keep changing identities. Just thinking about it is exhausting…
There is a Ms. Y from CMYK. She isn’t a supervisor, but she is especially good at taking care of people. Once she sets her sights on you, she will take care of you in many ways. She is someone who hates everyone, so she is also hated by everyone! Case closed!
There is a Ms. Y from CMYK. She isn’t a supervisor, but she is especially good at taking care of people. Once she sets her sights on you, she will take care of you in many ways. She is someone who hates everyone, so she is also hated by everyone! Case closed!
I've been coming to Chuan Dong for a while and think it's great 👍
It might have been written by a disgruntled former employee, and it almost kept me from coming to Chuan Dong.
I think everyone's relationship with others is different. When you leave a job, you should part on good terms—why keep saying the same things over and over for no reason? Learn to let go. If you think Chuan Dong is so bad, why is your life still constantly being troubled by Chuan Dong? You end up having to keep responding to every positive comment about Chuan Dong and constantly switching identities. Just thinking about it is exhausting…
Every job is like being in a relationship. If you feel it's not a good fit, you end things and take good responsibility for your next partner, rather than continuing to argue with your ex and constantly telling people how bad they are… Isn't that a little petty?
Every business owner has their difficulties, and no one can be perfect. You're not perfect either, are you?
Take good responsibility for your new company. If you haven't found one yet, look seriously. If you have too much time, you could read a book or volunteer—those would be good too…
People who habitually complain don’t stay long.
It’s the same even if they go to Foxconn or TSMC.
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Because there is little overlap between colleagues’ responsibilities, coworkers are very friendly, and you can ask questions whenever you have them. However, everyone is extremely busy, and many people are often not in the office.
The work schedule is supposedly flexible, but in reality, working overtime is the norm. No one starts work punctually at nine; instead, people stay until seven or eight in the evening. As soon as you join, you are immediately put in charge of a project. They claim that someone will guide you, but in reality, it is merely a handover, and you have to figure out on your own what to do and which direction to take. I recommend asking clearly about the salary structure, year-end bonus, and other related matters, and assessing whether the salary is proportional to the time and effort required. Unlimited overtime is the norm.
I can’t think of any, nor can I make any up.
Anyone who has carefully observed this company has probably noticed that they are hiring every day, 365 days a year. The employee turnover rate is frighteningly high.
Usually, people who hate the company are mostly people who are disliked themselves. Case closed!
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Not trying to whitewash it,
but some of the comments are pretty outrageous.
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It’s okay.
Everyone in the photography department is very nice.
The supervisor is genuinely very nice.
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Yes
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Yes
Every company has problems to some extent.
Whether you can learn depends on yourself.
People who don't want to learn or work and only want to earn a high salary… hehe.
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The advantage is that there are no advantages
The disadvantage is that there are no advantages
I’m an employee who hasn’t resigned yet, and I dreamed...
The Investigation Bureau investigates itself...
I’ve worked at several companies before.
I’ve encountered companies where I couldn’t get paid.
At least at Chuan Dong, paychecks aren’t late.
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I worked in the drivetrain division for about two years.
This company is quite special, and the sales projects are fairly diverse.
If you are willing to learn, you can actually learn quite a lot.
I was quite surprised to see what some people had written.
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Communication among colleagues is good, and we help one another.
Aside from the one point mentioned under the pros, everything else is a drawback. The supervisors and boss are terrible, the workload is heavy, and the working hours are long (some people work overtime until the middle of the night). Most importantly, there is no overtime pay.
I recently joined the company and feel that the atmosphere of cooperation among departments is good. The boss and the boss’s wife take good care of the employees. I heard that the company has recently made some adjustments to its policies and systems, and personally, I think they’re pretty good! I wonder what kinds of people and situations the people in charge have encountered?
But at the moment, I feel that everyone is working seriously in their own positions. No one is chatting idly, and the work atmosphere is very good. It’s a good company. (I heard that previously there were some people whose values did not align with the company’s philosophy, but they have all left.)
At present, I am willing to trust this company, and I also hope to become more and more familiar with my work, get to know my colleagues better, and complete all kinds of tasks together. I’m someone who enjoys accepting challenges—wish me luck!
At Taipei 101, things in the food court are more expensive, but I usually walk over to the Wuxing Street side, so it’s not too bad.
If you only want to learn, you can learn a lot; you’ll become proficient in about half a year.
Since you work as a photographer, you usually have to go to the designated school in the morning, arriving at around seven o’clock. Yes, you read that right;
The assignments can be as far away as Hsinchu or Yilan. Of course, the company will provide you with a car, but it’s perfectly normal for the windows not to close or for the car to break down;
A NT$50,000 used car with a lingering cigarette smell is still bearable. What you fear most is smoke coming from the engine.
You have to pay for your own three meals. Occasionally, a school will invite you to eat with them, saving you the cost of one meal;
I can accept paying the fuel costs upfront. As for photography equipment, if you don’t have your own, the company may provide basic entry-level DSLR equipment,
which is why I say that having a learning mindset is important here: you can find out whether you really like photography.
What I found harder to accept was when the car broke down in Yilan. When I asked my supervisor how to handle it, they only said to leave the car there or have a tow truck take it back to a repair shop next to the company. Since I also had a shoot in Yilan the next day, I stayed at a friend’s house that night,
then followed the tow truck back to Taipei after finishing. I paid the towing fee upfront, took the receipt to claim reimbursement, but was refused?
Because they didn’t know whether I had caused the damage by driving it?
This place has absolutely no advantages...
Interview experience: The location was on the 20th floor of Taipei 101.
I arrived five minutes early for the interview. When I pushed open the door, there was no reception desk, only a pink partition with flowers on it, and some cardboard boxes stacked nearby. I went in, explained that I was there for an interview, and stated the position I had applied for. They then gave me a simple aptitude test with very few questions; I finished checking the boxes in about five minutes. After I finished, a staff member took the form and told me to wait because the supervisor was in a meeting! Okay. (No wonder there was hardly anyone at their desks—they were all in a meeting.) I looked around at the work environment. It was very messy: the cabinets were covered with yearbooks, and there were lots of cardboard boxes on the floor. The employees’ workstations were also quite small, and everyone was seated right in the middle. The area by the window seemed to be the supervisor’s spot. Later, I saw quite a few people standing or squatting in the front-right corner—turns out they were having a meeting. (My inner monologue: How strange. Is there no meeting room?)
Okay, I waited over 20 minutes for the interview, sitting there like an idiot.... Then a man saw me and asked, “You are?” I said, “Um, I’m here for the interview...” and asked, “Uh, where’s the supervisor?” The woman who had taken my form said, “The supervisor said to wait a moment!” I really waited a long time = =
Finally, the interview started! The supervisor was sitting at an employee’s workstation, then dragged another chair over beside it, and that was where the interview began. Most importantly, the desk space was messy and tiny.... 🙄️
I interviewed for the position of design assistant.
The supervisor briefly described the job and immediately offered NT$26,000.
They did not ask about my expected salary at all!
(No three holiday bonuses, no year-end bonus, and a responsibility-based position with no overtime pay.)
Me: “Does the NT$26K include the perfect-attendance bonus?”
Supervisor: “Yes!”
Me: “How much is the perfect-attendance bonus?”
Supervisor: “Um... we don’t have a perfect-attendance bonus...”
But they do have performance bonuses: three people in a group, with the bonus shared based on how many projects the group takes on and completes. After the supervisor talked about it for a while, they added, “But our bonus system hasn’t been finalized yet.” 😀 What a joke—just empty talk... They’re very good at painting a rosy picture.
I won’t go into detail about the job duties.
There is a certain amount of work that has to be completed every day, and you can only go home after the team leader reviews it and finds no problems. They don’t pay overtime, and you’re not allowed to take the work home to do!
The supervisor asked when I could start. I said in a week, because I needed time to open a bank account and so on. That was the end of the interview.
Follow-up—
About three days after the interview, at around 8 p.m., there was a missed call from them informing me that I had been hired. Since I didn’t answer, they sent me a notification through 104 saying I had been hired and asking whether I could come in to start work the next day. But I had clearly said a week! I don’t know what they were in such a hurry about. 🤔 Later, after discussing the assistant’s duties with a friend and realizing that they seemed somewhat unrelated to the company’s graduation project work, I was worried that there might be no work after a project was completed. So I called the supervisor to confirm whether this was a full-time position or a contract position.
After confirming that it was indeed full-time, I told them my start date. The supervisor said work began at 9:00 and that I only needed to bring my ID card. That was it; the call ended.
One week later—
On the day I was supposed to report, I arrived at the lobby of Taipei 101 at 8:40. I waited until 8:50, then went to the card-issuing machine and pressed the call button, but no one answered. I called six or seven times in succession, but no one responded. It was already 9:00, and I had practically given up on life... Quite a few people came to the card machine that morning. It’s no exaggeration to say that almost everyone made one phone call and then got a card to go upstairs! I was still on the first floor = =
Then my stomach suddenly started hurting, so I went to the restroom. Afterward, at almost 9:20, I went back to the card machine and called again. Finally, someone answered! I explained that I had come to report for work, received a card, and successfully went upstairs. I was taken to a workstation and asked to fill out a personal information form and an employment contract, which was about five pages, as well as a 21-page job description filled with clauses. After reading them, I was supposed to sign!
After filling out the personal information form, I asked the supervisor whether I could take the job description home to review and bring it back the next day. The supervisor said, “Um... In all the years our company has been hiring hundreds of people, you’re the first person who has wanted to take it home for review! Hmm... I’ll ask.” A few minutes later, I said, “I’ve finished filling out the personal information form, so I’ll give it to you first.” The supervisor looked at the employment-history section of my personal information form and said, “I don’t know—did your previous company really let you take the contract home for review like this?”
I explained that at my previous company, the hiring process involved calling to notify candidates that they had been hired, then telling them that, after a few minutes, an offer letter, contract, and other documents would be sent to them by encrypted email for review. The contract signed on the reporting date had already been reviewed before the person reported for work; they only needed to sign it. They didn’t require so many documents and contract clauses to be signed within such a short time without having been read first.
The supervisor said, “Oh, well, every company has a different process!” Then, after looking at my personal information form again, they said, “I want to find employees who are independent individuals. Sometimes you need to make immediate judgments at work. If you need to take everything home to review or have your parents look at it, I feel that you may not be suitable for the position! Of course, I’m not saying you lack the ability to do the work; I think your judgment is unsuitable. I’ll keep your personal information for now. Go home today, think it over carefully, and give me your answer tomorrow.”
I asked, “So can I take the contract home?” The supervisor immediately said, “I’m sorry, no!” I really don’t know what they were so afraid of.
The job description differed from what was said during the interview in many ways, and many of the clauses and items were problematic!
For example, during the interview they said there were two days off per week, but the contract said every other week off?
They said the perfect-attendance bonus was included in the salary and that there was no additional bonus,
but the contract said there was a NT$2,000 perfect-attendance allowance/bonus.
What was that supposed to mean?
So if I take leave, will they deduct another NT$2,000 from my salary?
Wow, then the salary would only be NT$24K! And that’s before deducting labor insurance—who knows how much would be left after that, haha.
I live in Taipei, too, and this salary is really too low! For someone moving to Taipei from elsewhere, it might not even be enough to live on. It’s even less than what you’d earn working at the 7-Eleven downstairs.... And there are no three holiday bonuses, no year-end bonus, and it’s a responsibility-based position with no overtime pay.
They said I wasn’t suitable 😀 Well, I wasn’t going to grovel for someone’s attention either. Of course, I didn’t go back!
Anyway, anyone who gets hired should think carefully.
Work overtime for the boss for free until you drop dead. Starting at 6 p.m., the boss earns passive income from your overtime pay. Suppose an employee earns 200 per hour; by 10 p.m., with about 20 employees still working overtime, the boss makes 16,000. Moreover, overtime is mandatory, and you are not allowed to object. This is a conservative estimate; many times, people are still working overtime until nearly midnight, without overtime pay. The supervisor says that today's work must be finished no matter what time it is, even if it takes until 2 a.m. The key point is that there is no overtime pay. The company has its own very special formula. Even though it is a monthly salary system, they will still say that you failed to meet your performance targets and illegally cut your pay. The company takes advantage of its employees shamelessly—it always wins. You can ask former employees and find out. There is too much to write; it is impossible to finish.... Employees have no way to speak up. The company has watchdogs who constantly keep an eye on you and report on you. If you have an opinion, they will gang up and say that your work is inefficient and full of mistakes, collectively bully you, and illegally dismiss you. I believe many former employees can relate.
Work overtime for the boss for free until you drop dead. Starting at 6 p.m., the boss earns passive income from your overtime pay. Suppose an employee earns 200 per hour; by 10 p.m., with about 20 employees still working overtime, the boss makes 16,000. Moreover, overtime is mandatory, and you are not allowed to object. This is a conservative estimate; many times, people are still working overtime until nearly midnight, without overtime pay. The supervisor says that today's work must be finished no matter what time it is, even if it takes until 2 a.m. The key point is that there is no overtime pay. The company has its own very special formula. Even though it is a monthly salary system, they will still say that you failed to meet your performance targets and illegally cut your pay. The company takes advantage of its employees shamelessly—it always wins. You can ask former employees and find out. There is too much to write; it is impossible to finish.... Employees have no way to speak up. The company has watchdogs who constantly keep an eye on you and report on you. If you have an opinion, they will gang up and say that your work is inefficient and full of mistakes, collectively bully you, and illegally dismiss you. I believe many former employees can relate.
Colleagues get along very harmoniously, help each other, and even arrange to go out for meals together in private, etc. (limited to colleagues at the same level).
Managers gossip behind people's backs. When I was about to resign, I heard a manager telling colleagues from other departments unfounded rumors about me and my relationships with others. Almost all of the managers and the owner of the company profess Christianity, yet they still engage in shameful little acts that make people feel embarrassed.
All the other shortcomings listed above are present as well. If you can escape, escape quickly.
The colleagues are all very nice, kind, and sincere.
That is the only advantage.
If you are a newcomer to the workforce or a recent graduate,
can it serve as a stepping stone for gaining experience?
Still, it would be better not to go.
There are other companies that are more suitable for gaining experience.
The salary system has already been explained very clearly above,
so I will not elaborate further.
Senior Designer:
BOSS: What are your areas of expertise?
Writer: Graphic design, designing and formatting EDMs, uploading images, and so on.
BOSS: Do you know how to use InDesign?
Writer: Not very well, but I’m willing to learn.
Writer: May I ask how many people are in the design department?
BOSS: 12 people.
Writer: Would it be okay if I’m not very familiar with this software?
BOSS: It’s okay if you don’t know it. A lot of the designs there are done very quickly, so you’ll hardly ever use this software—and you’re not as fast as they are anyway.
BOSS: I don’t want you to wear down your design skills, so basically, you won’t have much contact with this area.
Writer: Is there overtime pay?
BOSS: Yes, but March through May is our overtime season. Basically, you probably won’t have to handle the work that much; they work overtime on weekends, and take compensatory leave in July and August.
BOSS: What salary are you expecting?
Writer: NT$32,000 during the probationary period, then a salary based on the company’s evaluation after becoming a regular employee.
BOSS: What is the earliest date you could start?
Writer: One week from now.
Senior Designer
The writer’s observations after working for one week following being hired (the writer resigned afterward)
My main duties involved assisting Biiu (Planning) with projects, but I was a senior designer managed by the Design Department.
The design team was divided into: 1. Yearbook Team 2. Planning Department Support
Since this involved work for the Planning Department, the duties included projects such as Farmers’ Association Friends (a monthly magazine) and projects for public-sector agencies, among others.
Basically, this position requires extensive use of software such as InDesign and Photoshop. Since I was very inexperienced with ID, I often worked overtime until 8 or 9 p.m. I spent my time producing Farmers’ Association Friends, the monthly magazine, while building up my skills and technical abilities. During this period, the Design Manager and Planning Manager would also personally step in to provide patient guidance. Unfortunately, every job has its procedures and deadlines. Newcomers should be mentally prepared to work overtime.
However, during the new-employee training period, the Design Manager said that because it was training, I would not receive overtime pay for those days. The company would only pay me for eight hours each day; any time beyond that would not be counted.
No overtime pay / no overtime pay / no overtime pay
I won’t say much more. The people are very nice, colleagues get along well, and there are many places to eat nearby.
I sat between Administration and Planning for convenient training, and I often saw employees from various departments working overtime until 8 or 9 p.m. It was very energetic.
However, be careful about occupational hazards. During my employment, I saw two young employees from the Design Department experience health problems: one had a recurrence of an abdominal tumor, while the other kept coughing due to gastroesophageal reflux. They went together to register at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. Because of my resignation, the Planning Manager stayed up until dawn and fell down the stairs the next day. Basically, I’m very concerned about their health.
Newcomers may need to pay attention to whether the occupational risks and benefits fall within what they can handle before considering joining. Those who stay may leave after completing their training, and the turnover rate is quite high.
Basically, the company is very stable and unlikely to go under, which is reassuring.
None
Everyone deserves a better job
Don't waste your time here
I. First, the conclusion:
(1) Salary?
18k + 2k perfect-attendance bonus (including free overtime) = 20k. Travel and commuting, fuel, maintenance, and three meals are all at your own expense. (You can claim fuel expenses for company vehicles, but... don’t drive one unless you have a really tough constitution.)
Calculated as a daily wage under a five-day workweek, the daily pay is about 800 yuan. This company does not have a five-day workweek system, nor does it pay year-end bonuses.
(2) Working hours?
Officially 09:00–18:00,
Actually 07:00–19:00 (excluding overtime; with overtime, the workday is approximately 14 hours or more.)
From September to February, you get half a day off every other week; from March to June, only Sundays are days off; July and August are unpaid leave (you must sign a resignation agreement and a non-compete agreement).
(3) Is labor and health insurance provided?
Health insurance is provided, but you have to enroll in labor insurance yourself through the professional union.
(4) Paid leave?
No annual leave, sick leave, or personal leave. Taking any of the above results in deductions from both the perfect-attendance bonus and that day’s pay (2,000 perfect-attendance bonus + 600 daily wage). No one has used bereavement leave or other “leave,” so I’m not sure about those.
(5) Future prospects
Honestly, unless you stay in the sales department and receive a share of the profits, the other departments really have no future. The boss is currently outsourcing work at even lower prices, and staff in the other departments have all been reduced. As for promotions, benefits, and salary... there’s even less to say. Are the people who continue staying really willing to live like this? Or have they simply gotten used to this kind of “life”? Or are they too lazy to change until they are “laid off” before finally waking up?
(6) Personal thoughts
The boss of this company is really xxx!
II. The company’s actual situation
The salary is only 18k, plus a 2k perfect-attendance bonus. You clock in when you arrive and clock out when you leave, but the work is under a responsibility-based system after hours (with no overtime pay). There is no year-end bonus. Official working hours are 09:00–18:00, but they are calculated according to the travel distance for business trips. Usually, preparation starts before 7 a.m. and continues until the work is finished; you normally leave after 6 p.m., usually around 7 p.m.
The company provides health insurance, but you have to enroll in labor insurance yourself through the professional union (the company does not help with enrollment). It does not proactively provide clock-in records or pay slips (and nothing comes of it even if you ask). There is no five-day workweek. During the busy season, you only get four days off per month and are required to work unpaid overtime unconditionally (they fob you off with a boxed meal; if you take the meal but don’t work late enough, you may even get dirty looks). Overtime often continues until nearly midnight, and the sales department works overnight even more frequently.
Except for the sales department, when traveling for photography assignments, you must pay for fuel and maintenance yourself if you do not use a company vehicle. You also pay for your own meals. The company vehicles are all used cars and are in very poor condition—for example, the air conditioning does not cool, the power windows cannot be opened, and there are often strange noises while driving. Even after reporting these problems to the company supervisors, they still did not want to spend money on repairs, and only considered repairing the vehicles after someone nearly had an accident. (It was winter and raining at the time; the air conditioning was broken, the windows could not be opened, and the entire car fogged up, making it impossible to see the road clearly. A colleague nearly crashed into the opposite lane.)
The company’s equipment is also in terrible condition. Except for the sales department, the graphic design department, and supervisors, who have their own computers, everyone else has to take turns borrowing computers (waiting for a computer wastes a lot of time, even though you have to get up early for work the next day...). Everything from the operating system to the various Adobe programs is pirated.
For the year-end party, employees have to prepare a performance for the boss (when things are already so busy, you still have to prepare this!? You even have to pay for the props yourself!). There are no raffle prizes at the year-end party, but there is prize money totaling approximately 40,000 or less. In addition to the boss contributing money, each supervisor also has to contribute. The company has approximately 70 employees, and about eight people receive prize money. This kind of year-end party is basically just overtime—only the “boxed meal” is a little more elaborate.
The company’s customers are graduating students from various schools. Externally, the company presents itself as providing graduates with a good memento, but personally, I think the actual value of the products is terrible. Selling these products really feels like a violation of one’s conscience. For example:
(1) Sales staff are made to serve as photographers, so photo quality varies widely.
(2) The company falsely claims externally that it has its own printing plant (but it does not).
(3) The profit on peripheral products sold to students is more than ten times the cost (but the quality is extremely disappointing).
(4) The contents of the graduation disc consist only of material already included in the yearbook (why pay extra for it?).
(5) Apart from those in supervisory positions, the company’s photographers are all beginners. Every year, around September, the company starts recruiting newcomers, many of whom are unfamiliar with operating SLR cameras. (But customers have no idea about this level of quality.)
As an aside, this group of people will not receive a raise until after the June graduation season ends. Before the new photography season begins in September, these new employees will be placed on unpaid leave and must first sign a resignation agreement (including a non-compete agreement), meaning they receive no pay at all in July and August. Employees are treated like toilet paper: used up and thrown away. To give a real example, one day a colleague was called into the office by the boss. The boss said, “Your résumé is very well written. I’ve kept it for you, so you can use it again next time.” After handing the résumé back to the colleague, the boss had them “resign.” (Basically, they forced the person to resign.)