正美船務代理有限公司

呵呵

A family-run traditional business—you know the type.

No health checkups. No company trips. No birthday bonuses or birthday leave.

The so-called birthday dinner benefit is just using company funds to order delivery and force the birthday person to share personal anecdotes in the meeting room. The atmosphere is so awkward it’s practically like sitting shiva.

It’s a tiny company, yet there’s constant infighting. Whether it’s work or cleaning, colleagues love pulling rank and acting superior based on seniority, keeping score over who does more and who does less.

The boss likes to save small amounts while spending big, and within six months managed to lay off three employees in succession, making it seem as though layoffs were the boss’s hobby. They want to control everything, while only listening to the longtime employees, which is frankly ridiculous. The hiring criteria are a mystery: you’re expected to be very strong in both English and Japanese, and during interviews they’ll ask whether you’re married or have a boyfriend or girlfriend, along with other pointless, circular questions about how modern people supposedly don’t get married or have children (whether you have children is none of your business). They’ll also look at your palm, face, and personal aura to decide whether to hire you. Then they advertise the position as an office-based sales role with on-time hours, while the customers are the boss’s own stable client base, so there’s basically no commission or salary upside. Occasionally, you still have to travel for work. Anyone considering coming here as a salesperson should think twice.

If you come here as a secretary, you also need to be prepared to be unable to take leave during certain months (yes, everyone else can, but you can’t). On top of that, the chairman’s father is extremely fond of sexually harassing female colleagues: he touches their buttocks and the backs of their hands, and even hits them. He hits people on the head, and it hurts a lot. Then he tells you to spin around in front of him and insists that you wear short skirts or shorts every day so he can get a good look at your legs.

Oh, and this building is about to undergo urban redevelopment. If you want to experience the joy of moving repeatedly within a short period, you’re welcome to join.

Conclusion: This is a toxic environment.

Experience Taiwan's standard exploitative-boss culture

Everything has already been said by the person upstairs and the one above them.

I'll share a few quotes from exploitative bosses instead.

Regarding work:

1. Young people these days have it so good. They have so many choices, so nobody stays at a job for long. They all act like they couldn't care less whether they work or not.

2. Our company needs people who are highly capable, quick to respond, and able to catch whatever the boss throws at them at any time. Those who lack the necessary abilities will eliminate themselves automatically. I don't need to ask them to leave; they'll resign on their own.

3. Didn't I say that the glass of water on my desk was supposed to be cold? Who poured hot water? Who poured the water today? Did anyone tell them?

4. The probationary period is like dating. If there's anything you're unhappy about at the beginning, you should let each other know so you can grow and improve together. If, after six months, you both feel that things are working out, then you start dating officially; if either side feels it isn't working, you break up amicably.

5. Didn't XX tell you how to do it? Checking this for you isn't part of my job! Did you do your homework yourself?

6. Why didn't you come to me proactively to report? Do I have to ask you? Before I even open my mouth, you should already be thinking about what I'm going to ask and come report to me yourself!

Regarding interviews:

1. Do you live at home? Do you live with your parents? Is this your parents' own house, or are they renting it somewhere else?

2. Think carefully before you answer! If your expected salary is too high, you'll be out immediately!

The building is old.

They lay off more than a dozen employees a year and even violate the Labor Standards Act.

Never been to North Korea? Come to Zhengmei and experience North Korean-style management.

Men don't need to apply—see the comments above; you know what I mean.

As for women, you know what you have to do to win favor. But it's difficult; someone is clinging tightly to the boss's son.

In short, the boss's son has an emperor complex.

None

1. Small company, with around 15 employees in total. There is no cleaning staff. All employees must arrive early every day to clean the office (sweep, mop, clean the windows, and wash cups). Everyone must take turns being responsible for taking out the trash and collecting the newspapers.

2. Family business: the chairman is the father, and the general manager is the son.

The general manager is like an emperor with absolute power. If anything does not suit him, he will summon the person to his office and berate them until everyone can hear.

3. High turnover, with employees being dismissed without warning. The reason given for dismissal is that the employee is not on the same wavelength as the general manager and does not understand his way of thinking. There have been 3–4 employees in the same position, all of whom left during the probation period; the company claims that they all resigned because they were unable to perform the job.

4. During interviews, they cut the salary and promise you a wonderful future, saying that you will receive your expected salary after passing the six-month probation period, and so on. However, only heaven knows who can actually pass the probation period.

5. On the first day of work, employees are required to sign a compensation guarantee, confidentiality clauses, and an agreement to be bound to the company for one year after completing the six-month probation period, with a clause prohibiting resignation at will. The employer does not proactively mention any of this during interviews.

6. Work ends punctually at 5:30 p.m. Overtime must be approved in advance by the general manager; otherwise, no overtime pay will be provided. The company claims that leaving work on time is one of its benefits.

7. After the six-month probation period, employees receive seven days of annual leave, but this is divided according to the annual settlement in April and calculated based on the month they joined the company, so they may not receive the full seven days of annual leave that year.

8. When taking leave, you do not need to report to your direct supervisor; you only need to report to a higher-level associate manager.

9. The workplace is in an old commercial office building, sharing the entire floor’s restrooms and pantry with other companies. The restroom is often very dirty and has no toilet paper. The company provides one pack per month; once it is used up, you have to bring your own.

10. The direct supervisor has absolutely no ability to manage people, likes to shirk responsibility, often takes long vacations, uses their phone during work, and is the first to rush out after work. They regard new employees as imagined rivals who might replace them and are constantly on guard, focusing only on currying favor with superiors. They have no time for you, let alone to teach you. They are a favorite of the general manager, like to make malicious reports to get colleagues pushed out, like men and dislike women, and show severe favoritism and protectiveness. They know little and lack ability; even maintaining their own position is a problem.

11. The male colleagues in the same group imitate them. They lack team spirit and like to snatch work and seek recognition in front of the supervisor and general manager. When the supervisor is absent, they claim not to know anything, then come ask you what they should do.

12. You have to go greet the general manager both when arriving at and leaving work. Interactions among colleagues are cold, and all the unpleasant tasks fall on the same few undesirable positions.

13. The work is very boring, and you learn nothing. As sales staff, you have to follow upper management’s instructions for everything. When you raise this with the company, they instead accuse you of not being proactive enough. Your direct supervisor sits behind you and keeps a close eye on what you are doing on your computer all day.

14. They particularly favor hiring people who studied in Japan or have work experience at Japanese companies overseas, then arbitrarily cut their salaries. After joining, they expect them to have the spirit of a recent graduate, work hard, endure hardships, and be called around like a junior assistant. If someone reports that you are not up to the job, you may be told to get out that very day; after you leave, they immediately reopen the position and start recruiting again.

15. Internal communication is conducted through messaging software (Skype, LINE). You have to be very careful about what you say, and even on days off you must remain on call and constantly check messages. Only heaven knows whether the company can back up or access the chat records.

16. If I had seen the comments from the three people above earlier, I would not have chosen to join this terrible company. Unless you have no other choice, I strongly recommend thinking it over carefully before the interview! Do not come here just to be mistreated for nothing!

Leaving work on time

Trying to imitate Japanese companies, but in reality it is simply a company run by an exploitative boss.

Senior employees favored by the boss act entitled and constantly file petty reports, with an attitude that seems bent on creating chaos. The boss actually accepts everything they say without question, even relying on the slander of these old-timers to decide whether employees stay or go, without any independent judgment.

Junior employees can only handle the troublesome work that nobody else wants to do and are not allowed to complain.

Employees have to clean the office when they arrive in the morning, and the bad-tempered boss occasionally displays an arrogant attitude that says, “You are my servants.”

There are no employee trips and no health checkups.

Leaving work on time

The internal environment is chaotic, and there is serious office politics in such a small company.

There is no autonomy at work; everything has to be reported.

Employee training is completely unstructured and very poor, and supervisors only rely on their seniority.

The boss is hot-tempered, easily angered, and impatient.

If you can tolerate it and do not mind sacrificing your dignity, you might be able to force yourself to continue working there.

The company rules are not applied equally to everyone; they automatically bend when certain people are involved.

Everything is decided by the boss, and there is absolutely no sense of security.

The company provides no annual health checkups and no group insurance.

Think carefully before accepting an interview.

Absolutely terrible—the boss has the final say, and there is very little job security.