巨鷗科技股份有限公司

Hi, how has your day been?

If you have visited this website, you must be interested in Jü-Au. You are welcome to refer to the reviews and feedback on this platform. Every colleague who leaves a message here does so to help make Jü-Au better. Recognition and affirmation of Jü-Au in these comments give us the strength to keep improving, while we also humbly accept suggestions and criticism. We would like to supplement the topics discussed on the platform so that you can obtain the latest and more complete information. Those of us working in our respective positions will continue striving to make everything better. Thank you all for your feedback—we will keep doing our best!!

1. Noon meetings—We hold one company-wide meeting at noon every month. On that day, the Administration Department provides boxed lunches so we can enjoy lunch together. It is an occasion to communicate company policies, publicly recognize and award colleagues for outstanding achievements, and celebrate employees whose birthdays are in that month. This monthly company gathering is intended to give everyone a chance to relax, interact, and connect.

2. We have a comprehensive rewards system—It is designed to accommodate different roles and needs. In addition to different monthly and quarterly performance bonuses, a "year-end performance bonus" is awarded every year based on performance evaluation results. There are also various other incentives, including certification bonuses awarded upon review and approval, R&D patent bonuses, outstanding achievement awards, and scholarships for employees pursuing master's or doctoral degrees while employed. These measures give colleagues in different professions, positions, and job categories opportunities to receive financial encouragement. At the same time, the rules for these rewards are open and transparent, and the reviews follow established procedures and regulations. This is an area in which we take particular care in managing the company.

3. Overtime—Our overtime system complies with the Labor Standards Act. Overtime is arranged only when necessary, and afterward employees may choose either overtime pay or compensatory leave.

4. Regarding company activities—Jü-Au’s cultural ambassadors put a great deal of effort into organizing many company activities, which helps strengthen relationships among colleagues and has become part of Jü-Au’s unique character and culture. Since these are company-organized activities, everyone is encouraged to participate, but participation is voluntary and not mandatory~

5. Regarding learning and development—We are a company that places great importance on our colleagues’ career development. Every year, a fixed amount of training funding is allocated from our profits specifically for employee development. We therefore make an effort each year to invite high-quality instructors to teach at Jü-Au. In-house training is scheduled during regular working hours, while external training is sometimes arranged on weekends, usually because the instructor or training provider only offers the course on weekends. In any case, we consult with participating colleagues and seek their agreement. In addition, the colleagues selected to attend training are usually capable employees or people we wish to develop. Feedback after training is also an important part of the learning process and is highly beneficial to personal growth and career development.

6. Regarding team leaders—Every team leader has earned recognition from many clients for their professional expertise. We also place great importance on developing team leaders’ leadership abilities and professional skills. In addition to our mentorship system, each year we arrange training such as PMP and Carnegie courses, and invite renowned experts from the industry to teach knowledge and skills related to team building. However, team leadership is a very challenging discipline. It is indeed difficult to satisfy everyone, especially under pressure to meet time and performance targets. Nevertheless, we encourage team leaders to communicate and collaborate with team members with an open mind, working together to create value for clients.

In addition, if you are interested in Jü-Au, we hope you will learn more about us through 104 Job Bank, Jü-Au’s official website, and our Facebook fan page. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.

We will continue striving to make everything better. Thank you all for your feedback—we will keep doing our best!!

Long post~~read at your own risk~~

Quoting Article 3 of this platform’s posting guidelines: “What you say must be truthful, and you must take full responsibility for the statements you publish.”

Therefore, before speaking, I would like to make the following declaration:

1. As shown on my Facebook account, my name is: 白弘杰

2. 巨鷗 has been my first job since entering the workforce (2008/10/01), working as a “planner” continuously to this day.

3. If the company policies and systems mentioned below are referenced, they come from the company’s various work guidelines and regulations that I downloaded from the company EIP today (2017/09/10). If they are subsequently updated, job seekers are welcome to review them again on their first day of employment.

4. The purpose of this post is to encourage current and former employees to view others’ opinions rationally and accurately describe their own thoughts, because every word and statement can influence each job seeker’s decision about their future workplace!

Pros:

Many people on the pro side have already discussed these points. Moreover, the work guidelines and regulations are all available on the EIP and can be checked at any time from the first day of employment, so I will focus only on the advantages in four areas: “compensation,” “learning,” “activities,” and “training and development.”

1. Compensation

I think, when it comes to money, is there anyone who feels they have earned enough?! I imagine only “people without desires” would say yes, because I still feel short of money even now. But why do I list compensation as an advantage? Because the company’s clearly defined compensation system meets my own need for the money-management principle of “living within one’s means.”

<1> Twelve months of salary

<2> Bonus items: the 159 bonus system, project performance bonuses, R&D bonuses, and a health allowance (NT$12,000)

The eligibility requirements, calculation criteria, and payment timing for the above bonuses are all clearly defined. If anything is unclear, you can proactively ask the Administration Department or your department supervisor. To briefly explain my financial planning:

A. Twelve months of salary + a January year-end bonus (a fixed one month) + the health allowance (NT$12,000) are all items I definitely include in my annual spending plan. (The health allowance can be obtained simply by participating in activities designated by the company, so make sure you claim it.)

B. Performance bonuses in May and September: These coincide with the Dragon Boat Festival (tax filing) and Mid-Autumn Festival, so they can provide timely support in months with higher expenses. I think this is also why the company schedules payments on the 5th and 9th.

C. Project performance bonus: Regardless of position, the amount I (as PM) apply for is divided equally among all project members. However, I do not include this in my spending plan; I treat it as personal motivation.

D. R&D bonus: I am not an engineer, so I cannot receive it.

Therefore, the “clearly defined compensation system” allows me to “live within my means,” which is why I consider it an advantage. If you disagree with my view, and your calculations still show that the salary and compensation cannot meet your spending needs, perhaps you should look for an environment offering better compensation.

2. Learning

By learning, I do not mean how many training courses the company provides or how much feedback it requires us to write. I believe the most effective learning is “learning by doing,” and learning from failed cases (loss-making projects) certainly provides the most benefit. 巨鷗 is an environment that can tolerate employees’ mistakes. Since joining the company, if I have made a mistake in carrying out my work, at most my supervisor has reprimanded me for a few words, and then continued working with everyone to solve the problem. For me, learning from this process how supervisors handle matters and respond to situations, as well as how they evaluate decisions, is what I consider an advantage. However, the prerequisites for the above advantage should be reporting upward properly and keeping informed, for example:

<1> Report decisions upward and communicate in advance.

<2> Never draw conclusions on your own about something you do not understand; always ask proactively.

<3> Read the contractual provisions of the projects you handle carefully, because the company’s position is that avoiding breach of contract comes first.

I do not know whether my description will lead you to consider this an advantage, but I would like to add: ~~everyone focuses on the idea that profits earned by the company should be distributed to employees, but no one mentions what happens when a project is unprofitable. Among the projects I have carried out, there have also been projects with “losses instead of profits,” and the company has never required the project members who executed them to share the burden; the company absorbed the losses. (This is also one of the reasons management costs are deducted before each project begins—this is risk management on the company’s side.) Returning to my own experience~~, thinking about it, these projects also taught me a great deal. Therefore, I consider “learning” an advantage of the company.

3. Activities

Before discussing activities, I think we should first discuss the definitions of “friends” and “work partners.” Some people can clearly separate friends from work partners, but to me, work partners are my friends—friends who share common goals at work. Under that premise, I believe the company’s activities really are an advantage. However, if you feel that friends and work partners must be defined separately, you can skip the following explanation of the advantages, because I also agree that time outside work should be spent with family and friends.

Regarding the activities, I will describe the situation since 2015. At present, activities can be divided into three levels:

Company (Welfare Committee) activities: These mainly include 1. one annual challenge activity, 2. one Hundred Peaks activity, and 3. small holiday activities. I would definitely choose to participate in either 1 or 2, because there is a fixed health allowance the following year. Participation in Welfare Committee activities is also not mandatory; it is entirely up to each individual.

Department activities: The department’s main activities are three events per year, planned and organized by department colleagues. My view is to do my best to participate in every activity planned by my “friends,” but if I cannot attend, I will still request leave in advance.

Activities organized by other departments: In principle, I am even less likely to participate in these, unless the theme is genuinely very appealing to me.

The above may sound like a lot of activities, but returning to my original idea—“going out to have fun with friends”—when the company or department colleagues invest resources to plan activities, and there is even a subsidy after participating, why not?

4. Training and development

I think most companies, when recruiting talent, hope to find people who can be “effective immediately”—people who can generate value as soon as they join. Of course, this company is no exception. However, I believe the company really invests a great deal of resources in training and development. Every year, it not only has a “talent development” project to consider course planning and optimize 巨鷗 employees’ competency gaps, but has even purchased a system to manage training courses. Naturally, after attending courses, employees must submit corresponding feedback according to the course level. Some people may find writing feedback troublesome (myself included), but I think writing feedback not only forces us to review the course; on the other hand, the company also uses the feedback to evaluate the quality of future training programs and compiles feedback presentations for other employees’ reference.

Many people on the con side have already discussed these points, but some shortcomings involve personal feelings and interpersonal relationships. I will not elaborate on those aspects, because I was not directly involved and it would be inappropriate to speculate about how people felt at the time. Therefore, I can only discuss the three areas I have experienced from working as a “planner” to the present: “project-based company,” “workload,” and “ways of communicating with clients” (P.S. If you are not applying for a planning position, you can skim this and jump straight to the final paragraph):

1. Project-based company

At present, the company still primarily undertakes projects, most of which are government tenders.

Since these are projects, the pressure most often comes from having to complete them on time, with the required quality, and within budget. Moreover, because they are “government tender” projects, execution may sometimes be constrained by sudden policy changes or the ideas of senior officials. Therefore, employees who have contact with clients (mostly people in planning positions) often develop a certain feeling at the outset: pressure coming from all directions. It may stem from the schedule and contractual execution requirements, from officials at the client organization, from internal supervisors, from the engineering side that cannot be controlled, or from other uncertain factors.

I admit that I also complain because of these different pressures, but my view is that after grumbling, we still have to solve the difficulties we face. No matter where you work, as long as you are executing projects, there will inevitably be internal and external pressure—and once you get through it, it becomes your own experience.

2. Workload

For project-based work, the standard for determining how much work there is often depends on the executor’s feelings and assessment. Therefore, although some comments consider the heavy workload a disadvantage, on closer examination I think it should be understood as a gap between decision-makers and executors in their perceptions of the amount of work. Consequently, I instead think the disadvantage is that the company is still working toward establishing clear standards for defining workload and improving communication and consensus between levels. For example:

A. People in planning positions sometimes feel that, besides producing work deliverables during working hours, they must also deal with clients’ unexpected questions or communications. There may also be gaps between management and employees regarding expectations for work output. At this stage, the company is still exploring these matters by accumulating experience on the execution side and building team rapport. Therefore, a “planner who does not proactively ask the supervisor about their expectations” will either take unnecessary detours or fall into a negative cycle.

B. For technical positions (engineers), the company’s introduction of the Kanban method has gradually established a shared definition of workload. However, the method is still in the stage of team adjustment and system optimization, so different parties may naturally have different opinions. (At present, improvement mechanisms are discussed through biweekly meetings.)

3. Ways of communicating with clients

Since most clients are government agencies, everyone can imagine that communicating with government bodies requires trying every possible method to get clients to respond quickly and obtain their decisions promptly. Therefore, in addition to phone calls, email, the customer service system, and official documents, people in planning positions currently also try to obtain the client’s LINE contact and establish group chats. However, as someone who cares very deeply about clients’ feelings, regarding LINE I can only say that it has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you can obtain a client’s response quickly; the disadvantage is that client feedback and revision requests also arrive very quickly. At that point, it creates a kind of pressure that follows you around: responding too late is not good, but responding immediately may disrupt your own work arrangements. Still, perhaps other people do not find it much of a problem!

The advantages and disadvantages I have described above are purely my personal views. If you think the advantages I wrote about are disadvantages, or that the disadvantages I described are simply terrible, I would also fully respect your opinion. After all, no company’s conditions can satisfy every employee one hundred percent. But why do I keep emphasizing that these are my own views? Because I think that on this platform, in addition to describing advantages and disadvantages, people should also explain their own thoughts and evaluation criteria, so job seekers can understand why something is considered an advantage or a disadvantage. Perhaps that is what it means to report the facts and speak responsibly.

A “choice” is not only about positively obtaining what you want; it also necessarily involves corresponding effort (or sacrifice).

“Choose the company you love, and love the company you choose.”

If joining 巨鷗 does not turn out as you hoped, I recommend that you go through these three steps:

Step 1: Raise the issue with management, hoping the environment can change.

Step 2: If the environment still does not change, try to change or strengthen yourself to adapt to it.

Step 3: If you still cannot accept it, then accept the facts and happily move on to find an environment that suits you better.

If you skip Steps 1 and 2 and go directly to Step 3,

it seems that this environment has given you no motivation to change it or change yourself for it. This means you truly dislike the environment.

In that case, I wish you the best of luck in quickly finding an environment where you genuinely want to grow together with the company!

P.S. Since I wrote this article intermittently, please forgive me if any wording is imprecise or inappropriate, and go easy on me.

Since the company's project deputy manager posted under their real name, I thought I'd follow suit.

My position at the company is Senior Programmer, and I have been here for four years. I have about ten years of work experience.

Although these comments concern the company, some matters are decided primarily by the heads of the respective departments, so some of the pros and cons may contradict the comments below. However, the main policies are still based on company regulations (e.g., overtime pay).

Pros:

1. Most colleagues are easy to get along with and willing to spend time mentoring others:

Regarding colleagues being easy to get along with, newcomers may think this is simply how things should be; but in my personal career experience, there really are quite a few companies with internal backstabbing and infighting. As for being willing to spend time mentoring others, setting aside the coaches assigned by the company, if you humbly ask colleagues from other departments for advice, they will basically teach you what you want to know without holding anything back—as long as they have the time. Of course, the premise is that you are willing to ask and are serious about learning.

2. Lots of activities:

Let me clarify something that some people deliberately leave out: The company has four departments, and each department holds three department activities; the large-scale events organized by the company are usually one or two per year, while the small-scale activities (held for various holidays, depending on how proactive the cultural ambassadors are that year—first day of work after the New Year, Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas, etc.) are held separately. In addition, the various clubs hold activities from time to time [there are currently two clubs]. Altogether, that comes to (4*3) + (1 or 2) + x + (2*n) = 14 + x + 2*n events.

At first glance, that's indeed a lot. Except for the small-scale activities organized by the company (these are held during working hours, and you might not be able to get out of attending even if you wanted to), “none of the above is mandatory”! But think about it: when your manager tells you that department activities are optional, would you actually go? I’ll confess first: I definitely wouldn’t, because when I’m off work I just want to stay home and play video games. But ever since I had children, I’ve actually been quite grateful that the company/department plans these kinds of activities, because I don’t have to worry about where to take the kids on weekends. I can even scout out future sons-in-law or daughters-in-law for them in advance (lol~).

3. Plenty of learning opportunities, strong domain knowledge, with each of the four major departments having its own expertise:

The strongest domain knowledge in my department is GIS. As soon as it comes up, we basically leave the other departments in the dust. Of course, our department also covers management technology and marketing technology, but since I belong to the GIS Team, naturally I have to promote our own group.

I’ll only talk about my own experience here: Before joining the company, I knew absolutely nothing about GIS. But one day, my highly capable colleague resigned, and I was pushed into learning GIS-related knowledge (the emotional journey here would be enough for me to write another long section, but in short, I hate trouble yet wanted to learn, so I gritted my teeth and took it on). Thanks to the guidance of Joe, Manager Bai, and Ken (the colleague who resigned), within three months I gained some GIS-related knowledge and project experience. I want to emphasize one point here: When it comes to implementation, anything you can look up online is a minor matter. But without someone to guide you through the relevant knowledge, it can take a very long time to understand even a simple question, such as the difference between TWD67 and TWD97. So this brings me back to “Pro 1: Colleagues are willing to spend time teaching you.”

I almost forgot: Someone mentioned that there are lunchtime discussion sessions. I’ll talk about both the pros and cons of that, but first, the pro:

We have a departmental technical exchange session on Wednesdays. It was originally started when a technical manager wanted everyone to set aside some time to discuss and review problems encountered during a project, as well as exchange technical knowledge. It was initially planned for after work, but it was moved to lunchtime because some people had families, and the colleagues attending accepted this. There is also a technical lunch gathering every other Friday. The first time it was held, they even ordered pizza (and applied to the company for special funding). Everyone in the technical staff was told that participation was not compulsory, but because attendance was sometimes inconsistent, people were asked to report when they needed to go out, which led to the complaints that came later.

4. Clear working hours:

The official flexible start time is between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., and the end time is between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (depending on what time you arrive in the morning, the system shows what time you can leave), with a 1.5-hour break in between. For programmers in our department: as long as you are right on schedule and haven’t caused any problems, and no emergencies occur (for example, the website goes down after an update, or a database update breaks the database), you can leave and arrive on time. Of course, some people complain that a PL assigns work right before the end of the day and expects it the next day, but honestly, that isn’t really the company’s fault, is it?

5. Salary growth based on performance reviews and seniority, plus various minor benefits:

This is truly a double-edged sword. Your salary is based on what you negotiated initially. Other than the “benefit fund (200),” labor and health insurance, personal and sick leave, and course fees advanced by the company on your behalf, there are no other unexplained deductions. We do not have so-called “three-festival bonuses.” Instead, we have “159 bonuses”: a year-end bonus and two performance bonuses. There’s no need to explain the year-end bonus; during the interview, they clearly tell you that it is one month’s salary. To quote a comment from another post, “Whether you’ve been here five years or ten years, it’s still one month.” If you don’t like it, you can simply leave. The two performance bonuses are settled based on both individual and departmental performance. Anyone interested can ask the Administration Department after joining.

Although we do not have “three-festival bonuses,” the cultural ambassadors organize holiday-themed programs on a workday before each holiday and stuff you full of treats. In addition, during your birthday month, the company gives you a birthday gift through the Giant Eagle People Assembly. It may not be anything expensive, but “it’s the thought that counts.”

So, I listed five pros above. I’m sure some people wouldn’t even bother reading them, but the cons below should give you plenty to criticize, right?

1. There are lots of activities:

Yes, it’s both a pro and a con. I forget which post analyzed this, but department performance is apparently scored based on participation in department activities. Honestly, I don’t understand this. As for people being relentlessly questioned if they don’t attend, I personally haven’t been questioned by my manager, but I have been relentlessly questioned by the secretary and the person next door. Naturally, managers hope you can participate, but if you genuinely can’t go, they generally won’t make things difficult for you. [Yes, I emphasize again: this is my personal experience. Maybe I’m just a marginal person, so even my manager thinks it makes no difference whether I’m there (LOL~).] Someone else said that having to arrange your own transportation is a con, which leaves me speechless. I’m speechless to the point of exploding over this viewpoint. When you go out for fun on your own, don’t you have to ride a scooter, drive, or take public transportation? Don’t accidents happen when you go out for fun on your own? Fine, when we participate in company activities, the company doesn’t provide domestic travel insurance. I’ll remember to bring that up. Though, I don’t buy domestic travel insurance when I go out for fun on my own either.

Also, department activities all take place outside working hours, so if you insist on picking faults, that does count as a con. But please look back at the number of activities in [Pro 2]. What company could handle having at least an entire department’s employees away from home for so many time slots? Someone also mentioned being forced to participate in company activities on Labor Day. That is undeniably true, but it didn’t happen this year. Former colleagues, please update your information; if it happens again next year, then come back and complain about it not being held.

2. Learning time takes up personal time:

Honestly, this really shouldn’t count as a con. Take our lecturers from the IT field, for example: they all have their own jobs, and lecturing is simply something they do in their personal time to earn extra money. Since the instructor’s time has already been scheduled, complaining afterward that the courses are held on weekends is really rather inconsiderate. As for meetings during lunch breaks, in my personal experience, doing so occasionally is harmless. This year, there really was a week or two when the entire lunch break was packed with meetings, but adjustments were made after people raised the issue. I think it was fine overall; I just lost the pleasure of catching up on my shows during lunch for a week or two.

3. Salary:

The salary adjustment is really very small. If you expect annual increases of 10–15% or more, I recommend not joining.

4. Overtime pay:

Finally, we’ve reached the issue of overtime pay. The company indeed does not pay overtime, and its weekend overtime pay also does not comply with the Labor Standards Act. Personally, I’m not particularly concerned about this, so I never considered reporting the company. First, most of my overtime was to make up for falling behind during regular working hours. Second, late at night, when everything is quiet, is usually when inspiration strikes, and at those times I wasn’t thinking about overtime pay at all—I just wanted to do a good job. Recently, the company has been preparing to implement an overtime-pay system, so once the system is announced, I’ll decide whether this belongs under the pros or cons. (I wonder if someone is going to criticize me for having too much of a slave mentality.)

5. Other shortcomings:

For example, someone mentioned the calculation of story points in Scrum (our department uses the Kanban method) and quantifying engineers’ performance. I’ve raised this with my manager several times. The manager isn’t completely unwilling to listen to our opinions; it’s just that, after weighing the options, they chose the solution that was more beneficial to the company. At the same time, they have been trying to improve the issues we complain about. Although the methods and process have not been ideal, if it were me, I would probably do an even worse job.

There is also the fact that the “benefit fund” is really not very transparent. The company could be encouraged to improve this.

A little murmur: Next time, I should probably start with the cons. After spending an hour writing the pros, only to see that the cons were the same few points repeatedly attacked by several people, I really didn’t feel motivated to spend another hour writing them properly.

The platform’s culture of anonymity (8)(0) really shocked me, so I decided not to remain anonymous and not to target any particular review. I’m simply sharing my personal views on Jǜ-Ōu Technology and letting everyone judge for themselves~

I have been in the workforce for more than 10 years, and Jǜ-Ōu is the company I have stayed with the longest. I am currently still employed there.

Before that, I spent approximately 2–3 years each at Data Systems Consulting Co., Ltd. and Tun Yang Technology.

Don’t these two listed companies offer better opportunities? Why have I stayed at Jǜ-Ōu the longest?

It all depends on what the job seeker personally wants to pursue.

Yes, that’s right. Like most job seekers, I want to pursue a higher salary and a higher position~

To earn a high salary and attain a high position, you must first have the “right attitude toward handling things” and “good work abilities,” then gradually work your way upward.

So let’s discuss whether the company can improve our “attitude toward handling things” and “work abilities” in these two areas.

(I) Attitude toward handling things

I believe that basically 60–70% of one’s attitude toward handling things comes from personal cultivation, while the remaining 30–40% is influenced by the external environment.

Because Data Systems Consulting and Tun Yang Technology are large companies, guidance on attitude toward handling things was mostly limited to reminders and instruction from department managers.

At Jǜ-Ōu Technology, however, in addition to department managers, the general manager gathers everyone each month for the Jǜ-Ōu People’s Assembly, where the month’s observations and the company’s overall situation are shared. This is an education in seeing things from the shoulders of giants.

Ask yourself: unless you are already a senior executive, how many companies have a general manager who comes to share these things with you every month?

In addition, the company has repeatedly invited the renowned industry lecturer Lin Sihai to teach courses related to workplace communication and other topics (Teacher Lin is very expensive). In my opinion, company executives willing to do this are running their businesses in a very positive, forward-looking way. (Therefore, I suggest that job seekers search online for companies that have invited Teacher Lin Sihai to teach; these companies can all be added to your shortlist.)

(II) Work abilities

1. I once saw a department manager sit beside an engineer and guide the engineer through coding line by line. (I imagine a programming tutor would charge more than 500 per hour, right?!) When I was at Data Systems Consulting, I was also trained this way by my manager. I am very grateful that my manager at the time was willing to put aside their own work simply to help me get on the right track.

2. Every year, Jǜ-Ōu provides a variety of free training opportunities, including in-house and external training, taught by internal and external instructors. Jǜ-Ōu’s training is not arranged randomly: at the end of the previous year, they gather representatives from different functional groups, and everyone proposes the skills they want to strengthen as training objectives for the following year.

In large companies, this probably does not happen often. If you want to improve, you may have to find courses outside the company yourself—and professional courses like these are usually not cheap.

3. The company has repeatedly invited well-known programming experts such as Brother Bao (Huang Baoxi), Chen Chuanxing, Bill Chung, and others to teach everyone. Although these classes sometimes take place on weekends, just look up the prices of these lecturers’ external courses online and you will know how much value we are getting.

4. When company activities are organized at large companies, employees are usually merely participants. They do not know how many meetings or how much preparation goes on behind each event. At Jǜ-Ōu, it is easy to get opportunities to plan activities like this.

5. Ability to handle matters: Because this is a project-oriented company, we encounter all kinds of issues arising from all kinds of stakeholders. At first, we may be unable to cope, but managers give us direction and help us handle matters systematically. Over time, we become more calm because our abilities improve. (This can be improved at any company, as long as you face problems positively.)

6. Planning and proposal abilities: Perhaps because Jǜ-Ōu was the first company where I participated fully in planning proposals, this is the area in which I personally improved the most.

7. As mentioned earlier, because there is a Jǜ-Ōu People’s Assembly every month, we can absorb lessons about the spirit of running a company from the general manager’s sharing each time. Moreover, because this company was established only a little over 10 years ago, it is still considered a growing company. We can clearly observe the management process as the company is reorganized and improved. These are things you truly cannot get at a large company!

The drawbacks cannot be left blank:

1. Large workload and high pressure

Even so, I still deeply believe that “pressure comes from a lack of ability.” For example, when it comes to system-planning projects that I know like the back of my hand, I can take on 10 out of 10. But when I encounter an unfamiliar marketing project or have to write a book, I can sit in front of the computer all day without producing anything… As the deadline approaches, the pressure increases.

2. Regarding promotions

Everyone thinks they are the person who most deserves to be recognized. I do too. But promotions require comparison. Look at the people who were promoted and compare yourself with them: do you really have their abilities? If not, do as I do—quietly keep your mouth shut and continue improving. If you do have the ability, talk to your manager~

3. Regarding overtime pay and certain benefits

Maybe I want to make a lot of money—I want an annual salary of more than NT$1 million—so I do not have time to think about minor benefits such as overtime pay or coffee beans…

4. Where are the managers?

When managers encounter problems, they always want to resolve them in a calm, rational, and peaceful way. I am the kind of person who cannot stand by and watch, so I always cannot help jumping in, whether it is arguing with the person in charge or posting here now… (This is probably also why I have not been promoted XD)

The company has a free and open work culture that values innovation, with opportunities to work with a diverse range of technologies and applications.

As a growing company, it requires employees to be actively engaged. Although its systems are still lacking in some areas, they will continue to improve.

Pros: Just read what the people who went there themselves to whitewash the company wrote—it should be enough! Nothing else~

The basic premise is that being with a good supervisor takes you to heaven, while being with the wrong, bad supervisor is no different from being in hell. The following are my memories of the team leader at the time~

1. Lazy and unwilling to work. At work, all he did was scroll through Facebook, read trash news all day, and wander around aimlessly, making tea and chatting with people whenever he got tired.

2. All he had left was his mouth. He was very good at flattering people, thinking that making phone calls every day and loudly pretending to be familiar with everyone meant he had connections.

3. He loved going out to meetings because it meant he didn’t have to stay in the office with nothing to do. If he came back early, he would continue slacking off until the end of the workday (continuing to scroll through Facebook and snack).

4. There was no benefit to following him. Besides dumping everything on you to handle, he neither solved problems nor responded to them. Taking the blame was also something he took for granted when it came to team members!

5. He knew nothing about anything. That was the highest state of being a team leader.

6. Even if you reported your progress on time and responsibly reported the problems, it was useless. In the end, you would only be smeared by him, claiming that he had never been informed.

7. He did nothing all day, but loved pretending to be serious and busy at the end of the workday (while still scrolling through Facebook), then insisted on dragging you—after you had been busy all day—to stay and keep him company!

8. Every night and weekend was the time I feared most, because he would send you a pile of nonsensical messages instructing you to do things. Usually, you could read the messages but couldn’t understand them (he might need to improve his Chinese proficiency a little).

9. Expense management was a complete mess, so there was usually no such thing as overtime pay. Sometimes even the expenses I submitted couldn’t get approved, and all I could do was laugh bitterly.

10. Your hard work would always come to nothing, because if things were done well, it was his achievement; if something went wrong, it was your fault. Then senior management would decide that the team leader was always unlucky enough to get difficult team members and could never retain anyone (why? Anyone with eyes can see, right?).

I happened to glance at what some people had shared and felt that it was really spot-on. Why is a certain department such a mess? This article can give everyone something to refer to~

I just don’t know how things are now~ Hopefully someone can share a story about this team leader striving to improve, so everyone can see it~~~ I believe everyone would feel that there is still hope in this world ^^

I also worked there for three years, so I was an early employee. I know two of the people who left the genuine comments above. Everything they said, whether positive or negative, is accurate—no one made anything up. For a small company to implement so many management practices is quite impressive. If you join, you really can learn a lot, though it may not necessarily be the right way to do things. It’s still best to learn on your own. The code written by previous employees is often messy, which is why people frequently need to work overtime, right?

Overtime is not a good workplace culture, especially when they proudly rank people by their overtime hours at the annual meeting. That really isn’t a good look. Work efficiently and finish today’s tasks today; overtime shouldn’t be necessary. If you don’t work overtime, they won’t pay much attention to you anyway—doing your work well is more important.

The poor reviews are still mainly because of the managers. If you’re considering joining, assess for yourself whether you can handle the pressure.

With so many comments in this thread, I’ll help everyone focus by putting together a “Jù’ōu Quick Guide.” It contains a wealth of pros and is intended for colleagues who are about to join Jù’ōu, as well as prospective colleagues considering joining. I’ve organized the questions you care about most and hope this will be helpful to you.

The Quick Guide Q&A begins below

===============================================

Q: Does Jù’ōu pay overtime?

A: This is also the question everyone cares about most.

Jù’ōu’s overtime pay is NT$60/day.

Note that the unit is per day, not per hour.

Q: Does Jù’ōu provide an annual bonus?

A:

In keeping with its principle of treating everyone equally,

Jù’ōu provides one month of year-end bonus

whether you work there for one year or ten.

Q: Does Jù’ōu provide project bonuses? How are they calculated? When can they be collected?

A:

Jù’ōu provides project bonuses.

As for how the bonus percentage is calculated, it is a black box, so the percentage is unclear.

When can it be collected? For projects completed this year, as long as the PM remembers to apply, it can be collected next year.

If the PM forgets to apply, all that can be said is: sorry.

Q: Following up on the previous question, if this year’s project has been closed but I want to resign this year, can I collect the project bonus?

A: Hey~ You need to read the answer carefully. Didn’t it say above that this year’s projects are paid out next year? If you resign, of course you won’t get it.

Q: What is the 159 bonus? How does it work?

A: The explanation of 159 is as follows:

1 refers to the annual bonus being paid in January.

5 refers to Part A of the performance bonus (for the previous year) being paid in May.

9 refers to Part B of the performance bonus (for the previous year) being paid in September.

One additional point: since 5 and 9 are for the previous year,

new hires generally cannot receive them in their first year.

Q: Does Jù’ōu really have many activities? I don’t want to participate in activities—is that okay? Do I need to pay out of pocket? I don’t have transportation—what should I do?

A:

Jù’ōu has three main types of activities:

Department activities => Usually mandatory for colleagues in each department because they affect evaluations of the supervisor and department. Colleagues in the same department receive partial subsidies. Participation by colleagues from other departments is subsidized on a limited basis.

Annual challenge activities => These activities are very important, mainly serving to build Jù’ōu’s image. At least half of the colleagues participate, with partial subsidies.

Holiday activities => Various holidays, such as Labor Day, Christmas, and the first day back at work, etc. Participation is basically mandatory. Partial subsidies are provided.

If you do not have transportation, colleagues will be arranged to assist, usually by driving their own cars.

Safety is not discussed here.

Q: Does Jù’ōu have an evaluation system? How does it work? What does the evaluation affect?

A:

Step1. At the beginning of the year, your supervisor will meet with you to discuss this year’s goals and which indicators the supervisor hopes you will achieve.

Step2. During a designated period set at the beginning of the year, colleagues log into the system and fill out a complex evaluation form. The evaluation criteria vary each year, and completion takes an average of 2–4 hours.

Step3. At the end of the year, colleagues enter the evaluation system and carry out the tedious “self-evaluation procedure.” Completion takes 3–6 hours, since carelessly written submissions will be sent back.

Step4. The supervisor conducts an interview and, based on the self-evaluation items completed by the colleague and other assessments, gives the colleague an “A,” “B,” “C,” or “D” rating.

It mainly affects the following year’s salary increase (this is what the raise depends on; if you miss it, you have to wait another year) and adjustments to job grade and level.

Q: Will Jù’ōu give salary increases?

A:

Adjusted according to the previous year’s evaluation:

Grade A: approximately NT$1,000/month increase

Grade B: approximately NT$800/month increase

Grade C: sorry, no increase

Grade D: placed under observation

Q: What is the NT$12,000 health bonus? How do I receive it?

A: Participate in Jù’ōu’s annual challenge, and NT$1,000 will be added to your salary each month in the following year, for a total of 12 months.

Q: Following up on the previous question, can I still receive it after resigning?

A: Of course not.

Q: Does Jù’ōu hold meetings frequently? Will they take up time before or after work?

A:

A colleague upstairs mentioned that a company of 60 people has three meeting rooms with projectors => the answer about meeting frequency is obvious.

Usually, informal sharing sessions and the like are held around lunchtime. You can take your lunchbox in and eat there.

Because of the meeting frequency, if all three meeting rooms are occupied, project-related meetings may also take up the lunch break.

Q: Does Jù’ōu provide coffee and snacks? Are they limited? Are they free?

A:

Jù’ōu deducts NT$200 from each colleague’s salary every month as a welfare fund to buy snacks and coffee.

Supplies are replenished at noon and are usually eaten up by 3 p.m. They are not replenished after they run out, so you need to be quick.

Q: Is Jù’ōu’s turnover rate high?

A: Open 104 and check the relevant job openings; then you’ll understand.

Q: Is Jù’ōu well-regarded?

A: Opinions are subjective. Please consult GoodJob.

Q: Does Jù’ōu hold regular department gatherings?

A: Basically once a year, with a partial subsidy of approximately NT$200–300.

Q: Does Jù’ōu require employees to maintain environmental cleanliness?

A: Environmental cleaning is carried out every Thursday. If you have something to do that day, you need to make up the cleaning the next day.

Q: I’m a new hire. Is Jù’ōu suitable for me?

A: Very suitable. This is a place that tests your mettle: you’ll learn how to take the blame, how to flatter people, and how to survive in adversity.

Q: Following up on the previous question, I’m an experienced worker. Is Jù’ōu suitable for me?

A: Equally suitable. You’ll experience how humane your previous workplace was; everything has to be understood through comparison.

Q: I’m a recent university graduate. What will my starting salary be?

A:

Planner: approximately N to N+4 K

Designer: approximately (N-4) to (N-2) K

Engineer: approximately N to (N+3) K

Marketing, administration: approximately (N-2) to N K

A master’s degree adds approximately NT$2,000, but please treat the interview as the final reference.

That’s all. If anything has been omitted, please ask other colleagues to help add it. Thank you.

Created the “Jù’ōu Quick Guide”

I am a current employee—not a newcomer, but not old either; I’m somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Giant Gull is my fourth company. Overall, it’s a good company. I’ll discuss it from several aspects:

1. Organization:

This is a company with established systems:

(1) The cloud folders are well organized, making it convenient to find information.

(2) There is a basic project management SOP. Although establishing and following the SOP has been somewhat challenging, we all know we are doing the right thing.

(3) The development team has also gradually established basic standards over the past two years.

(4) To improve communication between project managers and engineers, the company introduced Kanban management over the past two years.

(5) This is definitely an upright and fair company, and it improves year after year.

2. Compensation:

(1) I believe salary is something you negotiate—if you have the skills.

(2) There is a 159 bonus every year, which is essentially what is known elsewhere as the three-festival bonus.

(3) Regarding project bonuses, there are sales bonuses and an end-of-project dinner fund. At project closure, if there is a profit, the PM can apply for a completion bonus.

(4) As long as you participate in the company’s annual challenge each year, you receive a health bonus of NT$12,000 the following year.

3. Management:

(1) The company spares no expense when it comes to developing talent. Some people think work is already exhausting, so why take classes as well? But if you think about it carefully, many of these courses are quite expensive outside the company. The company pays us salaries and also hires instructors to teach us for free, so writing a short reflection is truly a great deal.

(2) To foster team spirit, every department holds a “Department in Motion” activity each year. Participation is not mandatory; if you have personal matters, simply tell your supervisor and it’s fine.

(3) Employee evaluations are also systematic. At the beginning of the year, each person discusses the KPIs they are expected to achieve that year, and most evaluation criteria are quantifiable.

(4) There are also various clubs. Applications are open every year, and club subsidies are available.

4. Work environment:

(1) A company of 60 people has three meeting rooms equipped with projectors, plus an open table area that can accommodate 10 people. There’s really not much to complain about.

(2) There is a table tennis table.

(3) There is half an hour of cleaning time every week, and everyone helps maintain a clean environment.

1. The work is genuinely tiring, but what job isn’t?

2. I have also experienced setbacks and considered resigning, but as long as you take the initiative to talk to your supervisor, they will help find a solution. After getting through it and looking back, you realize that you have grown.

3. Perhaps we will not stay at Giant Gull forever, but at least during our time here, we are definitely growing.

4. Many former employees begin to miss the good things about Giant Gull after they leave.

5. Compared with the narrowly divided responsibilities at large companies, you can learn a great deal at Giant Gull and think about things from a higher-level perspective.

Joyo was my first job. During this period, the company grew from having only a single-digit number of employees to becoming a small and medium-sized enterprise with more than 50 people. I left due to certain personal reasons. Every company has its good and bad points; what matters is your original reason for joining the company. From writing code to training and education, as well as project planning, I may be able to objectively share my work experience and how Joyo has changed.

1. Frequent surprises and challenges

This is the most interesting part of working on client projects, because you never know what kind of project you will be assigned next. As a result, domain know-how continues to accumulate, and the types of work vary as well, making the job full of major challenges.

2. Small but fully equipped

Joyo handles a very broad range of project types and has many departments, including planning, design, marketing, development, and administration. For a small company, this is quite rare. You can collaborate with different departments and spark many different ideas.

3. Sufficient professional knowledge

The company has a strong base of expertise. Whether in project supervision and evaluation, the GIS field, or even its relationships with government agencies, it has devoted many years to conducting in-depth research. This is the company's core value, and it will not be affected by changes in the environment or industry.

4. Tolerance for mistakes

The company is not afraid of you making mistakes and allows you to learn the right direction through trying. This is quite valuable and rare at other companies.

Different people value different things. If a company is your ideal workplace, you will not care whether it complies with the Labor Standards Act or whether its other benefits are what you want. The key is whether you can achieve your own goals at the company.

Now let's talk about the company's shortcomings.

1. A baffling culture of overtime

At Joyo, overtime can no longer be described as normal; it has become pathological. It has turned into working overtime for the sake of working overtime. Managers often set illogical deadlines: a development period of one month gets compressed to two weeks or one week? Requirements are not brought up during working hours, but only mentioned right before the end of the day, with the instruction, "Send it to me before you leave." I am speechless. Is there really that much work? Who are you clocking in for when working overtime? Everyone knows the answer.

2. Project management that is terminally ill

Joyo should have one of the highest concentrations of PMP-certified professionals in Taiwan, but there is significant room for improvement in how project management operates. They occasionally use the PMI Taichung Chapter to hype themselves up, but it actually leaves one feeling extremely powerless. Responsibilities and authority are unclear, public and private matters are mixed together, requirements are never clear, features are never fully completed, and there is never enough time.

3. The boss's one-man rule

The boss and the managers only listen to what they want to hear and look at what they want to see; they cannot tolerate opposing voices. Many of the systems they have established exist merely to curry favor and flatter.

4. Disposable engineers

At Joyo, only the planners who help secure bids are considered valuable. Engineers are treated like disposable chopsticks: if one is gone, another can always be found.

5. No promotion system

Joyo only has a seniority-based system, not a promotion system. No matter how poorly a manager performs, they will always remain your manager, and no matter how hard you work, you cannot move up.

I heard things have been quite lively here recently, so I came by to take a look and, while I’m at it, cheer on and say a few words for my former employer.

I’m a former employee who worked here for several years before leaving.

Based on my past experience and the information I currently have, I’d also like to share this with everyone and provide interviewees with a little more information to consider.

Pros

1. A strong sense of human warmth

I’ve seen many people feel that a “sense of human warmth” is something every company should have, or simply a given. I don’t actually agree. It may also be because the people leaving these comments haven’t worked for enough companies. Based on my own work experience, I genuinely liked this company because managers and colleagues at every level really treated you like family and sincerely cared about many things outside of work. I don’t think any of that was technically part of the managers’ responsibilities. Even after leaving, they would still offer their best wishes and stay in touch, and occasionally there would be gatherings. At least, I saw this much less often at other companies.

2. Emphasis on developing talent

It seems that some people have opinions about the courses, but I actually think the training this company provides is much better than that offered by most companies of a similar size. All of this represents the company investing in its employees. Each year, employees suggest topics they would like to learn, and the company then spends money to bring in instructors or send people out for training. Many companies don’t offer any courses at all, so how can the company be blamed for this in the end? Some courses are indeed scheduled on weekends, but that is also because they need to accommodate the availability of outside instructors who can come to Taichung. As for internal teaching and knowledge sharing, isn’t that one of an employee’s responsibilities? XD I haven’t worked at a company that didn’t require internal sharing. If such a company really exists, it probably means they don’t value you, right? They think you have no knowledge to share, don’t they?! Personally, I really enjoyed that kind of environment where everyone grew together. And often, when you are responsible for presenting a topic, you end up learning more than everyone else. I don’t remember whether you could count it toward your working hours, but is that really so important?

3. Many activities

It is true that there are many activities, but some people like them and some people hate them—that is a matter of personal choice. This should be mentioned during the interview, and even if it isn’t, job seekers can find out through various channels (such as the company’s Facebook page). If you understand the situation clearly and still choose to join, then there shouldn’t be much to complain about. As far as I know, the company has also worked hard to adjust things in recent years. There really were a lot of activities in the early days: a department had more than three activities a year, and sometimes there were activities every month or two each quarter. Later, the company gradually reduced them in response to everyone’s opinions. So now, having only three activities per department per year is actually very few. Activities held by other departments shouldn’t be counted, either—no one is forcing you to attend them. Personally, I benefited from these activities because many of them made life after work more interesting. If I had to plan everything myself, it would actually be more tiring. Isn’t it great that someone is now arranging everything for you?! I’m also grateful for the effort put in by the organizers of all those activities in the past. Another important point is that not every activity is mandatory. Many are clearly open for voluntary participation. Treating them all as one category and turning them into a disadvantage seems somewhat unreasonable to me. As for whether people are questioned about not attending, that’s difficult to say. At least, I never encountered it—perhaps because I always communicated properly.

4. A mechanism for co-creating proposals

It seems that many commenters discuss various systems or practices, but as far as I know, the company has always provided a proposal system (and probably still does). Employees can come up with ideas and submit suggestions, and once they are approved, there is even a bonus (although it isn’t very large). Some new systems were created this way. Personally, I have had one or two proposals accepted and implemented to make improvements. Society today really needs more constructive suggestions and fewer meaningless complaints and attacks. Based on my understanding, this company at least listens to serious suggestions from employees and discusses them. My experience of working with the company for many years tells me that this is not a company where one person has the final say.

Cons

1. Overtime pay

This is currently the most closely watched issue. Speaking as a former employee, I can confirm that things were indeed as the previous commenters described. I recently spoke with some former colleagues again and learned that the company had already planned this year to review and revise the system. It sounds like an announcement may be made soon, but don’t take my word as a guarantee. If this is something you care about, you can ask directly during the interview so you can better protect yourself.

2. High work pressure

It is also true that the work pressure is greater than at a typical company. This is because the company is quite competitive in the industry, and its competitors are not weak either, so naturally the team cannot be mediocre. Saying there is no pressure would be a lie. When I chose the company, half the reason was that I hadn’t thought that much about it, and the other half was that I wanted a bit of a challenge—that was why I joined Giant O. After several years of training and experience, I really did become stronger than I would have by staying at companies elsewhere. I once also helped a manager conduct interviews and saw people older than me, with more years of work experience, whose abilities were still only average. That made me feel that choosing this company had been the right decision. So if you want to join this company, think it through carefully. If what you want is a job with lots of money, little work, and a short commute, I would directly suggest that you choose another company. If you want to build up your abilities and track record, you can consider it.

3. Managers are sometimes too kind

When I saw people commenting about all the things wrong with the managers, I couldn’t offer the same opinion because the managers I worked with were all quite good, and I never experienced those things. However, there is one aspect that I do think caused me difficulties: the managers were too kind. When newcomers joined, they often gave them considerable patience and room to learn or make mistakes, but there was rarely an exit mechanism for dismissing poor performers. They would always first assume that there must be a way to help the employee improve. But in my experience, some people simply cannot grow. Sometimes this becomes misguided leniency and creates a burden for other employees. For example, some engineers had very poor abilities and learned very slowly, yet a great deal of time had to be spent teaching them just to produce basic functionality. Even after they finally produced it, there were usually still problems, requiring more time to fix them. As a result, the entire project schedule was seriously delayed, and experienced people had to step in and put out the fire. I once heard of an even more outrageous case: an engineer’s code was not only a mess, but also contained a bunch of profanity. Someone like that clearly has a problem with their character, right? Yet apparently they still weren’t fired. I heard that recently they even led others in coming back to attack the company (but that’s another story). It felt a bit like being bitten after helping someone. This is an area I think needs improvement.

Compensation is assessed based on multiple factors, there are many activities, plenty of learning opportunities, a warm and friendly atmosphere, and a free environment

A serious reply to the commenter above:

So many people have left negative reviews, yet you cannot offer any rebuttal. This is no longer about whether people are trying to pick a fight.

It is about everyone questioning the company’s policies and trying to speak up. Instead of offering suggestions or evidence that the company has not violated the Labor Standards Act, you ridiculously portray basic job responsibilities—such as a supervisor finding temporary staff to share the workload when you take extended leave, or being allowed to talk at work—as if they were special favors. Naturally, this makes it difficult for people to find your comments convincing.

Moreover, no company is perfect. No matter how good it is, every company has shortcomings to some extent. In a company of around 60 people, employees at all levels have tried to communicate and suggest ways to improve, but you have refused to face the issues raised by so many people here and even claimed that the company is flawless. Isn’t that just your own self-righteousness?

You said, “Salary and benefits should be evaluated based on factors such as the position.” That statement is not wrong in itself, but as someone in the administration department, you should understand better than anyone else that the company’s average salary and benefits are indeed worse than those of many other companies, while the overtime rate is unusually high, and the same group of people always receives an A in performance evaluations. That is why everyone feels they are not receiving equivalent compensation—after all, they do not even receive basic overtime pay. This is what you should be thinking about rationally, rather than claiming that we are being emotional.

It is certainly good that the company is willing to try different activities, and it has indeed planned many activities that people generally would not challenge themselves to do. However, we should not be expected to fund them ourselves or be explicitly or implicitly pressured to participate. Even when each department provides a subsidy, we still almost always have to pay out of pocket to cover ticket costs, meals, and so on. We even have to find our own way to cover transportation costs. I do not think that is very reasonable.

As for learning, we really often cannot take a break at noon because there are frequently so-called “knowledge-sharing sessions” or other discussion meetings. Although they initially made it sound as though these would not become a burden for everyone, in practice we are expected to use the little private time left after being pressured by the company to prepare presentations or handouts, yet this time cannot be counted as working hours. If we record it as working hours, we are questioned about it. Learning is indeed tiring, but who in the company is unwilling to learn? It is the many unreasonable aspects mixed into the process that have caused the constant complaints.

It is ideal for supervisors to be strict while still looking after their subordinates, but many supervisors at Giant Owl have poor attitudes toward their subordinates—for example, they treat you as if you were invisible when you greet them—and are also self-righteous. Perhaps that is why they make you feel that they are granting special favors when they are merely fulfilling their basic responsibilities.

The freedom of the work environment is a very good thing, and it may be the main reason the company gives people a lively impression. Many industries still cannot break away from outdated thinking and believe that restricting freedom is the way to achieve maximum efficiency. In reality, this is the freedom we should normally have, and people at every level of society ought to fight for it. After all, this is not a period of martial law anymore. So when you present something so self-evident—freedom that even newer companies generally offer—as an extra point in the company’s favor…I think that is stretching it a little too far.

So I also hope you will use the “wisdom and ability” you mentioned to judge things properly, rather than blindly convincing yourself that the problems do not exist.

Probably only during the interview back then, when I got the impression that this company was lively and full of energy—but that was just an illusion!

This company has far too many classic stories to tell... too many to list. After seeing so many complaints from fellow victims, it really hasn’t improved at all!

(1) They love organizing activities, and if you don’t participate, they start making trouble for you... On Labor Day, they couldn’t bear to let employees have a day off and insisted on holding a half-day activity. If you didn’t show up, they would say you weren’t a team player and constantly pester you about it. Even if you had a legitimate reason, you still had to take a personal day (and it had to be a full day, not half a day!).

What about the Dragon Boat Festival...? Everyone encouraged the boss to add to the bonus, but he only pulled out the twenty-something dollars in his pocket, then pretended nothing had happened and quickly left....

(2) Every month, they use lunchtime to hold a self-congratulatory, self-obsessed “Giant Gull People’s Assembly.” Once, the boss even specially displayed a screenshot from his own Facebook. It was a post he had written himself, but one of his friends responded with a different opinion, which annoyed him. So at the assembly, he publicly said: “Look, this is the kind of person who responds like that. So today I’m the boss, and he’s nothing...”

(3) Once, they even set up a design group, but dragged in a bunch of senior executives (who weren’t in design roles). They began monitoring everyone’s every word and action. On one occasion, the boss argued with a designer and finally played his trump card, cursing at the other person: “If that’s how you think, then you don’t have to work here anymore!” After that, no one posted anything there again....

(4) The weekday overtime subsidy was only NT$60. This is “really, really, really” true. At the time, our colleagues were competing to see “who was the overtime king”~

(5) There’s more: buying cars in the company’s name to save on taxes... the boss’s wife turning the marketing department into complete chaos... being marked late for arriving even one second late... not being allowed to leave the building except at lunchtime... the better you are at flattering people, the easier it is to get promoted (just look at those in the inner circle)... employees having to perform for the boss at the year-end banquet before he would be pleased... deliberately creating a fake image just to attract more fresh “livers” to exploit... desperately trying to win awards for tender bids (while driving everyone crazy); ladies and gentlemen... take good care of yourselves... (smile)

From now on, I’ll be able to thrive wherever I go, even if I switch to another company.

I’m responding to the so-called senior current employee below.

In response to your opening statement: “I am a senior employee currently working here. After reading these comments, I remained silent for a long time and finally decided to raise... the rest omitted”:

Since you, this senior current employee, love the company so much and listed nothing but its advantages, why hide behind “anonymity”? I suggest that you openly disclose your identity and let your fellow 巨鷗 employees learn from you and regard you as a role model. Since you identify so strongly with the company, why avoid the important issues and say nothing about salaries and bonuses?

In response to your claim that there are “many activities... the rest omitted”:

You claim there are many activities, yet you can’t even arrange the most basic transportation. When colleagues participate in activities, they have to trouble other colleagues to drive them there!? Let me ask you this: if something happens while driving, is the company responsible, or the unfortunate driver?? Not to mention that participating in activities now requires paying a “deposit.” If a colleague has something come up at the last minute, the deposit is simply forfeited. Good grief! Even attending an activity means being constantly on edge, and you have to remember to bring change because admission tickets, activity tickets, and other expenses have to be paid out of your own pocket.

In response to your claim that there are “plenty of learning opportunities... the rest omitted”:

For a subsidy scholarship worth just over ten thousand dollars, employees still have to sign an indenture (a retention agreement), effectively selling themselves... Everyone knows exactly what is going on behind the scenes.

Internal training consists entirely of forcing employees to serve as instructors. To prepare the course materials, they even have to work overtime on their own time to prepare the relevant documents. Sometimes I really can’t tell whether colleagues are being paid to come to work—or to be instructors??

In response to your claim about a “warm, personal atmosphere... the rest omitted”:

If you take leave without pay for personal reasons and your supervisor finds someone to share the workload, that is simply the supervisor’s “job.” In my view, you have completely misunderstood the definition of the three words “personal warmth”!!

In response to your claim of a “free environment... the rest omitted”:

If you can’t chat or listen to music at work, are we under martial law?

If you can’t walk around freely or eat when you’re hungry, is this some kind of White Terror?

Organizing group orders for breakfast or afternoon tea and working while standing—don’t bring these up as if they were something special. Do these really count as so-called “benefits”??

You have to experience a place’s good and bad for yourself. Reviews on 天眼通 are more or less worth taking into consideration.

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. If the company had no problems and treated its employees reasonably, so many colleagues would not be coming here to complain.

They openly violate labor laws, then try to distract from the issue by talking about irrelevant things. I’ve certainly seen it all…

I am a senior employee who is currently working here. After reading these comments, I remained silent for a long time and finally decided to share my thoughts. I do not want to argue with the previous comments; I only want to explain why I have stayed here for so many years. First, regarding salary and bonuses, multiple factors must be taken into consideration, including a person’s position, performance evaluation, abilities, education and experience, and contributions. I’ll leave it to everyone to think about this rationally.

There are many activities: The company’s activities are all carefully planned by colleagues, who often come up with creative and interesting ideas. I normally would never try many of these things, but through the company’s activities, I have experienced many new things. I have had a lot of fun here.

There are plenty of learning opportunities: There are many opportunities to learn here. In addition to the internal training provided by the company, I also completed my master’s degree here, applied for company subsidies, and signed a retention agreement. I have attended external training courses subsidized by the company. Although I have to write a report after returning, that was my own choice. Everyone knows that learning can be exhausting, but it is exhilarating when the knowledge you acquire becomes part of you and can be used to help solve problems at work.

A warm and caring environment: This workplace embraces diversity, cares for disadvantaged people, and has friendly colleagues who help one another. The supervisors are strict but also warm. I once took unpaid leave for health reasons, and my supervisor found short-term staff to share my workload so that I would not have to worry about burdening others. I am very grateful for that.

A great deal of freedom in the work environment: There is a lot of freedom here. You can chat, wear headphones and listen to music, move around freely, eat while working, join group orders for breakfast or afternoon tea, and even work standing up if you want—no one will stop you. However, if you are not a self-disciplined person, you should not try this lightly.

You have to experience a place’s strengths and weaknesses for yourself. If, like me, you enjoy learning and trying new things, are not afraid of challenges, and like eating at work, you can give it a try. However, the expected workload, work pressure, and strict requirements from clients still exist; you will have to rely on your own wisdom and abilities to deal with them.

The cons section cannot be left blank.

1. Most colleagues are easy to get along with.

2. There is often self-funded afternoon tea in the afternoon.

3. There is a cleaning period on Thursdays when you can get up and move around to prevent strokes.

1. Some project managers lack a programming background, and their project plans and prototypes are extremely careless, causing difficulties for the developers.

2. There is no overtime pay; there is only a NT$60 meal allowance. Basically, this already violates the Labor Standards Act, but the company still stubbornly refuses to change.

3. Although the company wants to adopt agile development, it cannot implement the spirit of agile development. Project managers only hurriedly create cards before Scrum meetings, leaving engineers no time to understand the requirements or determine whether the Story Points (SP) match the workload/difficulty of the cards. SPs are also estimated by only a small number of people.

4. Meetings, requirements analysis, and project discussions are all project costs, but they are not included in working hours.

5. There are many activities, usually held to answer to upper management (because the company wants to emulate Google and receive awards related to work–life balance), or to fulfill commitments to vendors (an exchange of benefits?). Basically, they are always held on holidays, and participation is semi-compulsory. If you do not participate, you even have to request leave from your supervisor and report the reason (black-person-confused-face???).

6. There are also quite a few courses. Again, about half are basically held on holidays, and participation is usually semi-compulsory. Afterwards, there is also a chance that you will have to write a course reflection by drawing lots. Even if the course content is empty, you still have to squeeze out an 800-word reflection to share.

7. They really like holding meetings at lunchtime. It sounds nice to say that you are having lunch together while discussing things. In reality, this is a factor that is difficult to digest and increases the risk of stomach cancer. Those with a conscience will end early so you can take a short nap; those thick-skinned enough will simply continue the meeting until 1:30 p.m., transitioning straight into afternoon work without a break.

1. The company atmosphere is lively and not gloomy (though there are some undercurrents).

2. There is a convenient meal-ordering system (but you have to pay for it yourself).

3. There are many activities to participate in (though participation is somewhat compulsory).

4. Working hours start between 8:00 and 9:00, with one hour of flexible working time (but being five minutes late results in the same deduction as being half an hour late).

5. There are many books available to borrow (if you “have time” to read them).

6. There is a health checkup once every two years (although not annually).

7. It is very suitable for people just starting their careers to gain experience, because there is a large volume of work, everything has to be done quickly, and most newcomers to the workforce do not place much emphasis on salary and benefits.

1. It operates under a responsibility-based system: regardless of how much overtime you work, you only receive NT$60 in meal compensation, and you still have to submit it for system approval. Overtime is frequently required, and some managers even call you in to work overtime on holidays. Even with the NT$159 performance bonus, it is not enough to make up for the overtime pay you deserve.

2. Although unused annual leave is converted into cash, you can only receive NT$800 per day (effectively an hourly wage of NT$100).

3. The company is extremely reluctant to spend money. “Sharing the hardship” means that only employees suffer. The company’s penny-pinching behavior may make you think it runs every business at a loss. It particularly likes exploiting employees, part-time workers, and vendors, while making it sound as though everyone volunteered.

4. In my opinion, the benefits are poor. In addition to not providing bonuses for the three major festivals, employees also have to pay the company NT$200 every month as a welfare fee, yet the company cannot explain what it is used for (setting aside how it is spent, shouldn’t benefits be paid for by the company to be called benefits...?). The soda machine has also been removed. Even when one was available, you had to pay for the drinks yourself, and they were not cheaper. Group dinners almost never happen, the top prize in the year-end party raffle is less than NT$50,000, and overseas travel subsidies are very small (even after working there for 10 years, the maximum subsidy is only NT$15,000; the average subsidy is just NT$5,000).

5. Although performance reviews use an A–E rating system, an A seems to be predetermined, with the same people rotating through the rating. Everyone else can work themselves to death and still only get a B. An A rating only adds around NT$1,000 to your salary, while a B adds about NT$800. If your salary grade is higher, the increase will of course be somewhat larger, but that also means your workload will become so large and miscellaneous that you are practically immersed in work 24 hours a day. Becoming a senior employee only adds around NT$2,000 to your salary.

6. The turnover rate is astonishingly high. On average, people do not even stay for three months; staying for one year is enough to make you seem senior. Yet newcomers are told that the company’s turnover rate is very low.

7. Taking parental leave makes some managers unhappy. They feel that you are wasting the company’s time and money, and will keep trying to persuade you to return to work immediately after giving birth. After you return from leave, they will give you twice the workload.

8. The colleagues at the company are, on average, very capable, both academically and technically. However, in addition to the generally low salaries, their enthusiasm is quickly worn away, and it is easy to feel exhausted.

9. The coaches have little presence because they are all very busy (or rather, almost everyone in the entire company is unbearably busy every day). As a result, no one is likely to take the initiative to check on you, and few people are willing to proactively teach you.

10. Take the promises made by upper management with a grain of salt; you will never get to eat the pie they describe. Simply put, they are very good at placating you with grand-sounding words, often failing to match their words with their actions and refusing to honor previous agreements. Therefore, whenever terms are agreed upon or something is confirmed at work, be sure to keep a record to avoid being taken advantage of.

There is an ordering system for boxed lunches, and it will even automatically deduct the cost from your monthly salary!!

“The company atmosphere is harmonious and lively, and we frequently organize many activities of all sizes……………”

=> Additional explanation: Whether it’s a group of three or a group of thirty… you have to find the driver yourself… pay for the fuel yourself; the company doesn’t care at all.

You even have to help maintain the company’s image on days off! Go on outings! Beneath the happy smiles is endless sorrow!

“Annual large-scale activities come with participation bonuses.....”

=> Additional explanation: The so-called annual “large-scale” activity… is a large group of people (40–50 people) competing for bonuses ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 dollars.

Even if you really manage to get one, you still have to submit an expense claim to treat everyone to food and drinks, and in the end you have to pay out of pocket.

Why make yourself so exhausted?

“There is bound to be some work pressure; all project-based work is like this....”

=> I don’t deny that there is some work pressure. Any job comes with pressure.

Overtime being the norm would be one thing… but they are unwilling to give employees even a little of what they are owed.

On weekdays, no matter how many hours you work overtime, the overtime pay is just 60 dollars.

On holidays, it’s merely the minimum hourly wage under the Labor Standards Act… less valuable than an intern’s labor. Do the math yourself.

Most importantly, even this is paid reluctantly, because you have to submit a form to apply for it yourself. If you work too much overtime… whether that will attract unwanted attention… is anyone’s guess.

“New employees will be assigned a coach to guide them...”

=> This point is even more ridiculous. Is the assigned coach really free all day to train new employees?

In most cases, if the new employee isn’t thick-skinned, they are simply left on their own.

“Overall, the systems are clear and transparent, and the benefits are somewhat above average...”

=> What does “clear and transparent” mean? The clearest and most transparent thing is the 60-dollar overtime pay.

Promotions are not transparent… evaluations are not transparent… the benefits fund is not transparent…

What does “somewhat above-average benefits” mean? Perform well and make no mistakes, and you get an 800-dollar raise after a year.

Regardless of whether you’ve worked there for five years or ten, the year-end bonus is always one month’s salary.

There are no bonuses for the three major holidays.

As for performance bonuses, for a project worth an average of five million dollars, each person gets roughly 2,000–3,000 dollars.

I couldn’t help wondering: Did all the other money somehow get lost?

The company atmosphere is harmonious and lively, and many activities of all sizes are frequently organized (sports clubs, holiday gatherings, department activities, etc.). Large annual events offer participation bonuses to encourage employees to take part. There is certainly some work pressure, as is the case with all project-based work. The company values schedules and efficiency, as well as teamwork. When newcomers join, a coach is assigned to guide them, allowing them to learn quite a lot. Overall, the systems are clear and transparent, and the benefits are somewhat above average. The main advantage is the positive atmosphere among everyone, which reduces much of the interpersonal pressure in the workplace and makes work go more smoothly, while also providing opportunities to learn many things.