The salary is fairly decent.
But there are too many supervisors, authoritarian attitudes, bullying, and two-faced people.
Starting in 2025, a 0% performance rating system will be introduced.
If your rank is not high and you are not favored, isolation and bullying may occur.
No overtime, because she doesn't want to pay overtime wages.
Claims to have worked in the software industry for decades, yet still manages employees using the same logic as a traditional manufacturing factory. Even when you request personal leave, she makes a fuss about it. Most of the managers under her have already left because they don't want to deal with her, but she still won't give up and directly drags engineers into meetings with her. The meetings have no agenda, content, or conclusion—they're just for nitpicking over code and bragging about her son working in the United States. She doesn't even have any requirements but still forces you to do things, saying, “I think you know what I want.” Does she really think I can read minds? Even if you somehow divine what she wants, she'll overturn everything at the next meeting and tell you to make something new. She spends all day doing this purely disgusting stuff while insisting on pretending to care about you. It makes me want to puke just looking at her. And somehow, a person like this can continue to hold a senior position at Compal. What a truly pathetic company.
Job Seeking Skywatch doesn’t seem to be available anymore; perhaps it was temporarily shut down to avoid the controversy because things got too heated before.
This company is just… you need to be able to handle the grind; the money won’t be lacking.
Also, don’t let the sales pitch lure you to the smaller subsidiary. Although the larger one works people hard, its systems are well established, and basically, you’ll get what you’re supposed to get.
The smaller one is just… very different (in every respect). Mainly because it was originally an acquired mobile-phone company, and the internal HR has its own way of doing things. There are rumors that the parent company also wants to change things, but the old-guard HR people at the smaller subsidiary have kept blocking it, so nothing has come of it. If it’s only the smaller subsidiary, think very carefully.
I don’t have a very good impression of this company either, especially the acoustic measurement team.
That said, I didn’t join in the end anyway.
Mainly because I knew how to use the system that manager worked with, but it wasn’t the kind of system I had specialized in, so they rejected me outright after the second interview and didn’t even send a rejection notice.
The interview also placed a very strong emphasis on overtime and leaving at midnight, and they even said quite a few employees worked that way. Make of that what you will about the work environment. Oh right, they also emphasized that the company provides training. I just want to ask: if you expect people to work overtime until midnight every day, are you really going to let them attend training?
None at all
First, about the company:
1. Low salary. I only found out after changing jobs that my base salary was at least $6,000 lower than others'.
2. We have to make up for holidays. We are not a government agency, and customers do not work on Saturdays at all, so going to the company is just suffering for no reason.
3. Your clock-out time must be unconditionally rounded up to the next whole minute, and that is counted as your leaving time, so clocking out at 1 minute past the hour is the most disadvantageous.
4. Dinner is deducted from your 30-minute meal break (unpaid). On average, I worked 40 hours of overtime per month at Compal, so 10 of those hours were the company forcing me to eat dinner.
Now, about the department. I was previously in the public-board EE RD team:
1. Almost everyone at DL level or above is a yes-man. If your boss says 1, then it is 1. Once, a DM had just told me that 0 was what I should execute, but after the boss heard about it, he told me it was 1 (1 was a very cumbersome and unnecessary strategy). After hearing that, the DM said, “Yes, that must be right.” I was completely dumbfounded.
2. The pressure used to get so bad that I had to take anti-anxiety medication (I was completely cured after changing jobs), which made me somewhat sleepy in the morning. I had also told my superiors that I would make up the time by working an extra two hours in the evening. However, just because the deputy department director highlighted that I had fallen asleep at work, I had to write a body-issue lesson learned explaining how to improve my sleepiness at work. At the time, I thought it was my problem. After I shared this experience at my new workplace, my colleagues only thought my former boss was crazy.
3. The boss verbally bullies you, but has no idea that it is bullying. He even thinks he cares a lot about the people under him. He often makes sarcastic and hurtful remarks, causing quite a few people to resign.
4. After I left, I heard from colleagues that he had become even worse, acting like a feudal emperor. Many things that had always been done and passed down were changed whenever he felt like changing them.
5. The DL and DM lack the ability to make independent judgments. When they encounter something they do not know how to handle, they pretend nothing is happening until the situation becomes urgent, then look for people to discuss it with.
I worked there for less than a year, and this is all I can think of for now. Working as an EE at Compal means being treated like a dog. Under no circumstances should you choose EE RD.
Absolutely no advantages.
There are some insane people at the Vietnam factory—Mr. Jetxr Wxng, Q's (supervisor). All he does at work all day is berate everyone in job grades lower than his, then grovel to the senior managers who can evaluate his performance. In fact, Mr. J's abilities are not even sufficient for an OP position. When reporting to customers, he only draws a few lines in a primary-school-level Excel spreadsheet and calls it a day. In the end, even the customer could not stand it and directly DQ'd Mr. J. Quality issues are for the production line to resolve; incoming-material defects are for suppliers to resolve. In any case, none of it is Q's responsibility! In the end, his reckless actions caused the company to suffer bad debts and lose tens of millions of U.S. dollars. I have never seen anyone so incompetent and malicious rise to such a senior position. No wonder the company is losing money. 👌👌👌 I checked the other party's work history: they had only worked at VPIC1, a small Vietnamese factory selling motorcycle parts, and had absolutely no experience at any reputable large IT company. I really do not understand why the company would pay high salaries to hire a bunch of demons to cause trouble.
Chinese employees are promoted to supervisors after working for two years, while Taiwanese employees remain ordinary employees even after more than ten years with the company. HR J:
This is the company’s policy. It is meant to recruit Chinese employees. Why should you complain when you are Taiwanese? There are so many people wanting to join. In China, everyone knows that Compal is a terrible company, and no one wants to join, so they have to offer better conditions to recruit people.
Ordinary employees are expected to be proficient in every area, while supervisors do not understand anything yet can still point fingers about matters they do not understand.
Your so-called expertise is of course not considered important either, and you can be replaced at any time.
To save costs, they replace senior engineers in various locations with recent graduates or people fired by other companies who cannot find work. What these people have in common is that they accept low salaries; some only ask for the minimum wage, but are willing to do anything. HR uses these people to suppress the salaries of other employees, and HR does not care about managers’ well-being. HR’s attitude: “If you’re unhappy, don’t do it. I don’t care what happens to you.”
Managers engage in verbal bullying, especially at overseas offices. They bluntly state that this is not Taiwan and that Taiwan’s Labor Standards Act does not apply here. “If you want to sue, go ahead; you won’t win anyway.” There is a short, overweight, bald manager in Vietnam whose inner character is extremely twisted and ugly, as reflected in his appearance. He openly taunted that this is Compal’s corporate culture.
The Pingzhen plant is carrying out massive layoffs and wants to send people to Vietnam. Yet the supervisory positions in Vietnam have all been taken by Chinese nationals. Those who do not want to go can only accept the voluntary resignation program, which could be considered a benefit.
HR goes to great lengths to deceive you into joining; naturally, everything afterward is just a scheme. Later, when you discover that what was said differs from the original claims, you can only accept your bad luck and resign. After all, you chose to work in the world's leading region for fraud.
They treat people as disposable commodities: once they have used you, they throw you away. When there are no orders, there is nothing to do except wait to be laid off.
When supervisors do not do their jobs, they just like to cause trouble. You also have to endure unreasonable customer demands. Whatever you need to apply for, there is nothing available, while supervisors use only the newest and best equipment. They cannot do anything well, but they are quite good at running an authoritarian dictatorship like a local emperor.
As long as you develop the ability to shamelessly grovel and flatter, you can live a life akin to retirement, no matter how poor your abilities are.
Contract manufacturers have nothing, but they have the most people, so you won't have to worry about not finding someone.
Managers can enjoy the privilege of being grovelled to by Chinese people. If there are Chinese people in the same unit, those who believe they are not as capable of grovelling as Chinese people are advised to stay away. In the end, they will still be sacrificed. This is especially true in Vietnam, where Chinese people will do anything to work (hire prostitutes) in Vietnam—anything except maintain their dignity.
You can trade on seniority and fully follow the rules of contract manufacturers: the worse the person, the longer they stay.
Someone who works as a manager at a major contract manufacturer may receive only a senior engineer offer from HR, allowing them to enjoy the experience of being humiliated.
HR staff all possess the ability to humiliate people very politely. As an HR professional, carrying a knife around to cut people down at any time is completely normal.
Many people with poor abilities or who want to retire and take it easy have now transferred to Vietnam to occupy positions.
If you encounter a fat, bald person from Vietnam during an interview, you will know that the saying “looks reveal the heart” is absolutely true.
You can completely see the sinister and twisted side of human nature in this person. This person can show you what it means that the longer someone stays, the worse—and happier—they become.
They don't discriminate—any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get hired.
1. From your colleagues to your managers, they're all any Tom, Dick, or Harry.
2. By law, you can only work 4 hours of overtime per day, so the company legally doesn't pay you overtime for any hours beyond that. If they don't pay you, it doesn't count as overtime, so it's not illegal—right!
3. No one will “discuss” things with you; from above to below, it's all instructions. And the instructions are always very vague—you have to guess what the real objective is.
None at all!
Doesn't know how to lead people; figure it out yourself!
The department is cold and isolating; everyone works alone.
The turnover rate is quite high!
Under no circumstances should you go to HW15!
No one dares to go to呆鵝 HP!
I interviewed for a QA position at Compal several months ago and had approximately 5–7 years of QA experience. Before the interview, there was a logic test and an English test. According to the manager, the English score needed to be at least 500, with 550 being the standard. Based on my own research into market rates, I was expecting more than NT$50K, but the manager said that Compal’s monthly salary was NT$44K. The expected annual salary would be 13–14 months. In any case, I didn’t meet the English requirement and was subsequently ghosted.
Pros:
1. The reputation of a large company may at least make it a familiar name when looking for another job later.
2. Nothing else comes to mind.
Cons:
1. The salary is below the market rate. (I interviewed with nearly 20 companies, and the four offers I received were all above NT$50K. Compal was the only one offering NT$44K while also placing significant requirements on the English score.)
2. The location is in Neihu, which is relatively far for anyone living outside Taipei City. The one-way commute may take nearly an hour or more, and rent and prices in the surrounding area are also high.
None
I interviewed for a procurement position. The interview lasted about an hour in total, but only around 5–10 minutes were spent on the manager introducing the position and asking about my experience. The rest of the time, the manager kept asking about my previous company’s processes, product specifications, main suppliers, who its competitors were, price ranges, and so on. It felt like they were probing for industry intelligence, which came across as rather dishonest and made me uncomfortable.
First, I should mention that I worked as an engineer and graduated with a bachelor's degree from a private university of science and technology.
I highly recommend that fresh graduates join Compal to gain some experience, and at least complete one full project.
The salary, including the base pay and overtime pay, is fairly good. At least, you can support yourself living in Taipei.
Afterward, when you move to another company, you will have substantial experience to articulate a complete framework to others.
It takes 10 years to hone your skills enough to become a DL, which may feel a little dull.
However, if you are pursuing a stable job, it might be suitable for you.
You need to maintain good relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and project managers, so your communication and people skills cannot be too poor.
You need to write reports and conduct studies, which will take a considerable amount of time.
You need to spend time reporting overtime at the company, which means losing some time with your family and yourself.
Salary increases one level at a time. By the time Compal gives you a raise, your beard may already be turning white.
HR was very polite
This is not the Taipei Neihu department
The manager showed great disrespect for the engineer's job responsibilities during the interview,
completely disregarding the applicant's portfolio or skills,
as if anyone could do this job,
as if they were simply looking for someone to work shifts.
If the manager has no enthusiasm, how could they possibly hire good talent?
Once you join, you will simply use components from mainland Chinese manufacturers,
with no need to develop anything yourself,
so the technical requirements are extremely low.
Fresh graduates should think carefully.
Don't go in and let your passion be worn down.
None
Applied for an Account Manager position.
They asked the applicant to spend a long time taking a written test and attending an interview.
The manager asked me what 5G is (he probably didn’t know what 5G is himself and didn’t want to do his own research, so he asked the applicant instead).
After the interview, they asked about my salary expectations. I said 50–55K (I actually wanted to ask for 55K–60K, but since I hadn’t previously worked in account management, I lowered my salary expectations myself).
The manager said no, and that it should be only 40K, and that HR would discuss it with me.
I didn’t have a job at the time, so I thought that if I could negotiate something in the 40K range with HR (for example, 45K), I could accept it.
As a result, after the manager went outside to talk to HR and some time had passed,
HR came in and told me that today’s interview was ending here.
Then I was ghosted.
.......
So even though the position clearly had a budget limit, they still asked the applicant to come for an interview.
After the interview, having taken up the applicant’s valuable time and gained their experience, they asked about the applicant’s salary expectations,
then, after finding it too expensive and not wanting to pay, simply ghosted the applicant?
......
The main point is that the salary is only 40K, and it would probably be just 1K or 2K lower or higher than 40K,
so there was no real need to go through an interview and waste time.
I graduated from a private university, and perhaps Compal has modeled its ridiculous system after ASUS’s.
Therefore, even graduates of national universities can ask about the salary range before the interview, understand it, and then decide whether to go.
HR was kind
Although the interview was for a business unit, there was very little basic eye contact. Even after leaving Xiaobao, I still didn’t know the name of the interviewer.
They said that because they value logic and responsiveness, they had prepared more tests than other companies. The tests took at least an hour.
The English test was, of course, mandatory, along with logic and response tests. Before the interview, I also had to fill out and print their internal résumé, which was nearly identical to the one on 104.
None
Interviewed for a sales position.
First, I waited in a basement with a very strong cooking-oil smell for HR to come and escort me.
After completing the test, I felt that the hiring manager still had not figured out what their own business model was, had not carefully reviewed my résumé, and was not focused on listening during the interview. They kept missing the main points, so it is easy to imagine that this department’s performance will not be very good.
None
The managers are very poor quality, with a bunch of unreasonable demands and an influx of mainland Chinese.
Everyone in the department is very supportive, and the atmosphere is good. Overtime depends on the project situation, but it is not excessive, and overtime pay claims are not blocked.
The salary is low...
None
A company that exploits its employees
The supervisor is extremely poor at managing personnel and projects, and we repeatedly had to work overtime until the middle of the night because of poor communication.
We were even required to work overtime at the company on Sundays, and afterward there was no indication of any compensation or time off in lieu. Follow-ups also ultimately went nowhere.
Everything below refers to SDBG (the smaller company) on Yangguang Street ^^ (using the Engineering and PM departments as examples)
Benefits:
Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and birthday gift vouchers (NT$1,000 in SOGO vouchers each)
"No" employee fitness center
Employee travel subsidies (haven’t used them; leaving it to someone knowledgeable to add details)
Club activities (I’ve seen people playing table tennis and doing yoga)
Dinner subsidy for overtime (only one cafeteria remains open at night; basically, everyone buys food outside, so it’s effectively no subsidy ^^)
Monthly salary: Below the industry average
*The salary structures for the larger and smaller companies are somewhat different. I’ve heard that the larger company’s monthly salary is slightly lower, so overtime can be claimed, while the smaller company’s monthly salary is relatively higher, so overtime cannot be claimed.
Working hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (but you’ll find that nobody leaves at five ^^ except for some departments, such as Import/Export, where I don’t know why they can leave exactly on time—I’m so jealous ^^)
Leaving time: On average, more people don’t leave until after 7 p.m.; after getting home, you may have to continue working overtime and have conference calls with clients.
Overtime pay:
Before the one-rest-day/one-flexible-rest-day system, there was no overtime pay or compensatory leave. For working overtime on holidays, you had to request compensatory leave in advance, but whether you would actually have time to take the leave was another matter ^^.
After the one-rest-day/one-flexible-rest-day system was introduced, overtime pay could be claimed, but the number of hours claimable per month was limited.
*With the overtime hours included, the actual hourly pay is even worse than a part-time worker’s ^^.
Other (may vary by department):
1. You have to keep your phone with you and cannot miss calls—even on holidays ^^. Basically, you’re on call 24/7.
2. You often receive calls on Saturdays (the factories in mainland China are working).
3. They are seriously understaffed, so the quality of coworkers varies greatly.
4. At the time, I had been there for less than half a year, and five coworkers around me had already left (including my supervisor), not counting those who failed to transfer to another department ^^.
*Besides all this, I heard that an employee assigned to mainland China may have died from overwork (of course, there was no news about it ^^). There was also the case previously reported in the news of a Neihu employee jumping to their death while working overtime on a holiday.
Yangguang Street has a little baby, and the baby is like an adopted child, receiving no care. Especially after the amendment, they do everything they can to exploit the engineers at the bottom. Overtime pay goes unreported because no one dares to claim it; people dream of unused leave that cannot be converted into salary, and take annual leave just to come to work, becoming “excellent employees”＼(^o^)／ The starting salary for newcomers is even so low that it is hard to praise. The days when the baby’s salary was highly competitive are over—poor fresh recruits who have joined recently~
The people at the top don’t consider making changes and cling to the old ways. It’s always cost-cutting and avoiding responsibility. How are we ever supposed to improve like this~
Compal has two major divisions: PCBG on Ruiguang Road (primarily focused on laptops, commonly known as “Big Compal”) and SDBG on Yangguang Street (primarily focused on mobile phones, formerly known as “Hua Compal” and commonly called “Little Compal”). Although Little Compal was merged into Big Compal and subsequently delisted, there are still differences in their systems and policies, such as salaries, overtime, and the e-form system.
Take overtime as an example. At Big Compal, engineers have basically always been allowed to claim overtime. At Little Compal, engineers were not allowed to claim overtime until the “one fixed day off and one flexible rest day” policy was about to take effect (previously, claiming overtime was categorically prohibited, and converting overtime into compensatory leave was not allowed either). However, even though claiming overtime is now permitted, Little Compal still passively discourages it behind the scenes through system settings. For example, employees can claim overtime pay for only nine hours per month; if they exceed that limit, the form cannot be submitted. The following PTT article is one example:
https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Gossiping/M.1484698551.A.595.html
People online have constantly mocked Hsu Sheng-hsiung and criticized him for treating employees harshly. I believe Hsu Sheng-hsiung—or at least those close to him—must also be completely baffled, because Big Compal’s policies are not as described online. According to what management and HR have said, the reason is that Chen Chao-cheng of SDBG privately insisted on running Little Compal’s own personnel system separately. Chairman Hsu has taken a great deal of blame, and he probably still does not know that Little Compal’s maverick practices are what caused him to receive so much criticism online.
I do not recommend this position.
SWs in this company and department are only taken advantage of.
This company's salary levels are above the average for Taiwanese companies.
This company treats research-and-development substitute service personnel like disposable chopsticks!
Think twice!