國賓大飯店股份有限公司

The air conditioning is very strong?

I was invited to an interview because someone at the Ambassador Hotel said the front desk was short-staffed; I did not apply on my own.

The interview time was also set by the Ambassador Hotel’s HR department for 1:30 p.m. I arrived 20 minutes early that day, but by the time the entire interview was over, it was nearly 4 p.m., because I ended up waiting around inside for more than two hours.

All I was told was that the supervisor was in a meeting. They gave me a cup of tea and a magazine, then left me waiting for two hours—showing complete disrespect toward the applicant.

If there was a meeting, why didn’t they notify me and change the time? Or why schedule this time in the first place?

The unprofessional aspects mentioned by the HR staff in the comments below are also all true, so I will not elaborate further here.

Throughout the process, my résumé was constantly criticized, with an attitude suggesting that their front-desk team was full of excellent candidates and did not need me, and that they would see whether the restaurant wanted me and then notify me about a second interview.

It is unbelievable that a historic hotel would treat applicants this way. I imagine that even if I joined, I probably would not receive good treatment, so future interviewees should think carefully.

Pros

1. There is an employee cafeteria (provided you have time to eat there)

2. There is an annual bonus (only after completing one year; note that you have a three-month probationary period)

3. There is an employee lounge (but there is basically no time to rest)

4. There are benefits for the three major holidays (not during the probationary period)

5. There are 9–10 days off (your days off will often be taken away)

Cons

1. It is a responsibility-based system with no overtime pay. After you clock out late on the computer, the back office changes your hours for you, and even if you check, you cannot find anything—haha. At least 10 hours a day

2. The guest rooms in this five-star hotel have extremely poor soundproofing, and the hardware and facilities are old

3. The kitchen is outdated, and there are many additives and processed chemical foods

4. A salary of approximately 25,000 per month that is inversely proportional to the quality

5. Supervisors or long-time employees bully employees who are about to resign

1 Employee dormitory (NT$1,000/month—four-person room)

2 Employee meals (the flavor is slightly salty

3 Colleagues are easy to get along with (perhaps, if you're lucky

4 You can eat rejected products

5 Work alone

1 A responsibility-based system, but you cannot leave early after completing your work; overtime is unpaid if the work is unfinished

2 Staff shortages make it difficult to take leave; about six days off per month on average, including national holidays and special leave. Accumulated leave can be exchanged for pay at under NT$100/hour

3 High quality requirements

4 Heavy workload

5 Various restrictions on taking leave

6 Salary of about NT$24,000/month, inversely proportional to the quality requirements

7 The number of Taiwanese tourists is gradually increasing while business travelers are decreasing, which means... well, you know—Taiwanese tourists

1. The only positive is that the colleagues are easy to get along with

2. There is an employee cafeteria where you can eat

Position: Assistant Manager in a certain unit (the title used by this company)

1. During the interview, they made the job sound fantastic, but after actually joining, it was very different from what was described. Once I started, it was basically like doing odd jobs

2. The division of work between departments is unclear. Things belonging to certain departments are often dumped on us, and they order us around, making it seem as if this position belongs to their department

3. Departments scheme against one another, and there is even vicious infighting within departments. They appear harmonious on the surface but engage in open and covert struggles behind the scenes. Most colleagues even pretend not to see one another when they meet on the way. That is simply the way people interact here, and it feels extremely unpleasant

4. Most senior managers are relatives or associates of influential people. As long as you say flattering things and praise these people highly, even those without ability can still rise through the ranks rapidly

5. They are extremely impatient with newcomers. When you ask questions, many people become impatient or simply say they do not know. Colleagues only want to do what is within their own responsibilities; regarding other people's tasks, they act as if they do not know because those tasks are not theirs

6. The manager of one's own department does not stand up for the people in the department, lacks backbone, and is often unaware of the situation

7. Managers from other departments can question employees from other departments directly without first reporting to or asking that department's manager about the employee's situation, leaving employees rather confused

Overall, it looks like a well-established, systematic old company, but in reality it is not. After joining, I discovered that the entire system is controlled by bureaucracy. As the saying goes, “If you have connections, nothing is a problem.” Those who are pushed out either have no connections or refuse to comply with these relatives and associates of influential people. Human resources is the company's biggest and most fundamental problem, but management cannot see it; they only think about how to make money

None

1. The professionalism of Ms. J, the HR representative at your company, requires significant improvement: HR can be said to be the company’s first line of defense in recruiting talent externally, as well as a job seeker’s first impression of the company. HR should use its professional expertise to find suitable talent for the company, not pry into confidential information about the companies where job seekers work. I do not know whether Ambassador requires HR to help the company pry into other companies’ confidential information, but I consider it extremely disgraceful! Furthermore, while your company requires interviewees to pay attention to their dress and appearance, should it not also require its own staff to maintain appropriate dress, appearance, and personal cleanliness, as well as show respect and professionalism when speaking with interviewees? If HR’s own label has such serious problems, then I would like to ask whether Ambassador, as a long-established hotel brand, will become one of those outdated hotels that receives no interest and is eliminated in this era when emerging hotels are springing up.

2. Concerns about personal data leakage: For merely attending an interview, interviewees are required to submit their graduation certificates, professional certificates, and proof of salary. However, the documents are not stamped or marked “For interview purposes only.” To be honest, no one knows how they are handled in the end, and there may be concerns about information leakage. Does Ambassador provide any guarantee regarding this?

3. Extremely poor location, with safety concerns: On the day of the interview, a group of people associated with organized crime happened to be causing trouble, and a group of men in black were chased through the lobby by plainclothes police officers. Yet the security personnel did not know to promptly separate the guests from the incident. Their crisis awareness was far too poor.

4. The interviewing supervisor was extremely rude: When asking questions, they would not even let me finish speaking. I do not know why you asked in the first place, and you even mocked another person’s appearance.

Can I file a complaint with the Labor Department because this involved elements of insult?

All in all, it would have been better not to go. Going there was truly a waste of time and left me extremely upset. I can only say that Ambassador’s employee training is truly “excellent”—externally, it makes people feel that this is a company worth switching to.

There is an employee cafeteria, so you don't have to think about what to eat every day and can save some money. That's all.

Relations among colleagues are cold, and almost all of them are high-level executives' relatives and favorites.

There are overt and covert power struggles between departments.

As long as senior management likes you, you can jump three levels in position even without the ability.

The supervisor has no sense of responsibility, likes assigning impossible tasks to subordinates, and assigns urgent work 30 seconds before the end of the workday. They are merely a mouthpiece for senior management and speak and think illogically.

Whether your leave request is approved depends on how much the supervisor likes you. If they dislike you, they will make things difficult at every turn, and they also expect you to pretend to be busy and leave late even after your working hours are over.

You have to be on standby on Line 24 hours a day; if you do not reply immediately, you will be questioned.

None

Managers like forming cliques to isolate subordinates and humiliating them in public. A culture of currying favor with those in power is prevalent, and they violate the Labor Standards Act at every turn.