福氣塘海華國際事業有限公司

Unlimited tea every day

Sweatshop

Workdays are often 12-hour “all-in” shifts

Yet they do not pay you a reasonable wage in accordance with the Labor Standards Act

All 12 hours are calculated at the minimum wage

Not to mention that they make us do work equivalent to that of a store manager

while paying us only the wages of part-time student workers

There are absolutely no bonuses of any kind

All you get is the boss giving you a long lecture full of useless motivational platitudes

The company clearly markets itself on the fact that all its tea is brewed from tea leaves

but the tea brewed by the boss still isn’t as good as the tea brewed by me, a junior employee

So I really don’t understand why the company insists on making things so complicated

There are an enormous number of subtleties involved in brewing good-tasting tea

Without at least a month and a half of training, you simply cannot do it

And because brewing good-tasting tea is not easy,

whether people can be retained is a crucial factor in maintaining quality

But with these wages and these working conditions,

with such a chaotic system and a company with no proper structure,

who exactly could this possibly retain?

As a result, the boss often has to recruit new employees

and rush them into the job, expecting them to learn everything in half a month and be able to run a store independently

This kind of futile approach

has led the company to its current situation, which is hardly surprising

The boss is very skilled at talking, but has no tangible abilities that can earn people’s trust

He often boasts that he used to be a manager in charge of many people

But the reality is that, now, hardly anyone in the company is willing to work under him

.

Now, even the Shilin branch—the company’s founding store, which the boss constantly boasts has more than a decade of history—has closed

It remains to be seen how much longer the company can hold on

Hourly wage in Guandu: 140

Hourly wage in Shilin: 138

The only advantage

During the interview, they agree with you on a monthly salary of 30,000, but in the end the person in charge tells you it has been changed to 29,000. The company’s job posting clearly says that the salary is 30,000 for applicants with experience.

I encountered someone without experience who was also paid 29,000! The company will not sign a contract with you. For the first three days before you officially start work, you do not clock in and are not paid.

The company has two stores, one in Shilin and one at the Guanxi Service Area. You will travel back and forth between them. Usually, you will be there on holidays, take one day off, and then return to work in Shilin! The working hours are extremely long—12 hours. Overtime pay does not comply with the Labor Standards Act. The hourly wage is 138 in Shilin and 140 in Guanxi.

The company has no full-time employees. When I joined, there were only me and one other full-time employee; now both of us have left. There is one store manager in Shilin and one in Guanxi—these are the only people in the entire company. There is one Malaysian part-time student in Guanxi who has been there for half a year and often works full shifts—12 hours—with no labor or health insurance! The Guanxi store manager is often in mainland China, so that one part-time student is the only person in charge of the entire Guanxi location.

There are slightly more part-time students at the Taipei/Shilin location, around three to four!

The company advertises overseas positions to get you to join, but once you are in, many things are completely different.

The salary keeps changing. They will tell you that you may occasionally need to work overtime, but in reality you will work full shifts almost every day.

You have to pay for the uniform, but they do not tell you. The scheduling of days off is inflexible. Turnover is very high, and there are only six days off per month.

Once the days off have been scheduled, they can change them at any time. There is no consideration for employees; everything is arranged for the company’s own convenience.

The person in charge of the company is extremely unpleasant and speaks without any humanity, treating employees like machines.

The company does not use a logistics service for deliveries; company employees—usually the owner—make the deliveries. However, he only watches you move goods while using his phone.

You have to listen to him lecture you about a bunch of grand principles.

At first, they will tell you that because you are not from Taipei, you can report directly to Guanxi. But only before you are supposed to report will they tell you to go to Shilin instead.

Moreover, the company will not cover your accommodation expenses; you have to handle and pay for them yourself. Even when you go to Shilin, they will only keep telling you to make deliveries and hand out flyers.

You will hardly ever be in the store! So think very carefully before choosing this job! Turnover here is extremely high.

If you want to develop your career in mainland China, go to another company, because this company will only withhold information and deceive you, constantly changing what it says.

The company told another full-time employee that she could go after one month of training, but even after more than a month, she still had not gone.

As for me, they said I would need six months of training. The company changes its story constantly, like magic; everyone explains it differently.

Therefore, I advise anyone considering applying to this company not to fall into the trap.

Therefore, I advise anyone considering applying to this company not to fall into the trap.

Therefore, I advise anyone considering applying to this company not to fall into the trap.

It is very important, which is why I’m saying it three times.