百勝國際股份有限公司

I have been working here as a graphic designer for over two years, so I’ll briefly share the current situation for everyone’s reference.

Working Hours / Leave

There is a flexible half-hour window for starting and finishing work, and the working hours are very reasonable. I always leave within half an hour of my scheduled end time♪. For a graphic design position, this kind of happiness is rare (~‾▿‾)~. Unless there happens to be some current-event-related content to work on, I may occasionally leave a little later. Some positions receive compensatory leave for overtime due to events. Also, if you use up all your annual leave, you can even borrow from next year’s allowance in advance~

Software / Hardware

Office and Adobe software are all properly licensed, and we can update to the latest features at any time~ So happy~

Sometimes there aren’t any suitable images among the free web materials we can legally use, and the boss is decisive about paying for premium assets as well.

As for hardware, everyone is regularly asked about their needs to see whether anything should be upgraded. It feels like this is one of the boss’s areas of expertise, so the specifications seem to be pretty good. Even the editing part-timer who works from home was provided with a Mac mini to take home. As for why I have been using a Razer mouse for design work to this day, that remains a mystery.

Little Perks

Because the microwave had years of built-up grime that couldn’t be washed off, the boss decisively bought a new one, and also bought a coffee machine and coffee beans for everyone to enjoy together.

Last year, we received rice dumplings from the Grand Hyatt Hotel for the Dragon Boat Festival. This year, the order was forgotten, so we were given gift money instead.

Recently, the company helped employees get epidemic prevention insurance, so colleagues who tested positive benefited from it~

I saw former employees who had left say that the boss had a bad temper and was stingy, but I honestly don’t feel that way at all. Maybe the current working style is completely different from before. The boss is very willing to listen to everyone’s opinions. We often brainstorm and discuss things together, and then the boss and the marketing team integrate everyone’s ideas into an approach. It feels like we are all working hard and striving together.

Based on what others have written, it sounds as if the boss is angry all the time ( •_• ), but that doesn’t really match the current situation. Sometimes when a business negotiation doesn’t go well, the boss comes back and complains that the other party was being unreasonable, but doesn’t blame you for doing your work poorly—there is no taking it out on employees.

In short, I personally feel very happy working here right now. At least, you don’t need to be scared off by the other comments; those things happened a long time ago. You can submit a résumé and come in for an interview to see for yourself. Talk things over in person, understand what matters most to you, and then make your own judgment.

There are clearly so many things we want to do, but the reviews here are so bad that it’s really difficult for us to recruit people.｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡

Aside from one female colleague at management level who occasionally stabs people in the back, everyone else shares a strong sense of camaraderie! Also, salaries are paid on time (honestly, the fact that even this can count as a positive is pretty tragic)!

The person on the third floor above already said everything that needed to be said. What else can I say? XD

So I’ll talk about a few points that left the deepest impression on me (please forgive me if anything is repetitive qq).

(1) The boss’s EQ is seriously awful OMG! The boss has by far the worst temper of anyone I’ve encountered so far—no exaggeration!! It’s only natural for employees to be reprimanded when they make mistakes, but I have to say that while I was working there, the boss would very easily get angry over extremely trivial matters (not necessarily related to the company) and take it out on employees and suppliers, and this happened quite frequently. The key point is that he would often say that he had already restrained himself a lot (implying that he didn’t think his EQ was low); apparently, his temper used to be even worse, hehe. I understand that everyone has emotions, but having a boss who gets enraged so easily puts employees under tremendous stress.

(2) The boss is seriously “frugal” to an absurd degree OMG! For example, the company has a graphic designer, but the computers don’t have legitimate software installed. I previously heard the designer complain about this a little. Although software isn’t cheap, you design products for clients and claim to have a design team, yet you don’t even have a single legitimate software package? And when dealing with suppliers in mainland China, the boss haggles prices down to the bone while demanding extremely high quality, only to keep delaying payment again and again (I have to observe three minutes of silence for the suppliers). On top of that, his attitude is terrible (um, aren’t you the one who owes them money? Could you be a little nicer?). As luck would have it, I have a distant relative who works in the same city as a former supplier of this company, in a related industry. Apparently, quite a few people have heard of the boss—tsk tsk~ As for employee benefits, huh? What are those?

(3) The boss’s instructions are extremely unclear OMG! A lot of the time, the boss’s directions are vague and lacking context. You want to ask, but you’re afraid of being scolded (see point one—you never know when the boss will explode), while not asking means you’ll end up doing things incorrectly. I think the boss’s logic is poor; his thoughts jump around so quickly when he speaks that he’s sometimes incomprehensible. Then again, maybe I’m just not bright enough, hehe.

Every now and then, the boss hints that his salary is higher than what’s offered on the market (to be fair, it is indeed a little higher, but only a little—it really isn’t worth bringing up over and over again as if he’s afraid everyone might not know). But honestly, working at this company is extremely stressful, both mentally and physically—very, very, very stressful. During work hours, just facing the boss, this super-unpredictable time bomb, is exhausting enough; after work, you still have to check your messaging apps (the boss says you don’t have to deal with messages right away and can handle them the next day, but if he personally considers something important, he’ll bombard you with messages demanding a reply). All things considered, the salary really isn’t that high; it’s just average, which is no wonder the turnover rate remains so high. Some time ago, a former colleague sent me the discussion thread from before (unfortunately, it has been deleted). As I recall, the boss personally came out to respond. I respect the boss’s response, but in fact, I agree more with the experiences shared by most people.

The colleagues are pretty nice (setting aside one colleague at the managerial level who will, intentionally or otherwise, trip everyone up). Other than that, I really can't think of any other advantages. QQ

The long discussion earlier was so entertaining—even the boss himself came out to whitewash his own reputation—but it ended up being deleted :(

Luckily, it has appeared again! As a former employee, I would also like to share my experience for anyone who might find it useful.

1. The higher the boss's IQ, the lower his EQ.

I believe no one in the entire company would disagree with this! When the boss is in a good mood, he jokes and laughs with you; when he's in a bad mood, he turns on you and acts as if he doesn't know you. No one can figure out what sets him off, and, unfortunately, he's often in a bad mood! You have to cautiously read his expression just to talk to him, terrified of touching one of his triggers. Having to be a mind reader at work is really exhausting. Although the salary he offers is slightly above average (but he himself thinks it's extremely high, haha), dealing with his temper alone is enough to fill your entire day. The boss's mood swings and unpredictability are very tormenting. Honestly, given the salary, it's only just adequate.

2. The higher the boss's IQ, the stingier he is.

I don't think I'm exaggerating this point either. Most people should agree, right~ You can understand that bosses want to cut costs, but the colleagues have already done everything they can to save money, and the boss is still dissatisfied. He compares prices over every little thing, even though the time cost alone is already more than the amount saved. The money saved doesn't seem to be put toward employee benefits either (in fact, there don't seem to be any benefits at all). Yet the boss himself seems to be living very well. Sob sob sob.

Another thing I find especially outrageous is that the boss constantly complains that Client A doesn't pay and Client B doesn't remit payment on time, when in reality, he himself is the one most likely to delay payments to factories. Even though the company has received the customers' money, he keeps postponing the payment date. Colleagues responsible for dealing with suppliers receive collection calls from factories every now and then (not delays of just a day or two, or a week or two—the delays are measured in months). I sincerely feel sorry for the suppliers :((( Fortunately, while I was there, the boss never delayed the salaries of employees in Taiwan.

3. The higher the boss's IQ, the more likely he is to go back on his word.

I can't say for sure whether this is a shortcoming, but it really causes difficulties for the people doing the work below him. You proceed according to his original requirements, but just as the task is nearly complete, he says not to do it or changes to another plan. We often end up doing work for nothing.

4. The boss often "unintentionally" (I have to believe it was unintentional) delays employees' departure time.

On the surface, he says that no overtime is needed—how wonderful. But in reality, it is an outright responsibility-based system. Still, never mind; it seems many companies are like this. However, the boss likes to discuss things right before the end of the workday. After discussing them, they have to be carried out, right? So this inevitably delays leaving work. Once in a while is acceptable, but over the long term it is exhausting. orz

Maybe I have a relatively low tolerance for stress. These points alone put me under a great deal of mental pressure, to say nothing of the colleagues who handle foreign customers and, because of the time difference, have to deal with both the boss and customers after work.

After doing this job myself and then coming back to read the reviews, I sincerely feel that what the people on the first and second floors said was true, and not exaggerated or untrue. It's also not hard to understand why the turnover rate is so high. (The key point is that the boss still thinks it's the employees' problem. Sigh. If only one or two employees left, then perhaps it would indeed be the employees' problem. But if the turnover rate is this high, can it still be the employees' problem?) To the former colleagues still working at the company, please accept my deepest respect. I sincerely wish you all the best.

The starting salary is slightly higher than the market rate.

The boss is disrespectful, has a bad temper, and often makes unreasonable demands.

You are expected to reply to messages after work, on holidays, and during leave, which is very stressful—essentially working overtime without overtime pay.

There are no holiday bonuses or any other bonuses. The boss is very stingy.

The turnover rate is quite high. I highly recommend against working at this company.

The boss is angry about all sorts of things every day (morning grumpiness, being hungry, arguments with his mother/wife/suppliers/customers, losing money, being sued, and so on—too many to list). His EQ is far below that of an average person, and he is like a ticking time bomb all day, so you can greatly improve your own ability to handle stress. Other than that, there don't seem to be any advantages.

1. Since the boss is angry about all sorts of things every day, the pressure of working in the same space as him is through the roof—it's basically psychological abuse. It's understandable for the boss to be unhappy when employees make mistakes, but a lot of the time the problem isn't necessarily the employee's fault. The boss still blows up whenever he feels like it, and when he scolds people, he is completely irrational and hysterical, uses vicious language (including swearing), and is extremely disrespectful. He completely tramples on his employees' self-esteem.

2. The boss thinks he is a generous, good boss to his employees, but in reality he is simply generous to himself. He considers his starting salaries to be high (in fact, they are merely at the standard level—not particularly high, especially considering that employees have to put up with his mood swings every day!), so there is no overtime pay. (The thing he says most often is: “The hourly wage I give you is already very high!”) There is a small year-end bonus, that's true, but there are no bonuses for the three major festivals (he says, “I don't celebrate the three major festivals”), and of course there are no other benefits either.

3. The boss loves to say, half an hour before quitting time, “Come on, let's have a 15-minute meeting.” These supposed 15-minute meetings usually last at least an hour (one hour is basically nothing), and often go on for more than two hours, greatly delaying employees' departure time (and of course there is no overtime pay). The key point is that these meetings lasting more than two hours usually reach no conclusion. A few days later, there will have to be another meeting (before quitting time), with the same endless circular discussion.

4. The boss places great emphasis on “efficiency,” but honestly, he is the least efficient person of all. Apart from the meeting time mentioned in point 3, the thing he does most often is this: he asks an employee to do A, then changes it to B not long afterward. When it is almost finished, he decides that C would be better—or simply changes it back to A (everyone: [black person shrugging]???).

5. Regarding point 2, rather than saying the boss isn't generous, it would be more accurate to say he is extremely stingy. To some extent, you can understand that he wants to accomplish as much as possible with as little money as possible. But most of the time, he thinks outside quotes are too expensive and would rather do it himself (i.e., have the employees do it), only to berate them mercilessly when it isn't done well (but it wasn't even part of my job in the first place!), and say that the employees are inefficient (never heard the saying “time is money”?). Simply put, he has absolutely no respect for professional expertise—not only does he disrespect his own employees' expertise, he also disrespects the expertise of other professions.

There is actually much more, including the boss thinking he knows everything, loving to brag, and loving to make grand promises. But these points are more subjective, so I won't go into them. I was not surprised at all to learn that an entire group of employees quit collectively at the time. Unless you are truly, truly, truly (it's important, so I'll say it three times) desperate for money, I really, really, really do not recommend joining this company.