方客特有限公司

To all my colleagues who have endured hardships together and whose acting skills are off the charts, the boss’s birthday—the one that arrives more punctually than a comet striking Earth—is coming up again. Watching the extras busily compare notes on the script and practice their flattery, preparing to put on the annual grand performance of “loyal ministers celebrating the birthday” in front of that cake so sweet it’s enough to cause distress, I can only sigh: “Actually, I’m an actor.”

In the past, for the sake of a meager salary, I really did desperately put on a show of surprise! I acted until I was almost “smiling while taking a deranged half-step.” Now I’ve decided to collect my lunchbox early and call it a day. Watching everyone compete in acting skills in that maze of flattery, I only want to quietly enjoy a venti iced latte at Starbucks. After all, having no dreams is no different from being a salted fish—but putting on this kind of lousy show every year makes me a salted fish even saltier than a salted fish!

A few days ago, I went out for a meal with the Development Department. While chatting, I found out that they had already written a program for clocking in remotely by phone, which could even automatically clock you in and out at your scheduled times. And the code scripts had already been passed down through several generations in Slack.

When I heard that, my chopsticks stopped midair.

Because I’m the one who obediently sits down in front of the company computer every day, clocks in once when I start work, and then clocks out again when I finish.

No wonder I’ve always felt that they often show up gradually and disappear very early.

Turns out it’s not that I’m more diligent—I’m just not very good at writing this kind of “life automation script.”

A high degree of autonomy, with a management style that does not micromanage.

For those willing to take the initiative and assume responsibility, it is a place to practice working independently and grow quickly.

I feel that my supervisor is willing to give me room to work, and there is also a sufficient level of trust.

Although I also find it stressful,

I have consequently accumulated communication experience and practical skills across diverse industries.

The pace of projects is fast, and switching between fields is frequent.

The difficulty is relatively high for newcomers.

It is often necessary to schedule timelines and arrange deliverables with incomplete information, which can lead to considerable fluster and confusion at the beginning.

I still feel that the company currently lacks clear SOPs or standard processes; everything requires figuring things out and learning through trial and error independently.

It requires a high level of stress tolerance.

When I first joined, I had searched for reviews about this place and was a little worried. But when I actually came for the interview, it wasn’t like that at all—the interview process was even somewhat enjoyable. I thought I’d just “give it a try” and leave if it really didn’t work out. However, I quickly fell in love with the atmosphere here! Although the company is small, everyone is incredibly lively and always willing to step in and help. Working together is completely stress-free. I feel the company has a “just right” balance: there is pressure, but not so much that you can’t catch your breath; there is flexibility, but that doesn’t mean you can simply slack off.

What I like most are the surprise afternoon snacks that appear from time to time 🤣🤣🤣—especially during strawberry season at the beginning of the year, they were truly a delightful surprise! They also invited a singing bowl instructor, which was incredibly healing. Even when work is busy, you can still leave feeling fully re-energized.

Although the atmosphere is good and there are benefits, the workload can still feel a little overwhelming. During high-pressure periods, there is so much to do that it can be difficult to process everything. Sometimes I feel like I’m spinning endlessly, yet still unable to fully sort out my thoughts. Still, all I can do is grit my teeth and persevere. When payday arrives, it brings a small sense of comfort—and helps me keep going 😄😄😄

After joining, I found that collaboration among design, project, and engineering is still in the exploratory stage, and the processes are not yet clear enough. However, managers have already begun leading changes and listening to input from different departments, so the direction of adjustment is gradually taking shape. If the people who are willing to try to make changes can stay, the company may enter a new rhythm in the future.

At present, many things in the company still involve reworking old projects, and the adjustment period for collaboration is relatively long. Sometimes it feels as though I am fixing problems from the past. Although progress is slow, this is also a challenge.

After joining, I found that collaboration among design, project management, and engineering is still in the exploration stage, and the processes are not yet clear enough. However, managers have already begun leading changes and listening to input from various departments, so there is gradually a clearer direction for adjustments. If the people willing to try to make these changes can stay, the company may enter a new rhythm in the future.

At present, many things in the company still involve reworking old projects, and the adjustment period for collaboration is relatively long. Sometimes I feel as though I am fixing problems from the past. Although progress is slow, this is also a challenge.

After joining, I found that collaboration among design, project, and engineering is still in an exploratory stage, and the processes are not yet clear enough. However, the managers have already begun leading change and listening to feedback from each department, so there is gradually a direction for adjustment. If the people who are willing to try to make changes can stay, the company may enter a new rhythm in the future.

At present, many things at the company still involve reworking old projects, and the adjustment period for collaboration is relatively long. Sometimes I feel like I am fixing problems from the past. Although progress is slow, this is also a challenge.

Team members are willing to support one another, and the atmosphere is fairly good. When issues arise, no one stands by idly. Through handling past projects, we have developed considerable ability to respond on the spot and deal with emergencies.

Most of the time is spent supporting revisions and updates to previous projects, which takes up too much energy. At present, basically everyone is busy making adjustments, corrections, and updates to prior projects. The most troublesome part is that many details of some previous projects were not handed over clearly, so we still have to look them up ourselves or clarify them with the clients.

When I joined Fontech, I hoped to find a challenging work environment that was not overly bureaucratic. After joining, it was indeed as I expected: this is a very fast-paced company with frequent changes. For engineers, many processes are defined as we go, which not only allows you to learn a lot but also greatly improves your abilities. If you have ideas, this is definitely a stage where you can put them into practice! As long as you are proactive and willing to take on challenges, basically no one will stop you from trying.

I agree with parts of the other job descriptions, but this kind of environment is also less bureaucratic—which was the original reason I chose not to join a large company. It has its own challenges, but in exchange, it offers a high degree of freedom. If you take your time progressing in the information technology industry, I think it would be difficult for not only the company but also the salary to support my living expenses. Communication across departments can sometimes get stuck because many colleagues are new, and not every PM has a strong technical background. This is indeed a major challenge for people with less experience. However, if you are ambitious, this place does provide opportunities for rapid growth. Just do not expect someone to guide you through every step from the beginning; here, you rely more on yourself to figure things out.

As for the comments I saw regarding labor-related matters, I personally have not encountered them, and I am also unclear about what actually happened, so I am not in a position to comment on your dispute.

However, I did want to mention one point: some of the negative aspects have caused trouble for other new colleagues, which is truly an undeserved misfortune.

You’ll become very familiar with the Labor Standards Act.

Oh my god! Is this company freaking insane? It’s absolutely a sweatshop!

I recently saw what happened to a UX/UI designer, and I was completely stunned. What the hell is this company trying to pull? Do they think the Labor Standards Act is just for show? They completely treat their employees like they’re not people!

I heard that the designer said the initial offer letter clearly stated “a guaranteed annual salary of 13 months,” and even specified how the salary would be adjusted. But what happened? When the end of the year arrived, the company started playing dead, saying things like “you didn’t pass the probationary period” and “that was just for reference,” trying to get out of paying. Seriously? It was in black and white! They’re blatantly denying the facts—87% like fraudsters, right? This is outrageous. There’s even a court judgment, and they still have the nerve to stubbornly argue!

To meet project deadlines, this designer worked insane amounts of overtime every day and even worked through holidays. And what did the company say? “This・does・not・count・as・overtime,” “Get lost if you didn’t apply in advance,” and “Clock-in times don’t mean you were actually working.” Even more outrageous, the overtime application process was a complete mystery—who even knew how to apply? The company was clearly setting employees up to exploit them. They must be obsessed with saving money! The court judgment also confirmed that this company simply did not pay overtime!

Is the company’s time-clock system just decoration? The employee clearly clocked in and out, yet the company insisted on saying things like “the records are incomplete” and “clock-in times don’t mean you were actually working.” For such important working-hours records, the company casually twisted their meaning and even used that as an excuse not to pay overtime. They clearly just wanted to exploit loopholes in the law, taking advantage of employees! The court judgment directly exposed this claim as false—this argument simply doesn’t hold up!

Finally, because the company did not pay the year-end bonus or overtime, the designer couldn’t take it anymore and left. The company then actually claimed it was a “voluntary resignation” and refused to pay even a cent in severance. Huh? Voluntary resignation? Are you freaking kidding me? After the company treated them like that, it was obviously forcing them out in bad faith! They take advantage of people without giving anything back! The court judgment also said this was not a voluntary resignation at all!

And it gets even more outrageous: this company is absolutely ridiculous! Not only did it pull all this, it also took the employee to court. Want to learn the Labor Standards Act? Come work here—you’re guaranteed to become an expert, while also seeing the true face of an exploitative boss. All told, there were nearly ten mediation sessions and court appearances, yet the boss still refused to admit fault and kept making a fuss. Taking advantage of the worker’s lack of evidence, the boss kept bullying them. Here’s the court judgment: https://judgment.judicial.gov.tw/FJUD/data.aspx?ty=JD&id=TPDV,111%2c%e5%8b%9e%e7%b0%a1%2c294%2c20230526%2c1 （Go read it yourself!）

A shameless company like this has to be exposed! Even when the employee filed a complaint, the company still dared to fob it off with a bunch of lousy excuses. Where are workers’ rights in Taiwan? Is the law designed to protect employers?

I hope this article helps more people see the true face of these unscrupulous companies and ensures that exploitative bosses get the punishment they deserve!

“When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it first makes their heart and will suffer, their muscles and bones weary, their body hungry, their person destitute, and their actions frustrated. In this way it stimulates their mind, hardens their nature, and increases their abilities.”

I heard that the boss thinks I wrote the previous rant. After reading that, all I can do is laugh. Since the boss thinks they have done nothing wrong to anyone, then please continue feeling good about yourself. After all, the entire company is nothing more than a set of pawns for the boss to exploit. Indeed, there is apparently no issue of having wronged everyone. That said, regarding the boss’s ability to play dumb and brush off clients, I do recommend that all PMs study it carefully.

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I had no particular grudge against my former boss or former company, but since the boss wanted to call me out and say that I wrote the rant, then of course I have to come and complain a little. This boss really likes saying one thing and doing another: they told me to recruit people but gave me no budget; after I found candidates, they said there was no money to hire them. Whenever there was nothing else to do, they would ask me how much it would cost to lay off everyone in the company. During my one year there, they had me calculate it twice. I really had no idea what they were even operating. When an employee wanted to resign, they would say, “Oh, really? Why don’t you ask around and see who else wants to resign?” What kind of company boss would be this lacking in common sense? It was utterly absurd.

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I said I wanted to see the company’s financial situation—not highly detailed, but at least enough to know what percentage was spent on personnel. I asked for a year, and they simply never provided it, only saying all day that the company had no money. Where exactly did all the money go? I have no idea.

The colleagues are pretty nice, but unfortunately most of them have left.

A typical exploitative boss. Once you report overtime, you’ll constantly be questioned: “Why do you need to work overtime? You’ll leave on time today, right? What are you busy with? You shouldn’t need to work overtime, right?” This kind of outrageous harassment happens repeatedly. The reasons for working overtime are often caused by the boss insisting on adding an unrelated task that isn’t part of the job, only to use the line “The job description says ‘other duties assigned by the supervisor’” to pressure employees. He is also the kind of person who says at first that he’ll handle something himself, then dumps everything on employees when the deadline arrives. If employees report overtime, he relentlessly nitpicks them.

He pretends to care deeply about employees, but privately goes around telling individual employees bad things about one another, creating a strong atmosphere of internal suspicion. Whenever anyone tries to verify what was said with the boss, he pretends nothing happened and acts as though he was never the one who said it. I don’t know whether his goal is to run a company or compete for an Oscar.

He claims that the company will become the TSMC of the software industry, but in reality he just wants to hire lots of disposable employees to make money for him. He gives no consideration to employee advancement or training, because the boss thinks that giving you a job is already an enormous favor—let alone investing in something costly like training.

His attitude toward talent is to ignore their future potential and focus only on whether they are cheap. Even if you graduated from a top computer science graduate program, he would still complain that offering an engineer NT$50,000 a month is too expensive. Just something for everyone to consider.

Not to mention, I’ve also heard that there was a #MeToo incident.

The boss’s current girlfriend was also recruited from within the company. After they started dating, he was very insistent that the woman leave, possibly simply to make it easier for him to do things in the office that would be difficult to explain.

Technicians who are reasonably clear-headed

A thoroughly awful company with an awful boss who monitors everything employees do. They say they provide lunch, but if you refuse to know your place and insist on going out to eat or leaving during your lunch break, the boss considers you uncontrollable. As a company operator, the boss has absolutely no ability to examine their own business model. In the past, they relied on government funding for startups; now that revenue and performance are below expectations, they have started looking for scapegoats. Any employee on this employer’s blacklist gets blamed first. Badmouthing you behind your back to other employees is routine. When the company cannot secure projects, they say it is because you neglected your duties. The PM, who is also the boss, is always criticizing others; without doing anything themselves, they rely on glib talk to portray themselves as highly capable in every function. They are skilled at emotionally manipulating employees, but the mere mention of overtime pay, compensatory leave, or other employee rights makes them completely lose their composure. In the roles of employer, company operator, PM, and dog owner, their capacity to take responsibility and their conduct are entirely unconvincing.

If you are not selected, they will notify you by email instead of leaving you hanging without any response.

Interview: Engineer

I filled out an excessively long interview questionnaire.

They replied by email that I was not selected.

The email said that I could ask questions,

but when I did, they never replied.

There was also no way to know why I was rejected :(

The dog is fairly cute

- Low salary, with no opportunities for raises

- Supervisors go back on their word; bonuses are talked about but never seen

- Supervisors have poor emotional control and deliberately make things difficult

- Losses are charged to employees

- All the benefits mentioned are based solely on “trust,” but there is no credibility

- Takes on projects with unreasonable timelines and budgets, requiring employees to work overtime to complete them

- No overtime pay