I thought not socializing with co-workers was the norm. The odd occasion I have had an invite, I’ve always had a doctors appointment.
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I would say prepare to move on by looking for another position , your boss doesn’t have your back. Don’t take it personally (as much as that is possible ). Ask him to give you a good reference and time to make the transition and you will see out your current projects.
I have also been undermined by coworkers in previous positions z shit happens.
It is important to have a certain amount of people 'on your side ’ when shit goes down, so there is great value in socialising.
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good reference? but he doesn’t have my back, so I shouldn’t expect to get a good reference?
Ask him , and you can could agree to go at a certain date. Doesn’t mean he will , but at least he should agree not to give you a bad reference.
They don’t want to pay you off by firing you. It’s better to go on as relatively decent terms as possible.
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what’s “z shit happens”? sorry I didn’t quite understand that part.
The revenue is dropping, the boss and team are under pressure, they are looking for the fall guy.
That is probably you, rightfully or not.
Look, I don’t I know if your situation is redeemable but I would say you are far better off looking for another position right away. There should be plenty of jobs out there. That means try and go on relatively good terms. Don’t take it personally I worked for Taiwanese companies this kind of thing happens all the time. It even happened with me in a non Taiwanese place too.
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Also, I’ve gone for weeks with not very much to do since our company has gotten very few cases. Obviously, no company wants an employee that is idle for at least some portion of the time.
Yes they are under pressure for business. It’s just the way it is . You either get some new business coming in for look for another position. It’s already a toxic work environment so plan to move on now.
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I understand what you said about having people on your side. What happened also shows that I haven’t assimilated quite well into Taiwanese society.
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Yes. It’s not only Taiwanese society either. You’ve got to have a few people have your back. You can’t ignore all socialising. The boss may be very straightforward but also very unprofessional by referring to you as a 宅男。 Your boss sounds like an asshole but unfortunately we don’t get to choose our bosses. He should have given you some guidance earlier on. He is only giving you clear guidance now as to the expectations ?
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idle employees is not an issue. many office worker here are idle most of the day, they are just very good at sitting quietly and hiding their phones…
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Probably not, unless you are making millions NT a year, one junior employee (I guess you are ~30) will not make or break the company.
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When you are a 'foreigner ’ and you get paid more you always have a bigger target in your head when things aren’t going well. They seem to be perceiving you as a foreigner, probably by your behaviour . Thats interesting in an academic way but it also means you are getting more backbiting like most of us. 
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no need for reference. Many people who look for and take on new jobs while still being employed obviously dont ask their boss for a reference.
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Yes it’s not always necessary.but it’s helpful if you can get any kind of reference isn’t it? Or at least an assurance that they won’t bad mouth you. That’s the best way to exit.
Also many new employers want the '離職證明、
I assume that is still a thing here ?
They have to give it to you but sometimes they will screw around making you wait.
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I am confused at how you got a significant raise 10k to you not fitting in within the span of a year.
Sounds like company want to cut costs and who do they target first the new guy from the US because all the others have been with the company for 15 years so they are “family”.
Tbh find a new job while employed and leave once you find it.
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It was in the span of almost 2 years. I got the raise in Jan. 2020 and the manager spoke with me in Dec. 2021. In any case, I understand that I’m probably the fall guy.
Thanks for pointing this out to me. I will need to look into this.
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You’re dealing with a Taiwanese employer. They are NEVER EVER happy.
Don’t count on your boss ever being completely satisfied with your performance. They will always find any reason whatsoever to say you let him down or didn’t do your job right even if you did everything that was asked. You’d never get the 10,000nt raise if they were truly unsatisfied with you.
My advise is, put up with it until they give clear signals (such as massive hour reduction or massive reduction in responsibilities) that they want you out. Or if you get a chicken head during the company Weiya.
But do not use your boss’s response towards you in public or secret meetings to gauge their satisfaction towards you. Confucian ethics DEMAND that they are to act unsatisfied AT ALL TIME.
This is why I refuse to work for a Taiwanese, apart from the shit pay.
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Would you say that many locals do not like ABCs or those who grew up abroad in Western countries? The boss stated that I was a “fake American”. whatever that means 