TSMC’s U.S. Engineers Are “Babies” Say Taiwanese

There was a long reply by a reddit user about this.

Note: New account, don’t want to get fired

I’m one of their engineers, a US hire originally from Arizona. When they say we are giant babies, they mean we whine and complain a lot. We complain about the lack of training programs, because there are none. We complained due to lack of English study material, because there is none. We complain about the toxic leadership skills of our supervisors who wish to call us human filth because we have not memorized a 200 page PowerPoint regarding the introduction to a tool utilized in Etch, who openly patronize us infront of others with labels of incompetence. We complain about the ever changing policies and procedures that our Human Resources team seems to implement on a weekly basis, confusing disorienting and causing more work and headaches for us. We complain because statistically, over the last two months (Oct-Nov), someone has either quit or been fired every three days. We complain about how there is a 45-minute commute to and from work every day, and our supervisors and bosses force us to stay late. We complain because our co-workers the “Taiwan Locals” refuse to trust us after having become proficient with our work after a year or two of being here, because it might affect their PMD (Performance Based Bonuses). We complain because some of us were only supposed to be here for a year and have had our contracts be completed and forced to stay here. We complain because some of our employees from other countries have not had their visas extended or approved for work in the US yet and may have to be deported 6 months after they get in the US due to the incompetence of our HR. We complain because the company thinks it can abuse our time, our health, and our safety because we are “on their home turf” now, and their rules only apply. We complain because our HR has the audacity to be condescending when describing their plans for the future. The US hires are tired of the rainbows, and being told how great this company is and how we are the #1 this and the top 1% that, but we don’t like to brag… We complain about the leaked documents that show Taiwan managers how to avoid US laws when attempting to fire those who become handicap or disabled from on the job accidents.

We complain because these are legitimate problems, and once we get back to the US, all of those engineers you spent so much time abusing, will leave your company, and you will be left with no one to train your Overstaffed Temp Office on Dunlap Who are already complaining about the temp office being packed with people… if only someone would call the Phoenix Fire Marshal to do an inspection on floor 4 and 6.

We are tired of complaining, but we are never heard. If that makes us giant babies, then so be it.

Oh and someone at the temp office tell Gale I said hi.

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I worked for a Hon Hai subsidiary in Taiwan from '99 to 2001. I was given a typewriter and told to bang away on it seven days a week twenty-four hours a day until I hammered out a Shakespeare play. I was the only foreign engineer in an R&D division of one hunded Taiwanese engineers. My fatal mistake was thinking innovation was actually wanted. When I filed for the first Taiwan patent in the group for an autofocus lens mechanism, patent #471639, I became a marked man. Apparently there’s some sort of unwritten rule about sticking out too much.

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I’d say something about TSMC engineers, but some unfortunate defect (maturity, professionalism, perspective?) in my character prevents me.

I hope it works out for everyone

…why were you smoking in the dorm when it wasn’t permitted?

This is funny.

Thank god upper management in my company likes innovation.

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It’s good to air out Taiwan’s dirty laundry.

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My former employer liked to throw out the word innovation too because it’s trendy. It took me a while but I eventually realized that what management meant by ‘innovation’ was being the first to copy a successful foreign product.

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I had several of my ideas actually implemented.

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Who here could’ve forseen a clash between the work cultures coming? Great stuff. Questioning the journalistic value of the PTT screenshot though. I mean it could be entirely misrepresentative, could it not? The translations are junk either way.

Predictably someone on the Taiwan subreddit was accusing the US engineer from Arizona of being a China puppet.

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I have met many TW workers who like to complain (or brag) how xinku their work is. Havent met as many who like to change things.
My company follows outdated HR policies that were set before the time of the internet, but no one wants to change them since “its always been like this”.

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I mean, I can understand the rest, but this? They really are giant babies.

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It’s all petty office politics. They don’t want you to be TOO good because then you threaten their job. In Taiwan there’s no “work life balance”, they want you to work period.

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They love using English buzzwords without really knowing what they mean in Taiwan. Maybe “work life balance” is being thrown around at a few companies as we speak.

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Tired: work-life balance

Wired: work-work balance

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Is it mandatory and unpaid?

It’s the logic. Why is how long the commute is relevant to whether or not it’s acceptable to be asked to work overtime? If that logic tracks does it mean it’s ok to ask people who live closer to work to work overtime?

Also

The average US commute time is 52.2 minutes a day commuting to and from work

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The US visa thing also doesn’t track. I truly doubt TSMC HR hasn’t put in the effort to get the visas approved. It’s almost definitely a US government thing.

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cliff notes btw.

one side can’t fit into taiwan work culture.

other side can’t understand why foreigner can’t work like a Taiwanese person.

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Yeah, except that it is not uncommon to be working overtime without pay in US tech companies.

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Not even just work. Even if you work is done at 2pm you will stay until 8pm because that’s when the boss goes home and you can’t go before him

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