Management sets impossible tasks and yells at subordinates
TSMC is currently building new factories in the United States and has reportedly encountered problems with its treatment of American employees in the process.
American engineers were brought to Taiwan in 2021 to learn TSMC's manufacturing processes and then implement them in factories in Arizona. As Restofworld reports, American engineers were overwhelmed when faced with 12-hour workdays and high pressure from managers.
In its home country, TSMC is called «the divine mountain guarding the nation» for its incredible impact on Taiwan's economy. And there, 12-hour shifts, calls outside of working hours and other similar practices, apparently, do not meet with misunderstanding. But American specialists, and, let us repeat, we are talking about engineers, not ordinary workers, were clearly not ready for this.
Additionally, TSMC management allegedly fails to prioritize work and instead expects every task to be completed expeditiously, regardless of its size. Also, TSMC managers even had to undergo training on how not to shout at workers in public places, but this did not help. Worse, some engineers admitted that they had to falsify production test results to meet management's high expectations.
At the same time, TSMC itself does not deny all this. In particular, founder Morris Chang said that this is a feature of the corporate culture.
If a car breaks down at one in the morning, in the USA it will be fixed the next morning. But in Taiwan it will be fixed at 2 am
However, not all American engineers share this opinion. It is reported that some left TSMC during the training phase directly in Taiwan, and some left already in the USA.