Work Usage in Taipei

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Working hours are usually Monday to Friday from 08:30 till 17:30. Employees must receive one day off per week, plus 16 national and public holidays. .

The Labour Standard Law (LSL) establishes employers' minimum obligations with respect to employment terms and conditions. The purposes of the LSL are
1) to provide minimum standards of labour conditions to protect workers' rights and interests
2) to strengthen the labour-management relationship
3) to promote social and economic development.

LSL covers most basic industries in Taiwan. The law covers virtually every aspect of the employment relationship, including labour contracts, minimum wages, overtime pay, work hours, time off, pensions, work rules and compensation for occupational accidents.

Holidays

The Minguo calendar is usually used and counts years from the establishment of the Republic of China - RoC in 1911). This can be quite confusing as RoC 99 is 2010 AD. To convert a Minguo date to A.D., just add 1911. Months and days are according to the standard Gregorian calendar.

As Taiwan is dominated by ethnic Chinese, traditional Chinese festivals are celebrated by the Taiwanese.

  • January 1- Founding/Republic Day (Founding of Republic of China on January 1, 1912)
  • February (the last day of 12th lunar month and the 1st day of 1st lunar month) - Chinese New Year's Eve. This is most important festival and lasts multiple days
  • February 28- Peace Memorial Day
  • April 4- Children's Day
  • April 5- Tomb Sweeping Day
  • May 1- Labor Day
  • June (5th day of 5th lunar month) - Dragon Boat Festival
  • September (15th day of 8th lunar month)- Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival
  • October 10- National Celebration Day (Double Tenth Day)/Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911
  • December 25- Constitution Day (Coincides with Christmas, and anniversary of the 1947 RoC Constitution)

Status of holidays may change. To check the current calendar, consult Holidays and festivals in Taiwan.

Pay

The Taiwanese government does not have a set minimum wage, but a basic wage in its Labour Standards Law serves the minimum wage function. The basic wage set per month is NT$17,280, effective since July 1, 2007.

Business Norms

Taiwan shares many of the social and business norms of other East Asian nations. However, as the nation's influence and trade partners extend with the West, there is increasing flexibility.

    Some basic taboos and norms:
  • Elders make the decisions. In business, a senior executive should always be included in meetings.
  • Candor is not appreciated. Subtlety and formal negations are preferred.
  • All documents should be translated if in another language besides Chinese, or occasionally English.
  • Gift giving is common practice. Gifts should be given and received with both hands. Usually, gifts will not be opened in your presence. food often makes an excellent gift.
  • Physical contact is not welcomed unless invited.

Leave

Length of service determines the amount of annual leave granted. Employees receive 7 days of annual leave if they have worked continuously for less than three years; 10 days for three to five years; and 14 days for five to ten years. For each additional year of service, employees receive one additional day for up to a maximum of 30 days.

Maternity Leave: An employee who has worked more than six months receives eight weeks of paid maternity leave. For those employed for less than six months, maternity leave is paid at half the regular rate. Four weeks of maternity leave are provided for a miscarriage after three months of pregnancy.

Sick Leave: Employees receive 30 days of sick leave annually at half-pay. Additional days are not compensated.

Other Leave: Employees receive 8 days of leave at full pay for marriage and 3 to 8 days for funerals, depending on the employee's relationship with the deceased.

Termination

The termination of an employment contract may occur of the employer (dismissal of the employee) or by decision of the employee (resignation). In the case of dismissal of an employee, employers must provide 10 days notice to employees who have worked for more than three months but less than one year; 20 days for one to three years of service; and 30 days for more than three years. Employers must provide two paid days free from work during each week of the notice period so that the terminated employee may look for a new job.

Update 10/12/2010


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