Smic Reviews in Shanghai, China Area

Pros

Good healtch insurance for foreigners.

Cons

They don't really care how good or bad things are done.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your employees fairly.

Pros

workhour is not peak and work envirement is ok

Cons

salary is low and no internet and chat tool

Pros

Employee has a lot of opportunities to learn adavanced technology, also there are chancies to transfer to other group to learn new knowledge, especially if the employee likes to learn

Cons

the money is really low compare to other companies, if without other benefits, it doesn't worth to work there. and a lot of policitcs there.

Advice to Senior Management

treat your employees as important assets, not the cheap labors. raise the salary because everyone needs to feed their families.

Pros

A good experience if for a limited time,or if you have some good friend in the top-management

Cons

Managed by a bunch of ex-CEO from Taiwan who mostly failed their previous companies and then being hired as VP
Limited innovation capability
Incredibly low salaries for most of the engineers and too high salaries for many incompetent managers

Advice to Senior Management

Take out most of the old management and keep the real good ones

Pros

*Good exposure to responsibilities (because no one else wishes to take them).
*Excellent exposure to most links of the IC supply chain in China.
*Great name recognition among major Chinese clients.
*The opportunity to see a large entity taking shape and finding its way in an exciting market.

Cons

*Very poor senior management team: no skills, no vision.
*Pseudo-religious, semi-cultish corporate culture.
*Resource-poor; workplace for only the most resourceful and self-reliant.

Advice to Senior Management

Hire some professionals. Pau the infights.

Pros

Benefit packages and additional amenities provided by the company are a big pro. Although base salary may be somewhat low compared to foreign companies, things like vacation days, bonuses, tax-saving programs and other perks can make up for it. Also, depending on need, the company provides apartments, runs a school, partners with shops and restaurants for employee discounts, and is associated with local hospitals and organizations that also make employee life easier. This is very helpful for those moving to China for SMIC.

Cons

Senior management and corporate culture are two giant negatives. Many members of upper management are incompetent and stubborn. The sycophants stay, while the free-thinkers tend to move on. Turnover is relatively high and general employee satisfaction is low for those with foreign work experience. Also, with a large amount of conservative Christians in all levels of the corporation, religious issues and biases may come into play in many inappropriate situations that border on harrassment, depending on the situation. These issues can be overwhelming for some people, while others deal with it.

Other things like low compensation, low stock price, and general complaints basically depend on the person and their level of patience, understanding, and personal reasons for being at SMIC. There is a lot of blame and finger pointing, but at the end of the day, each person needs to take responsibility for the choice they made to join the company, for better or worse.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees and actually consider their opinions. Don't be afraid to speak up to the executives and CEO. Think outside of the box. Don't be so lazy. Learn to be a team-player and cooperate with other managers.