Taiwan boss treats staff to two-week trip to Spain and Portugal

Could he be the best boss ever?

Chen Yan Chang, the owner of a popular online shopping store in Taiwan, is rewarding his staff with a two-week holiday in Spain and Portugal.

Their hard work has helped his company 486 E-Commerce, which specialises in webcasts of home appliances, rake in NT$900 million (S$41 million), an 18 per cent increase from the same period the year before, Chen said in a recent interview.

So, his team will be jetting off for a well-deserved break from July 21 to Aug 4, he announced in a Facebook post on Monday (July 4).

Not only do they get to go on a vacation, they also get allowances during the trips, one of his staff revealed.

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This is not the first time he has taken them to Europe. Last year, Chen holidayed in Italy with 30 employees, BC News reported.

Besides allowing his staff to take a breather from work, these trips also help to boost team morale, Chen said.

Following the Facebook post, some netizens commented: "If Taiwan had more enterprises like this, it would absolutely be able to retain talent."

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And if you think this is the only perk employees enjoy at 486 E-Commerce, you're wrong.

Seven-hour workdays, free dinners, and salary reviews every six months are some of the other staff benefits. Chen pays for their children's education too.

"I think that life is not only about making money. Health is important, so staff should not work overtime," Chen explained in an interview with Business Today Taiwan.

"When your workers are happy, they will take good care of your customers," he added.

From a firm with only two employees when it first started out in 2010, 486 E-Commerce now has a 630,000-strong online following on its Facebook page as well as exhibition centres in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

With his flourishing business, it seems that Chen's management style is working out well for him.

Now, where do we sign up for a position at his company?

minlee@sph.com.sg