Going back to work after the Lunar New Year holiday will become just a little easier for employees of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) working at the Hsinchu Science Park.
In addition to handing out bonuses equalling 3.8 months’ salary for employees with just one year of service, to 30 months’ pay for those with lengthy tenure, TSMC will soon address employee welfare issues by implementing “flexible work schedules” with trial operations beginning in February, according to a Liberty Times report.
The programme will help ease traffic that commuters face when travelling to and from the Hsinchu Science Park, with full implementation expected in the second half of 2023 as TSMC’s Human Resources Department is still working on details of a comprehensive flexible work schedule.
The semiconductor manufacturer surveyed employee willingness to participate in a flexible work schedule at the end of last year, finding many receptive to the plan due to frequent traffic jams commuting to work, while others needed flexibility due to picking up and dropping children off at school and daycare.
Currently, TSMC is expected to try out three different start times for certain departments, such as research and development, which will allow staff to arrive at work at 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and 9:30 a.m. Those starting work at 7:30 a.m. can leave work at 4:30 p.m.
At the moment, some 170,000 employees are working across many different companies at Hsinchu Science Park. The large number of commuters puts a strain on local roads in surrounding areas such as Zhubei and Hukou, stretching what could be a 10-minute commute in non-peak hours to around 60 minutes during rush hours.
TSMC will be the first large manufacturer in the park to implement flexible staff scheduling, according to the Allied Association for Science Park Industries Secretary-General Hander Chang. He hoped the plan would reduce traffic jams, stating other solutions such as new traffic construction projects would take too long to help with congestion.
Furthermore, the National Science Council, Hsinchu County Government, and Hsinchu City Government will work together to formulate other measures to help manufacturers implement scheduling which reduces traffic, alleviating one of the biggest headaches for staff working at the science park. – Taiwan News
