Working from home is likely to become a regular arrangement even though the world is increasingly emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Taiwan yesterday told a forum in Taipei.
PwC’s US arm has introduced a permanent remote working model for its 40,000 employees, who need to travel to the office three days per month or less, for key meetings or training courses, PwC Taiwan human resources head Alan Lin (林瓊瀛) said.
The accounting firm would adjust wages and perks for employees who move to locations with lower living costs, Lin said.
Photo courtesy of PwC Taiwan
PwC Taiwan would keep its offices unchanged for now, but it would seek to make better use of them in the future, he added.
Taiwanese workers mainly focus on monetary compensation, being able to be themselves at work, and being physically and psychologically cared for, Lin said, adding that 70 percent of them favor hybrid arrangements in which they can work from home on some days of the week.
Companies should seek to meet those expectations by providing fair monetary compensations and fulfilling work environments to recruit and retain talent, he said.
Globally, 54 percent of workers think their job can be done remotely, and 41 percent of Taiwanese workers share this view, PwC Taiwan said, citing a survey.
Lin said higher wages can help retain talent, but overreliance on pay increases might contribute to inflation, as companies would have to pass higher personnel costs to customers.
Companies should instead pay attention to workers’ needs, as global data showed that they are willing to spend 20 to 25 percent of their income on improving their work-life balance, he said.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new