Taipei tech firm ordered to improve after boss allegedly kills employee

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) A tech company in Taipei is required to make improvements or could face a fine of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,563) following a recent case of alleged bullying that resulted in death, the city's Labor Inspection Office said Monday.

Yun Yun AI Baby Camera Co. failed to have proper measures to prevent workplace violence nor was there any record of their implementation, the office under the Taipei Department of Labor said in a news release after it conducted an inspection on the company in the morning following a report of alleged workplace bullying.

The company must make improvements within a month or face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000, it warned.

Under current labor guidelines and regulations for occupational safety and health, the office said employers are required to implement necessary measures to prevent employees from suffering physical or psychological harm, including establishing behavioral guidelines and providing training on communication skills.

Businesses need to have a plan in place to create a safe working environment for employees, the office said, urging them to pay closer attention to any potential threat of workplace violence that harms productivity or even the loss of live.

The labor office made the statement after Yun Yun's owner, identified by his last name Tseng (曾), allegedly stabbed an employee surnamed Liang (梁) to death after a heated argument between the two on March 7.

According to Taipei authorities, the 52-year-old Tseng and Liang, 51, who was hired as the company's chief technology officer, had not gotten along for quite some time due to the way the business was managed.

The violence happened when Liang arrived at the office to hand over his resignation that day. The latter apparently had accused the company of workplace bullying in his farewell letter sent to employees.

When police arrived at the scene after a report was received about the incident at 4 p.m., Tseng and Liang were both found seriously injured, with the latter later pronounced dead by a hospital due to failed resuscitation.

The criminal case has been launched, although police and prosecutors have said they were still waiting for the hospital to approve their interrogation on Tseng, who was still being treated after recovering from anesthesia following surgery.

According to authorities, an autopsy is expected to be carried out on Liang on Tuesday.