Dental staffing shortage leads to rise in part-time workers

Korea: The shortage of dental practitioners has led to a rise in the hiring of short-term workers. The main reason for this is the difficulty in finding full-time employees. The hiring process takes a long time and there is uncertainty about whether the employee will leave. However, conflicts over working conditions such as hourly wages pose a challenge.

COVID-19 exacerbating staffing difficulties

According to dental practitioners and labour industry officials, job postings for part-time workers are becoming increasingly frequent.

The COVID-19 pandemic also had a significant impact on staffing difficulties. Many dental practices had to restructure their staff due to uncertainty that arose during the pandemic.

While short-term employment can provide relief in the short-term, it can cause difficulties in the long-term. Hiring short-term workers can lead to disputes among dental staff and trigger dissatisfaction among existing employees. It is important to carefully draft contract conditions to avoid these issues.

Misunderstood holiday allowances 

Weekly holiday allowances are often a misunderstood aspect of labour contracts. This should be accurately calculated and included in the contract to avoid issues with the Ministry of Labour.

In addition to holiday allowances, there may be internal conflicts due to unequal treatment of existing employees in terms of welfare benefits, vacations, and special allowances. To avoid these issues, it is important to establish principles unique to each dental practice.

In the Gyeonggi area, a full-time dental hygienist expressed concern after discovering that part-time job postings in the staff community had a slightly higher hourly wage than their regular salary. They questioned the fairness of replacing the detailed work of a full-time employee with a part-timer receiving higher pay.

However, it’s important to note that the regular hourly wage listed in an employment contract often doesn’t include weekly holiday pay. An official from Dr Wise, a hospital and clinic labour management platform, emphasized the importance of accurate labour contracts, as failure to pay weekly holiday allowances could result in a claim of unpaid wages.

On the other hand, another dental professional experienced confusion when a part-timer they hired requested weekly holiday pay, despite it not being mentioned in their contract. They eventually had to pay the additional amount after consulting with a labour attorney.

Clear principles needed

Labour experts advise that to avoid conflicts in regards to benefits and allowances, it’s important to establish clear principles for a dental practice. As labour regulations become increasingly complex, using a platform for objective results analysis and expert assistance can ease the burden on front-line practitioners.

With the increasing complexity of labour regulations, front-line practitioners face a great deal of pressure. Using a platform that analyses and shares objective results or provides expert help can make the management of these changes easier.