Workplace Situation and Satisfaction Level of Dental Laboratory Technicians

치과기공사의 직업만족도에 대한 조사 연구 I (근무처에 대한 만족도)

Objectives; The purpose of the present study is to investigate workplace satisfaction level of dental technicians and the differences between that of dental lab owner's and that of employed dental technicians, who are working in dental laboratories. Methods; Samples were comprised of 137 dental technicians working in dental laboratories. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and analyzed to frequency distribution, correlation, t-test and multiple regression analysis. Results; 1) Dental technicians generally are 'somewhat or a bit satisfied' with their workplace situations, regardless of position, sex, and individual career. 2) Mean values of 4 items out of 11 work situation factors of employed dental technicians were significantly lower than those of lab owner's. The 4 items are the openness of management, working environment, pay, and policy in promotion and raise. They would be sources of dissatisfaction and conflict. 3) Level of satisfaction was significantly correlated with 2 subordinate variables, i.e. working conditions and administration policy. There is a tendency that administration policy is a bit more important for lab owners, while working conditions are a bit more important for employed dental technicians. Conclusion; The employer-employee relationship of dental technicians seems to be sound, as no signs of troublesome problem is detected. But the discrepancy revealed in the above results is telling that there certainly exist some disagreement in the viewpoints of the two groups. It is necessary for the dental technicians to find ways to deal with the possible triggers of discord and discontent.