"Permanent Employment Offered but Probation Contract Given"…17% of Employees Report "Mismatch in Hiring Conditions"

17% of Office Workers Say "Employment and Working Conditions Differ"

Two out of ten office workers answered that the conditions offered at the time of hiring did not match the actual working conditions.

According to a survey conducted by Workplace Gapjil 119 on 1,000 office workers from June 9 to 15, 17.1% of respondents said on the 13th that "the conditions offered at the time of hiring were not the same as the actual working conditions."

In particular, ▲unfair dismissal ▲non-regular employment contracts ▲changes in working conditions ▲extension of probation ▲harassment were identified as the "five major gapjil" experienced by probationary employees.

Workplace Gapjil 119 argued that along with the amendment of the Hiring Procedure Act, which applies only to workplaces with 30 or more regular employees, strong penalties such as fines for violations of regulations are necessary.

They also urged that in order to respond to gapjil, it is necessary to accurately check what kind of contract one has signed. They explained that the commonly confused terms ▲probation ▲trial ▲intern are all different concepts.

'Probation' refers to a state where a definite labor contract has been signed, thus receiving the same legal protection as regular full-time workers. 'Trial' means a labor contract has been signed, but an evaluation for formal hiring is scheduled. 'Intern' refers to a trainee status for education and training purposes without the premise of hiring, and is not considered a worker under the Labor Standards Act.

Workplace Gapjil 119 stated, "Employers claim that they can dismiss probationary employees at any time by taking advantage of workers' lack of legal knowledge," adding, "All dismissal regulations under the Labor Standards Act apply to probationary employees as well. In the case of probation, it is advantageous to secure evidence such as the hiring announcement during the hiring process and to record verbal promises made during interviews or meetings."

There are also cases where a regular employment announcement was made, but after hiring, workers were forced to sign contracts as fixed-term or freelancers. During the probation period, there were cases where the workplace, working days, or duties suddenly changed, salaries were cut, or the probation period was unilaterally extended.

Workplace Gapjil 119 pointed out, "The Hiring Procedure Act prohibits unfair changes to working conditions presented in hiring advertisements without justifiable reasons, but many employers exploit the circumstances of workers who find it difficult to raise issues during the probation period to unilaterally change working conditions."

They also emphasized, "The current Hiring Procedure Act applies only to workplaces with 30 or more regular employees and includes penalty provisions only for some violations. Hiring gapjil and probation gapjil should be defined as hiring fraud, and stronger penalties such as fines instead of administrative fines should be imposed on violators."