Young people who work part-time, do so to pay for things they want, to earn a living and to cover their tuition. However, they become quite gloomy and suffer from low self-esteem under the pressure of customer abuse. Nowadays, many
young workers are suffering from the consequences of this type of stress because of the principle, ‘the customer is king.’ What have Dankookians been experiencing during their parttime jobs and what do they think about working during their studies.

The Dankook Herald (DKH) conducted a survey targeting to Dankookians. The results indicated that 87% of Dankookians who hold part time jobs confirmed they did so in order to address financial shortfalls. Despite the benefits of an
increased income, the problems relating to time management are an unfortunate side effect. Respondents said that the lack of leisure and study time was the biggest drawback. In addition, the need to hide their feelings in front of customers and employers when faced with negative situations, is another side effect.

Half of respondents have been forced to practice customer empathy. Nevertheless, only 13 respondents quitted their job due to this type of stress. More specifically, they quitted because employers treated them as machines and they came across several bad customers. On the other hand, others couldn’t quit because they needed the money and understood that treating the customers well is a necessary component of part time work. In fact, 98% of respondents replied that this was a mandatory requirement of part time workers.

DKH interviewed Kang Hyo-jin (freshman, Department of Public Administration) who has had plenty of part time job experiences and asked her about her working conditions. “If I stay in a bad mood because of my employer or a customer, others, who have no idea why I am unhappy, might feel bad if I treat them like they are the person to blame. So I make sacrifices to put an end to the vicious circle of anger,” she said in agreement with the necessity of using a more empathetic approach on the job. Although 71% of respondents had no knowledge of labor rights and the value of work, 88% agreed that this education
should be taught by any means. Kang also agreed with this idea. Students, working in part time jobs, are required to act in a submissive manner, and they do because education on labor rights is non-existent. The truth is that students
want education on labor rights and the value of the work they do.

There is a direct correlation between work, emotions and our rights. It’s safe to say that college part-time workers who suffer from negative emotions on the job suffer from a lack of understanding of this correlation. DKH attempted to get to the root of this problem by considering the use of the education system.

It’s true that we use textbooks that claim ‘employment problems’, or ‘problems in irregular worker employment’. The Korean government released the “Invigoration of Human Rights Education” bill as a solution. This is not a new concept. France has labor rights training as part of their ‘civic education’ program. Moreover, people learn that they have the right to work and they are protected by law. As a part of their curriculum, students learn substantial knowledge about work; what a pay slip is, how to calculate the difference between gross pay and total after-tax income, the Contribution Sociale Generalisee (CSG). In grade 9, class discuss how labor unions protect the rights of workers and labor education gets more serious.

In grade 10, students discuss how to exercise their rights at work. This provides students with an opportunity to think seriously about labor in general. Students could learn about the labor rights, the purpose of labor unions, and intensified information about labor and human rights.

It is urgent to introduce a plan for worker education in our country. Our country should establish a law that requires training before starting a new job. This is necessary for young people working in an office, so that they can demand
what is rightfully due to them. Dankookians should be aware of their rights as workers and no longer act as the doorstep for poor treatment by customers and employers alike.