Employment Resources
CDABC has a number of employment resources available both for the public and specifically for its members. Public resources are provided for informational purposes as well as gaining a better understanding of the profession and our association. Member resources will require you to login to access them, but will allow you to take advantage of your full member benefits.
Employment Law Articles
Employees are often shocked to learn of their dismissal from employment. After years of service to the same employer, it can be upsetting, to say the least, to learn suddenly that you are without work or a pay cheque.
The level of anxiety will often be increased when the dismissal is immediate or provided with little notice. In many cases, the letter of dismissal may tell the employee that she will be paid severance “as per the Employment Standards Act.” Depending on your length of service, severance under the Act can be as little as a few weeks and at most eight weeks. This amount does not provide much of a financial cushion while looking for new employment. Read the full article.
Many employees have the impression that they do not have an employment contract because they have nothing in writing from their employer. In fact, anyone who works for an organization or company has an employment contract. However, all the terms of the contract may be oral, i.e. they were verbally agreed between the employer and employee, or the terms are “implied”, i.e. terms that the law would assume the parties agree to even though they may not have discussed them. For instance if you have a verbal agreement to perform work for a monthly salary, that is a binding employment agreement even if it is not written. Read the full article.
Many employees have the impression that they do not have an employment contract because they have nothing in writing from their employer. In fact, anyone who works for an organization or company has an employment contract. However, all the terms of the contract may be oral, i.e. they were verbally agreed between the employer and employee, or the terms are “implied”, i.e. terms that the law would assume the parties agree to even though they may not have discussed them. Read the full article.
In British Columbia, the Employment Standards Act (the “Act”) grants employees the right to take unpaid leaves of absence from their employment. Employers are required to permit employees to take leaves in various circumstances, including during pregnancy and in relation to other family matters. Read the full article.
The British Columbia Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of several enumerated grounds including race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, age, sex, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, religion, marital or family status. This means that the Code prohibits treating people adversely because of one or more of these grounds. Read the full article.
When an employer unilaterally imposes a substantive change to an employment contract, the employee sometimes has the right to treat those changes as a termination. This type of situation is known as a “constructive dismissal”. For an employer to act unilaterally means that the employer made the change and put it into effect without the consent of the employee. Read the full article.
Employment Survey Reports
CDABC compiles a report of average employment conditions and salaries across BC approximately every two years. The 2018 report was published in the spring of 2018, and reports that the average hourly wage for CDAs in BC is $27.17. More details on wages by region, experience and role can be found in the report.
Members: access the 2018 Employment Survey Report here at no cost.
Employment Guide & Agreement
This guide provides CDAs with a list of things to consider when interviewing at a new practice. These are questions you may want to ask the interviewers in order to make an informed decision about the job. The guide also contains a sample Employment Agreement, which is intended to finalize and define the job role. A written employment agreement helps both employer and employee be aware of their expectations and responsibilites, and provides a basis for future performance reviews. Access the guide here.
BC Employment Standards Branch Resources
Dental Placement Agencies
A list of dental placement services is available to members here.
Determining the Productivity of Professional Staff Members
According to an article in the CDAA Journal November/December 2000 issue by Betty Ladley Finkbeiner CDA RDA MS, titled “How to Determine a Fair and Equitable Salary for Dental Auxiliaries”, the research done over the years has consistently shown that a dentist who utilized a dental assistant will see an increase in productivity by approximately 33% – and with the addition of a second dental assistant their productivity increased by about 50%. Data on the productivity/assistant correlation has been available for a long time – however, few employers utilize this data in their negotiations with their staff when salary reviews are done. Read full article.
Determining a Fair Compensation Package for New Employees
Whether you are starting a new job, are hiring a new employee for your dental practice or wanting to ask for an increase in your compensation for your current position, there are some important factors to consider. The following article gives an overview of what will be involved in making a decision on what would be fair compensation and understanding what that might include. Read the full article.
Employment FAQ Articles and Resources