Classified Job Audits/ Evaluations

The goal of a classification plan is to ensure that all jobs are appropriately classified (defined) and compensated fairly.

Who can request a position audit or job evaluation?

• A classified employee (once in 12-month period),
• the supervisor or department head,
• the Vice President of Human Resources or
• the Compensation Department.

The Process

Under typical circumstances, when an evaluation of a position is requested, a job information questionnaire (JIQ) is completed by the incumbent and reviewed by his/her supervisor. If a new position is being established or if an existing vacant position is being re-evaluated, it may be necessary for the supervisor to complete the questionnaire.

 

The JIQ solicits information. The person completing the JIQ relates the job responsibilities, and the overall picture of the job duties. The JIQ then goes to the next two levels of supervision: the immediate supervisor, the Director or the Dean’s office, or the Vice-President. It is expected that the second-level supervisor will look critically at the position and give the planning unit perspective on the position.

 

The JIQ comes to the Office of Human Resources. The evaluator schedules a telephone interview with the employee to go over the departmental organizational structure and discuss the job duties and responsibilities, giving the incumbent an opportunity to elaborate on the most important aspects of the job. The evaluator will ask for examples or explanations of the duties described. In some cases, it may be necessary to do an on-site interview to enable the evaluator to better understand the duties of the position.

 

The evaluator then calls the supervisor to discuss the position further. The evaluator performs the analysis of the position and compares it to comparable jobs within the university and in the labor market. After the position has been evaluated and matched to an appropriate job classification, a third party within Human Resources checks the appropriateness of the classification and independently reviews it.

 

Job evaluation is a formal process for determining the relative value of jobs based on job content, e.g., skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions. The job evaluator communicates the classification results to the supervisor, the appropriate management levels, and the incumbent employee. If not satisfied with the evaluation results, the employee may either request an on-site interview to discuss and further clarify the job duties, or submit another JIQ twelve months from the date Human Resources received the last JIQ. If the employee requests an on-site interview, after the interview is conducted, the position will be re-evaluated and a decision made.

 

The employee is advised of his/her right to appeal the classification decision. If an employee chooses to appeal the classification decision, they must notify the Vice President of Human Resources within 15 days after receiving the evaluation results.

TIPS regarding job evaluations and classifications: 

• Classifications are not the same as job descriptions; many employees are in the same classification, but all have individual JIQ’s.
• The focus of a job evaluation is on basic function and key duties and responsibilities of the position, not performance of those duties.
• Only permanent duties are considered, not “temporary” duties.
• Work assigned temporarily or in another employees absence is not evaluated.
• The type of work, not the volume of work, is key.
• Performance is irrelevant. It is the job being evaluated, not the person in the job.
• Evaluations are based on current duties, not future expectations.
• The job being evaluated is compared to other jobs in the area, the department, similar classifications throughout the university and the external labor market.

Tool: 

• Action Verb Listing (useful in identifying and defining job functions)