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Job Classification Review

Section: Index C- Human Resources
Policy Number: C-20

Policy

It is the policy of the University of Houston-Victoria to maintain a job evaluation and classification system that provides competitive pay ranges with different rates of pay for non-faculty positions requiring different levels of responsibility, experience, skill, and knowledge. The job classification system shall provide a fair and equitable method for preparing and updating job descriptions, for assigning jobs to pay grades, and for compensating staff employees holding benefits-eligible positions at the university. The Director of Human Resources is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the job evaluation and classification system for university staff employees. No new staff position may be established and filled nor may an existing position be reclassified without prior evaluation and approval by the Director and the Executive Committee.

The Director and an independent Compensation Consultant shall periodically review job classifications to ensure that positions are properly classified. This review shall take place annually, or on an as needed basis. The Executive Committee may put this review on hold pending budget limitations.

To provide a basis for job classification, each staff job shall have a job description that includes the official job title, a description of the job function, list of job duties, and job requirements. The job title assigned to each job in the job classification system shall be used for official university purposes; i.e., on all personnel documents and records.

This policy and procedure shall apply to all benefits-eligible staff jobs, regardless of source of funds from which paid, with the exception of senior administrative positions including the President, Vice President positions and other ungraded positions determined by the Executive Committee to be exempt from the pay plan.

Definitions

Executive Committee: A standing committee composed of senior administrative officials, chaired by the President and including the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration and Finance, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Vice President for University Advancement and External Relations, and Vice President for Student Affairs. The committee has the authority to make decisions involving strategy planning, policy and risk as well as institutional responsibility for the allocation of resources. It typically reviews and approves departmental budgets and other requests submitted through university departments that may have some fiscal impact.

Compensation Consultant: An independent outside compensation specialist engaged by the university on an as-needed basis. The consultant assists in the preparation and updating of job descriptions, conducts market analysis, evaluates compensation for new positions and reclassifications and other payroll related issues. The Consultant’s recommendations and justification are provided to the Director and shared with the Executive Committee for approval.

Demotion: A change in duty assignment from a position in one classification to a position in another classification in a lower pay grade. Such a demotion may or may not involve a decrease in compensation.

Exempt position: A position that is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Exempt employees include professionals, administrators, and executives on salary and paid on a monthly basis.

Job: A collection of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that constitutes the assignment for one or more individuals whose work is of the same nature and that require essentially the same qualifications. Each job has an official university job title and is assigned to a pay grade based on job evaluation factors. There may be many positions with the same job title.

Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ): A data collection questionnaire used to gather job information.

Job classification: Assignment of a job title to a pay grade based on a quantitative evaluation of the job. As a management tool, job classification provides uniform titles for use in personnel administration, budgets, payroll, and other official records and serves as a basis for establishing fair pay levels for staff employees.

Job description: A summary of the most important features of a job, including the general nature of the work to be performed, job duties, and job requirements.

Job title: The official title of a university job that shall be used on all personnel documents and records.

Lateral transfer: A move to another position within the same pay grade and pay range.

Non-exempt position: A position deemed to be non-exempt according to the Fair Labor Standards Act and, therefore, subject to the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Non-exempt positions include office and clerical positions and are paid on an hourly basis.

Pay grade: A pay level into which jobs of the same or similar value are grouped for compensation purposes. All jobs in a pay grade have the same pay range.

Position: A job assigned a unique position number in a specific department.

Promotion: A change in duty assignment and title of an employee from one position to another in a higher salary pay grade, requiring higher qualifications, such as greater skill or longer experience, and involving a higher level of responsibility.

Reclassification: A change in a position’s job title and/or grade level based on a significant change in job duties and level of responsibility, as determined in a review of the position by the Director and Compensation Consultant.

Transfer: A move by an employee from one university position to another vacant position, resulting from either a voluntary application for the position by the employee or non-voluntary, such as a reduction in force in one department where that department is shut down and employees are shifted to other departments. A transfer may be a promotion, a lateral move, or a demotion, depending upon whether the position transferred into is assigned a higher, the same, or a lower job classification and pay grade.

Procedure

Job Descriptions

The duties, responsibilities, and job requirements of all jobs in the university’s job classification system are documented in writing by means of a job description. Job descriptions are necessary for the following reasons:

The Director and Compensation Consultant are responsible for preparing and updating job descriptions for all benefits-eligible staff jobs using a uniform format. The job description format may be revised from time to time to better meet the needs of the university and conform to changing legal requirements.

Hard copies of the official job descriptions for all university staff jobs are maintained in the Human Resources Department.

Job Evaluation and Classification

All benefits-eligible staff jobs will be evaluated, classified, and assigned to a pay grade. This evaluation will be the responsibility of the Director and the Compensation Consultant. Job classifications will be determined by consideration of a variety of elements, including job responsibilities and duties and skills, experience, and education required to do the job. Positions will be classified as either exempt or non-exempt in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Positions that involve substantially the same kind of work, equivalent levels of complexity and responsibility, and require comparable knowledge and experience will be grouped together into the same pay grade.

Exempt/Non-exempt Designation

The terms and provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provide the basis for exempt versus non-exempt status and overtime pay requirements. The exempt or non-exempt status of each employee, with regard to the payment of overtime, is determined by the duties of the position to which the employee has been hired, transferred, promoted, or demoted. The Human Resources Department is responsible for determining the correct FLSA category when the job is classified in a pay grade. Each manager must ensure that the employee performs job duties as described in the job description to ensure compliance with overtime provisions of the FLSA.

New Positions

A request to establish a new staff position shall be submitted to the Director by the unit supervisor via a Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ), through the appropriate cabinet level supervisor. All new positions must have Executive Committee approval before forwarding to Human Resources. (Note: Normally new positions are only considered during the budget process each fiscal year.)

The Director will forward the JAQ to the Compensation Consultant for evaluation. The Director and the Compensation Consultant will reach consensus before returning to unit supervisor.

No new staff position may be established and filled without Executive Committee approval, and evaluation and classification of the position by the Director and Compensation Consultant.

Reclassifications

Significant changes in the duties and level or responsibility of a position may indicate the need for a change in job title and/or pay grade level. The position to be reclassified may be filled or vacant.

If a unit supervisor deems a re-evaluation is warranted, the unit supervisor will discuss the job description re-evaluation with his/her cabinet level supervisor for approval/disapproval. For a change in duties or requirements to merit re-evaluation, it should meet the following criteria:

If the levels of education or experience required for the job noticeably change, these requirements should reflect standards for satisfactory job performance, not an incumbent’s qualifications.

Cabinet level supervisor then determines validity and indicates approval or disapproval on the transmittal form. If approved, the JAQ is then forwarded to Human Resources for re-evaluation by the Compensation Consultant. The Director and the Compensation Consultant will reach consensus before forwarding to the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee then returns the re-evaluation as approved, disapproved, or modified to the Director for dissemination to the unit supervisor.

The unit supervisor may appeal the decision made by the Executive Committee through an appeal to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will provide guidelines during the budget process on the timeline for appeals. The Executive Committee may:

  1. approve the appeal;
  2. take no action on the appeal, letting the original decision stand;
  3. ask the Compensation Consultant to review the reclassification request again, based upon new information provided with the appeal by the supervisor.

An employee whose position is reclassified to a classification having increased responsibilities or complexity of duties is eligible to remain in the position provided he/she meets the minimum qualifications for the new classification. The employee who does not qualify for the new classification may be removed from the position and may be eligible for re-employment elsewhere, if a vacant position is available within the employee’s job skills.

An employee whose position is reclassified to a job having increased responsibilities or complexity of duties and in a higher pay grade, and who is eligible to remain in the position, is considered to have been promoted as a result of the reclassification. Compensation for the reclassified position will be in accordance with the university’s policies and procedures governing promotions (university policy C-15).

An employee whose position is reclassified to a job with decreased responsibilities and complexity of duties, resulting in a lower job classification and pay grade, is considered to have been demoted as a result of the classification.

An employee whose position is reclassified to another job assigned in the same pay grade is considered to have received a title change (lateral reclassification) as a result of the reclassification.

Assignment of Jobs to Pay Plans and Determination of Pay Rate

The Director shall use job evaluation and classification as the basis for determining the pay grade and rate for a position and for maintaining equitable pay within the pay grade.

Compensation guidelines are outlined in university policy C-15, Compensation for Staff Employees.

Supporting Documents:

  1. Policy C-15, Compensation of Staff Employees
  2. Job Reclassification Transmittal Form
  3. Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ)
  4. UHS Policy 02.A.37, Security Sensitive Positions

Approved by:

Signature Obtained             1/11/22
Robert K. Glenn, Ph.D.          Date
President

Originating Department: Human Resources
Next Review Date: January 2027 (5 years)

 

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS   

If there are any comments and/or questions regarding this policy, please email the Human Resources Director at HR@uhv.edu