Pause in the Reclassification of PPSM Staff Positions Effective June 1, 2007
(February 2008) The reclassification pause will continue to be in effect through January 1, 2009. The Career Compass job mapping activity will essentially classify all non-represented positions into jobs that reflect the current responsibilities of the role.
As a reminder, during this pause, increases to base salaries can be provided to reflect the assumption of additional, significant responsibility. Normally such increases do not exceed 15%. Please see below for details and work with your Deparatment Human Resources Manager if you feel this may apply.
Please note that the reclassification pause only applies to non-represented positions. Reclassification requests for represented positions covered by bargaining unit contracts are still being accepted.
(May 4, 2007) As Human Resources prepares for the migration of PPSM positions to the new Career Compass job standards, we will need to adjust the Berkeley campus procedures pursuant to PPSM Policy 36 Classification of Positions. Effective June 1, 2007 (approximately 30 days from today), processing of reclassification requests for PPSM positions will be temporarily paused as we implement the Career Compass project. Any reclassification requests submitted to the Compensation Unit prior to June 1 will be reviewed.
As the implementation of the Career Compass initiative begins, all PPSM employees (the population affected by the reclassification pause) will essentially be classified into new job titles that will more accurately reflect the work the position performs.
Human Resources -Compensation staff will be involved with campus departments evaluating and mapping current PPSM employees to the new job standards until July 1, 2008 (Estimated new date of completion: January 1, 2009). After PPSM employees have been moved into the new job standards, the Compensation staff will again be available for individual PPSM classification review requests; however, we will be evaluating them against the new job titles and salary ranges at that time.
During the pause, HR will continue to conduct classification reviews under the following circumstances:
-- Upon the development and submission of a newly created job description for recruitment purposes.
-- Upon replacement, when there are significant changes to the duties and responsibilities of a position.
-- If the position is currently covered by a bargaining unit contract.
-- If a department or employee is appealing a recently (30 days) denied reclassification request.
HR has communicated with Control Unit Administrators and Department HR Managers regarding classification procedures during this pause, and has provided detailed questions and answers. Please contact your Department HR Manager or Scott Dinkelspiel, HR-Compensation Operations Manager at 2-2799, if you have any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. A PPSM position in my department has taken on higher level functions that we believe would lead to the position being reclassified upwards. How do I acknowledge the efforts of the employee performing higher level functions during the reclassification pause period?
Departments may consider providing a permanent base building salary increase for the employee. Departments will need to follow their Control Unit guidelines for salary changes prior to implementing. During this period, oversight and approvals should be obtained at the appropriate Control Unit level. It will be very important to keep documentation to provide rationale and approval authority, including identifying the higher level functions added to the position and where the lower level functions are now being performed. Criteria to consider when setting employee salaries include (1) Internal Equity – What are other employees with similar responsibilities earning? How similar is their performance? Experience? Skills? Knowledge? Assignments?; (2) Market Rate - an approximation or best estimate of the going wage rate for employees with similar qualifications performing similar functions in the defined labor market, keeping in mind internal equity considerations; (3) Budget – do you have the salary dollars available to fund the salary?; (4) Employee Considerations – knowledge, skills and abilities of the person in the position; (5) Campus considerations – UC policy limits, recent employee raises, disparate impact issues.
Departments are advised to:
(a) Keep a list identifying the possible reclassification actions that would be put forward for a reclass. Maintaining such a listing will allow departments to have a clear tracking of retroactivity actions. This may be particularly important because of the need to retroactively adjust benefit levels based upon changed classification.
(b) Although departments may not make classification decisions, increases to base salaries can be provided to reflect the assumption of additional, significant responsibility. Normally such increases do not exceed 15%. Oversight and approvals should be obtained at the appropriate Control Unit level. To implement a non-merit base building salary increase in HRMS for PPSM employees during the pause period, use action reason code of - Pay Action Reason Code “CPP” – Classification Pause Pay, which will be defined as “Pay increase provided during classification pause period.”
Alternatively, departments may consider providing a temporary stipend to the employee for assuming temporary higher level functions. As a reminder, last year UCOP audited all stipends that were 15% or greater and/or extended beyond 12 months – therefore, departments should keep documentation to provide rationale, duration and approval authority information for the stipend.
(c) Departments may also create a working title in HRMS to recognize the new level of work functions. This updated working title can also be entered into HRMS as the Business Title.
2. My PPSM employee is a star performer and I want to recognize this by reclassifying his/her position? With the classification pause, now what should I do?
Sometimes a reclassification request is motivated by the desire to reward a top performer. When an employee exceeds performance expectations, you may feel pressure to show appreciation through a reclassification. Such efforts are more appropriately recognized through the merit program. Job classifications should always be based on the position and not the incumbent. Normally, positions are not submitted for classification review unless they have changed significantly since the last classification review.
3. A non-exempt position in my department has taken on higher-level exempt functions that may move the FLSA exemption status of the position from non-exempt to exempt. Should I be concerned with this issue?
Not necessarily, keep the FLSA exemption status as non-exempt. Employers are safe to err on the side of non-exempt status for positions. Consider providing a base building salary increase as described in FAQ #1. The delay in the change of FLSA exemption status does not disadvantage the employee since overtime should continue to be tracked and paid. However, keep a list of the possible reclassification actions as per FAQ #1.
Represented employee reclassifications will continue to be evaluated by the Compensation Unit. For non-represented employees (such as Admin Specialists) moving into exempt supervisory roles, they should be assigned to the appropriate new supervisory job code and associated ER code, to reflect the incumbent’s increased authority in matters of discipline.
4. A PSS level position has grown to the level where my department thinks it may warrant consideration for reclassification into the MSP program, which has a different vacation accrual. With the pause, we will not be able to submit a PSS to MSP request. How do we handle this situation?
When employees are mapped to the new job standards and the structure is implemented on July 1, 2008 (Estimated new date of completion: January 1, 2009), if the employee is mapped to Professional Level 4, or Manager 1 or above, the conversion to the MSP personnel program and its applicable policies may be retroactive to when the employee assumed the higher MSP level functions, but no earlier than Effective Date of the Pause. Until the conversion, employees will retain their rights as a PSS employee. Therefore the maintenance of possible employee reclassifications is important.
5. How do we address adjusting the provision level for a centrally funded position that under normal circumstances would have moved upwards when the new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2007?
During the classification pause, all newly created positions will continue to be classified appropriately to ensure a provision level will be linked to the position for the new fiscal year if they are not filled by July 1. Positions that are currently encumbered will still receive funding tied to the employees current salary.
6. What impact will the classification pause have on the October 2007 PPSM Merit program?
The classification pause will have no impact on the October 2007 PPSM Merit program – the performance-based merit program will be administered similarly to last year’s program with salary increases linked to employee performance and state funding.
7. What impact will the classification pause have on the October 2007 PPSM Equity program?
We will likely be deferring the October 2007 PPSM Equity program until May or June 2008, when we will have much better reference market data for PPSM positions. (Revised: The 2007 PPSM Equity program will not be deferred. It will be administered in March 2008.) Equity funding will be used to help bring any employee whose salary may be below the new salary range minimum for the position up to the new salary range minimum. The equity increase will still be retroactive to October 1, 2007.
8. One of my employees has been offered a position at a higher level on campus (e.g., from an Analyst to Senior Analyst), doing similar work. The new department was able to get their vacant position classified at the Senior Analyst level, but our department is unable to submit a reclassification request for our Analyst position due to the pause. Can I request a reclassification for retention purposes?
The Compensation unit will not be able to review retention classification requests. The home department may consider providing a permanent base building salary increase for the employee, as outlined in FAQ #1.
9. My department will be going through a major reorganization which will require several positions to take on significant additional functions which would definitely change their classifications. Will the Compensation Unit be available to review and classify position descriptions as a result of reorganizations?
The Compensation Unit will not be able to review departmental reorganizations until the mapping of current PPSM employees to the new job standards occurs. During the mapping process, the results of any departmental reorganization during the classification pause will be reviewed for appropriate leveling using the new job standards.
10. My department has an already approved dual career ladder classified position encumbered by a person in the lower of the two classified levels. He/She is now demonstrating the necessary level of competence to assume the higher level functions and is performing the higher level functions, which normally we could recognize by “promoting” him/her into the higher level position. With the Classification Pause, will we be able to implement a career ladder promotion in HRMS?
Yes, positions that have already been approved for multiple classifications under the career ladder concept may still have movement from one level the higher level for the current incumbent.