Classification Actions
The Office of Human Resources will conduct classification reviews as a result of the following actions or requests. The Position Description form is the starting point and primary tool for initiating a classification review for all staff positions. The purpose of this form is to formally document the content of a job, including job functions, duties, scope, and the minimum and preferred qualifications. The following describes the different types of classification actions and the processes to be followed:
Create a New Position - Used to create an entirely new position or to request a classification review of a vacant position.
Regular or Contingent II Non-Exempt or Exempt Staff position:
- The department must complete a Position Description form and submit to the Office of Human Resources (OHR) along with an organization chart.
- OHR will review the position description and confer with the department on any issues related to the title, duties and responsibilities, and/or minimum qualifications. Once the position description is finalized, OHR will classify the position, assign a payroll title and job code, and provide a target market range for the position. Completed position description form will be sent back to the department.
- Department completes the Position Action Form (PAF) to make appropriate changes in position management and budget. This may require approval for addition to headcount.
- Once the position is approved, the department initiates the recruitment process.
Contingent I position:
- The department must complete a CI Position Description form and submit to the Office of Human Resources (OHR).
- OHR will review the position description and confer with the department on any issues related to the title, duties and responsibilities, and/or minimum qualifications. Once the position description is finalized, OHR will classify the position, assign a payroll title and job code, and provide a target market range for the position. Completed position description form will be sent back to the department.
- Department completes the Position Action Form (PAF) to make appropriate changes in position management and budget.
- Once the position is approved, the department submits Contingent I employment contract or initiates recruitment.
Used when, through natural growth in an existing position, an employee has taken on substantial additional duties and/or assumed duties of a greater scope or higher level of responsibility and performed them satisfactorily for a period of time. Generally, the new duties are very much related to the employee's current role. When the new duties are a significant change so that the position is a better match to a new title, and they were not given to the selected employee at the expense of another, the employee can be reclassified. Under a reclassification, the employee remains in the same PIN, and the department does not back-fill the prior role. Because the employee has already been successfully performing these duties, there is no probationary period.
- A classification review request requires a completed Position Description form and a justification memo from the department. The employee and supervisor should agree on the position description prior to its submission to the Office of Human Resources.
- OHR will review the position description and make a determination that the position is appropriately classified or requires a new classification. This determination is made based on whether or not the overall duties and scope of the position are significantly different from its current classification, making it a closer match to a new title/classification.
- A new classification may or may not result in an increase in pay. The size of a pay increase is dependent upon the degree of change to the position and the relative market value of the new classification. A standard guideline is 8-10%.
- OHR will complete the top section of the position description and return to the department.
- If the department is self-funding the adjustment, the department must complete a Position Action Form (PAF) to initiate changes to the position, attaching the approved job description.
- If the department requires central funding, OHR will submit a memo in support of the reclassification to the Senior VP for Administration & Finance for review. If approved, the department business manager works with the Budget Office to facilitate the budget transfer.
- Effective date of change is start of the following pay period.
Promotion is a competitive process in which an employee is selected for a new position at a higher level. In the case of of a promotion, the employee has not been performing the higher level duties for a period of time. The duties and responsibilities are not necessarily a natural growth in an existing position, the employee moves to a new PIN, and the prior role may be back-filled by the department. These positions are filled through competitive promotion rather than reclassification because other employees on campus can make a case that they were not given fair consideration for the position. Because the duties are new for the employee, he/she serves probation.
- Complete a position description form and submit to OHR.
- OHR will analyze the position and assign a title, job code, and target salary range.
- Department must complete a Position Action Form (PAF) for any required position changes.
- Because a promotion is competitively recruited, the department initiates recruitment through PeopleSoft Recruitment module.
Used when an employee takes on additional duties and responsibilities (breadth or depth), but not to the degree that the position is now a match to a different title. The employee remains in the same PIN with no change to title. Use of this action is currently prohibited by the Maryland Legislature and USM Salary Guidelines.
- Complete a position description form and a justification memo and submit to OHR. The employee and supervisor should agree on the position description prior to its submission to OHR.
- OHR will review the position description and make a determination that the position has accumulated additional scope or responsibility to justify a pay increase.
- The size of a pay increase is dependent upon the degree of change to the position and the current pay level of the employee. A standard guideline is 5-8%.
- OHR will complete the top section of the position description and return to the department.
- If the department is self-funding the adjustment, the department must complete a Position Action Form (PAF) to initiate changes to the position, attaching the approved position description.
- If the department requires central funding, OHR will submit a memo in support of the adjustment to the Sr. VP for Administration and Finance for review. If approved, the department budget manager works with the budget office to facilitate the budget transfer.
- Effective date of the change is the start of the following pay period.
Used when an employee is assigned the duties of a vacant higher level position while the position is under recruitment. Not all vacant positions are appropriate for acting capacity. Acting capacity is appropriate only when the work cannot be spread over multiple employees, when the recruitment is likely to take an extended period of time, and the duties are required to be performed in order to ensure continuity of services. The employee must meet the minimum requirements of the higher level position in order to serve in an acting capacity in that role. Acting capacity may not exceed one year and ends when the position has been filled. An employee in a non-exempt position cannot be made exempt in an acting capacity.
- Department submits Acting Capacity request memo to OHR. The request must include details on the vacant position, the scope of responsibility that the employee will be assuming, and why that employee was selected for the acting role.
- OHR will review the request and, if approved, recommend an acting salary for the position. The salary recommendation will take into account the difference between the employee's regular role and the acting role, whether or not the employee will assume the full position during the acting capacity, and the expected length of the acting assignment.
- Department must submit a completed Position Action Form (PAF) to the Position Manager.
- Acting capacity is effective the start of the following pay period and ends when the position is filled. A department may request a brief overlap period for transition of duties to new hire.
Used when the University requires a staff member to be moved from one position to another in order to meet organizational needs. For non-exempt staff, reassignments are at the same title and pay, but result in a change of department, reporting line, or location. For exempt staff, reassignments may involve a change of title or pay. Departments considering a reassignment should engage OHR early in the process because of potential employee relations concerns.
A reorganization involves changing the organizational structure of a unit or division that results in changes to more than one position. Reorganizations may result in title and/or pay changes depending on the scope of the changes to reporting lines and responsibilities of existing staff. Departments considering a reorganization should engage OHR early in the process to facilitate any position changes.