Applies to - Non-represented and represented classified employees.

Purpose

Chapter 357-13 establishes specific criteria and allows employers the authority and discretion to carry out activities related to the classification of positions. It also establishes the right of an employee to request a review by the Office of the State Human Resources Director (OSHR).

General Information

When there are permanent and substantive changes in the job duties and scope of responsibility of a position involving the addition, reduction, or modification of duties and responsibilities, reallocation to a different classification may be warranted. An employee who feels that they are performing duties that are not in the position description and not appropriate to their job classification, may request a position review if six months have elapsed since the last review and the employee believes the work is better described by another class.

Human resources is responsible for allocating or reallocating each classified position to an established class in the OSHR classification plan based upon a review and analysis of the duties and responsibilities of the position. Positions will be allocated on a best-fit basis as determined by the majority of the work performed. Allocation and reallocation decisions are limited to comparisons of the type and level of work that is performed with the available class specifications. The volume of work performed, the expertise with which the work is performed, or the work performed by other employees in similar positions does not affect classification.

Requesting a Position Review

Employee: An employee may initiate a position review of their position if the duties have significantly changed, it is anticipated that the changes are permanent, and it has been at least six months since the last review. Employees are strongly encouraged to discuss the request with their supervisor or manager before initiating a review.

Supervisor/Department Head: A supervisor/department head must request a position review anytime it is anticipated that there will be immediate permanent and substantive changes to a position, or if an employee has been assigned new duties for less than six months and it is anticipated that the change in duties will be permanently assigned. The supervisor may also initiate the request if they know that the employee has been performing duties not listed on the current position description for more than six months and the employee has not yet submitted a request for a position review.

Human Resources: Human resources may also initiate a position review based on known or suspected changes in the position, classification plan, and/or other organizational issues.

Position Review Process

Initiated by the Employee:

In order to gain an understanding of the position and the duties that are believed to be outside the current class, the following information must be submitted to the human resources department:

A) Position Review Request Form: The position review request form must be filled out completely and signed by the employee and forwarded to human resources. The supervisor and department head will then be asked to comment on the information provided by the employee and to add additional information regarding the position.

B) Organizational Chart: A current organizational chart showing the employee’s reporting relationships and workflow within the department.

Human resources will review the request, conduct interviews and/or request additional information if necessary, and determine the appropriate job class for the position.

Initiated by the Supervisor/Department Head and/or Human Resources:

If the supervisor is initiating the request and the employee has not been performing duties believed to be outside the current class for at least six months, the following information is required:

A) Position Description Worksheet. If changes are being made to a filled position, the supervisor/department head should inform the incumbent of the proposed position changes. (Once the worksheet has been reviewed and agreed upon by human resources, the supervisor and the department head, the position description will be entered into PeopleAdmin.)

B) Organizational Chart: A current organizational chart showing the employee’s reporting relationships and workflow within departments.
If the supervisor is initiating the request, and the employee has been performing duties believed to be outside the current class for more than six months, the following information is required:

A) Position Description Worksheet. (Once the worksheet has been reviewed and agreed upon by human resources, the supervisor and the department head, the position description will be entered into PeopleAdmin.

B) Organizational Chart: A current organizational chart showing the employee’s reporting relationships and workflow within departments.
Human resources will review the request, conduct interviews and/or request additional information if necessary, and determine the appropriate job class for the position. In addition, based on information provided by the employee and/or supervisor, human resources will verify whether or not the employee meets the competencies established for the position if the position is reallocated.

Effective Date of Allocation or Reallocation

Initiated by the Employee:

If the employee initiated the process, the effective date is the date the employee’s position review request form was received in human resources.

Initiated by the Supervisor/Department Head:

If the supervisor initiated the process, the effective date will typically be the first day of the month following receipt of the finalized version of the position description and organization chart in the human resources department. In no circumstances will the effective date be prior to the date the request was received in human resources.

If an employee is allocated to a class with a lower salary range maximum, the effective date of the reallocation shall be at least fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of written notice of the allocation. An employee may request to waive or shorten the notice period.

Notification Process

Prior to a written allocation decision, the human resources representative will discuss the proposed allocation decision with the department head and appointing authority as appropriate. If reallocation is warranted, and the department head and appointing authority concur and have funds available (if it is an upward reallocation), the employee, the employee's supervisor, and the appointing authority will be sent written notification of the classification decision, effective date, and the status of the employee as a result of the allocation decision.

If a supervisor has requested a position review due to anticipated changes in the position, or if the employee has been performing the duties for less than six months, and those duties warrant allocation to a higher level classification, but it is determined that funds are not available for the upward reallocation, the higher-level duties will be removed and the reallocation action will not take effect.

If the incumbent has been performing higher-level duties for more than six months and it is determined that reallocation to a higher-level position is appropriate and warranted, but funds are not available, the reallocation will take effect. The appointing authority will have the option of immediately removing the duties from the incumbent’s responsibilities and notifying the employee that they will be laid off from the higher-level position.

If reallocation is not warranted, the employee, the employee's supervisor, and the appointing authority will be sent written notification of the decision, including the employee’s right to request a review by OSHR of the allocation decision.

Effect on the Incumbent

The position review process may result in the position remaining the same or being reclassified to a different class with a higher salary range, a different class with the same salary range, or a different class with a lower salary range. If the review does not support a change in classification, the position remains in its current classification.

WAC 357-13-090 provides an in-depth description of how an employee is affected when their position is reallocated.

Right to Request an OSHR Director’s Review of an Allocation Decision

If an employee disagrees with the results of the CWU human resources position review, the employee has the right to request that the director of OSHR review the results of the position review.

The employee must file the request for an OSHR director’s review in writing with the OSHR Review office; such request must be received in that office within thirty calendar days of the employee being provided the results of the position review or the notice of reallocation. An optional form is available and will ensure that all required information is proved. If the form is not used, the request for a OSHR director’s review must include the following:

• Employee’s name and address;

• The name of the employer (Central Washington University) that took the action for which a review is requested. The request should include the name of the department in which the employee works;

• A telephone number at which the employee can be reached;

• The employee’s job classification(s). The statement should include the job classification prior to, and, if changed, the job classification as a result of the review and decision by human resources;

• A short statement of the grounds or reasons for the request; and

• A short statement of the remedy sought by the employee (e.g. the classification the employee believes best describes his/her position).

Note: An employee may not request a review by OSHR when the allocation or reallocation is based on the Department of Personnel implementing new classifications, and the employee is reallocated to a class with the same salary range maximum. In this instance, the employee is first required to submit a request for a position review to CWU human resources. If, after human resources conducts a review of the employee’s position, the employee disagrees with the allocation decision, the employee may then request a OSHR review of the results of the decision.

Right to Appeal an OSHR Director’s Review

A classified employee, or CWU as the employer, may appeal an OSHR Director’s position allocation review determination by filing written exceptions. Allocation exception appeals must be filed with the Personnel Resources Board following the instructions in the OSHR Director’s Review response provided by the Department of Personnel.

[3/16/2005; 07/01/2005; 07/01/2008; 03/30/2012; Responsibility: BFA; Authority: Washington Administrative Code (WAC), 357-13 Classification Washington Administrative Code (WAC), 357-49 DOP Director's Review; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC); Review/Effective Date: 06/06/2012; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]