Guidelines for Reclassification of Professional Staff

Identify the circumstances which may lead to a position being reviewed

Different circumstances may lead to a position reclassification including significant changes to level of responsibility and/or job complexity. It is the responsibility of the supervisor and staff member to review the Position Description and identify whether there is potential to review the classification level. You can assist both staff member and supervisor by supporting this review and ensuring they have correctly identified the changes to the classification (e.g. check there has not been a change in job volume rather than changes reflecting the duties and responsibilities of the position).

Provide preliminary advice to supervisor and staff member

Confirm that there is sufficient change to the level of responsibility and/or job complexity and that reclassification can go ahead pending the supervisor’s confirmation of any funding or approval requirements within the faculty/division.

You should explore with the supervisor whether there is a business requirement for a role at the proposed classification level within the team and/or work unit. If there is not, it may not be appropriate to reclassify the position. You and the supervisor should then discuss alternative options, such as adjusting the staff member’s duties so that they align with the staff member’s existing classification level or other reward mechanisms.

Positions can only be reclassified upwards one level at a time. Positions reclassified two levels up from the existing grade should be viewed as a new position and opened up to recruitment action even if there is a current incumbent.

Check the required documentation

Ensure that the correct documentation has been completed for the relevant HEW levels as follows:

• Up to HEW level 9: the Reclassification Proposal Form
• HEW level 10: covering memo

Follow up on any missing or unclear information and refer to the Check and Challenge your Understanding of a Position tool.

Review the documentation and discuss the role with the staff member

You will need to review the documentation and confirm the information provided with the staff member and supervisor. Where required, schedule a time to meet and discuss the role and position description with the staff member and/or supervisor. You may wish to do this if you need further evidence regarding the activities of the position, e.g if you have not identified any significant differences between the two position descriptions.

You can ask for evidence of pieces of work, or observe activities, eg. a tour of a laboratory area may be useful to understand a ‘wet lab’ environment.

It would also be useful to ask the supervisor, if the position were vacant, would the qualifications and experience specified in the updated Position Description still be required? If the answer is no, then it may lead you to question whether it is a reward mechanism or only reflective of the particular individual’s skills and contribution rather than a requirement of the particular role.

If you have not already done so in Step 1 above, you should explore with the supervisor whether there is actually a business requirement for a role at the proposed classification level within that unit. If there is not, it may not be appropriate to reclassify the position and you should explore other options (see Step 1 above).

SAP position number

Make sure that you check the position number with reference to SAP. If the reclassification is a substantive role, ensure that the correct position number is identified (refer to organisational assignment records in SAP).

Arrange for the Position Description to be approved

Obtain signatures and confirm budget sign off

Email a draft of the revised Position Description to the position’s supervisor and head of unit for content approval. You should ask for confirmation that the Position Description accurately and appropriately describes the role. A template email is available for this communication

Where necessary, you can check the budget with the relevant Finance or Business Manager. Obtain signatures on the Reclassification Proposal Form (electronic signatures are acceptable).

You are strongly encouraged to consult a subject matter expert (e.g. for a technical or specialised role, it may be wise to consult with staff with similar roles to ensure that you thoroughly understand the nature of the role and where possible, you should seek a view from a trained classification evaluator well versed with a technical or specialised role).

Evaluate the Position Description

Once the Position Description has been approved, you should undertake an evaluation of the position, using the Classification Tool.

In evaluating the position description, you should take into account relativities with similar positions within the particular Faculty/Division or across the University more broadly. For example, Executive Assistants are generally classified according to the level of the executive they are supporting (ie. HEW8 if supporting the Vice-Chancellor, HEW7 if supporting one of the Vice-Chancellor’s direct reports, HEW6 if supporting the direct reports of the Vice-Chancellor’s direct reports and HEW5 at “Director” or equivalent level).   

If you suspect that the classification may be a HEW10 classification, you should consult your Lead HR Business Partner before making a recommendation.

You should then seek the endorsement of the other Classification Committee Member(s) by providing them with:

• the existing Position Description;
• the revised Position Description;
• the Position Reclassification Proposal (for reclassification proposals up to HEW level 9) or the covering memo (for reclassification proposals to HEW level 10); and
• the link to the Classification Tool that you have used to document your evaluation of the role.

A template email is available for this communication.

In terms of who the documentation should be sent to:

• for HEW 2 to 7 proposed classifications - the Lead HR Business Partner;
• for HEW 8 and 9 proposed classifications – the Lead HR Business Partner and an external Lead HR Business Partner or approved equivalent; and
• for HEW 10 proposed classifications – the Lead HR Business Partner and the Senior HR Specialist, Remuneration and Sourcing.

Further details on evaluation

See Guidelines for Classification Committees on Evaluating Position Descriptions.

Discuss with the Lead HR Business Partner any cases for backdating in line with the procedural requirements. Please note that the effective date of the reclassification may only be backdated by 3 months from the date of submission of all of the required paperwork to the HR Business Partner.

Notify the supervisor, Head of Unit and Dean/ Divisional Director

Once all Committee members have had an opportunity to evaluate the position, you must immediately send an email to notify of the outcome to:

• the supervisor,
• head of unit and
• the Dean/Divisional Director

A template email is available for this communication.

Attach the final Position Description to the email, ensuring that you have:

• updated any agreed changes to the Position Description following any Committee recommendations; and
• removed any reference to “proposed” HEW level.

Once the supervisor has acknowledged the outcome, you can send a memo to notify the staff member of the outcome of the review (copy the supervisor). A template memo is available for this communication.

This memo doubles as Payroll notification to action the changes in SAP so you also need to email a copy to Payroll. Please attach a copy of the revised Position Description and the Reclassification Proposal Form for placement on the employee’s file.

It is a requirement of the Enterprise Agreement (clause 67) that where a staff member makes an application for a reclassification and the application is not approved by the relevant Classification Committee, the Committee will provide the staff member and the supervisor of the position with written reasons for the decision. A template email is available for this communication, but please contact a Workplace Relations Consultant should you wish to seek further advice on providing the written notification.

Staffing action for all updated Position Descriptions

You should then:

• retain the Position Classification Tool as a record of the Committee’s deliberations;
• save the final version of the Position Description to your HR Service Hub’s folder for classified Position Descriptions;
• put through changes to SAP position title (and any reporting line changes) via Organisational unit and position management;
• ensure the changes to title are reflected in the Monash Integrated Directory Service (MIDS);
• Record the required reporting information in the Classification Evaluation Report

Review of re/classification decisions for positions up to HEW level 9

A staff member may request a review of the decision. The staff member must submit a Request for Review by the Classification Review Committee form, and all materials provided to the original Committee (including any email follow-ups for clarifications reviewed by the Committee) to you.

You should contact Workplace Relations as soon as you are advised that a staff member plans to seek review of a reclassification decision. Workplace Relations will advise you on how to proceed from here.

Disputes over the content of a Position Description or reclassification proposal documentation

If there is a dispute over the content, then you should refer to your Lead HR Business Partner for advice as well as Workplace Relations.

Reporting and auditing

You may be required to participate in an annual audit (quality review) of reclassification activities. For this reason, it is important to keep reporting up-to-date (in the Classification Evaluation Report) and to comply with the university’s filing/archiving requirements.

• Records in relation to HEW 1 to 9 positions must be kept for 7 years .
• Records in relation to Level 10 roles must be retained permanently and transferred to the University Archives when administrative use is concluded.