HOW DOES CLASSIFICATION
AFFECT MY JOB?
The classification system
• All jobs within the CSU are
organized into specific
classifications within occupations
• Each classification has a statewide
classification and qualification
standard (CQS)
• Minimum qualifications
• Typical duties
• Level of responsibility
California State University Employees Union
2011
Classification and your position
description – How do they relate?
California State University Employees Union
2011
Library Services Specialist is a
CLASSIFICATION
Which contains distinct SKILL LEVELS:
• Library Services Specialist I
• Library Services Specialist II
• Library Services Specialist III
• Library Services Specialist IV
California State University Employees Union
2011
Reclassification vs In Class Progression
• RECLASSIFICATION-To move from one
classification (Administrative Assistant) to
another (Library Services Specialist) is a
RECLASSIFICATION
• IN CLASS PROGRESSION-To move from an LSS I
to a LSS II IS IN CLASS PROGRESSION.
California State University Employees Union
2011
Implementation of the new Library
Services Specialist Series
California State University Employees Union
2011
The Process
• No update to position description since July
2010 - the employee and administrator have 90
days to update the position description and
reach agreement.
• Updated position description after July 2010-
the employee and administrator have 90 days
to review and determine if they are still in
agreement.
• If no agreement is reached, both the employee
and the administrator shall submit a memo to
HR with the LSS classification he/she is
proposing and the basis of their proposal.
California State University Employees Union
2011
The Process
• HR shall conduct a position classification review,
and if necessary, a desk audit.
• Any appeal of the classification decision must
be made by the employee and submitted to HR
within 30 days of receipt of the classification
decision.
• Appeals will be completed within 180 days of
HR receiving the request. Any reclassification
resulting from the appeal will be retroactive to
May 2011.
California State University Employees Union
2011
Important Deadlines!
• September 29, 2011–position
descriptions must be completed
• Within 30 days of the
classification decision, appeals
must be filed with Human
Resources
California State University Employees Union
2011
Writing the Position Description
California State University Employees Union
2011
OUR GOAL
• Shift emphasis to your highest level
skills and responsibilities
• Shift emphasis away from lower level
tasks and duties that you do in
support of the higher level
responsibilities.
California State University Employees Union
2011
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
• Blank campus position description/classification
review forms, and any directions, policies and
procedures
• CSUEU resource materials such as verbs and
word lists and the Know Your Rights Flyer on
Reclassification and In Class Progression.
California State University Employees Union
2011
RESOURCES
• Your latest position description.
• The standards for your current classification and the one to
which you aspire
(www.calstate.edu/HRadm/Classification/index.shtml)
• CSUEU website regarding updating your position description:
(http://www.csueu.org/OntheJob/Classification/Reclassification
/tabid/708/Default.aspx)
California State University Employees Union
2011
The 50 percent rule
California State University Employees Union
2011
What counts is not HOW MUCH
you do, or how many different
things you do, or HOW WELL you
do them, but the LEVEL at which
you work.
California State University Employees Union
2011
The Legend of the Stonecutters
California State University Employees Union
2011
Three stonecutters were working
at their jobs when a passerby
stopped to ask what they were
doing. The first answered,
“I’m cutting stone.”
California State University Employees Union
2011
The second said
“I’m building a wall.”
California State University Employees Union
2011
And the third said,
“I’m creating a cathedral.”
California State University Employees Union
2011
Like the stonecutters, your tasks
can have a different meaning
depending on your perspective.
Redefine your tasks toward the
cathedral.
California State University Employees Union
2011
WHERE DO I START?
• Write down everything you do
• 3-4 broad categories
• Assign percentages of time
• Verbs
California State University Employees Union
2011
HOW TO SUCCEED
• Use good English
• Write in Complete Sentences
• Keep verbs consistent
• Keep from personalizing (referring to
incumbent)
California State University Employees Union
2011
Use Teamwork….
• Form a work group, meet regularly with specific
goals and deadlines
• Finally – Show a friend! Ask them to proof your
work
California State University Employees Union
2011
TYPES OF WORK
California State University Employees Union
2011
Level of work
• Complexity (difficulty) of work
• Degree of independence with which you
work – how are you supervised?
• Where does your work come from – self
generated or assigned by a higher level
employee?
• Authority to commit resources – money,
labor, things
• Amount of independent judgment used
California State University Employees Union
2011
TYPES OF SUPERVISION
• Direct Supervision – close and regular
• General Supervision – some
delegation of responsibility, some
independence in routine matters.
• General Direction – operates
independently under broad guidelines
• Works as a team. Not supervised in
the conventional sense.
California State University Employees Union
2011
QUANTIFY AND SPECIFY
• You do what? To what or whom?
To achieve what outcome? At what
level of difficulty?
• Give examples!
California State University Employees Union
2011
BE SPECIFIC
• Focus on WHAT you do and the
LEVEL at which you do it
• NOT how much (workload) you do or
how well (performance) you do it.
California State University Employees Union
2011
CONTACT INFO:
Nancy Kobata, CSUEU Classification Chair
nkobata@calcsea.org
cell phone: (559) 287-3378
Joan Kennedy, Chapter President SLO
jkennedy@calcsea.org
California State University Employees Union
2011