Position reclassification

Reclassifications are based on significant and permanent changes to a position's duties and responsibilities, not the performance or promotion of an individual employee. If the work required by the department remains substantially the same, the position's classification generally remains the same. However, when a position evolves over time to meet the changing needs of the unit and the current classification no longer accurately reflects the work being performed, a reclassification may be appropriate.

Managers should review position descriptions regularly and update them whenever duties or responsibilities change significantly. As a general guideline, a review should be initiated when approximately 30% of the position's duties have changed or when changes materially affect the position's scope, complexity, level of responsibility or organizational impact. To be considered for reclassification, changes must be substantial and ongoing rather than temporary in nature.

New or expanded responsibilities should typically be performed for a reasonable period of time, generally a minimum of 3-6 months, before a reclassification request is considered. This provides sufficient time to ensure the duties are permanent, continue to meet the needs of the unit and have become an established and successfully performed component of the position.

Reclassification requests should reflect sustained changes in work rather than anticipated future responsibilities or temporary assignments.

In some cases, you may anticipate sweeping changes in the job duties and responsibilities for a given position. In these cases, many job factors are impacted. When a position is anticipated to undergo changes that would drastically influence the type of work being performed, options outside of reclassification may need to be considered.

While some positions reviewed are candidates for reclassification of a new job title and/or pay grade, others may need to be considered for a competitively bid recruitment process.

If you can answer yes to any of the questions below, HR COE recommends that you recruit for this position. By filling the position using the competitive recruitment process, you can help ensure Kansas State University is providing opportunities in a fair manner. Contact your Talent Acquisition strategic partner for more information regarding how to proceed with a position recruitment.

• Will the position have supervisory responsibility? Consider part- and full-time staff positions; exclude supervision of students.
• Will the anticipated changes drastically influence the type of work being performed? Consider the level of authority, independence and scope of new job duties.
• Are there one or more employees who are, or may be, interested and capable of doing the work? Consider employees both internal to the department and those external to the department in which the position resides.
• Do the anticipated changes represent a significant change in the position’s pay grade (typically two or more pay grades)?

If you have questions about whether a position should be considered for reclassification or recruitment, contact HR COE at hrcomp@ksu.edu.

Human Resources Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness (HR COE) partners with departments in understanding position changes and HR COE makes the final job title determination. If HR COE determines the position needs to be reclassified to a different job title, the unit is obligated to follow through on the recommended actions in a timely manner.

A reclassification review may result in a promotion, demotion, lateral title change or no change at all. If the job classification remains unchanged but effort has increased, a pay adjustment may be warranted through another pay change approach.