Classification and Re-classification

The salaries administration plan is based on a series of independent job families. Each job family contains a variety of jobs at various levels of responsibility and authority. Those levels are delineated by letter grades (‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, etc.) and each letter grade corresponds to a specific salary grade.
 

The classification system is constructed on a set of “job standards” or “guidelines”. These standards outline: Level Definition; Typical Responsibilities; Decision Making/Level of Accountability; Supervision Exercised; Supervision Received; and Minimum Qualifications. You will find the job standards for all families on the UBC HR website. Simply identify the family of interest and click on any letter grade to see the relevant document.
 

The process of classification or re-classification (Article 5.4.5) consists of generating a job description that accurately describes the work being performed and outlines factors covered in the standards (Level Definition; Typical Responsibilities; Decision Making/Level of Accountability; Supervision Exercised; Supervision Received; and Minimum Qualifications). Then by comparing the job description to the standards UBC decides at what classification level (A, B, C etc.) the job falls. Then comparison of that letter classification to the salaries matrix (Document A in the Collective Agreement) identifies the appropriate pay level for the position.
 

Substantial changes occur in jobs over time and through re-organization of duties within a department. When that happens it is appropriate to re-write the job descriptions and submit these to UBC HR for reclassification. The collective agreement at Article 5.4.5 requires that either the supervisor or the incumbent may request the reclassification and these will normally be completed within 6 months. Employees not satisfied with the results of the reclassification may appeal to the Director of Total Compensation who will render a decision within 3 months. Those decisions may be the subject of later grievance processes. AAPS strongly urges members involved in appeals under the reclassification process to obtain assistance from a Member Services Officer during the process. You can make an Advocacy Appointment online.