Employee Classification Guide

A supervisor or employee may initiate a request for reclassification.   The linked form may be submitted to the HR mailbox (hr@hfcc.edu) by the deadlines outlined in the contract.   Application must be filed with the chairperson of the committee by April 1st to be considered at the May meeting and by October 1, to be considered for the November meetings.

 Reclassification is for a position which already exists on the SSA wage schedule.    If an employee or supervisor believe they are performing duties that are within an existing classification, the reclassification process should be followed.  

 If the position does not currently exist on the wage schedule, we would follow the process of creating a new classification.

 Both a Reclassification and a New Classification would require a new job description to be created to determine the best course of action.

Click HERE for the classification form.

HFC-SSA Contract Language

ARTICLE 14 – NEW CLASSIFICATION AND RECLASSIFICATION

A. New Classification

1. A new classification shall be established when a new position is created that does not fall within an existing classification or when there has been an authorized and necessary significant increase in a position’s scope, impact, complexity, responsibilities, and accountability such that it requires the exercise of greater judgment and discretion and requires a more specific skill set than previously necessary to perform the work successfully. Changes in work description, content, or process that do not meet these criteria, and changes to work volume, will not warrant establishment of a new classification.

2. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to identify significant changes in job responsibility and initiate a request for a new classification. If an employee and their supervisor disagree regarding the need to evaluate a new classification, such dispute may be submitted to the grievance procedure contained in this Agreement.

3. The Employer and the Association will mutually agree on a pay rate for any new classification within the bargaining unit, considering relevant market data and the recommendations of third-party compensation consultants, if available. In the event the parties are unable to agree as to rate of pay for the new classification and/or whether it is within the bargaining unit, such dispute shall be submitted to the grievance procedure contained in this Agreement. The rate established shall be retroactive to the start of the operation.

B. Reclassification

1. The Employee, the Employer, or the Association on behalf of an employee, may initiate a request for classification change.

2. Reclassification requests from either HFC employees on their own behalf or Vice Presidents on behalf of employees in their span of control, shall be acted upon by a reclassification committee which shall include a chairperson from the Office of Human Resources, three (3) members appointed by the employer, and two (2) SSA members appointed by the Association. However, none of the employer representatives may be the immediate supervisor of an employee who has a reclassification request scheduled to be considered. The committee shall meet in May and November of each year to act on requests filed with the chairperson of the committee, to be effective prior to June 30 and December 31, respectively.

3. Association members of the committee will be allowed reasonable paid release time to participate in Reclassification Committee meetings, provided they give at least forty-eight (48) hours notice to their supervisor.

4. Reclassification is concerned solely with investigating, reviewing, and determining that an employee is, in fact, performing the duties of one classification and being paid the rate of another classification. However, the employee must meet all the qualifications for the position and have the necessary test scores on file prior to requesting a reclassification. The committee will have no authority to change the number of hours worked per day or the number of months worked per year by an employee. When an incorrect classification of an employee is determined to exist, the reclassification committee recommends necessary correction to the Office of Human Resources.

5. The decision of the reclassification committee is not subject to the grievance procedure.

6. Application must be filed with the chairperson of the committee by April 1st to be considered at the May meeting and by October 1, to be considered for the November meetings.

7. Any member of the committee, if necessary, may request that the employee and/or supervisor furnish additional information.

8. The employee shall be notified of the committee’s decision in writing within one (1) week after the decision is made.

9. Changes in classification shall be submitted for approval to the Board of Trustees.

10. Any position reclassified within the previous twelve (12) full months may not be submitted to the committee.

11. A determination by the committee that an employee is not eligible for reclassification because the employee is not, in fact, performing the duties of another existing classification shall not preclude the employee’s supervisor from pursuing a new classification under the provisions of Section A above.