Classification and Organization

The Position Classification System

The Position Classification System is based on two fundamental principles:

1. There should be equal pay for substantially equal work.
2. Variations in pay should be in proportion to substantial differences in the difficulty, responsibility and qualifications required.

Under the General Schedule (GS) classification system, individual positions are classified to an occupational group, a series representing a specific occupation within that group, and an appropriate grade which has a salary range provided by law. The same applies to the Federal Wage System (FWS) classification except that salary ranges are based on prevailing rates - the rates paid by private employers for similar work in the wage area. The rates are established through geographic wage surveys.

The Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families (Part I for GS and Part 2 for FWS) defines each occupational group and series established by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Position classification standards, issued by OPM, provide guidance and criteria for determining the proper classification for positions in specific occupations.

Related Classification:

Position Management, Balancing Economy & Efficiency

Directors, managers and supervisors must design organizations that use the lowest grades feasible to accomplish the mission; provide for normal lines of career progression; eliminate excessive layers of supervision; and avoid the assignment of employees to position descriptions that do not match the work assigned and performed.

There are two underlying principles for balancing economy and efficiency within an organization:

1. Design positions that effectively accomplish the mission and motivate the employee to perform the work required.
2. Design and structure organizations that are both effective and economical.

Managers are required to:

• Design positions around skills and mission essential tasks rather than the personal qualifications of an employee.
• Design positions to promote career progression whenever possible; explore all opportunities to re-engineer jobs downward to encourage entry level, upward mobility and career growth.
• Ensure that supervisor to employee ratios are consistent with policy and objectives.

Review organization structures to identify and eliminate positions/organizational elements performing similar functions or duplicate work efforts. Review all vacancies closely for necessity.

Managers should strive to combine homogeneous functions; combine duties at same grade level. Good job design empowers employees through delegation of increased responsibility and authority.

Human Resources Specialists are available to provide assistance and guidance to supervisors and managers when requested. Human Resources Specialists (Classification) are also available to provide assistance and guidance in terms of advising on impact of position classification standards and organizational consistency in classifying positions.

Preparing a Position Description (PD)

The Position Description – commonly referred to as the PD – briefly describes the key or major duties and responsibilities of a position or a number of positions. The primary use of PDs is for classification and pay purposes. However, a PD also serves as the basis for preparing an employee’s performance plan/objectives, preparing a formal training plan, or reviewing and evaluating employee’s current or prior work experience.

Since a supervisor determines work assignments for employees he/she supervises, it follows that he/she should have responsibility for ensuring the job description accurately describe the duties and responsibilities required and performed. Specifically, he/she must consider the following:

• Mission
• Economy and efficiency
• Employee motivation
• Career development/ladders
• Recruitment & retention
• A balance of trainees to a full performance level
• Productivity

Supervisors should prepare newly written position descriptions only when there is no standard classified position description for the position. Position descriptions should be as brief as possible while still including all significant facts.

Position Description (PD) Adequacy

A PD is adequate when it contains sufficient information to determine the title, series and grade of the position. Essential elements include:

1. Major duties that show the knowledge, skill and ability required to perform significant tasks of the job.
2. Percentage of time spent on each major duty.
3. An unnumbered statement at the end of major duties: "Performs other duties as assigned." This makes it clear that the assignment of duties to employees is not limited by the content of the position description. However, supervisors should avoid assigning employees incidental duties that are inappropriate to their positions and qualifications.

PD Format

PDs are written in several formats depending on the type of position. PDs must be prepared in the format of the standard used to evaluate the grade controlling work. The following provides information on the various formats in use.

A. Narrative/Traditional:

1. Supervisory Controls
2. Introduction
3. Duties and Responsibilities
4. Other Significant Facts
5. Evaluation Statement (type of evaluation varies with classification standard used).

B. Factor Evaluation System (FES):

• Major Duties
• Factor Evaluation:
  • Factor 1. Knowledge Required by the Position
  • Factor 2. Supervisory Controls
  • Factor 3. Guidelines
  • Factor 4. Complexity
  • Factor 5. Scope and Effect
  • Factor 6. Personal Contacts
  • Factor 7. Purpose of Contacts
  • Factor 8. Physical Demands
  • Factor 9. Work Environment

For each factor descriptor corresponding points are assigned based on the description of the duties under each descriptor. Total points are assigned and converted to the grade as defined by the position classification standard.

C. Federal Wage System:

1. Supervisory Controls
2. Introduction
3. Duties and Responsibilities
4. Work Environment
5. Physical Demands
6. Evaluation Statement (type of evaluation varies with classification standard used)

All PDs require preparation of a complete classification evaluation and statement.

Supervisory or Managerial Designations

The primary responsibility for USDA programs rests with managers or supervisors who are held accountable to ensure the USDA mission is accomplished effectively and efficiently.

A large part of program management responsibility is the management of personnel who make it all happen. Management officials constantly make decisions which directly or indirectly impact USDA personnel. Because of this criticality, individuals must serve a probationary period, normally one year, before initial assignment as either a supervisor or manager becomes final. During probation, the new supervisor or manager is evaluated for qualities and characteristics essential for effective performance, and if unsuccessful, is removed from the position.

Position Descriptions describe program and/or personnel management duties and responsibilities of management positions. A human resources specialist reviews position description requirements against Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guides and standards to determine which managerial or supervisory code to designate on the AD-332, OF-8 or equivalent PD cover sheet.

A human resources specialist reviews position description requirements against Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guides and standards to determine which managerial or supervisory status applies.

Position Audit or Review

A formal position audit or position review with an employee or his/her supervisor is one tool used by classification specialists to gather first-hand information about a particular position. It is an interview designed to highlight the key or major aspects of a position. Findings are then compared to the current Office of Personnel Management (OPM) position classification standard(s) and other organizational materials to ensure that the position description accurately describes the major duties and is properly classified.

Position audits are conducted via telephone or at the employee's workplace (on-site audit) whenever possible. On-site audits are conducted only as a last resort to gain pertinent information that is otherwise unattainable. An audit is only conducted when significant changes are being proposed or have occurred to a position, such as: mission changes; downsizing; reorganizations; technological advances; additional duties, elimination of obsolete programs, practices and requirements, etc.; when it is determined that additional information is needed to classify the position. These and other changes can have an impact on the classification of the position in terms of its title, pay plan, series, and grade. These classification elements not only determine what salary the employee will be paid, but categorize the work experience he/she will gain while occupying the position, and specifies the qualification requirements (knowledge, skills and abilities) necessary when filling the position.

It is critical that the manager promptly advise and coordinate with your servicing human resources office when there are proposed changes to positions and the organizational structure. Departmental Regulation #1010-001, Organization provides regulatory guidance and policy on proposals to change an organization structure or activity.

Position Sensitivity

Certain positions within USDA entail sensitive duties including access to classified information. Misconduct, illegal action or even inaction on the part of an employee in a designated sensitive position could directly compromise the national security. In the interests of national security, care must be exercised in selecting individuals to fill sensitive positions.

Valid position sensitivity designations are:

1. Nonsensitive (Low risk)
2. Nonsensitive Public Trust (High Risk, Moderate Risk)
3. Noncritical Sensitive (High Risk or Moderate Risk)
4. Special Sensitive of Critical Sensitive (High Risk)

Position sensitivity determines the type of security investigation required before individuals can be assigned to sensitive positions and granted the applicable clearance level (e.g., SECRET, TOP SECRET, etc.). The OPM website provides access to a Position Designation Tool to assist agencies in assessing and determining the required level of clearance for all of their positions. Security investigations for sensitive positions often take up to a year to complete and are quite costly. Therefore, it is important that only positions which truly meet the criteria of sensitive be designated as such.

The authority to designate position sensitivity is delegated from managers to first level supervisors. Servicing human resources operations staff will work with supervisors/managers to ensure sensitivity designations of positions under their control are correct and consistent with security access requirements. Human resources operations will ensure that the sensitivity designation is correctly annotated on the PD cover sheet (AD-332, OF-8 or equivalent) and entered in the automated payroll/personnel system.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Management should be aware of whether their employees are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and what that coverage means. The employee's FLSA exemption status is shown on the Position Description and in the agency's automated payroll/personnel system.

It will identify EXEMPT or NONEXEMPT. The FLSA provides for minimum standards for both wages and overtime entitlements and specifies administrative procedures by which covered work-time must be compensated. Term definitions are:

• NONEXEMPT - Covered by the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Act.
• EXEMPT - Not Covered by the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Act.

In practical terms this means that employees designated as nonexempt are entitled to overtime pay at 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for each hour that actually work over 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a workweek. (See, "FLSA Overtime")

Management recommends an FLSA status for an employee, and that status is verified/validated by the HR operations servicing office based on the type of position (e.g., executive, administrative, professional, technical, clerical, and other) and the nature of the duties and responsibilities of the position.

An employee is presumed to be FLSA nonexempt unless the employing agency correctly determines that the employee is exempt using criteria spelled out in the Act. The burden of proof rests with the employing agency.

An Overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act can be found at the OPM website.

FAQs about Classification Appeals

• What can I do if I think my position is not properly classified?
  • It is recommended that you speak with your supervisor if you believe your position description does not accurately describe your work. It is your supervisor's responsibility to certify the accuracy of your position description, so he or she should be able to give an explanation of its contents. If you have questions the supervisor is not able to answer, you may want to speak with the servicing human resources office.
    
    If your supervisor believes that your position should be revaluated, he or she may request a review by the human resources office. A human resources specialist may schedule a desk audit (interview with you and your supervisor) to obtain information about the kind and difficulty of the work you perform.
• What may be appealed?
  • You may appeal the grade or occupational series of your position, and in some cases, the title of a position if a specific title is authorized in a published standard or guide, or the title reflects a qualification requirement or authorized area of specialization.
• What may not be appealed?
  • The content or accuracy of your official position description;
  • The accuracy of a classification standard;
  • An agency's proposed classification decision;
  • The classification of a position to which you are not officially assigned; or
  • The classification of a position to which you are detailed or temporarily promoted for a period of less than two years.
  • A request for appeal cannot be based on qualifications that are not required for the work of your assigned position; how well you do your work; or how much work you do.
• What are an employee's appeal choices?
  • Only current Federal employees may appeal the classification of their position. If an employee leaves the appealed position, the appeal must be cancelled. The appeal choices available to an employee depend on whether the employee is a General Schedule (GS) or a Federal Wage System (FWS) employee.
  • If you are a current General Schedule employee, you may appeal at any time to the Department or to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), but not both at the same time. Generally, it is recommended that you first seek an appeal decision from USDA. If you appeal to USDA and you disagree with the decision, you may still appeal to OPM. If you appeal to OPM, there is no further right of appeal.
  • If you are a current Federal Wage System employee, you must first appeal to the Department before appealing to OPM. If you are dissatisfied with USDA's decision, you may appeal to OPM within 15 calendar days of the date you receive the decision. You must indicate the part of the decision with which you disagree and why.
• How do I file a classification appeal?
  • Submit a narrative explaining why you believe the current classification is not correct and include the following information:
    • Your name, your address and a phone number where we may contact you concerning your appeal.
    • The name of your Agency and/or office and location.
    • The current classification of your position and the requested classification.
    • A copy of your official position description.
      
      Any other information you wish to have considered related to your appeal.
      
      Submit your appeal to the Office of Human Resources Management at the following address: HR.Policy@usda.gov
      
      If you wish to appeal to OPM, you may access the OPM web site to obtain the address to file an appeal for your particular work location at www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/appeal-decisions
      Note that classification appeals may not be filed electronically.
• What happens next?
  • Your appeal is adjudicated in the order it is received. Appeal decisions are based on information supplied by you and your agency. Typically, fact finding includes interviews with you and your supervisor to obtain particular information about the duties you perform. A comprehensive analysis is then competed by an appeals examiner which involves comparison of your duties to appropriate classification standards. Upon completion of this review, a written report is prepared documenting the appeal findings. A copy of this report is provided to you and your servicing human resources office for information and/or action, as appropriate.
• If an appeal results in a change in the classification of my position, when will the change be effective?
  • If an appeal results in an upgrade or a downgrade, the action shall be made effective no earlier than the date of the decision and no later than the beginning of the fourth pay period following the date of the decision.
• Can an appeal decision be made retroactively?
  • An appeal decision cannot be made retroactively unless the decision corrects a classification action that resulted in an actual decrease in pay. See the OPM website referenced above for additional information on classification appeals and retroactive effective dates.

Glossary

Amendment - An official written statement of changes to a position already classified where the changes are substantial, but not sufficient enough to warrant a complete rewrite and classification of the position description.

Appeal (classification) - An official written request for reclassification of a position by the employee assigned to the position. An appeal may involve a request to change the pay plan, title, occupational series or grade level.

Audit (desk audit/position audit) - Discussion with an employee and his/her supervisor to verify or gather information about a position.

Classification Standards - Official standards issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). All civilian positions in the Federal government must be classified in conformance with the OPM position classification and job grading standards.

Classify (a position) - To evaluate the duties and responsibilities of a position and assign a pay plan, title, series and grade level.

Desk Audit - see Audit.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) - A law which provides for minimum standards for both wages and overtime entitlement and spells out administrative procedures by which covered worktime must be compensated. The Act requires a determination as to which employees are "exempt" and which are "non-exempt" from the minimum pay and overtime provisions of the Act. Such determinations are made based on the duties and responsibilities assigned to a position.

Full Performance Level (FPL) - The highest level of classified duties certified by the supervisor to successfully carry out the objectives of the position and the mission of the organization.

Job Description - see Position Description definition.

Occupational Series - A grouping of positions similar in specialized work and qualifications requirements. Series are designated by a four-digit number; e.g., 0318, 4334, etc.

OPM - Office of Personnel Management. The OPM provides human resource management leadership and compensation expertise to the President, Federal agencies, and their employees.

Pay Plan - The pay system to which a position is classified for compensation; e.g., GS (General Schedule) or white collar positions and FWS (Federal Wage System) or trades and labor (blue collar) positions.

Pen and Ink Change - A change to a position description that is not significant enough to impact, or cause change to, the pay plan, title, series or grade level of the position. Changes are typically minor; e.g., adding, changing, deleting a word, few sentences, etc. A change that adds more than this to a position description or requires a new coversheet (AD-332, OF-8 or equivalent) should be processed as an amendment to the position description or as a new position description.

Position Description (PD) - An official written statement of the major duties, responsibilities and organizational relationships of a position certified by the supervisor and classified by the HR Servicing Office. An OF-08, AD-332 (or equivalent cover sheet) shall be attached to document the certification and classification as well as pertinent position information. It in no way interferes with a supervisor’s authority to assign an employee to different work on a temporary basis or to change an employee’s work assignment.

Position Management - The process whereby supervisors and managers design positions to form an organization with the proper balance of skills and levels to effectively and economically accomplish the mission.

Series - See Occupational Series.

Statement of Differences (SOD) - A Statement of Difference (SOD) is an abbreviated position description that may be used in lieu of a fully described PD when the target position will be filled at a lower grade level and no standard PD is appropriate. The target position or the FPL of the position shall always be fully described. It is recommended that a Statement of Difference be used for no more than one grade level below a fully described PD.