Within the State of Alaska each position is assigned to a job class, each job class is assigned to a pay range, and negotiated dollar values are assigned to each pay range. The first two steps embody the State's principal policy of maintaining a system of personnel administration based on the merit principle and ensuring that the pay plan reflects the principle of like pay for like work. The third step involves consideration of the State's competitiveness in labor markets and negotiation with collective bargaining representatives of employees.

AS 39.25.010(b) defines the merit principle of employment as including:

"(1) recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees on the basis of their relative ability, knowledge, and skills, including open consideration of qualified applicants for initial appointment;

"(2) regular integrated salary programs based on the nature of the work performed;

"(3) retention of employees with permanent status on the basis of the adequacy of their performance, reasonable efforts of temporary duration for correction in inadequate performance, and separation for cause;

"(4) equal treatment of applicants and employees with regard only to consideration within the merit principles of employment; and

"(5) selection and retention of an employee's position secure from political influences."

The classification method is designed to facilitate a number of human resource management goals including recruitment, selection, and salary administration in an organized and consistent fashion. As a system of job evaluation, a classification system is structured to aid administrators in understanding, organizing and dealing with an array of job functions. This is accomplished by having a systematic method for describing and providing titles for the different types of positions, utilizing common terminology and characteristics.

1. Nature, variety and complexity of work.
2. Nature of supervision received by the incumbent.
3. Nature of available guidelines for performance of work.
4. Initiative and originality required.
5. Purpose and nature of person-to-person work relationships.
6. Nature and scope of recommendations, decisions, commitments, and consequence of error.
7. Nature and extent of supervision exercised over the work of other employees.
8. Qualifications required.

• The passion and enthusiasm of an employee;
• The financial need of an employee.
• Relative efficiency of an employee.
• The amount of work assigned an employee.
• Possession of unusual qualifications by an employee.
• An employee's length of service.
• An employee's personality.
• The scarcity of new employees.

Client Service Standards are calculated starting from the day the PD submission is received by the Division of Personnel and Labor Relations through OPD.

• The supervisory authority assigned to the position is changed or modified (e.g., direct report positions added, changed, deleted, etc.)
• A new primary duty (the main duty for which the position exists to perform) has been assigned
• The position's focus has shifted (e.g., responsibility shifts from reviewing a form for completeness to approving the action requested on the form, OR the position supports Program B while its PD indicates it supports Program A)
• The mission, goals, or objectives of the position, or the program the position supports is changed or modified (e.g., new statutory mandates alter the program function, department executive team establishes new goals or mission that impacts the work performed by the position in question)
• Essential duties have been added, deleted, or modified
• The work demands section has been modified. This information is necessary to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) blood borne pathogens standards.

Some unions may have specific provisions for classification reviews and employees should consult their appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Flexible staffing plans are established individually for single positions. Classification must approve and establish positions as flexibly staffed before recruitment or reallocation of a filled position is conducted using the flexible staffing provisions. Classification may approve the establishment of a flexible staffing plan for a position when the following conditions are met:

1. The job class series includes a journey or higher level;
2. Management certifies there is a consistent need for, and sufficient work exists at, the journey level or higher level;
3. Management certifies the work at the highest level will be reassigned to other positions should an incumbent be hired at the lower level;
4. Experience in the lower level class(es) will qualify an employee to advance to the higher level class(es);
5. Position descriptions (PDs) exist describing the duties for each level (e.g., trainee and journey or journey and advanced);
6. The work at all levels must be within the same bargaining unit; and
7. The employing agency has developed a formal approved flexible staffing plan for movement to each level.

1. Create a position description submission describing the duties and other responsibilities for each level of the job classes included in the plan;
2. Develop a flexible staffing plan, which consists of a training plan and rating device, for movement to each of the higher job class levels; and
3. Submit a rating sheet used to determine when training has been successfully completed.

It is recommended that a department contact Classification to verify the appropriateness of requesting a flexibly staffed position before submitting a request through the OPD system.

1. A list of the criteria required to perform at the next higher level job class (e.g., duration and type of training required to build the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed);
2. A list of the knowledge and skills that are to be acquired in each segment of the training;
3. A description of how the incumbent will be trained to perform the higher level work (e.g., training classes, job shadowing, etc.);
4. If the training includes subjects or courses that must be taught sequentially, this must be indicated in the plan;
5. A rating device to record whether or not the criteria has been met;
6. A section for the supervisor to certify whether or not the incumbent:
   1. Has met the criteria and completed the flex training plan;
   2. Meets the minimum qualifications of the higher-level job class;
   3. Is capable of performing the duties at the higher level; and
7. An incumbent signature line.

1. Has met the criteria and completed the flex training plan;
2. Meets the minimum qualifications of the higher-level job class; and,
3. Is capable of performing the duties at the higher level.

Contact the appropriate HR staff serving your department for additional information on advancing an incumbent within a flexibly-staffed position.

An incumbent who is not certified by departmental management as meeting all the conditions above will not be advanced to the higher level job class.

Failure to successfully complete training within a reasonable period of time, including time to correct deficiencies, is cause for non-retention or separation for cause from the flexibly staffed position.

Classification must approve and establish a position as multiple class before recruitment or reallocation of a filled position may be conducted using the multiple class provisions. It is recommended that an department contact Classification to verify the appropriateness of requesting multiple class positions before submitting a request through the OPD system.

Recruitment difficulties typically exist at the highest licensed level before this option is implemented.

1. The highest level job class requires licensure to perform specific duties (e.g., Nurse); and
2. Similar work is performed in the non-licensed, or differently-licensed, lower level job classes (e.g., Licensed Practical Nurse);
3. The job classes must be determined closely related for purposes of voluntary demotion;
4. Management must be able to assign either licensed or non-licensed duties to the position;
5. PDs exist describing the duties for each job class (e.g., licensed and non-licensed work);
6. The work at all levels must be within the same bargaining unit; and,
7. A memorandum outlining the licensing or certification requirements is drafted and approved.

Multiple class positions may be combined with flexible staffing. In the Licensed Practical Nurse, Nurse I, and Nurse II example a flexible staffing agreement may be established for Nurse I and Nurse II; however, movement from a Licensed Practical Nurse to a Nurse I occurs through an expedited reclassification process only if the incumbent obtains the required registered nursing licensure.

Classification may establish coupled job classes under the following conditions:

1. A trainee level job class exists in the class series;
2. The journey level of the class series has specific certification and training requirements;
3. For every position in the trainee job class, the same specific training program is needed and provided to all new employees, and must be completed by an employee prior to advancement to the journey level in the class series; and,
4. The work at all levels must be within the same bargaining unit.

Your Division Director (or appropriate delegate) should submit an email to:

1. The Classification Section; and, carbon copies to,
2. Your department's Administrative Services Director (if submitted by a delegate, please also cc your Division Director) ; and,
3. The appropriate HR staff serving your department.

This email should include:

1. A description of the specific aspects of the work that appear to be no longer appropriate to the existing class structures and why.
2. The job class(es) impacted by the change or concern.
3. The PCNs of all impacted positions.
4. Details regarding pertinent prior recruitment efforts (e.g., scope and duration, number of applicants, disposition of applicants, and hires made), ongoing training efforts, turnover, and non-retention, etc.
5. Any solutions proposed by your department.
6. Any additional agencies who utilize the impacted job class(es).
7. Your department's designated contact for this request.

• Definitions are so closely related that typical incumbents of either class series could satisfactorily perform the duties of the corresponding level in the other class series, and typical incumbents of either class series could satisfactorily perform the duties of lower levels in the other class series;
• Educational requirements are interchangeable;
• Experience requirements are sufficiently related as to be interchangeable in terms of type, level, and length of experience required and that advancement in either class series is not unreasonably accelerated or retarded by the movement between the two class series;
• Experience in either class should qualify an employee for promotional examination in the other class series; and,
• Pay ranges are typically the same.

Note: The positions are normally in the same bargaining unit. The bargaining unit of each position is a consideration in analyzing whether the first criterion is met.

• Class definitions are so closely related that typical incumbents of the current class series could satisfactorily perform the duties of the lower levels in the other class series;
• Educational requirements of the current class series are the same as or correspond with those of the lower class series;
• Experience in the lower level series should qualify an employee for promotional examination in the current class series; and,
• Salary range must be lower for a voluntary demotion or rehire.

A typical desk audit will include questions about the details of an employee's duties and responsibilities: how and when tasks are assigned; how specific tasks are carried out; what decisions are made; what guidelines are followed; what restrictions on decision-making are present; how other employees are involved in the tasks; how non-employees are involved in the tasks; what cycle or pattern duties follow; how work is prioritized; and how the position's work fits into the unit's workflow.

In addition, a desk audit for a classification study will normally include questions about work the employee may not perform; an employee's involvement in other areas of the occupation and/or organization; the knowledge and skills required to perform essential duties; how such knowledge and skills were obtained; and other conditions or characteristics present in the job that could influence personnel administration.

Your Division Director (or appropriate delegate) should submit an email to:

1. The Classification Section; and, carbon copies to,
2. Your department's Administrative Services Director (if submitted by a delegate, please also cc your Division Director) ; and,
3. The appropriate HR staff serving your department.

This email should include:

1. A description of the specific aspects of the work that appear to be no longer appropriate to the existing class structures and why.
2. The job class(es) impacted by the change or concern.
3. The PCNs of all impacted positions.
4. Details regarding pertinent prior recruitment efforts (e.g., scope and duration, number of applicants, disposition of applicants, and hires made), ongoing training efforts, turnover, and non-retention, etc.
5. Any solutions proposed by your department.
6. Any additional agencies who utilize the impacted job class(es).
7. Your department's designated contact for this request.

In a smaller study, such as a study of a single job class and less than a dozen positions, the classification analyst may audit all employees.

In a larger study, covering a class series with many levels or multiple series and hundreds of positions, the classification analyst will audit a sampling of positions. In the larger studies, the goal is to audit:

• A sampling of positions with experienced employees whose duties and responsibilities are typical of, and can serve as a benchmark for, a type and level of work;
• A sampling of positions with experienced employees whose duties are markedly different from, or falls between the benchmark jobs; and,
• Enough other positions to ensure the information gathered is sufficiently complete for classification purposes.