Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 16:32
From: Phil Reusing
Joint Committee Completes Draft JE Plan Questionnaire
The joint Professional Employees’ Association /University of Victoria Job Evaluation Committee has now completed a draft of the job evaluation plan questionnaire that will be used to review all PEA jobs at the University.
The committee recently presented the questionnaire to three focus groups assembled to provide feedback regarding the clarity of the questions and the transparency of the factors in terms of the elements being considered in reviewing the jobs.
The focus groups consisted of the majority of the Local Reps from the various buildings representing a cross-section of jobs at the University, as well as a group of Deans and Directors.
The Next Step: Benchmarks
The feedback from the focus groups was very helpful to the committee. We were able to make substantial improvements to the questionnaire as a result of the comments we received from both staff and managers. In the next phase of the project, the questionnaire will be completed by a group of approximately 80 PEA staff. The jobs in the benchmark group will be evaluated first, and will then be used as a guideline to assist the Committee in evaluating other jobs in the PEA group
This benchmark group will represent jobs from a variety of positions across the campus, taking into consideration work areas, job families and classifications, and gender composition of the incumbents in the positions. The selection of individuals in the positions has been carried out via a statistically based random sample.
The goal of the committee is to complete a review of the benchmark jobs by early in the new year, with a survey of all the PEA positions to take place in the early spring of 2001.
What happens after the questionnaires are completed?
The final results of evaluations in the new system will tentatively be completed by the summer of 2001.
Members should be aware that the implementation of the new classification system will not result in an automatic change to the pay grid structure for PEA jobs. As stated in the collective agreement, this issue will be the subject of future negotiations between the Parties.
Information regarding the project will continue to be made available through the JE Q & A Bulletin. The Bulletin may also be accessed through the PEA web-site. The Bulletin provides the names of all committee members, with e-mail addresses for questions. Inquiries may also be directed to the project committee’s E-mail address,
We are genuinely interested in your questions and hope the following information will give you some food for thought. Our responses are written in reply to some recently raised concerns.
Thinking “I’m too busy to participate on this project.”
We recognize that all of you are very busy particularly at this time of year and we appreciate the time you will put into this. It will take roughly 4 to 6 hours over approximately one week to complete the questionnaire.
Your participation is an important component of job evaluation; the information you give us will be used to rate your job.
The PEA and the University believe the new plan has the potential to benefit everyone because:
- it will be more effective at comparing different jobs within the PEA and jobs will be compared more equitably than in the current system
- it will be gender neutral
- it will be more sensitive to incremental changes in jobs
- it will be a jointly developed and administered plan
- the process will give those in the benchmark group an opportunity to play an important part in the development of the plan
I am more concerned about market competitiveness than internal equity. Why should I participate?
Recruitment and retention of staff members is an important issue. The University and the PEA agreed this needed to be addressed as one of the of the job evaluation plan outcomes – this is part of the language in Article 19.03 along with the objective of equal pay for work of equal value.
Once the plan is completed, the parties (the University and the PEA) will negotiate a salary structure and timetable for implementing salary adjustments resulting from the introduction of the plan. How and in what way market issues will be dealt with will be a matter of negotiation, as will the ultimate structure of the job evaluation plan, and the salary structure.
How will this affect my current job classification application?
This will not have any impact on any job classifications currently in progress. The two systems are independent.
If you are in the benchmark group, your job will be evaluated as a benchmark based on the responses you provide to the questions on the questionnaire (the new plan) and should reflect the job you are doing now.
Your pending job classification will be reviewed based on the position description completed on the date submitted.
If you submit a request for reclassification after participating in the benchmark evaluations, your job will be classified based on the date of the position description you submitted for reclassification.
If your reclassification has not been completed by Human Resources before a new job evaluation plan is agreed and implemented (this is still likely months down the road), the parties will negotiate a transition arrangement that will take account of your situation.
