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Comp & Class FAQs

1. What is a classification description?

A classification description groups jobs together that have similar functions and responsibilities; and also places jobs into the appropriate job family.

2. What is the difference between a classification description and a position/job description?

A classification description contains a general description of the “primary functions” that may be assigned to a job within the classification. These general functions are used to match the classification to a standard market. A position description is generally more customized to include specific duties associated with a job. These specific duties allow the candidate/incumbent to better understand his/her individual job duties.

3. What factors ARE included in determining the appropriate classification of a position?

1. Nature of primary functions;
2. Scope, level, and complexity of primary functions;
3. Relationship of the position to other positions in the department and within the university;
4. Supervision, both given and received;
5. Exercise of independent judgment; and
6. Autonomy and authority related to decision-making and accountability.

4. What factors ARE NOT included in determining the appropriate classification of a position?

1. Quantity of work (volume);
2. Information relative to the employee’s length of service;
3. Time spent at the maximum of the position’s salary range;
4. Skills/education not related to the job or minimum qualifications; and
5. Employee’s salary placement within the salary range.

*Remember: the position, not the incumbent, is being evaluated.

5. Where can I find the listing of classification descriptions?

1. Classification descriptions can be found in the PageUp System. If you have processing access please go to https://nmsu.dc4.pageuppeople.com/ to obtain current classification descriptions; or
2. If you do not have access, please contact the personnel administrative support person in your department or your college/division HR Liaison or Business Manager; or
3. Call (575) 646-8000 for assistance.

*It is a good business practice for supervisors to provide new employees with a copy of the job description or posting announcement under which the employee was hired.

6. What is a reclassification?

A reclassification is the re-evaluation of a job to a different job classification due to significant changes in job functions.

7. When should I submit a position description for review?

1. If 50% or more of the duties and responsibilities have changed a review may be warranted.
2. Our hiring system now allows for supervisors to review position descriptions prior to posting a vacancy. This process normally does not change the current classification of a position but rather provides an opportunity to update the job duties and responsibilities of the position. If upon review by Human Resource Services it is determined that the duties have changed significantly, you may have to follow the position management process in PeopleAdmin prior to posting the vacancy.
3. Please note that requests for reclassification of existing positions (filled or vacant) are processed based on their source of funding. Positions funded from I&G and Non I&G Unrestricted funds must coincide with the annual budget cycle. See Position Management Guidelines.

8. If the nature of an employee's work remains the same, but the volume increases, is this cause for review?

Changes in quantity of work (volume) are not considered in a classification review. For example: A position is responsible for answering approximately 50 phone calls a day, and opening and distributing 100 pieces of mail a day. After a year, the incumbent is responsible for answering 100 phone calls and opening and distributing 200 pieces of mail. Although the quantity has increased, the actual duties have not changed, and a review is unnecessary.

9. How often can a position description be reviewed?

A position can be reviewed during the annual budget cycle, at a minimum of twelve months following the prior review.

12. How do I submit a request to change a position and what should be included?

1. Position change requests are conducted through PageUp. Step by step instructions can be found in the PageUp Toolkit.

*Requests for new positions or reclassification of existing positions are processed based on their source of funding. Positions funded from I&G and Non I&G Unrestricted funds must coincide with the annual budget cycle.

**Requests to reclassify a single vacant position outside of the budget cycle and not part of a multiple position request may be submitted as a no cost request supported by a business need to fill the vacancy in a timely manner.

13. What happens once HRS receives the request?

Once a review is completed an email notification will be sent to the college/division Dean/VP/CC President indicating the outcome of the review and any related actions.

14. How long does it take to complete a classification review and when do they become effective?

1. Normally processing times will not exceed 14 days from the date the request was received.
2. Reclassification requests processed during the budget cycle are made effective August 1^st of the current year for filled positions and July 1^st for vacancies.
3. Reclassification requests processed out of cycle are effective the first day of the month following the date received in HRS.

15. How can I appeal the initial classification review decision?

The director/department head and/or the employee may appeal the decision by providing new or additional information within 15 working days of receiving notification of the decision. Please refer to ARP 7.52 – Staff Reclassification for details.

16. If a filled position is reclassified, how is the amount of salary increase determined?

The minimum salary increase varies depending on the FLSA status of the position.

1. Exempt – please refer to the Exempt Compensation Guidelines (Salary)
2. Nonexempt– please refer to Article 14 Wages of the AFSCME Collective Bargaining Agreement.

17. Can I request a review of one of my employee’s pay if I believe it is below where it should be?

Under specific conditions, you may submit a request for an In-Range Adjustment:

1. An in-range adjustment may be requested by the supervisor (for exempt staff only) to establish equitable salary relationships.
2. In-range adjustment requests must include consideration of all of the following; availability of funding, employee’s job related qualifications, performance, and internal equity.
3. All review decisions are final with no options for further reviews, considerations, or appeals.

18. Who is an exempt employee?

An employee who is exempt under the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act is not required to be paid overtime when he/she works more than 40 hours in a workweek.

19. Who is a nonexempt employee?

A nonexempt employee is required to receive overtime pay or comp time under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Overtime at NMSU is compensated at a rate of one and one-half the nonexempt employee's regular weekly average rate of pay for each hour worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

20. How is the FLSA (exempt/nonexempt) status determined?

The determination of the nonexempt/exempt status of a classification is based on an evaluation of the duties performed and the responsibilities associated with a position as established by the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act.

21. How is pay calculated for nonexempt staff who travel to mandatory conferences or training programs?

Please see FLSA Travel Guidelines

1. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), you generally do not pay for the time spent traveling from home to work. You will, however, have to pay for the time spent at the meeting because the meeting is mandatory. Traveling from home to work and from work back home is typically not compensable time.
2. Travel that is All in a Day's Work: Time spent by an employee in travel as part of their principal activity, such as travel from job site to job site during the workday, is work time and must be counted as hours worked.
3. Travel Away from Home Community: Travel that keeps an employee away from home overnight is travel away from home. Travel away from home is clearly work time when it cuts across the employee's workday. The time is not only hours worked on regular working days during normal working hours but also during corresponding hours on nonworking days. Exceptions are: As an enforcement policy, the university will not consider as work time that time spent in travel away from home outside of regular working hours as a passenger on an airplane, train, boat, bus, or automobile unless the employee is engaged in legitimate university business. The activity will not be counted as working time only if four criteria are met: it is outside normal hours, it is voluntary, not job related, and no other work is concurrently performed. Regular meal period time is not counted. Compensable hours spent traveling for business are counted the same as any other hours worked and may result in overtime. When an employee’s “tour of duty” is 24 hours or longer, up to eight hours of sleeping time during the shift will be excluded from overtime compensation under the following conditions:

• There is an express agreement that excludes sleeping time.
• Adequate sleeping facilities for an uninterrupted night’s sleep are provided.
• At least five hours of sleep are possible during the scheduled sleeping periods.
• Interruptions to perform duties are considered time worked.

22. If a nonexempt employee regularly works additional hours without obtaining prior permission from his/her supervisor, can we implement a policy stating that employees who work unauthorized additional hours will not be paid for those extra hours?

No. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, “work not requested but suffered [allowed] or permitted is work time. Regardless of the reason, if the employer knows or has reason to believe that [the employee] is continuing to work, then the time is considered working time”. Furthermore, the regulations clearly state that “in all such cases, it is the duty of the management to exercise its control and see that the work is not performed if [management] does not want it to be performed. [Management] cannot sit back and accept the benefits [of the work performed] without compensating for them. The mere promulgation of a rule against such work is not enough. Management has the power to enforce the rule and must make every effort to do so.”

As the above regulatory language indicates, even a clearly communicated policy or procedure prohibiting unauthorized overtime does not relieve an employer from its legal obligation to pay employees for all hours worked. Therefore, if the employer allows the employee to perform the work, the employer is liable for compensating the employee. However, FLSA does not prohibit employers from implementing and or enforcing a policy or college/department procedure that prohibits unauthorized work and it does not prohibit employers from disciplining employees for violating the policy or college/department procedure.

23. What is New Mexico’s Minimum Wage?

New Mexico Minimum Wage is currently $7.50/hour but may vary for employees in Bernalillo County and Santa Fe County.

24. What determines whether an employee is at entry, midpoint, or at the maximum range? And when are pay increases merited?

Minimum is the entry level of the range for the classification. In general, those employees new to a position would be hired close to the minimum of the range and they would progress through the salary range due to changes in their credentials, service and longevity. Pay increases and starting salary are established in accordance with the Exempt Comp Guidelines or AFSCME Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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Position Reporting Changes

NMSU has established supervisory reporting structures using the position numbers assigned to regular employee positions. These relationships are important as they drive many electronic routing processes (ex: time/leave approvals). Therefore, it is important that they are kept up-to-date in Banner (NMSU's administrative system). Banner maintains these relationships within a field called 'Reports To' . Below are some frequently asked questions to guide you in managing changes in position reporting structures.

Reports To FAQs

1. When and how do I submit a permanent change in Reports To information?

• Permanent changes for filled positions: It is important to request a change in Reports To when the reporting relationships in the organizational structure change on a permanent basis. Permanent changes must be done by submitting a Personnel Action Form (PAF). In section 3 of the PAF select "REPORT" from the drop down options for the Change Code field. Next, enter the position number of the supervisor of the employee in the field labeled "Reports To Position#". In the comments section of the PAF, please enter any comments you deem necessary to facilitate the review/approval by HR Services.
• Permanent changes for vacant positions: To permanently change the Reports To position# of a vacant position, please email the following details to Compensation Services at teamhrs@nmsu.edu.

• Vacant Position Information: Position #, Position Title, Pay Level, Dept/Org Name and #.

• Reporting Position Information: Position #, Position Title, Pay Level, Dept/Org Name and #.

2. What happens if the person in the Reports To position is on extended leave?

• Temporary changes in Reports To data are allowed for circumstances where an employee may be on extended leave such as leave covered by the Family Medical Leave Act in which a person is unavailable to approve time sheets and leave reports. In cases like this, units may submit a Time Sheet Org and Temporary Reports To Approver Change Form. Section 3 of this form allows for units to identify an alternate person as the Reports To approver for a specific position. This form must be submitted to both initiate a change and cease the temporary change.
• Temporary short-term changes are not allowed in Reports To data for circumstances where a supervisor may be on annual leave. In such a case, the supervisor should designate a proxy through my.nmsu.edu (Self-Service) who may access their queue to approve time and leave reports on their behalf.

3. What happens if the Reports To position is vacant?

If the regular position is vacant you need to submit a request to temporarily override the current “Reports To” information to route to the interim supervisor. For this purpose, please fill out the Time Sheet Org Approver Change and Temp 'Reports To' Approver Change.

Reports to in brief: The regular position number within the department's organizational structure that an employee reports to. The Reports To position number is held by a regular employee who oversees the supervision of personnel, which includes work allocation, training, promotion and enforcement of internal procedures and controls, and problem resolution. This individual would generally be responsible for evaluating employee performance and making recommendations for personnel actions such as hiring, firing and/or disciplinary measures.

Changes to the Reports To position number are generally, but not necessarily, accompanied by a department/organization change.