Work-Out-Of-Class: Employee Relations Bulletin 8

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

The MOUs and Ordinance Code provide that employees who are assigned work of a different classification having a higher rate of pay will be paid at the higher classification.

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide guidance in making work-out-of-class assignments. It does not supersede MOU language.

Employees are worked-out-of-class because there is a need to temporarily fill a vacant position due to attrition, leaves of absence, or vacation/sick leave on the part of the incumbent. The first priority is always getting the work done during that time. In addition to this first priority, however, other management and employee objectives can be met:

1. Equity/Fairness. Work-out-of-class assignments should be made to give all qualified employees an opportunity to gain experience at a higher level of responsibility and pay. Unless it would cause reasonable disruption to productivity, work out of class assignments will be offered to qualified, interested permanent employees prior to utilizing extra help.
2. Cross Training. Because an organization frequently experiences the need to stretch resources, maximum flexibility in assignments can be maintained by using work out of class opportunities as training opportunities.
3. Employee Development. During the evaluative/counseling process that takes place, employees often express an interest in expanding their experience or in “moving up” in their careers. Work-out-of-class assignments can be used to fulfill employee goals in this area.

Given these objectives, the following are a few ways that work-out-of-class assignments can be made:

1. By utilizing an existing eligible list for the classification: This type of assignment ensures that the people who are being assigned work-out-of-class have successfully demonstrated the knowledge and skills required of the higher level, as determined by the examination process.
2. Employee development: By maintaining a record of employee career goals, assignments can be made to develop employees for future promotional opportunities.
3. On a rotating basis: When feasible, multiple employees may be given opportunities for work-out-of-class for the same assignment so that each employee has experience in performing the new duties. Unless it would cause unreasonable disruption to productivity, work out of class assignments of more than 20 work days may be offered on a rotational basis to qualified, interested permanent employees. For example, if you have a work out of class assignment which will last for 3 months (60 work days), you may want to have up to three employees rotate through the assignment rather than having one employee work out of class for the entire 3 months.

Which way is appropriate for your department or division is determined by such things as staffing, flexibility, organizational priorities and length of time the incumbent will be absent from the position. Your department may already have a published procedure for making workout-ofclass assignments. These procedures should be followed and periodically reviewed to determine their effectiveness. Remember, any change in procedures currently in place must be shared with the Union.

If work-out-of-class assignments are made in your organization, it is necessary to ensure that the employee is evaluated for the time on assignment, not only because the employee benefits from the feedback, but also to ensure that management’s primary goals are being met in the work-out-of-class assignment.