The director adopts a comprehensive classification plan and any subsequent revisions to the plan. Following twenty calendar days of notice, the director must hold open, public hearings prior to the adoption or revision of the plan.

The classification plan must be based on a review and analysis of duties and responsibilities, and must include a description of each class.

The classification plan is prepared and revised, as needed, in consultation with employers, employee organizations, and other interested parties.

(1) The following criteria must be met for the director to adopt revisions or salary adjustments to the classification plan:

(a) The office of financial management has reviewed the fiscal impact statement of the affected employer and concurs that the biennial cost of the revision or salary adjustment is absorbable within the employer's current authorized level of funding for the current fiscal biennium and subsequent fiscal biennia; and

(b) The revision or salary adjustment is due to one of the following causes, as defined by the director in the classification and pay guidelines:

(i) Documented recruitment or retention difficulties;

(ii) Salary compression or inversion;

(iii) Classification plan maintenance;

(iv) Higher level duties and responsibilities; or

(v) Inequities.

(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section do not apply to the higher education hospital special pay plan or to any adjustments to the classification plan that are due to emergency conditions requiring the establishment of positions necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare.

Employers must maintain a current position description for each position.

A standard form developed by the director or one containing components similar to those found in the director's form must be used for each position description. For positions in the information technology professional structure (ITPS), a standard form developed by the director, or an alternate form approved by the director must be used for requests to establish or reevaluate ITPS positions.

Each position description must:

(1) List the primary duties and responsibilities currently assigned to the position

(2) List the required competencies as determined by the employer;

(3) Identify the essential functions; and

(4) Include any other job-related information as needed.

The manager of the position is responsible for completing the position description form. If the position is filled, input from the employee is recommended.

The employer must allocate or reallocate each classified position to an established class in the classification plan.

Allocations or reallocations must be based upon a review and analysis of the duties and responsibilities of the position.

(1) Each employer must develop and document an information technology professional structure (ITPS) evaluation procedure consistent with this chapter and guidelines established by the director's office.

(2) The procedure must include the process for requesting and evaluating positions for placement within the ITPS.

(a) Employers with more than fifteen permanent positions covered by the ITPS, the procedure must require, at a minimum the establishment of a committee of three or more employees to include the following:

(i) A human resource (HR) professional who is designated as the employers ITPS coordinator and who also serves as the single point of contact for the director's office regarding ITPS issues;

(ii) An information technology (IT) manager from the employer who has comprehensive knowledge of the employer's business; and

(iii) At least one other HR professional or IT manager.

(b) Employers with fifteen or less permanent positions covered by the ITPS may establish a committee of two or more employees in accordance with (a)(i) and (ii) of this subsection.

(3) Only those who have successfully completed training may participate on an ITPS committee. The training must satisfy the core curriculum as defined by the director's office.

(4) All evaluation results and a copy of the signed IT position description form must be uploaded in the tool identified by the director.

The employer must establish a procedure that specifies when positions are to be reviewed for reallocation based upon substantive and permanent changes in job duties and scope of responsibility.

The employer's procedure must allow an employee to request the employer to review his/her position at least every six months.

Employers must provide written notice to an employee when the employee's position is reallocated. If the reallocation is to a class with a lower salary range maximum, the employee must receive at least fifteen calendar days' written notice of the reallocation. The employee may request to waive or shorten the fifteen day notice period.

For purposes of this rule, written notice of reallocation, excluding reallocation to a class with a lower salary range maximum, may be provided using alternative methods such as email, campus mail, the state mail service, or commercial parcel delivery in accordance with WAC 357-04-105.

Notice of reallocation must include information regarding the employee's right to request a director's review of the reallocation per WAC 357-13-080.

An employee may request a director's review of the results of a position review or reallocation of the employee's position, per WAC 357-49-010. The employee must request the director's review within thirty calendar days of being provided the results of a position review or the notice of reallocation.

When an employee's position has been reallocated as part of a board or director's decision on allocation and when the employee was laid off prior to the board or director's decision being issued, the following applies:

(1) The employee's position is reallocated effective as of the date the request for a position review was filed with the employer;

(2) If the employee was reallocated to a class with a higher salary range, the employee is due back pay from the effective date of the allocation to the effective date of the layoff;

(3) The layoff action (including options afforded to the employee) is not impacted; and

(4) The employee shall have layoff list rights to the class the employee's former position was reallocated to in accordance with WAC 357-46-070 and 357-46-080.

The effective date of a reallocation is determined as follows:

(1) The effective date of a reallocation resulting from the director's revisions to the classification plan is the effective date of the director's action.

(2) The effective date of an employer-initiated reallocation is determined by the employer. Notice of a reallocation to a class with a lower salary range maximum must be provided in accordance with WAC 357-13-070.

(3) The effective date of a reallocation resulting from an employee request for a position review is the date the request was filed with the employer unless the result of the position review is a reallocation to a class with a lower salary range maximum. Notice of reallocation to a class with a lower salary range maximum must be provided in accordance with WAC 357-13-070.

(4) The effective date of a reallocation to a class with a lower salary range maximum resulting from a director's review determination to reallocate to a lower classification than the employer's determination is thirty calendar days from the date of the director's determination unless the review determination is appealed to the board. The effective date of a reallocation to a class with a lower salary range maximum resulting from a board order to reallocate to a lower classification than the employer's determination is thirty calendar days from the date of the board's order.