United Nations

Human Resources
Management Module
Principles & Policies of the UN
Compensation & Job Classification
System

Charter of the United Nations

Article 101

3. The paramount consideration in the

employment of staff and in the
determination of the conditions of service
shall be the necessity for securing the
highest standards of efficiency,
competence, and integrity. Due regard
shall be paid to the importance of
recruiting the staff on as wide a
geographical basis as possible.

Two compensation principles

Noblemaire
The international civil service should recruit from
the Member States including the highest paid.
Professional salaries are set by reference to the
highest paying national civil service.

Flemming
Compensation for locally recruited staff should
reflect the best prevailing conditions found
locally for similar work. General Service salaries
set on the basis of local salary surveys.

UN Common System
local salary surveys
Local salary survey committee (staff)
Committee suggests local comparators by
ICSC criteria
Look for employers with systematic pay
policies
Use benchmark jobs for comparison
Compare apples to apples
Select best employers (5,7,10,15 and 20
depending on the category of a duty station)

Definitions of work
PROFESSIONAL

Analytical, evaluative,
conceptual,
interpretative.
Judgment and decision
making
Discretionary choices
Requires organized
body of knowledge
University degree

GENERAL SERVICE

Procedural, operational
and technical
Support
Range from routine or
repetitive to varied,
complex and
paraprofessional
Knowledge through
experience
Often requires postsecondary education or
technical training.

INTERNAL PAY POLICY

Rank-in-job

Job hierarchy
Responsibility and
assigned tasks or
contributions

Rank-in-person*

Salary hierarchy
Personal
qualifications or
contributions

*not used by the Secretariat

What is job classification?

Method for
organizing
jobs
and levels of
responsibility

Objectives of job classification

Internal equity

equal pay
for work of
equal value

Objectives of job classification

Support the
UN Common
System

Inter-organization
mobility

Objectives of job classification

Internal
justice
Fairness
Consistency
Transparency

Objectives of job classification

Relate salaries to services

Workforce planning

Budgeting

Job classification standards:

factors considered P category

Nature of work: Focus and

Deliverables, Scope and Context
Enabling Environment: Organizational
Context, Managerial focus and
Exposure/Risk
Partnership: Engagement and
Communities of Interest
Results: Impact of Actions and
Leadership Roles

Job classification standards:

factors considered GS category
Nature of work: Focus and Deliverables,
Scope and Knowledge/Skills/Expertise
Organizational Environment:
Organizational context and managerial
guidance received
Teamwork and Relationships: Engagement,
Contacts and Language
Results: Impact of Action and Team Role

ORGANIZATIONAL
SETTING THE KEY TO
JOB CLASSIFICATION

EXERCISE: Should these two posts be

classified at the same grade level?

Secretary A

Drafts/types
correspondence; reviews
for completeness &
grammatical accuracy prior
to supervisors signature;
Maintains supervisors
calendar & schedules
appointments;
Organizes & maintains files;
Screens callers & incoming
mails;
Responds to queries about
the office activities.

Secretary B

Drafts/types
correspondence; reviews for
completeness & grammatical
accuracy prior to
supervisors signature;
Maintains supervisors
calendar & schedules
appointments;
Organizes & maintains files;
Screens callers & incoming
mails;
Responds to queries about
the office activities.

Organizational Setting
Scenario 1
Head of Department
Secretary A
Division Director
Chief of Branch

Division Director

Division Director

Chief of Branch
Unit Head

Secretary B

Unit Head

Organizational setting
Scenario 2
Head of Department
Secretary A
Division Director
Chief of Branch

Principal Assistant
Division Director

Division Director

Chief of Branch

Unit Head

Secretary B

Unit Head

Organizational setting
Some factors affecting distinction in grades
HR management:
Diversity/scope/stability of programmes
Geographic locations
Delegated authority
Financial management:
Value, reliability & nature of funding
Currency transactions
Procurement:
Technical complexity
Variety of goods & services procured

What job classification is NOT

The focus of job
classification is
on jobs

Not on people
sitting on the jobs.

Job classification is NOT

A tool for
recognizing good
performance.

A tool for
promoting specific
individuals.

A/RES/56/253
Requests involving a change in grade level:
exceptional in nature;
change in the nature or scope of the work;
details on increased responsibility;
workload statistics;
no reference to the incumbent or
potential incumbent.

When to request a
classification review?

New post.
Unclassified post.
Substantial change in duties.
Job classification audit.

Job classification phases

Phase 1
Job analysis

Generic Job Profiles

Note: instead of going through the full
job classification review process, posts
may be associated to a GJP.

Job classification phases

Phase 2
Job evaluation

References
On job classification

ST/AI/1998/9 System for the classification of posts.

http://
www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/classif.htm

On Common System and compensation

ICSC document in the Participant Manual
ICSC website: http://icsc.un.org