United Nations

Human Resources
Management Module
Principles & Policies of the UN
Compensation & J ob 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.
Common System Organizations

United Nations (UN)

World Health Organization (WHO)

United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP)

International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO)

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Universal Postal Union (UPU)

United Nations Office for Project Services
(UNOPS)
International Telecommunication Union
(ITU)

United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR)

World Meteorological Organization
(WMO)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

International Maritime Organization
(IMO)

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA)

World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO)
International Trade Centre (ITC)

International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD)

International Labour Organization (ILO)

United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA)

World Food Programme (WFP) World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO)


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



Procedural, operational
and technical
Support
Range from routine or
repetitive to varied,
complex and
paraprofessional
Knowledge through
experience
Often requires post-
secondary education or
technical training.
GENERAL SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
Analytical, evaluative,
conceptual,
interpretative.
Judgment and decision
making
Discretionary choices
Requires organized
body of knowledge
University degree

Rank-in-person*
Salary hierarchy
Personal
qualifications or
contributions
INTERNAL PAY POLICY
Rank-in-job
Job hierarchy
Responsibility and
assigned tasks 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
Division Director Division Director Division Director
Chief of Branch Chief of Branch
Unit Head
Secretary B
Secretary A
Unit Head
Organizational setting
Scenario 2
Head of Department
Division Director Division Director Division Director
Chief of Branch Chief of Branch
Unit Head
Secretary B
Secretary A
Unit Head
Principal Assistant
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