TIPS ON COMPLETING THE HECCP PDQ EFFECTIVELY

Preparation

· Jot down a task list. Don’t worry about definitions or times at this stage—just a list of all the things you do over the course of the year. Don’t forget things you only do once, twice, or a few times a year—closing out books, an annual report, or an inventory.

· If you have a job with a lot of repetitive task or routine tasks—particularly if they interrupt some other work routine—keep statistics for several days or a week. A scratch chart (four uprights and a diagonal for every 5 occurrences) is a handy way of doing this. These tasks may be telephone calls, student interactions—the little things that may not take much time individually but cumulatively add up.

· One focus of this survey is your sphere of on-the-job autonomy—the kinds of decisions (high-level or low-level) you make yourself and the latitude (broad or narrow) in which you make them. This means you may have to think about your job in new ways to complete the PDQ effectively.

Tips

· §II, 1, Position Summary (p. 3): Do this last. Be succinct. Focus on your main function. If extraneous functions tend to get piled on, note that briefly. (Example: “Because I’m the only clerical staffer with an office in a classroom building, I am also called upon to….”)

· §II, 2, a Supervision Given (p. 4): Be sure to note actual supervision (formal or informal advice, training or guidance) of students and temps, whether or not it’s in your job description. Let your supervisor dispute this.

· §II, 2, c, Contacts (pp. 5-6): Your contact map is an indicator of the extent and quality of your on-the-job decision-making. It will therefore be advantageous to organize your contact map: group them into categories. Who do you talk to? Are these high-level or low-level interactions? Are you transmitting routing information or planning or solving problems? If you have off-campus interactions that are significant in kind or extant, you are probably communicating information about University policies or programs to those outside the institution. If you have discretion on how to do this, this is a decision-making function.

· §II, 3, Major Duties (pp. 7-9): This is the core of the PDQ. Other data you give should be consistent with and support this.

§ This is where you get credit for “job creep”—the University’s tendency to pile on sometimes unrelated job duties.

§ One the other hand, you only get 10 slots. If you do a lot of little things, group them and express them as a function.

§ NOTE that the frequencies are not defined until p. 14.

§ This section gives an idea of the structure of your work routines but not the texture. If you’re responsible for routine clerical work but have to do it while being constantly interrupted by telephone calls or in-person interactions, you may want to give a sketch of “a day in the life” here or in the Additional Comments section (p. 17) to supplement information in this section. Keeping focus and getting your work done despite interruptions is a good indictor or your decision-making and organizational skills.

· §II, 3, Knowledge & Skills (p. 10): Note that the PDQ wants to know both the knowledge/skills you need to do your job and your individual level of proficiency.

§ Be sure to distinguish knowledge or skills from specific tools (like software), which you’ll be asked about in §III, 4. For example, here you’d note the knowledge of how to compose and format a business letter and the skill to word-process and print it. In §III, 4 you would note skill in using Microsoft Word.

§ Because the PDQ asks for information on both knowledge and proficiency, this is where you can give yourself credit for skills you’ve learned on the job. Information given here should be consistent with and support information given in §III.

§ NOTE that knowledge and skills listed here should also be consistent with and support information given in §II, 3 Major Duties.

· §III, 1, Education (p. 11): This cuts both ways. Regardless of your educational level, make this work for you. You may have to write additional comments.

§ If your own level of education is low, you can assert that someone coming in after you might need a higher level, because you’ve acquired the equivalent through many years of on-the-job learning.

§ If you’re over 40, you may want to note that because educational standards have fallen, any replacement might have to have a higher level of formal education.

§ On the other hand, if you have a higher level of formal education that your current job description stipulates, make the case that your job has morphed to take into account the higher level of knowledge you bring. If you have a B.A., a replacement with a high school degree who doesn’t have the specialized knowledge you have might have trouble doing some of the things that have been loaded on to your basic job description over the years.

· §III, 2, Experience (p. 11): By distinguishing the experience you bring to your job from the minimum a person needs to start in the position, you are making the case for your step raises.

· §III, 4, Machines, Tools & Equipment (p. 12): For most of us, the “tools” are primarily software.

§ List each module of PeopleSoft or Millenium (library software) or Microsoft Office separately.

§ If you use specialized software and equipment (e.g. scanner) for inventory, be sure to list it.

§ If you have a p-card, this is a good place to mention it. Being entrusted with a p-card is a mark of high-level decision-making.

· §III, 5, Decision-Making & Judgments (p. 12-13): These examples should be consistent with, support, and substantiate information given in sections on your contacts and major duties.

§ The list of duties for which you make the final decision should be consistent with information given in §III, 3, Major Duties.

§ Obviously, decisions that commit the University to spending money (ordering supplies or other items, approving payments) are important, but others are not negligible. These may include booking University facilities, scheduling events, etc.

§ Treat the section on errors as an opportunity to emphasize what you do right. (“If I didn’t…, ….” Or “Because I …, ….”))

§ If you work for an operation that is supposed to be self-supporting, emphasize that the role you play in customer service, etc. is essential in supporting that role. If you treat a customer poorly, even in a low-level transaction, they may spend less or nothing at all.

§ If you deal with students in any way, emphasize your role in student recruitment or retention. For example, even if you perform even fairly low-level duties in a student academic services “one-stop,” you are a ‘first responder’ for entering or returning students. If you don’t handle your transactions pleasantly and smoothly, they are less likely to enter or return. In these days when every tuition dollar is desperately needed, that’s not a negligible responsibility.

§ §IV, 1, Physical Activities/Requirements (pp. 14-15): This is likely to be a more important set of considerations for employees in other units, but don’t neglect it. Especially if you work in a bookstore or library, you are likely to find yourself climbing up on a stepstool or lifting books in the course of your duties. And of course, if you work on a computer for any period of time, Fingering is a very important daily activity.

§ §IV, 2, Working Conditions (p. 16): For most of us, Keyboarding is a factor. For a significant number, at least at some times of year, Atmospheric conditions (poor ventilation, humidity), Extreme heat or cold, and Inadequate lighting are also relevant. Under Unusual work-related stress, don’t forget to mention things like bats or mice in your building, or trying to get routine work mentioned despite constant interruptions. (This should be mentioned elsewhere, as indicated above). If you work with the public to any extent, be sure to note the stress of dealing with people who may be angry, rude or under stress themselves.

· Additional Comments: You may want to add a narrative description of part of your typical work-day, so that those assessing your position can get a more three-dimensional sense of what makes your job unique. This is also the place to discuss in more detail things that make your job particularly challenging: e.g. dealing with PeopleSoft, trying to keep essential services going despite an over-reliance on student staff, unreasonable expectations of clerical productivity despite constant interruptions (i.e. a lack of clarity about which is the most important function).

Follow-up

· Don’t forget to print out and keep a copy of your responses.

· Note that your supervisor (p. 18) can query or dispute statements you have made or note information he/she believes you have failed to mention, but may NOT pressure you to make changes.

· Your supervisor should then discuss his/her responses to the survey with you. He or she should summarize the outcome of this discussion by checking one of three boxes on p. 19: (1) supervisor agrees with your answers as written (2) supervisor made ‘clarifications’ with which you agree or (3) supervisor made ‘clarifications with which you do NOT agree. Make sure the proper box is checked before you sign and date the survey.

· Non-return of PDQs by supervisors was a problem with the recent Professional reclassification. If the PDQ is not returned, your job can’t be properly assessed. You may forfeit an upgrade as a result. There is no sanction for supervisors who fail to return PDQs, but UMS says it will check with supervisors to ensure compliance. If you really have doubts about whether your supervisor and department head have signed and returned your PDQ, you may want to check with your campus HR office. If you have completed a PDQ which your supervisor has not turned in, contact your campus ACSUM representative.