Q: When will vacancies be classified under the new criteria?
A: Effective October 1, 2018, State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS) has mandated that IHR begin using the new criteria for vacancies and appointment changes.  

Q: Why can’t I remain an Academic Professional (AP) if I prefer to do that?
A: The State Universities Civil Service System Merit Board and staff are required to implement the State Universities Civil Service Act.  As such, they have the obligation to provide guidance on the classification of positions—including those that can be exempted from civil service (CS) and what actions need to be taken if an exempted position is subsequently identified for conversion to CS.  All universities have the obligation to comply with the SUCSS procedures and rules.

Q: Will I lose my job because of this change?
A: While CS and AP positions offer different safeguards, both come with employment protection. It’s also important to note that if your position changes from AP to CS, your position won’t move without you. Both you and your position will move into the civil service category. 

Q: If my job is reclassified, will my pay be reduced?
A: Your annual pay will not be reduced because of a reclassification.

Q: What happens to my vacation and other benefits?
A: If you move from an AP to a CS position, you retain all of the vacation and cumulative sick leave you have earned.  For vacation, you move from accruing 24 days per year to the CS accrual schedule (Schedule B), which offers between 25 and 28 days per year for professional (overtime-exempt) positions.

Q: Which APs are not subject to possible reclassification?
A: A number of positions are exempted either by statutory language or specific designation by SUCSS.  The job classifications that are not affected by these changes can be found on the PER website (http://go.illinois.edu/ihr-per). 

Q: If I become CS, can I be “bumped” from my current position?
A: Bumping activity is based on layoff activity and seniority.  Whether or not you can be bumped is based on individual circumstances. 

Q: I’m already a CS employee. Does this mean a lot of reclassified APs will have more seniority than me?
A: Any reclassifications will happen gradually, and those APs will move to a variety of professional CS classifications with seniority calculated in the specific CS classification.   

Q: I have more questions about this change. Who can I contact?
A: Illinois Human Resources is here to answer questions as we make this transition. Please email us at ihr@illinois.edu.

Q: When will vacancies be classified under the new criteria?
A: Effective October 1, 2018, State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS) has mandated that IHR begin using the new criteria for vacancies and appointment changes.

Q: Will all the Academic Professionals (AP) in my unit be reclassified to Civil Service (CS)?
A: This change will not affect people in the job classifications found on this Web page. Administrative AP positions will be individually reviewed to determine if they meet the new criteria for exemption.

Q: Why can’t we keep all of our APs as APs?
A: This was a decision of SUCSS. The State Universities Civil Service System Merit Board and staff are required to implement the State Universities Civil Service Act. All of the state institutions worked with the State Universities Civil Service System Office to develop the new criteria which redefines when positions can be exempted.  We are obligated to follow the new criteria.   

Q: How will I determine which APs are to be reclassified?
A: IHR is responsible for determining the classification of positions (and employees).  No employees will be reclassified automatically. As required by SUCSS, we periodically conduct reviews of job classifications, often through required audits. The next scheduled audit period will begin in 2019.

Q: My employees are concerned about being reclassified to CS; what should I tell them?
A: It’s important to note that reclassified positions are equally professional regardless of employee group. The level of their work and specific duties of their position do not change. In the event of an employee being reclassified from AP to CS, IHR staff will work closely with that employee to ensure they are fully informed.

Q: Will this put us at a competitive disadvantage to our peers?
A: We will continue to aggressively recruit, promote, and retain qualified, skilled employees. Some of our peers also have civil service systems. Examples include Ohio State University; University of Minnesota; University of Wisconsin, Madison; Colorado State University-Fort Collins; and University of California.

Q: Do our competitors (peer institutions) have a similar approach to what constitutes CS vs. AP? 
A: The definition of what is appropriate to be exempted from CS is unique to each individual civil service system.  For example, the exemptions allowed under the Illinois State Universities Civil Service Act are quite different than those allowable under the civil service statutes for other state agencies.

Q: Under current civil service practices, there are specific processes we have to follow that limit our autonomy in the search process.  Will we be able to maintain our independence in advertising/searching to fill open professional level civil service positions? 
A: As the employer, we decide how and where to advertise vacancies.  We are revising our internal civil service hiring processes for professional positions.  One significant change is that the unit will develop the posting/advertisement and identify where to advertise, which will be reviewed by IHR.

Q: Under current civil service rules, we cannot recruit across state lines. Will this be true in the case of professional-level CS employees? 
A: Currently, we CAN recruit from out of state for vacancies in professional and technical civil service classifications. We will continue to have this ability after October 1, 2018.

Q: I’m in a unit that has APs who handle very specialized duties. Could an employee without those skills “bump” into my unit?
A: Employees cannot bump into a position with an approved specialty factor unless they have the skills required by the specialty factor. 

Q: How am I supposed to handle equity issues that arise because of reclassification?
A: IHR will assist you to address any issues that arise through the normal processes.

Q: Where can I find the Exemption Procedures Manual?
A: The official Exemption Procedures Manual is at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/ProcMan/details.aspx?tblManuals_PMID=440&kw=.

Q: I have more questions about this change. Who can I contact?
A: Illinois Human Resources is here to answer questions as we make this transition. Please email us at ihr@illinois.edu.