The Washington times., 1936-11-07
CLASSIFYING
JOBS URGED
BY BARUCH
BY J. EARLE MOSER

biographical sketches, appear in The
Times every day. Workers and men,
bers Of OrganiL& tiOns appearing for
such must contact tho writer before
5:l5 p. m. In the editorial room. Don't
wonder II your picture hasn't appeared
as yet. 1t will.
Job classification is one of the
most important tasks of a well
conducted public personnel agency,
according to a pamphlet that has
been written by DR.. ISmar Baruch,
chief Of the Federal Civil Service
Commissions division of personnel
classification.
The pamphlet, which is being
distributed by the Civil Service
Assembly, is entitled "Administra-
tion Of Classification Plan
Through Periodic Audits," and
Is based entirely on its au-
thor's experience in the Govern
ment service, where the commits
sion is constantly attempting to
keep jobs fairly classified and
consequently fairly paid each
first and fifteenth.
Urging that all commissions
and personnel agencies through.
out the country pay strict atten-
ton to the problem, DR.. Baruch
points out that three changes are
constantly occurring in public
employe offices, as follows:
!. Reorganizations, new activi-
ties and revisionS Of methods.
2. Establishment of new posi-
tionS.
3. Duties of individual jobs
changing because an individual
becomes capable of handling more
work than another who has been
given the same job title.
The third type Of changes, DR..
Baruch writes, ARE just as i'm
portant and deserving of recog-
milton in classification and COM
pensation procedures as those due
to direct administrative order,
although the latter are as a rule
more promptly reported" He
adds:
Periodic surveys or auditS
of all positions, as they have
been made in the Federal Civil
Service for several years, pro-
vide an accurate check on all
changes. The auditS offer the
most reliable method of obtain
ing all the facts on job CLASH
ficatiOnS. Sooner or later in q
survey every position is ex-
plOred. When this occurs, and
the finds of the investigator
are made known to admins
trative officials, they frequently
have unfOlded before them evil
dence of duplication of work,
overlapping of responsibility, or
lack of coordination between
functions of which they have
been unaware"
Grief:
Failure Of the Government Serv-
ice to "get on to itself" and
establish some central point at
which it can be determined
whether or not employees shall
get time off for some special
event is causing considerable
grief froon time to time.
Under the former system chief
clerks and administrative assist
ants conferred with one another
via phone to decide whether clerk
dom should get off for the hot
weather, or a funeral, or a pa
rade. Then an order came through
last year, that the White House
would decide the question.
Yesterday, however, officials be-
came confused and were undecided
whether to let folk take informal
leave to see F. D. arrive. F. D.,
of course, could not be contacted.
Civil Service, G. A. O., and some
emergency agencies let workers
take an hour or so, while Treasury.
Agriculture and most other offices
did not-unlesS they took annual
leave.
Thus many in the latter units,
who thought election day proce-
dure would be repeated, stayed
away until 10 or 10:30 and were
disagreeably surprised with an an
nual leave slip for filling out
when they returned to their
desks.
Those U. S. gals:
Amid throngs which gathered at
the Union Station yesterday, a
delegation of Arthur Clarendon
Smiths D. c.. Democratic League
was given access to the Presi-
dents car-police opening a right
of way through the mob so F. D.
could be given a bouquet.
Unable to get through other
wise to catch glimpse of Mr..
Roosevelt, three Carson Hath
away'S girls from the Civil Service
Commission personnel office step
ped right in behind the delegation,
marching unhindered up to the
Presidential car, where they could
get a good look.
McLeOd's Reading:
Numerology reading for Edward
B. Mcleod, of the AAA:
Your environments and OppOrtuni.
ties will not give you much chance to
demonstrate your real ability unless
you throw your mind wide open. The