Job codes

Overview

Every Position needs a Job code. Job codes are organized as a tree, so you can build job families, classifications, or other groupings that match your organization. Base pay rates on a higher-level Job code can provide suggestions to the Job codes beneath it, while adjustments from higher levels can apply to their Positions.

You can use the Job code tree to build your list of job families, classifications, or organizational divisions. FTE Tree also lets you assign a Position at any level of the tree. For example, if you have a job class called “Financial Analysts” with levels I, II, and III, but you are not sure which level to staff yet, add a Base pay rate to “Financial Analysts” and allow Positions to be assigned there. If users know the exact level, they can attach Positions directly to that level.

New organizations begin without a Job code. Create the first Job code when you are ready to build the structure. For most organizations, one top-level job family works best, with every job class, level, or other grouping underneath it. This keeps shared pay suggestions, adjustments, Department choices, and report filters easier to understand.

Terminology: FTE Tree uses Job code as the default label. Your organization can configure its singular and plural labels, so the name you see in FTE Tree may differ from this article. The same applies to Department, Employee, and Pay grade.

Important: Before configuring your Job code tree, think through how Job codes, pay suggestions, adjustments, Department choices, and report filters should work together. Contact FTE Tree support if you need help choosing the right structure for your organization.

Access needed

General

Open General to manage the Job code name and breadcrumb label behavior. Availability is managed through separate dated actions rather than on the General or Details forms.

Your organization can also enable an external Job code ID and choose the label used in Job code import templates. This optional value matches a Job code with the same code in another source your organization uses. It is imported rather than entered on the Job code form, must be unique within your organization when filled in, and remains the same across effective dates.

Job code name

• The name of your Job code is case sensitive and must be unique across your organization.
• Depending on your structure, the name may describe a job family, classification, or level.

Details

Open Details to review and update the dated standard and custom fields for the Job code. These fields can change over time. At least one dated entry is required for each required standard field; use the organization’s historical baseline date when the first value should apply to all earlier reports.

Placement in the Job code hierarchy

• Choose the Job code directly above this one in the hierarchy. Give a placement change the date when the new structure begins.

• Add a new dated placement value when the hierarchy changes, or save a blank value on the date when the Job code should move to the top level. To correct a mistake without changing when the relationship began, update the placement at the same effective date. Earlier recorded versions remain in history; individual dated entries are not deleted.

• Keep Job codes under one top level unless you have a clear reason to separate the tree. This makes shared values, filters that include Job codes beneath a selected level, and reports easier to use consistently.

• Pay suggestions, adjustments, and Department choices can apply from a higher-level Job code to the Job codes beneath it.

• FTE Tree prevents a Job code from being placed beneath one of the Job codes already below it. If that would happen, the change is blocked with an error message.

• A Job code hierarchy can contain up to 25 levels, counting the top level as level 1. At level 25, the Create lower-level Job code action is unavailable. Placement choices that would move a Job code or the levels beneath it below level 25 are not offered.

Include in breadcrumb label

• Turn this on when the Job code should include this name in its full label. For example, including both “Financial analysts” and “Senior financial analyst” displays “Financial analysts / Senior financial analyst”. Excluding the family name displays only “Senior financial analyst”.

Effective start date

• Enter the date when the Job code values begin.

Base pay rate

• A Job code Base pay rate and Pay rate basis provide an optional suggestion when someone enters or reviews Position pay.

• Pay suggestions can change by date. The form uses the suggestion available for the position’s selected date.

• Pay suggestions can be inherited from higher-level Job codes. If the assigned Job code does not have its own pay rate for the date, FTE Tree shows the nearest higher-level Job code with an effective pay rate.

Every Position still requires its own Base pay rate and Pay rate basis. Changing a Job code suggestion does not change existing Position pay or costs. For direct and inherited suggestion examples, including Assigned cost cases, see Position costs and headcount.

Adjustments

• Enter adjustments that should apply to Positions with this Job code. Adjustments from every higher-level Job code also apply when they are in effect for the selected date. FTE Tree follows the hierarchy that applies on that date, so a dated placement change can change the inherited pay suggestion and adjustments without rewriting an existing Position pay rate.

For examples of how Position adjustments affect FTE, pay rate, and annual cost, see Position adjustment examples.

Job codes available by department

Choose initial Departments while creating a Job code. For later changes, open the Job code’s Department availability tab. You can also open a Department’s Job code availability tab to manage the same choices from the other direction. On both tabs, the availability date and direct choices appear above the full list of Departments and Job codes where the choices apply.

A direct link connects both hierarchies. A choice made for a higher-level Department applies to the Departments beneath it, and a choice made for a higher-level Job code includes the Job codes beneath it. For example, linking a higher-level Job code to a higher-level Department makes the Job codes beneath it usable in the included Departments beneath that Department. An unrelated branch is not included.

These inherited Departments appear in the eligible Departments list with an Inherited source, and inherited Job codes appear the same way, but neither is selected as a direct choice. Make a choice at a higher level only when it should apply to every Department or Job code beneath it; otherwise, choose the more specific items. Changing an item’s placement in either hierarchy can also change where the relationship applies from the effective date of that change.

Under Availability date, choose View and edit on, enter the date you want to review or change, and select Change date. The Current, Future, or Historical badge identifies the selected date. The same date controls both the full availability result and when saved changes begin.

Edit the direct choices for that selected date, then save. A future change does not affect choices before that date, and a backdated change applies from the earlier date forward. Saving an empty direct selection means no Job codes are linked directly from that date. Both tabs update the same dated relationship and remain on the saved date so the direct choices and full availability result stay together.

When choosing a Job code for a Position, enter the Position’s Effective date first. Department choices remain empty until that date is present. When adding a Position, choose the Department next; Job code choices remain empty until both values are present because availability can change by Department and date. The page identifies any missing step. Changing Effective date clears the Department and Job code, while changing the Department clears the Job code. When changing only the Job code for an existing Position, the available choices use that Position’s Department on the entered date.

Job code field settings

Job code field settings are configured separately from Position field settings. Use the Job code entries in Settings to manage standard fields, custom fields, their shared field order, display visibility, option sets, and labels. Use activity history note settings only when you need to configure required notes or reason choices for Job code changes.

Make a job code unavailable

Open the job code and choose Actions > Make unavailable, then enter the effective date when it should no longer be offered for new position or employee changes. Availability is not an editable field on the standard General or Details form.

The Job code is not deleted: its dated values, hierarchy, requests, comments, and historical Position and Employee use remain. An unavailable Job code stays in report filters with an Unavailable label. Choose Actions > Make available and enter an effective date when the same Job code should be offered again. Each action records when that availability change begins instead of rewriting the earlier period.

Pay grades

The job code’s Details page can reference pay grades, but pay grade setup is managed separately from the job code structure. Pay grades define hourly or annual ranges that can change by date and support pay range review for position pay rates.

See Compensation settings for pay grade setup, range entries, and annual hours per FTE.