She said that once the University made it clear that reclassified employees would not lose any benefits from the change, the concerns of employees were reduced.

Another individual noted that at Harvard the difference between the two classifications is seen as a status symbol, separate from its definition under FLSA, creating potential unhappiness with reclassification.

“In the workplace culture of Harvard, there is a tendency to equate the word ‘exempt’ with professionalism,” Jaeger said. “It is one of a few policies [at Harvard] which has tended to divide staff into two classes.”

Jaeger expressed the hope that this current reclassification will lead the University and its staff to reconsider the importance placed on the distinction.

In order to complete its review, the University hired an outside consulting firm that worked along with the Office of Human Resources and the General Counsel’s office. The human resource offices within each school also participated in the effort.

Hundreds of employees were contacted as part of the reclassification. Some had individual interviews with administrators or the consulting firm, while others were merely requested to complete written surveys.

Price said that this review was the broadest review of University employment in the 17 years she has worked at Harvard. She added that such a review was independent of the recent employment-related student activism on campus.

—Staff writer Daniel P. Mosteller can be reached at dmostell@fas.harvard.edu.