The Position Administration Unit in the Division of Human Resources is responsible for managing the State of Kansas Civil Service Classification System at Kansas State University. Position Administration is tasked with providing consistent and equitable classification of classified positions at Kansas State University. Decentralized classification authority has been granted to the Assistant Vice President of the Division of Human Resources from the Director of the Division of Personnel Services, Kansas Department of Administration. The Division of Personnel Services does not review classification actions nor appeal requests for Kansas State University. There is one exception. Positions within the Information Technology Series are reviewed at the state level to ensure technical continuity among computer-oriented classifications throughout the state.
All Position Administration forms and instructions are referenced in this document and available through the links provided. Key terms are explained at the Position Administration website.
The Kansas Administrative Regulations, Articles 2, 4 and 5.
There are two categories of positions: budgeted and unbudgeted. Budgeted positions are those positions that appear in the University's Budget and have percentages of time assigned using the designation "FTE" (Full-Time Equivalent=% of time). Each departmental or administrative unit has a total FTE pool represented by the total of existing positions and any FTE reserve. Full-time positions are at the 1.0 rate whereas part-time positions could be designated as .9 FTE or .65 FTE or .5 FTE, or any percentage less than one. Both FTE and funding must be available for a position to be established as a budgeted position. Unbudgeted positions (temporary positions) require only that funding is available. Pertinent funding information is provided in each applicable section of this chapter. Additional funding questions should be directed to the Budget Office at 785-532-6767.
There are five types of classified positions:
New positions are established (allocated) by identifying available funding and FTE. If the department has FTE reserves or a vacant position with FTE, it may use this FTE for the new position by sending a letter and Position Data Sheet (pdf) to the Budget Office. If FTE is needed, a letter and Position Data Sheet requesting FTE should be sent to the KSU Budget Director. In order to establish the amount of funding required and to identify the type of position needed, the letter to the Budget Office requesting the new position should indicate the proposed classification, such as Administrative Specialist or Accountant I. If the department used FTE from its reserves, this should be explained in the additional information line on the Position Data Form. If FTE is granted and the position is approved, the Budget Office will notify the department of the new position number and any other pertinent information.
When funding and FTE are established, a position description must be submitted to Position Administration for determination of the appropriate classification, which may differ from the original request. Position Administration will determine the classification by completing the steps outlined in section .060. When the classification decision has been made, the official allocation of the position is complete.
Temporary positions are coordinated through Employment Services at 785-532-6277. Employment Services will also assist departments with the advertising and hiring of temporary employees. See Classified Employee Transactions for more information on temporary appointments.
Changes to positions, whether to the percentage of time, movement to another unit within the same college or another, or other changes, will affect the employees who are in them. It is of supreme importance that any of the changes described in this section have been coordinated with all parties and an agreement reached before the action is submitted for approval.
Procedures for increasing FTE depend on whether FTE is available at the Department/College or must be requested and on whether a position is filled or vacant.
If the department has FTE available from a departmental or college source, such as a vacant line or pooled FTE, a letter must be sent to the Budget Office, with a copy to Position Administration, Division of Human Resources, outlining the source and the recipient. In addition, send a Position Data Sheet (PER-36) (pdf) to the Division of Human Resources for entry into the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) if the position is filled. If FTE is not available, it must first be requested from the Budget Office. Again, if the position is filled and the additional FTE is approved by the Budget Office, send a Position Data Sheet (PER-36) to the Division of Human Resources for updating in HRIS.
For 60 days or less: Increases in percentage of time worked by an employee in a position with less than full-time FTE requires no prior approval or paperwork if the change will last 60 days or less. Actual hours worked will be recorded for non-exempt employees in the Human Resources Information System.
Increases beyond 60 days are considered permanent changes and are handled as described above.
If the needs of a position have decreased or other changes have resulted in the necessity to decrease the percentage of time an employee works, the department must first contact Position Administration, Division of Human Resources at 785-532-1866 before any steps are taken.
Departments wanting to move a position from one department to another within the same college must complete and forward the following documents to the Assistant Vice President of the Division of Human Resources:
If the position will be used differently once transferred to a new unit, the department must first contact Position Administration before any action is taken.
If a position is vacant, a letter of agreement between the colleges requesting transfer of a position from one college to another should be forwarded to the Budget Office with a copy to Position Administration, Division of Human Resources.
If a position is occupied, departments should first contact the Assistant Vice President of the Division of Human Resources. An agreement must be reached between departments regarding FTE, funding, effective date and use of the position as it affects the classification. Transfers that are considered lateral, i.e. no change in classification, or that do not represent a change in salary grade, can usually be handled through the following process:
If the position will be used differently once transferred to a new unit, the department must first contact Position Administration before any action is taken.
Requests to move positions into the unclassified service from the classified service are reviewed by the Director of Affirmative Action and the Assistant Vice President of the Division of Human Resources. Requests should be made in writing and sent to both the Assistant Vice President of the Division of Human Resources and the Director of Affirmative Action. Position Administration will coordinate the action with the Director of Affirmative Action. If the position is filled, before proceeding with the request, the department must inform the employee in writing of the employee's option to remain in the classified service and whether the department will waive the two year unclassified service requirement and give the employee the right to a one year notice of non-reappointment or not. See Section C170.3A of the University Handbook concerning notice of reappointment for unclassified professionals.
Requests for reclassification should be submitted in writing to the Assistant Vice President, Division of Human Resources. The letter from the department must have the appropriate approvals and include a statement that funding is available to cover the salary difference should the request be approved. (Availability of funding does not guarantee reclassification will occur.) A new position description and organizational chart must be attached. The position description should include full description of the new duties and responsibilities and indicate the proposed class title requested as well as a brief explanation of the changes. An employee may initiate the request to have a position reviewed by first contacting departmental personnel. If additional assistance is needed, an employee may contact Position Administration. See procedures for allocation and reclassification requests.
Reclassifications are based on changes in duties, responsibilities, organizational structure or other factors affecting the position and not on any individual employee characteristics or qualifications. The position description and organizational chart form the basis for the review. Requests should not be submitted to reflect temporary changes in duties or in anticipation of duties changing in the future. It is recommended that an incumbent perform new or changed duties for a four to six months time-period before a request for reclassification is submitted. This allows for the new duties to take shape and become established.
A position review and analysis will be conducted as indicated in Section .070, Position Analysis and Review. Notification and appointment information is also contained in Section .070.
A full analysis is conducted for each allocation, reclassification, and update submitted to Position Administration, Division of Human Resources. After initial desk- audit review, the analyst will determine whether a phone audit or on-site audit is necessary.
Classification determinations are based on numerous factors including analysis of the position description and organizational chart, review of information gained from on-site interviews with the incumbent and supervisor if conducted, comparisons to the State of Kansas Classification Specifications for any and all related Civil Service Classifications, and comparisons to other positions that have similar responsibilities and duties. Additionally, research on the mission of the department and contacts with other persons with knowledge of the position are possible. Much of this information can be obtained without an on-site audit and not all reviews will require or include a site visit. These factors all contribute to the total analysis and are not considered independently. Classification decisions are based on the characteristics of the position and not on any characteristics of the employee such as superior performance, diligence, longevity, loyalty or exceptional qualifications.
The analysis process is comprehensive and may take considerable time to finalize. Final determinations generally take from six to eight weeks. Factors contributing to the turn-around time include scheduling and completion of on-site audit (if necessary), uniqueness of the position, other reclassifications currently in process and positions submitted for recruitment actions.
Departments will be notified in writing, preceded by a courtesy phone call, of the decision that may or may not reflect the requested or proposed classification. Departments have the responsibility for notifying the employee of the completed action. A copy of the finalized position description will be attached. The letter will provide appointment information including the pay grade of the classification assigned and the effective date of the action. The effective date will be the beginning of the closest pay period following completion of the action. For reclassifications to a higher grade, assignment of a step within that pay grade is determined by the department that has the following options:
For reclassifications to a lower pay grade, the employee will be assigned to the step on the lower grade that corresponds to the pay rate the employee was previously receiving. If that rate is not on a step in the lower pay grade, the employee will be paid at the highest step in that pay grade. In unusual circumstances, such as reclassification for disciplinary actions, the Assistant Vice President of the Division of Human Resources will make the final determination.
An Appointment Form (pdf) must be submitted to the Division of Human Resources for all reclassification actions.
Managers and supervisors are required to review positions each time that a position becomes vacant. If a revised position description is submitted as part of the recruitment action, departments should allow additional lead-time to allow for completion of the review by Position Administration, Division of Human Resources. Priority is given to these reviews in order to avoid recruitment delays. If a revision is not submitted, Position Administration will review the position description on file prior to releasing it for recruitment. If the position description is older than one year, and no Annual Review Statement (PER-26) is on file indicating it is current, the department will be contacted to either update the position description or provide the PER-26.
Position descriptions are to be reviewed each year by the employee and the supervisor. If the position description is still accurate, there is no requirement to submit a new position description. Instead, the one-page form, Annual Review of Classified Position Descriptions (PER 26), may be submitted indicating the position description is current. The PER-26 form may also be used for new employees as an indication that the responsibilities are understood and are current if a new position description is otherwise not needed. Position descriptions should be updated and new ones submitted to Position Administration to indicate changes in duties, supervisory changes, permanent shift changes, or other changes affecting the position. Position descriptions submitted as updates will most often be reviewed by a desk-audit, but for various reasons, a phone or on-site audit could be conducted. Departments will receive a letter summarizing the review and a copy of the finalized position description.
Classification authority is granted to the Assistant Vice President, Division of Human Resources. The Division of Personnel Services, Kansas Department of Administration, does not review classification decisions for appeals or determinations of any kind. See Introduction, Section .010. Questions concerning classification decisions should be directed to the Manager of Position Administration or to the Assistant Vice President, Division of Human Resources.
The Position Description (P.D.) is the official description of an individual classified position. The P.D. is the primary data collection instrument designed to gather information about the specific assignments and characteristics of a single position. It forms the basis for classification decisions and is also used to document information for purposes of employee selection, essential function determinations and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Every classified position (except temporary positions) must have an approved P.D. on file with Position Administration, Division of Human Resources. Additionally, the P.D. provides an employee with an overview of the responsibilities and duties expected. After signatures are obtained the original and one copy of the P.D. and organizational chart should be forwarded to Position Administration, one copy given to the employee and copies kept for departmental files. The department will be notified when the P.D. has been finalized by Position Administration.
The Position Description (DA 281-2 Special) is a five-part, thirty-item document. At the top of the document, indicate whether the position is new or existing. The following is basic information for completion of the document:
Item 1: Agency name. Kansas State University (defaulted on the form)
Item 2: Employee Name (Blank if vacant.)
Item 3: Division. Example: College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Housing and Dining Services
Item 4: Section. Example: Department of Biology; Maintenance Shop
Item 5: Unit. Example: Undergraduate Studies Office; Storeroom
Item 6: Location. Enter city and county where employee works.
Item 7: Type of Appointment(Position). Indicate type of position as described in Section .030. If the position is limited term, indicate the ending date. If the position is a school position, circle "yes." Indicate FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) as a percentage of time next to the percent symbol.
Item 8: Regular Hours of Work. Indicate work schedule with beginning and ending times. If hours vary occasionally, an indication of how can be added, such as "some Saturdays or weekends."
Item 9: Position Number. Enter the 7-digit position number preceded with W or K. (This should not be confused with the Employee ID number.)
Item 10: Department ID. Enter the 10-digit department ID that begins with 36700.
Item 11: Present Class Title. Examples: Administrative Specialist; Facilities Maintenance Supervisor; Laboratory Technician I. Leave blank if this is an allocation.
Item 12: Proposed Class Title. If this is an allocation or reclassification request, enter the requested classification or enter "Appropriate Classification." Leave item 12 blank if this is an update of the duties for the record.
Items 13-17: FOR USE BY POSITION ADMINISTRATION
Item 18: Mission of the unit and the positions's role. In Part a, provide information on the role the position plays in the unit. If the position description is submitted for a reclassification request, be sure to fully respond to Part b. Otherwise, leave Part b blank.
Item 19-20: Supervisor and Latitude. Carefully read each section and respond to the statements or questions posed. Provide responses to all parts of an item as requested. Information in Item 19 should correspond with the signature on the form and with the organizational chart. Item 20 is a multi-part question.
Item 21: Describe the work. A description of the duties is to be provided in this section. Item 21 is essentially a blank page on which the duties should be grouped together based on similarities of tasks and described in sufficient detail to be useful for the employee, the supervisor, and Position Administration. Tasks should be numbered in descending order of importance and percentages of time spent on each grouping should be listed. Many positions can be assigned percentages using the standard workweek as representing 100%. It may be necessary for some positions to use a broader time-period, such as annually, when arriving at percentage of time spent on tasks. When assigning a group of tasks a percentage, keep each group above 5% but no group at more than 50%.
Task statements should be written for current duties (no future or temporary) in the present tense, using quantifying descriptors when appropriate, and indicating the frequency in which tasks are performed, such as "daily," or "monthly." Structure task statements by responding to four questions: What is being done, to whom or for what, why, and how.
Use "employee," "supervisor," etc. to identify the "who" in tasks statements rather than identifying employees by name. Include a statement on how tasks are reviewed, by whom and how often after each set of duties or summarize a review statement at the end of the duties.
For purposes of writing task statements in Item 21, supervisors, managers, and employees should use the terms essential and marginal to help determine which duties are most important. However, the official determination of a duty as Essential (E) or Marginal (M) is made by Position Administration under special circumstances.
Item 22: Supervisory Responsibilities. This section is used to indicate supervision of other classified employees. If no supervisory or lead worker responsibilities exist, enter "Not applicable" under section b. If an employee supervises students only, indicate the number of students supervised in the blank space and any descriptive statement that applies, but do not indicate type of supervision. Explanations of each type of supervision is available at Key Terms.
Part a: If an employee is acting as a lead worker but does not formally evaluate a classified employee, check "lead worker." Indicate "Supervisor" only if the employee is officially evaluating other classified employees. For the purposes of this section, "Manager" is not used to indicate management of a program. It is used to indicate supervision of classified employees who also have supervisory responsibilities. For instance, a Physical Plant Supervisor may supervise a Facilities Maintenance Supervisor who in turn supervises General Maintenance and Repair Technicians.
Part b: Indicate titles and position numbers of those who are supervised or for whom the employee acts as the lead worker.
If supervisor or manager is indicated, the position will be identified as supervisory and carry with it the requirement for supervisory training within six months of appointment. It is important to note that any supervisory responsibilities indicated in this section must also be indicated on the organizational chart. See Section .120.
Items 23 - 25: Errors, Contacts and Hazards. Carefully read each section and respond to the statements or questions posed. Provide responses to all parts of an item as requested.
Item 26: Machines and Equipment Used: List the machines used regularly on the job. Indicate the frequency items are used in terms such as "daily," "weekly," "monthly," "as needed," or "occasionally," rather than in percentages.
Item 27: Minimum Requirements. This section is used to indicate the minimum requirements as indicated on the State Specifications for the position. (Preferred education and experience specific to a position can be listed in Item 29). If you are requesting a reclassification to a different classification, indicate the minimum requirements for the requested classification.
Item 28: Necessary Special Requirements:
Part a: Indicate only those items that are required, such as a commercial driver's license (CDL). This section is also used to indicate licensing in a professional or technical capacity such as veterinary technician license or nursing license. For those after-hire requirements such as supervisory training, use explanatory phrases such as "KSU Introduction to Supervision within six months of appointment," or "Valid driver's license once appointed."
Part b: Use this section to indicate the physical requirements of transporting, moving, manipulating, and so on. The terms minimal exertion (up to 24 lbs.), moderate exertion (up to 49 lbs.), and considerable exertion (greater than 50 lbs.) apply to descriptions of physical activity. The number of pounds transported, whether the movement is assisted, and the frequency of the activity should be included in the response. General statements such as "work is generally sedentary but requires periodic standing and transporting office supplies," or "prolonged periods of standing or walking occur," or "requires frequent transporting of heavy equipment or supplies weighing greater than 50 lbs.," are helpful in describing the physical activity that takes place.
Item 29: Preferred Qualifications and Skills.
Item 30: Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ). This section is reserved for those rare instances where a particular position requires special criteria be established for employees based on sex, age, religion or national origin. These exceptions are approved at the state level. Leave blank; otherwise, contact Position Administration for questions.
Original signatures are required as indicated.
An Organizational Chart (Section .120) must be attached to each Position Description.
Submit an original and one copy of both the position description and organizational chart to Position Administration for all actions.
An organizational chart must be attached to each position description. The chart should outline working relationships, reporting structures and overall unit organization. Include employee names, position numbers of all positions shown on the chart, and the State Classifications for classified employees and titles for unclassified employees. Direct reporting relationships should be indicated with solid lines. Indirect relationships should be shown with dashed or broken lines to and from employees in the chart. Supervisory responsibilities listed on the organization chart should match the entries in Items 19 and 22 of the position description for the individuals listed.
The position description is one factor in establishing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) status of an employee. See PPM Chapter 4220, Hours of Work, Overtime, Overtime Pay and Compensatory Time for a full discussion of the FLSA.
Position Administration, Division of Human Resources conducts organizational reviews on classified staff for departments at the request of the dean or department head. These reviews are tailored to the specific requests of the department and can include recommendations on workflow and workload, classification of positions and reporting structure.
Requests for allocation, reclassification, organizational studies or other classification actions should be made in writing to: Assistant Vice President, Division of Human Resources, 103 Edwards Hall, Kansas State University. The letter should outline the requested action along with budget information, a completed and signed Position Description, an organizational chart and any other supporting documents. See Procedures for Allocation and Reclassification Requests.
Questions regarding classified Civil Service position management should be directed to Position Administration, Division of Human Resources at 785-532-1866. Questions regarding unclassified position management should be addressed to the Deans, Vice Presidents, Provost, Budget Office, Affirmative Action or the Division of Human Resources as appropriate.
