Compensation Glossary
The following key is provided as a reference to help you understand terminology used in the Compensation Structure and FLSA:
Term | Description |
| Business/working title | A business title may be utilized to provide a more specific description of the function or work performed. Business titles are reviewed and approved by Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness to ensure they reasonably reflect the job duties, responsibilities and level of the position. Learn more here. |
| Compensatory time (comp-time) | Provides the employee with time off instead of overtime pay. For each hour of overtime, an employee would earn this is paid at one and one-half hours for each hour over 40. |
| Educational Equivalency | Utilization of an educational equivalency is the practice of substituting education for experience and vice versa when reviewing minimum qualifications for a position. K-State utilizes a 1:1 equivalency ratio. Educational equivalencies may only be utilized for jobs whose descriptions include the statement that the position is eligible to use an educational equivalency and use of an equivalency is up to the position supervisor. |
| Employee type | There are two types of staff employees:
Learn more about the similarities and differences of these employee types here. |
| Exempt (salaried) | An employee who meets the requirements of the FLSA exemption, and does not earn overtime or comp time when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek. |
| Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) | A federal law that establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments. |
| Flexible work arrangements | A way to help avoid overtime/comp time. For instance, an employee may work 7:00 am to 4:00 pm instead of 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, or a supervisor may allow an employee to come in late after staying late the night before. To avoid overtime/comp time, the time must be adjusted within the same workweek. |
| Hours worked | FLSA wages are determined by the number of hours an employee actually works. "Hours not worked" are not governed by the FLSA, even if they are considered "work time" or "paid time" by the employer. Thus, "off the clock" work counts, but holidays, sick days, or other days off do not count as FLSA hours worked. |
| Job description | The job description is a high-level broad description of the typical duties performed by positions in that classification. The job description also includes any required minimum qualifications. |
| Job family | A job family is a grouping of jobs related by similar types of work and requiring similar knowledge, skills and abilities. |
| Job title | The job title is the generic title for a job description and serves as the official payroll title within the HR system. Job titles comprise K-State’s staff compensation structure and have been developed based on the work performed by K-State staff. |
| Minimum qualifications | Based on market research, the minimum qualifications identified in a job description include education and/or experience necessary to successfully perform the job. Job descriptions also include whether a position is eligible to use an educational equivalency. |
| Non-exempt (hourly) | An employee who earns overtime or comp time when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek. |
| Overtime | Pay for working more than 40 hours in a week, this is paid at one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay. |
| Pay grade | The pay grade represents the minimum and maximum pay for a position. The difference between the minimum and maximum pay is referred to as the pay range. |
| Position description | A position description describes the specific work of a single staff position. Position descriptions are reviewed by Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness to determine the appropriate job title within the compensation structure. |
| Primary duty | The principal, main, major or most important duty that the employee performs. |
| Workweek | At K-State, this is defined as Sunday at 12:01 a.m. to Saturday at midnight. |
