Compensation Glossary
The following key is provided as a reference to help you understand terminology used in the Compensation Structure and FLSA:
Term | Description |
| 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. |
| Employee type | There are two types of 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 and minimum qualifications | The job description is a generic description of the typical duties and responsibilities associated with the job title. It also includes the minimum requirements (education and experience) necessary to successfully perform in the job. Job descriptions also include whether a position is eligible to use an educational equivalency. |
| Job family | A job family is a grouping of jobs related by similar types of work and requiring similar knowledge, skills and abilities. |
| 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. |
| Primary duty | The principal, main, major or most important duty that the employee performs. |
| Salary grade or pay grade | The salary grade or pay grade represents the minimum and maximum salaries for a position. The difference between the minimum and maximum salaries is referred to as the salary range. |
| Title | The job title is the official payroll title associated with the job code. A business title may be used by employees as long as it does not promote or demote the individual, and is not another existing job title. |
| Workweek | At K-State, this is defined as Sunday at 12:01 a.m. to Saturday at midnight. |
