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Questions relating to the information in each chapter of the Policies and Procedures Manual should be directed to the office issuing the chapter.

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For policy update questions, please contact policy@ksu.edu.

Unclassified Employee Personnel Actions

Chapter 4650
Revised August 2019 and October 15, 2020

Table of Contents

.010 Introduction
.020 Sources of Information
.030 Verification of Employment Eligibility
.040 Criminal Background Checks
.050 Types of Appointment Actions
.055 Recruitment within the Applicant Tracking System
.060 Summer Employment
.070 Multiple Positions
.080 Employment Contracts
.090 Spoken English Competency
.100 Conflict of Interest
.110 On-Boarding Process for Unclassified Staff & Faculty
.120 Data Changes
.130 Additional Pay
.140 Separations
.150 Instructions for Completing Transaction Forms
.160 Questions

.010 Introduction

Human Resources (HR) is responsible for maintaining the official personnel files and data within the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) for university support staff (USS), unclassified and student employees. The role of HR is to ensure personnel/payroll transactions are accurate, processed timely within Federal and State Employment laws, Kansas Board of Regents and University regulations.

This chapter provides information pertaining to policies and procedures for different types of unclassified personnel actions and the appropriate procedures for completing transaction forms.

.020 Sources of Information

The following is a listing of sources used in developing this Chapter:

Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)

University Handbook, Section C: Identity, Employment, Tenure

Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) Policy Manual

University Handbook, Section E: Leaves, Insurance, and Retirement Programs

University Handbook, Appendix A: Standards for Notice of Non-Reappointment

Kansas State University Policies and Procedures Manual Chapters:

                4810 Retirement and Savings Plan

                4860 Employee Leaves, Holidays, and Other Absences for Employees of Kansas State University 

.030 Verification of Employment Eligibility

Before an individual begins employment at Kansas State University (KSU), they must first provide verification of employment eligibility. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 established a method to verify employment eligibility of new employees and was designed to prevent the employment of Foreign Nationals who are unauthorized to work in the U.S.

Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 must be completed for all new hires and rehires with a break in service of 30 days or more. Refer to the Instructions for Completing Form I-9 for information.

Employees who transfer to KSU from another state agency, or employees who transfer from an affiliated (local) agency to a State of Kansas position, must complete a Form I-9 for KSU. Verification is not required in the case of promotions, reclassifications, transfers, demotions or rehires with a break in service for less than 30 days. 

.040 Criminal Background Checks

The Kansas Board of Regents requires that each state university shall perform a criminal background check on persons appointed to certain state university positions.

Refer to Policy & Procedures Manual (PPM) Chapter 4015, Criminal Background Checks for more information.

.050 Types of Appointment Actions

The unclassified service comprises all appointments that have been made according to the Kansas State University Affirmative Action Plan and the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) policies.

Nine or Twelve Month Basis - An unclassified appointment is made for either the academic year (9 months) or for the fiscal year (12 months) as determined by the department.

  1. 9-month - These employees receive their salary in 20 equal biweekly installments. They are paid biweekly generally beginning with the first paycheck received in September. Some 9-month employees may have summer teaching or other duties. These needs are decided at the discretion of the department head or dean.
  2. 12-month - These employees receive their salary in 26 biweekly installments.

Human Resources (HR) recommends that all appointment actions are effective at the beginning of a pay period when possible. The following are the different types of appointments associated with unclassified employees.

Regular Appointments - An employee who is hired with a regular contract will be appointed to a regular (budgeted) position and will be benefit eligible based on an FTE (full time equivalent) of .5 or greater. The appointment date and the employee's contract date may not precede the date on the offer card in the applicant tracking system.

Term Appointments - Unclassified term appointments are for a specified term not longer than one year for a 12-month employee or longer than a nine month period for a 9-month employee. Term contracts are required. An unclassified term employee may be appointed to a regular budgeted or non-budgeted position and will be benefit eligible based on an FTE of .5 or greater. An employee may have consecutive term appointments provided funding sources are available. 

Temporary Appointments - Unclassified temporary appointments are those that are either - (1) less than .50 FTE for a period of a year or less; or (2) greater than or equal to .50 FTE for a period less than 90 days. Temporary unclassified employees are not eligible for benefits, nor do they have contracts. An employee who is appointed as a temporary employee must be hired to a temporary (non-budgeted) position.

A temporary appointment is a means of employing someone on a short term basis. Multiple temporary appointments must not be used as a means of avoiding recruitment or giving benefits to an employee. In addition, any employee who has a temporary appointment should only be working the amount of FTE assigned to that position. For example, an employee who is appointed .40 FTE should be working 16 hours a week.

Full-Time

Equivalency (FTE)

Associated

Hours per Week

0.14 hours
0.28 hours
0.312 hours
0.416 hours
0.520 hours
0.624 hours
0.728 hours
0.832 hours
0.936 hours
1.040 hours

An unclassified employee may have a temporary appointment and a regular, faculty or term appointment concurrently. In cases such as this, where the employee has part-time benefits on the regular, faculty or term appointment, the FTE from the temporary appointment will be combined between the two appointments to determine benefit eligibility. If the combined FTE between all positions is .5 or greater for longer than 90 days, the employee must have a contract that includes all appointments. When the temporary appointment is ended, the benefit eligibility will be determined by the regular, faculty or term appointment FTE alone.

Acting Assignments - An acting assignment occurs when a campus department/unit needs to assign an existing K-State employee to perform the duties of an employee who is unable to fulfill his/her duties for an extended period (generally up to three months). The department/unit has an obligation to use its best judgment regarding the selection of an employee for the temporary assignment. Perception about the lack of a competitive selection process for an acting assignment needs to be carefully considered; a legitimate business reason for not having a competitive selection process for an acting assignment must exist. Examples might include: an immediate urgent need to have someone in the role or limited availability of qualified individuals.

An employee selected to fill an acting assignment must meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Employees who are appointed to an acting assignment shall be temporarily granted additional compensation as appropriate, in consultation with Human Resources. HR has developed procedures for establishing an acting assignment.

Interim Assignments - When a position is vacant, and the department/unit needs to fill the position for a limited period of time (generally up to one year) preparatory to a full recruitment, the department/unit may make an interim appointment, usually of an existing K-State employee. The process should be coordinated with Human Resources to ensure an announcement to interested persons as follows:

  • Announce the opportunity within the department/unit, school or college, and in other departments/units as needed, and give a date by which letters of interest and a CV/Resume must be submitted;
  • Indicate that a competitive (internal or external) recruitment will occur in the future to permanently fill the position; alternatively, if the department/unit wishes to request a waiver of recruitment, follow the usual process for such a request;
  • Employees interviewed for the interim position must meet the minimum qualifications;
  • If there is no waiver of recruitment, appoint a selection committee and begin the recruitment for the permanent position, or begin reorganization efforts, within sufficient time (usually at least 120 days) before the end of the interim appointment.

An employee on an interim appointment is eligible to apply for the permanent position through a competitive recruitment. Upon completion of the interim appointment, unless selected for the permanent position the employee will return to his/her previous position and department/unit and will be paid at the salary they would have been had the interim assignment not occurred, including any university-wide salary increase that may have applied to their previous salary. HR has developed procedures for establishing an interim assignment.

Promotions in Academic Rank - This type of promotion is associated with the following academic ranks: Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. Employees appointed to certain ranks may be promoted on the basis of demonstrated individual merit in relationship to the University's mission and within their own disciplines. Rank changes are approved every year in academic departments.

An employee who receives a promotion in academic rank will receive an increase in pay. The salary is set each year for each applicable rank.

Promotions (Non-Academic) - A promotion is defined as a move to a job with a higher pay grade based on job duties. In addition, job changes that result in a move from one structure to another (i.e. from Pay Structure A, to Pay Structure B or vice versa) will be considered a promotion if the pay range midpoint for the new job is higher than the midpoint of the employee's current position. The promotional increase cannot result in a rate that is below the minimum of the range or above the maximum of the range for the new job.

Factors that may be considered in determining pay increases for a promotion include, but are not limited to: staff's credentials (knowledge, skills, abilities, experience and performance) relative to the minimum job qualifications, internal equity comparisons, market considerations, and/or available funding.

Demotions - A demotion is defined as a job change that results from a move to a lower pay grade based on job duties. In addition, job changes that result in a move from one structure to another (i.e. from Pay Structure A, to Pay Structure B or vice versa) will be considered a demotion if the pay range midpoint for the new job is lower than the midpoint of the employee's current position. A demotion can occur for reasons initiated by the department (involuntary) or staff member (voluntary). Depending on the circumstances surrounding the demotion, the employee's pay may remain the same or be reduced.

Factors that may be considered in determining pay reductions for a demotion include, but are not limited to: staff's credentials (knowledge, skills, abilities, experience and performance) relative to the minimum job qualifications, internal equity comparisons, market considerations, and/or available funding.

Transfers - A transfer is defined as a job change (i.e. lateral move) that results in a move to a position with the same pay grade or to a job assigned to a different pay structure that has a midpoint comparable to the current job. These moves generally do not warrant a change in pay. If, however, the staff member moves to a job that has greater responsibilities or another factor provides a basis for an increase in pay, there may be an opportunity to provide a pay increase. If current pay is at or above range midpoint, an increase is usually not warranted.

Reclassifications - Reclassification occurs when a position is reviewed by Human Resources, Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness and is assigned a different job title based on a significant change in duties, responsibilities, organizational structure or other factors affecting the position. Refer to Reclassifications on the HR website for more information.   

Adjunct - Adjunct faculty appointments may be made for the benefit of the University to allow individuals from outside the University to contribute to its academic program. When appropriate, an academic department initiates a recommendation for an adjunct appointment at the faculty rank commensurate with the individual's qualifications. Approval of the college Dean and the Provost are required. An adjunct employee is appointed to a temporary (non-budgeted) position.

Adjunct appointments are usually without compensation and such persons are not eligible for tenure, to vote or hold office in any unit of University governance, sabbatical privileges or other benefits.

Non-University Student Employment - Under unusual circumstance, a department may hire a high school student age 16 or older or a student enrolled at another college or university as a temporary unclassified non-university student hourly employee. When attempting to fill a vacant student position, the department should make every effort to hire a student enrolled at K-State. When a K-State student is not available, primarily because the duties are performed in a geographic location outside of the Manhattan or Salina area, the department may hire a non-university student. During the school year, this must be a person who is currently enrolled in high school or in a post- secondary program. During the summer months, the person must have been enrolled in the previous spring semester. This non-university student appointment falls under the same guidelines as any other temporary unclassified appointment, however the position does not require recruitment in the applicant tracking system.

.055 Recruitment within the Applicant Tracking System

Recruitment for unclassified, faculty and university support staff (USS) positions at Kansas State University occurs within the applicant tracking system. This includes appointments that are short-time in length, in some cases for only one pay period. (Example: Instructor is hired for eight weeks to teach a course.) See the chart that follows which displays the different appointment types along with the recruitment/applicant tracking system requirement. Positions that are not routed through the applicant tracking system must still be reviewed by Human Resources, Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness for appropriate title, FLSA and compensation rate with the exception of temporary faculty positions.

TYPE OF APPOINTMENTRECRUITMENT/APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM REQUIRED?
Regular AppointmentYes
Term AppointmentYes
Temporary AppointmentInitial temporary appointment – Yes
All other temporary appointments – see "Recruitment Exceptions"
Promotion in RankNo
Promotion, Demotion, TransferYes
ReclassificationNo
Rehire – employee previously held a regular or term appointment and is rehired to a regular term appointmentYes
Rehire - employee previously held a temporary appointment and is rehired to a regular or term appointment, after a break in service of a day or moreYes
Rehire – employee previously held a regular or term appointment and is rehired to a temporary appointmentNo, if employment is continuous and the duties of the temporary appointment reflect the same duties as the regular or term appointment. In all other cases, recruitment is required.
Rehire - employee previously held a temporary appointment and is rehired to another temporary appointmentSee "Recruitment Exceptions" below
Rehire – employee previously held a USS appointment and is rehired to any type of unclassified appointmentYes
Rehire - previous student employee is rehired to any type of unclassified appointmentYes
ConcurrentContingent upon the type of position being hired:
Regular position – yes
Temporary position – no
See "Recruitment Exceptions" below

Human Resources (HR) recognizes that certain hiring scenarios should not require recruitment. In the following instances, the applicant tracking system is recommended but not required.

Recruitment (Applicant Tracking System) Exceptions

  1. Rehiring unclassified temporary employees (see temporary appointment definition): When a former employee returns to the position they previously held as a temporary employee, recruitment through the applicant tracking system shall not be required, as long as the break in service is less than one year. If the break in service has exceeded one year in length, the recruitment process must be initiated in the applicant tracking system.

  2. If the employee is returning to a different position as a temporary with a title and/or department change, recruitment must occur in the applicant tracking system.

  3. If the employee is returning to a different position number, but the title and department are the same, recruitment is not required (position number change only).

  4. Recurring temporary appointments (see temporary appointment definition): There are instances where unclassified temporary employees are continuously reappointed to the same position every year. (Example: Instructors) If departments are aware the employee will be returning to a temporary appointment at a later date but will not be paid for a period of time, the department may place the employee on "seasonal leave of absence" in HRIS instead of terminating and rehiring the employee. Example: Instructor (.2 FTE) teaches in the fall but does not plan to teach again until the next fall semester. The employee should be placed on seasonal leave without pay from January through July and reactivated in August for the fall semester. By placing the employee on seasonal leave of absence, recruitment via the applicant tracking system would not be required each time the employee resumes instructor duties.

  5. Concurrent temporary appointments for part-time unclassified employees: A concurrent appointment exists when one employee holds multiple active employment records in HRIS not to exceed an FTE of 1.0 between all active positions. Recruitment within the applicant tracking system is not required for an employee who holds an active part-time appointment and is being appointed to an unclassified temporary concurrent position. Example: Employee is an unclassified Teaching Assistant at .6 FTE and is being appointed to a .2 temporary Instructor position for a semester. In this instance, recruitment would not be required for the concurrent temporary but a revised contract is needed if the appointment is for greater than 90 days between combined positions. During instances where the employee will be .5 FTE or more for greater than 90 days between combined appointments, a revised contract must be initiated. (See Section .070 Multiple Positions)

  6. Non-university student appointments do not require recruitment through the applicant tracking system, however, a position description must be completed and submitted to HR Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness for review.

.060 Summer Employment

Nine-month faculty employees are placed on leave of absence for the summer following the end of the academic year - from May to August. Information for nine-month employees who will be teaching summer school courses (summer school appointments) will be entered in the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) by business officers for each college. Information for nine-month employees in non-teaching positions (summer appointments), generally paid by grants, is submitted to HR by each department. Nine-month employees holding summer school appointments and/or summer appointments are appointed to temporary (non-budgeted) positions during the dates specified by their departments.

For more information on processing summer transactions and for transaction deadlines, refer to Summer Information

.070 Multiple Positions

An individual may be employed on multiple positions at Kansas State University or may be employed with Kansas State University and another state agency at the same time. An employee may be appointed in multiple unclassified regular (budgeted) positions or multiple temporary (non-budgeted) positions. They may also hold multiple types of contracts. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) status for the multiple positions must be the same. An employee may never be appointed to concurrent positions where one position is a non-exempt (hourly) position and the other position is an exempt (salaried) position. The rates of pay and ranks or job titles may differ. The total FTE for multiple positions shall not exceed 1.0 FTE.

Appointments in multiple departments require signature approval of both department heads when completing transactions. If the appointments are jointly held in two departments, then one contract for all joint appointments should be issued. For concurrent appointments, the FTE will be added together to determine benefit eligibility.

It is considered inappropriate for an unclassified employee to engage in gainful employment outside the University that is incompatible with institutional commitments. Participation in conferences, workshops and seminars does not usually constitute consulting or outside employment. It is possible that organizing and operating such meetings for profit may be construed as consulting or outside employment. Such situations must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate department head and dean, as well as by the Provost.

.080 Employment Contracts

Initial contracts must be issued for each employee being hired to a regular unclassified, faculty, or term appointment. The University issues four types of employment contracts:

  • Probationary Faculty - Tenure earning faculty member
  • Tenured Faculty - Tenured faculty member
  • Regular - Unclassified professional administrative/service or some non-tenure earning faculty positions
  • Term - Limited term appointment with no expectation of continuous employment beyond the term stated

Human Resources (HR) reviews initial contracts based on information in the applicant tracking system, and returns them through appropriate channels to the hiring department. If the hiring department changes any part of an initial contract, the department must make edits and resubmit for review.

Any changes in conditions of employment must be submitted with a letter of explanation/justification to HR. This doesn't not apply to promotion and tenure decisions or merit increases that have been approved. (See Contract Changes below) If additional information is needed regarding contracts, contact HR.

Regular and Faculty Contracts:

  1. Instructors may either be on a "Regular Appointment" or a "Probationary Faculty Appointment." For those instructors on a "Probationary Faculty Appointment," their contracts must include the following special condition: "Award of tenure is contingent upon promotion to the rank of assistant professor."
  2. Administrators, such as deans, who hold tenure in an academic department, receive a "Tenured Faculty Appointment" contract. Their administrative titles must be added in the space as follows: "This appointment carries with it the assignment of administrative responsibilities as (title); however, this assignment is subject to change upon notice by the appointing administrator."

Administrative/Service Contracts:

  1. Contracts for persons with regular appointments who were granted administrative tenure prior to June 1, 1982, should include the following added language: "This appointment carries with it administrative tenure granted prior to June 1, 1982."
  2. Contracts for persons with regular appointments who had served in probationary status for administrative tenure prior to June 1, 1982, but who were not granted tenure, should include the following special condition: "This appointment is made subject to Section II.C. of the President's Policy Statement for Unclassified Positions, Other Than Those in Instruction, Research, Extension and Library, and for Appointees to Those Positions."

Term Contracts:

Reappointment of persons on term appointments require a new contract annually.

Elements of a Contract:

Type of contractElements of contract
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermIntroductory paragraph (Required). The welcoming paragraph can be modified as needed but should include the College/Major Unit and Department making the contingent offer. The position title/academic rank should be included here or in the second paragraph.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermType of appointment statement (Required – Whichever is applicable). This paragraph should include reference to whether the position is 1) tenured/tenure-track/non-tenure track, 2) full or part-time, 12- or 9-month, 3) regular or term, 4) salary, AND 5) benefits eligible or not benefits eligible (less than .50 appointment) with a referral to the benefits group for more information. For Exempt Administrative/Professional positions, the salary shall be presented as an annual amount, for Term Administrative/ Professional positions, the salary shall be presented as a bi-weekly amount, and for Nonexempt Administrative/Professional Positions the wages shall be presented as an Hourly Rate. This paragraph could also include information about the expected date of first pay check and number of installments.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermContract conditions statement (Required – Whichever is applicable). This paragraph must be included as the standard clause indicating whether the appointment being offered includes: 1) the right to notice of non-reappointment OR 2) carries no expectations of continuing employment beyond term of contract.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track)Degree requirement contingency (If Applicable). This paragraph explains appointment contingencies in cases where the appointment is being made prior to the candidate fulfilling all degree requirements.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track)Promotion and Tenure statements (If Applicable - Whichever is applicable). This includes references to appropriate Promotion and Tenure statements and time periods/dates relevant to tenure evaluation and review, including when the tenure review period would begin. For more information on determining the appropriate review dates, see University Handbook section C: Faculty Identity, Employment, Tenure section.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track)Evaluation statement (Required). This includes references to the responsibility of the individual be familiar with university policies and procedures, including those related to faculty promotion and tenure, evaluation, and reappointment guidelines with links to the University Handbook and corresponding departmental documents.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track)Expectations of the Appointment (Required - Whichever is applicable). This paragraph includes the assignment of duties by percentages of time and any additional information that the unit head would like to include. For non-tenure track positions with a position description, the position description may also be attached. This paragraph addresses the University Handbook [C21.1] requirement that faculty have a letter of expectation.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermStart-Up Package (If Applicable). This section covers the basic elements of the negotiated start up package.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and Term

Additional Items – (If Applicable – Whichever is applicable). This section includes information not covered elsewhere. If addressing relocation expenses, please use or be consistent with the standard paragraphs in the appropriate template.

9a Relocation Expenses (If Applicable - Whichever is Applicable). See PPM 6320.50 for details on what is allowed.

Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermGovernance Policies statement (Required). This standard paragraph explains the employee's obligation to be aware of university policies.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermContingency statement (Required). This standard paragraph is used to explain the contingencies of the offer.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermClosing paragraph (Optional). This paragraph may be modified/customized for unit head welcome or anything else desired by the unit head.
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermDepartment/Unit Head Approval (Optional).
Faculty (tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track), Regular and TermDean's Approval (Required). All contracts for all unclassified positions must be approved by the appropriate Administrator (Vice President and/or designee).

Contract Changes

A new contract is required for any of the following changes pertaining to a regular, faculty or term appointment for an unclassified employee: a change to FTE of an existing appointment, a change to salary, any time an employee changes departments by promoting, demoting or transferring, a change in title, or a change in rank/classification (excluding academic rank changes approved in the budget at the beginning of the fiscal year). In such cases, a contract is issued indicating a revision to the original contract. If the original contract contains a special statement which allows for the change (such as a change in FTE or salary at mid-year), a new contract is not required.

Contracts are not required for an employee with a total FTE of less than .50, no matter the duration. If the total appointment changes to .50 FTE or more for greater than 90 days, then HR Talent Acquisition must approve the change. Employees who are appointed .50 FTE or more for more than 90 days must be issued a contract and are benefit eligible. When consecutive 90 day appointments occur, the employee must be issued a contract and assigned benefits.

Faculty appointments:

Faculty Appointment

Contract Type

Assistant Professor,

Associate Professor,

Professor,

University

Distinguished

Professor

 These appointments may be on either term, probationary tenure-track, or tenured faculty contracts.

 

InstructorThis appointment may be either term, faculty, or probationary tenure-track (must be promoted to Assistant Professor or above to be tenured).

Research Assistant

Professor,

Research Associate

Professor,

Research Professor

These appointments may be either on regular faculty or term faculty contracts (They cannot be on probationary tenure-track faculty contracts.)

Assistant Instructor,

Extension assistant, Extension Associate,

Research Assistant*,

Research Associate*

These appointments must be only term faculty contracts.

* Possible exception could be made in type of contract.

.090  Spoken English Competency        

Kansas Board of Regents (BOR) regulations require that all prospective full-time and part-time faculty, excluding visiting professors on exchange for one year or less, having classroom or laboratory instructional responsibilities and/or direct tutorial or advisement contact, other than for courses or sessions conducted primarily in a foreign language, must have their spoken English language competency assessed prior to employment.

As a part of the hiring process, all candidates must be interviewed by three institutional representatives, one of whom must be a student (undergraduate or graduate). Signatures must be obtained from all three representatives. A Faculty and GTA Spoken English Competency Assessment Sheet (PER 20) form is available for use by the interview team in assessing the Spoken English Language competency of each candidate.

Prospective faculty (as defined above) found to be potentially deficient in speaking ability, as determined by the interview team, shall be required to achieve a minimum score of 50 on the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK), or a minimum score of 22 on the speaking component of the internet based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or a minimum score of 7 on the speaking component of the International English Language Test System (IELTS) to be eligible for an appointment without spoken English language remediation conditions.

For the candidate hired, a record of the institutional representatives' names and signatures, along with the SPEAK, TOEFEL iBT, or IELTS speaking component score, if applicable, must be included on the Faculty and GTA Spoken English Competency Assessment Sheet (PER 20) and submitted with the Personnel Information Form (PER-38A). This information will be tracked for the BOR and reported every other year.

.100 Conflict of Interest Form

As part of the annual appointment process, all faculty and unclassified staff with 100% time appointments must disclose to the university whether they or members of their immediate family (spouse and dependent children), personal household, or associate entities (e.g., corporations, partnerships or trusts) have consulting arrangements, significant financial or managerial interest, or employment in an outside entity whose financial or other interests would reasonably appear to be directly and significantly affected by their research or other university activities.

Faculty and unclassified staff members who hold fractional appointments and who have potential or possible conflicts of time commitments or conflicts of interest, as defined above, are also required to make the disclosures.

.110 On-Boarding Process for Unclassified Staff or Faculty

When an employee is appointed to an unclassified position at Kansas State University, certain personnel documents must be completed and submitted to Human Resources (HR). The on-boarding documents will either be provided within the PageUp Applicant Tracking System or via the forms checklist on the Human Resources (HR) website. Refer to Personnel Actions for a list of documents to be included with each type of hire, change and separation. If any of the required documents are missing or do not have the appropriate signature(s), the transaction may be delayed by HR until the correct information is obtained. In addition, if the employee or department has not completed the appropriate onboarding tasks within the applicant tracking system, this may also cause a delay.

The Personnel Information Form (PER-38A) is used for appointments through the applicant tracking system.

The Appointment Form (PER-38) is used for concurrent appointments or any appointment not submitted through the applicant tracking system.

All new employees must provide a copy of their social security card with on-boarding documents, even if the card is not used with the Form I-9. The social security card provides verification that the correct employee name and social security number is associated with the employee for payroll purposes (i.e., state and federal tax identification, benefit administration, and social security).

For more information on HR forms, refer to Forms on the HR website.

.120 Data Changes

Employee data changes occur when an existing employee has an update to personal, position or job information. Employee data changes are accomplished in one of three ways: (1) an employee updates HRIS Employee Self-Service; (2) the department liaison updates the Human Resource Information System (HRIS; or (3) the department liaison submits the appropriate documentation to Human Resources. Refer to Managing Employee Information for instructions on how data is updated within HRIS.

Personal Information - An employee's personal information includes: Name, Social Security Number, Home address, Education Information, Home Phone Number, Emergency Contacts, Gender, Marital Status, Birth Date, Citizenship, Ethnic Group, Military Status and Veteran's Preference.

Position and Job Changes – Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness must review and approve changes in employees' terms or conditions of employment except for normal merit salary increases and terminations. Examples - changes between regular and temporary status; changes in percent time; and title changes. A letter should be sent through appropriate channels to Compensation and Organizational Effectiveness justifying the changes and they will indicate approval by signing the letter and returning a copy of the original to the unit requesting the change.

Part-time to Full-time or Vice Versa (FTE Full Time Equivalent) Changes) - Every effort will be made to accommodate an employee request for a temporary or permanent change of status from part-time to full-time, or vice-versa; however, the University is not obligated to change an employee's status, particularly if it causes hardship to a program. An employee in regular status will not be required to change their status, unless financial exigency is in effect. A term employee may be required to change their status, reflecting the need for their services, as a condition of employment.
When an employee's position FTE changes, a transaction form must be submitted to HR. The FTE may either be increased or decreased. An unclassified employee on an appointment with a contract must receive a new contract with any change in FTE. Refer to Faculty & Professional Staff (Unclassified) Appointment & Change Checklist.

Change from University Support Staff Service to Unclassified - If an employee is changing type of service at Kansas State University (i.e., going from university support staff to unclassified staff), documents must be submitted by the hiring department to change the appointment in HRIS. A separation paper should not be submitted to terminate the employee. Contact HR Benefits concerning retirement plan enrollment.

The Vice President of Human Resources and the Associate Vice President of Human Resources will provide a joint response to the administrator making the request for conversion from USS to unclassified. If the request is approved, the Vice President of Human Resources will abolish the USS position. The administrator must contact the Budget Office to arrange for the transfer of tenths and funding for the position. Unclassified professionals are guaranteed a year's notice of non-reappointment after two years of service(seeUniversity Handbook Appendix A). The two years of service required for this notice may be waived in instances where the person has served at least two years in the USS position

Employee Leaves - Information regarding leave without pay, sabbatical leave, and military leave is found in the PPM Chapter 4860 Employee Leaves, Holidays, FMLA and Other Absences for Employees of Kansas State University.

Phased Retirement - Information regarding phased retirement is found in PPM Chapter 4810 Retirement and Savings Plans.

Pay Rate Changes - An unclassified employee may receive a pay rate change any time throughout the year as determined by their department. Those pay rate changes that occur during the annual budget process do not require a transaction be submitted to HR. For increases that do not occur during the annual budget process, the following should be submitted to HR:

.130 Additional Pay

Additional Pay - Additional pays are used for unique pay purposes that do not fit within the normal scope of traditional pay. The Additional Pay form, with appropriate signatures, is submitted to the Human Resources (HR).

The following list provides a description of each type of add pay.

Add Pay Earnings CodeDescription
CNTCNT - Contractual Pay (Non-Budgeted Salary in addition to Budgeted Salary such as a Professorship). Note: Per OMB Circular A-21, Section J, 10, d, (1), "Charges for work performed on sponsored agreements by faculty members during the academic year will be based on the individual faculty member's regular compensation for the continuous period which, under the policy of the institution concerned, constitutes the basis of his or her salary. Charges for work performed on sponsored agreements during all or any portion of such period are allowable at the base salary rate. In no event will charges to sponsored agreements, irrespective of the basis of computation, exceed the proportionate share of the base-salary for the period"; therefore, add pays cannot be paid from a sponsored agreement.
OVLOverload Payment for full-time employees (Additional compensation for extra work above normal full-time duties.) Normally limited to ten consecutive pay periods. Payments may be made from any funding source, but must be approved by the Dean of the College. Overloads cannot be paid from a sponsored agreement (see CNT above).
OVLOverload Payment for part-time employees (Compensation for a one-time event or for short-term, temporary duties unrelated to the employee's current part-time employment.) Additional Pay should not be used if the payment is for "work" similar to that being performed by another employee. Short term is defined as less than 90 days in duration. In cases where the duties last for greater than 90 days, a concurrent appointment should be submitted to HR.
GTAGraduate Teaching Assistant - GTA (Extra pay above GTA's regular salary; usually in the form of an award or outstanding achievement.)
STRGraduate Research Assistant – GRA (Extra pay above GRA's regular salary; usually in the form of an award or outstanding achievement.)
BON

Faculty Award Payments (See Faculty Award Payments for further instructions)

With regard to Additional Payment's for part-time employees, the following points are to be considered:

  • When a part-time employee's workload has been increased within their current position, an FTE and pay rate change must be submitted to HR. This would not be considered an Additional Pay.
  • By authorizing the payment via the Additional Pay form, the signature authority acknowledges the employee's additional duties do not affect their benefit status. Under no circumstance should an Additional Pay be submitted to HR if the duties are on-going (more than 90 days) and impact the employees benefit status. Example: A part-time employee works 20 hours per week (.5 FTE) and is assigned to help with a project in another department where they're reporting an extra 20 hours per week for six months. This places the employee at 40 hours per week (1.0 FTE) and would change the employee from part-time to full-time benefits. This would not be an additional pay. A concurrent appointment would be completed in this example.

 

 .140 Separations

The information in this section pertains to separations of unclassified state and local agency personnel. Refer to the Personnel Actions for a list of documents to be included with each type of separation. For more information on leave payouts, refer to PPM Chapter 4860 Employee Leaves, Holidays, FMLA and Other Absences for Employees of Kansas State University.


Resignation - An employee wishing to resign from the unclassified service in good standing will file with the department a written letter of resignation stating the effective date and the reason for leaving. Departments are responsible for providing written acceptance of the resignation to the employee. If the employee fails to provide the required notice, a statement concerning such failure may be inserted in the employee's permanent record


End of Temporary Appointment - A temporary employee's appointment may be ended at any time during employment. An appointment end date must be indicated on the transaction form when the employee is initially hired. Department liaisons are responsible for monitoring the appointment end date to ensure that the individual's employment ends when expected in HRIS. Refer to Managing Employee Information for instructions on how to monitor temporary appointments.


Separation to New Agency - If an employee is leaving Kansas State University to work at another agency within the State of Kansas, the department liaison must submit a separation form to HR with the name of the new agency. Leave and benefits will transfer to the new agency as long as there is continuous service with the State of Kansas. Contact HR Benefits for information on the transfer between state agencies.


Retirement – Employees who are planning to retire must notify HR Benefits when planning their retirement details. The department liaison must submit a retirement transaction to HR when the retirement date has been determined. See PPM Chapter 4810, Retirement Plans, Policies and Procedures for further information.
End of Term Appointment - If funding is no longer available for an employee with a term contract, the department must submit a termination transaction along with the appropriate documentation to HR. The employee should be provided a courtesy notice they will not be issued a new contract.


Death – In the case of an employee death, the department liaison must contact HR Benefits. The department liaisons must submit a separation transaction to HR. 

.150 Instructions for Completing Personnel Transaction Forms


Human Resources recommends that all appointment actions are effective at the beginning of a pay period when possible. Instructions for completing personnel transaction forms are found on the Human Resources website under the forms page. 

.160 Questions

Human Resources (HR) is responsible for this policy. The Vice President or designee must approve any exception to this policy or related procedures. Questions should be directed to Human Resources at 785-532-6277 or hr@ksu.edu. Questions concerning initial contracts should be directed to Talent Acquisition, kstatecareers@ksu.edu. Questions regarding benefits should be directed to Benefits, benefits@ksu.edu.