Employment Conditions

Hiring Authority
The conditions of KU employment are established in compliance with federal and state statutes, regulations, and are consistent with Kansas Board of Regents and University policies. Appointments to positions are authorized within those parameters by appropriate levels of KU administration. University policies governing appointments are also promulgated by appropriate KU administrative offices.

In consultation with appropriate administrative offices, Human Resources (HR) determines the eligibility for hire or rehire of individuals seeking University employment in faculty, staff, and student positions. As with any other employer, HR may make such determinations based on, but not limited to, past convictions, employment history and/or status, eligibility to work status, and/or employment references. Employees who are terminated for cause may not be eligible for rehire as determined by HR. Persons denied eligibility for employment may discuss this status with HR.

Conditions of Employment
Conditions of employment may be designated by the University for specific positions based upon the nature of the work, time commitment, or designated funding source.  All employment conditions assigned to a position will be outlined in the offer letter or annual salary notice for faculty and staff.  If a conflict exists regarding the designation of employment conditions, the most recent of either the offer letter or the applicable annual salary notice will serve as the authoritative source. The annual salary notice affirms acceptance of the conditions of employment.

Unclassified Professional Staff (UPS) and University Support Staff (USS) are subject to a probationary period during which time their employment has an “at will” status as specified by University policy.

Except for the “serve at the pleasure,” “limited term,” and “contingent upon funding” designations, an existing UPS must receive a notice of non-reappointment within the established timeframes as outlined by the non-reappointment policy to end existing employment.

Employment Condition Definitions:

Limited Term – A regular appointment that requires work for a specified time period with a specified end date.  Limited Term appointments generally do not exceed one to two years in duration, except as defined for Postdoctoral Researcher appointments.  Acting or Interim appointments are viewed as Limited Term.  Extension requests for Limited Term appointments should be submitted to HR no later than two months prior to the expiration date in order to be considered for renewal.

Contingent Upon Funding – Appointment to any non-student, regular position for which there is not an ongoing commitment of funding, and for which the continuation of employment is based on availability of funding (i.e., sponsored projects, grants, endowment, revenue funds, etc.).

Serve at the Pleasure – A designation made by the Chancellor, Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor, Vice Provost, Vice Chancellor, Dean, or their designees for employees holding higher level administrative appointments or key appointments considered critical to the unit’s operations, business, and/or financial processes which allows for termination for any reason without advanced notice. 

Temporary Appointments – Hiring units may make a temporary appointment due to an immediate vacancy, special project assignment, seasonal volume, emergencies, etc. For staff positions, units may elect to hire a temporary staff member through the University or through an external temporary agency. This policy applies only to temporary employees hired through the University.

To promote equal opportunity, the University strongly encourages units to go through the search process. Requests for direct temporary hires will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by HR. Units may not convert temporary appointments to regular appointments without a search except under extraordinary circumstances with authorization from HR.

Appointment to a temporary position may be full time or part-time and is not benefits-eligible, but may be eligible for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if eligibility parameters have been met.  Appointments to temporary staff positions are non-exempt unless a specific exception is granted by HR.

An individual working on a temporary appointment may not exceed 999 worked during the full pay periods in a calendar year, taking into consideration all temporary appointments whether active or inactive during the calendar year.  Temporary staff should not be permitted to work more than 999 hours during the full pay periods of a calendar year, or when temporary services are no longer needed. 

Temporary appointments may reoccur for subsequent calendar years, with the maximum annual hour limitation of 999 hours. Any hire or rehire will require acceptance of an online offer letter and completion of required hiring documentation prior to starting work.

Temporary appointments for which no pay has been received for 1 year will be terminated by HR. Temporary appointments are considered “at will” and may be terminated prior to the end of the work assignment or at the discretion of the University.