Civil Service

Kansas State Government and the Merit System

The State workforce is comprised of classified and unclassified employees. Employees are selected for the classified service through a competitive process, while unclassified positions can be filled by direct appointment, with or without competition. Regulations for selecting in the classified service do not apply to selections for employees in the unclassified service.

Classified employees are covered by the “merit” or “civil service” system of personnel management.

The Kansas merit system is codified in the in the Civil Service Act and follows these basic principles:

All actions including recruitment, hiring, classification, compensation, training, retention, promotion, discipline and dismissal of State employees will be:

a) based on merit principles and equal opportunity for public service; and
b) made without regard to race, national origin or ancestry, religion, political affiliation or non-merit factors and shall not be based on sex, age, or disability except where age or sex constitute a bona fide occupational qualification or where a qualified disability prevents an individual from performing the essential functions of a position.

Employees will be retained based on their ability to manage the duties of the position. Processes exist for correcting unsatisfactory performance and managing circumstances when unsatisfactory performance cannot be corrected.

The Kansas Civil Service Board ensures compliance with the principles of the Civil Service Act. The Board hears appeals from permanent classified State employees who believe they have been unfairly treated in any employment action involving suspension, demotion or dismissal and from applicants who have been refused to be certified as eligible for a job class. Applicants for State employment and employees who believe they have been discriminated against for non-merit factors may file a complaint with the Kansas Human Rights Commission.

Merit system requirements do not apply to unclassified positions. Unclassified employees are essentially “at will” employees.

EMPLOYEE RESOURCES

State employees should be familiar with their Agency’s personnel policies and have access to State personnel statutes, rules, and regulations. The following resources are available to all employees. Upon viewing any of the links below, you will need to press your browser's back button to return to the Orientation.

Kansas Personnel Statutes
http://www.kslegislature.org/cgi-bin/statutes/index.cgi

Kansas Personnel Regulations
http://www.da.ks.gov/ps/documents/regs/default.htm

Division of Personnel Services Bulletins
http://da.ks.gov/ps/documents/bulletins/default.htm

If this information is not available to you, please ask your supervisor to assist you in locating it.