Page 230 - Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual

specific subject matter, or work effectively in a specific field. Salary level may not be dependent on
whether the incumbent utilizes the knowledge.

KSA (Knowledge, skills, and abilities) - Common job specifications. Knowledge refers to acquired
information necessary to do the job (e.g., principles of nuclear physics). Skills refer to acquired
measurable behaviors (e.g., autoclave operation). Abilities refer to natural talents or acquired dexterity
(e.g., capacity to lift 200 pounds).

Labor Demand - The highest wage an employer is willing to pay for a given level of employment or
number of employees.

Labor Market - A place where labor is exchanged for wages. These places are identified and defined
by a combination of the following factors - (1) geography (i.e., local, regional, national, international),
(2) industry, (3) education, licensing or certification and (4) function or occupation.

Lateral Transfer - A permanent transfer of an employee in one salary grade to a relatively equal
salary grade. “Relatively equal” is defined as a change in the new salary range maximum of plus/minus
less than five percent.

Lay-Off - The separation of an employee from the classified service due to lack of work, lack of funds,
abolishment of a position, economic reduction, or other material changes in duties or organization, as
approved by the Augusta, Georgia Commission.

Lead or Lag Policy - Match, follow or exceed the market when adjusting pay structures. For example,
an organization may adopt a “Lead Pay Policy” to attract the best qualified candidates and/or retain
top performers.

Leave - An approved type of absence from work as provided for by these Policies and Procedures.

Limited Term Appointment- An appointment to a classified position, the duration of which is
determined by a contract or grant. Benefits are determined by the provision of the agreement.

Lump-sum Increase - Any increase in pay that is made in the form of a single cash payment. The
most common form is the lump-sum merit.

Market - The area from which applicants are to be recruited. The combination of Career Family,
Career Band, Job Type/Role, and Contribution Level provides a link to labor market compensation,
when the market criteria contribute to the defined Career Family framework.

Market Adjustment - The percentage increase to organization, group or individual pay that is
necessary to adjust it to the estimated market level.

Market Reference Point - Compensation philosophy in which an organization chooses to benchmark
to a percentile of the market in order to compensate positions within the organization.

Market Pricing - The technique of creating a job worth hierarchy based on the "going rate" for
benchmark jobs in the labor market(s) relevant to the organization. Non-benchmark jobs are slotted
into the structure based on whole job comparison.

Maturity Curve - A process of determining employees' salaries as a function of years from the time
of the first degree earned. Maturity curves are most commonly used for pricing jobs in lieu of relying

All Rights Reserved – As approved by the Commission on 05-07-2019 229 | P a g e