'employee-level' originates from the combination of 'employee' and 'level', where 'employee' refers to a person employed for wages or salary, and 'level' indicates a specific rank or position.

'employee' comes from the French word 'employé', and 'level' from the Old French 'livelle', eventually forming the modern English term 'employee-level'.

Initially, it referred to the rank or position of an employee, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.