Question 1

During the evaluation phase, which type of evaluation method focuses upon how well an employee's training actually resulted in new competencies and skills related to the position?

Accepted Answer

During the evaluation phase, the learning method focuses upon how well an employee's training actually resulted in new competencies and skills related to the position.
Key Takeaway: There are four standard methods that businesses use to evaluate employees and their respective training: learning, behavior, and reaction. The learning method focuses upon how well an employee's training actually resulted in learning new competencies and skills; the reaction method looks at participant reactions to training; the behavior method quantifies on-the-job behavior modifications that have resulted from training; and the results method looks at the overall results of the organization. Typically, the results method is thought of as the most valuable method for a company.

Question 2

What term describes the illegal agreement between management and a potential employee to offer the potential employee a job as long as they agree not to join a union?

Accepted Answer

A yellow dog contract is the term for an agreement between management and a potential employee to offer the potential employee a job as long as they agree not to join a union.
Key Takeaway: A yellow dog contract is an agreement between an employer and employee to offer employment as long as the employee agrees not to be a member of a union. Before 1932, when yellow dog contracts were outlawed under the Norris-LaGuardia Act, these contracts were used widely to prevent the formation of unions within companies.

Question 3

Restricted stock is subject to special SEC regulations before it can ever be sold on the market.

Accepted Answer

Key Takeaway: Restricted stock is subject to special SEC regulations before it can ever be sold on the market. Typically, restricted stock is given as a reward to insiders after an acquisition or a merger. Doing so will prevent an adverse impact on the market price of the stock, as it will be required that stockholders actually hold onto the stock for a prescribed period of time before they may sell it publicly.

Question 4

Of the following, which should be included in a supervisory training program?

Accepted Answer

Of the items listed, conflict resolution skills should be included in a supervisory training program.
Key Takeaway: Typically, supervisory training involves topics that deal directly with employee interaction and management. New supervisors can expect to be trained in: management skills and styles, legal requirements for employers, performance appraisals, discipline, safety, team building, conflict management, communication skills, negotiation, interviewing, planning, and motivation.

Question 5

If a company employee is earning a salary that is deemed to be excessive when compared to their counterparts of equal ability, their pay rate may be identified as what type of rate?

Accepted Answer

If a company employee is earning a salary that is deemed to be excessive when compared to their counterparts of equal ability, their pay rate may be identified as a red circle rate.
Key Takeaway: A red circle rate occurs when a company employee is determined to be earning a salary that is above the maximum range for a job or when it is deemed excessive when compared to their peers. In the case of a red circle rate, the employee with the inflated salary may be ineligible for pay increases until the point when the maximum range for the position surpasses the employee's pay level.

Question 6

A European woman applies for a job with an airline company. The job requires the employee to speak French. Which of the following questions can be asked during the interview?

Accepted Answer

In this situation, the only appropriate question that could be asked is "Do you speak French?"
Key Takeaway: The only interview questions that are allowed are those that specifically relate to job qualifications. Skill areas, knowledge, and educational questions that are related to job responsibilities are all open for questioning. Personal questions about health, country of origin, family status, religion, etc. are all considered to be inappropriate.

Question 7

What did the McDonnell-Douglas Corp. v. Green case establish?

Accepted Answer

The McDonnell-Douglas Corp. v. Green case established disparate treatment.
Key Takeaway: McDonnell-Douglas Corp v. Green was a United States Supreme Court case that established disparate treatment and led to the amendment of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under Title VII, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is responsible to investigate possible claims of discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Question 8

Most likely, which of the following employees would take part in vestibule training?

Accepted Answer

Most likely, out of these choices, a cashier would take part in vestibule training.
Key Takeaway: Vestibule training allows new or inexperienced workers to use any job equipment that either requires a certain level of speed or is hazardous. Such training would be appropriate for cashiers, construction workers, tool and die makers, etc.

Question 9

If an employee is entitled to minimum wage, protections under child labor and equal pay, and overtime if he or she works in excess of 40 hours per week, is the employee exempt or non-exempt?

Accepted Answer

If an employee is entitled to minimum wage, protections under child labor and equal pay, and overtime if he or she works in excess of 40 hours per week, the employee is non-exempt.
Key Takeaway: According to the FLSA, an employee in any given business must be classified as either exempt or nonexempt. In order to be exempt, an employee must be paid a salary of at least $23,660 per year. An employee who is entitled to hourly pay (at minimum wage or above), overtime, and protections under child labor and equal pay, that employee is considered to be non-exempt.

Question 10

Which of the following acts allows employers to follow drug testing and drug free workplace policies to ensure a healthy workplace for all?

Accepted Answer

The Drug Free Workplace Act allows employers to follow drug testing and drug free workplace policies to ensure a healthy workplace for all.
Key Takeaway: Passed in 1988, the Drug Free Workplace Act permits employers to follow drug testing and drug free workplace policies to ensure a healthy workplace. One main way employers were newly permitted to do this under the act was to use drug tests as a basis for employment.

Question 11

Eliza Doolittle, the HR director at One Enormous Chair, is analyzing various employee reports that identify the staffing needs, training needs, and career progression of the company's current employees. Which forecasting model is Eliza using?

Accepted Answer

In this case, Eliza is using the Delphi technique.
Key Takeaway: The most important thing to remember about the Delphi technique is its focus on keeping opinions and ideas anonymous. The advantage to this is that it focuses upon the quality of the information-not who is saying it. The Delphi technique allows for all opinions to be heard and weighed equally. Because of the anonymous nature, hierarchies have little-to-no merit in the Delphi technique.

Question 12

When are materials first protected under U.S. copyright law?

Accepted Answer

Under U.S. copyright law, materials are protected when they are first saved electronically or printed.
Key Takeaway: Copyright is basically the set of exclusive rights that are granted to the creator of original creative works under United States law. Under the law, materials are protected as soon as they are first saved electronically or printed and the copyright lasts for a certain time period (which varies, depending upon the work, medium, etc.), after which the work enters the public domain. Copyright provides the exclusive rights of copying, distributing, and adapting the given work for any purposes. Special arrangements and allowances are sometimes given for educational purposes, though it often depends upon the specific agreement.

Question 13

Career planning focuses upon the needs of which of the following groups?

Accepted Answer

Career planning focuses upon the needs of employees.
Key Takeaway: When a business or organization puts career planning initiatives into place, it is making a commitment to support the career needs to all of its employees. The goal is to take care of employee career needs and desires in order to motivate employees and to allow them to achieve their full potential. The belief is that in doing so, employees will become more productive, remain happy, and ultimately work harder and longer for the organization.

Question 14

Which of the following federal laws prohibits featherbedding?

Accepted Answer

The Taft-Hartley Act prohibits featherbedding.
Key Takeaway: Featherbedding is the practice of hiring more workers than are needed to perform a given job. It can also be used to describe work procedures that appear to be pointless or unnecessarily complicated, simply to employ additional workers. The Taft-Hartley Act explicitly prohibits this action.

Question 15

What act requires all government contractors with contracts exceeding $10,000 (for everything that is not construction work) to pay their employees the real, prevailing wage for their locality, as established by the Secretary of Labor?

Accepted Answer

The Walsh Healey Act requires all government contractors with contracts exceeding $10,000 to pay their employees the real, prevailing wage for their locality, as established by the Secretary of Labor.
Key Takeaway: The 1936 Walsh-Healey Act is a federal law that protects the employees of government contractors who have holdings over $10,000. Under the act, which was part of the New Deal, the employees where guaranteed overtime if they worked more than eight hours a day or 30 hours a week, set the minimum age, and set basic standards for child labor laws.

Question 16

Of the following acts, which one requires that companies with federal construction contracts must pay their laborers and mechanics the standard wage of employees in the geographic area in which the work is being performed?

Accepted Answer

The Davis-Bacon act requires that companies with federal construction contracts must pay their laborers and mechanics the standard wage of employees in the geographic area in which the work is being performed.
Key Takeaway: The Davis-Bacon Act, also known as Prevailing Wage law, requires that bidding contractors and sub-contractors must pay minimum wages to workers who provide construction work on federal or public work projects that are in excess of $2,000. The Act was amended in 1964 to include fringe benefits in the definition of "minimum wages."

Question 17

According to the FLSA, employers are required to pay nonexempt employees for time spent doing which of the following?

Accepted Answer

According to the FLSA, employers are required to pay nonexempt employees for time spent sitting around at work, doing something else while waiting for an assignment.
Key Takeaway: The Fair Labor Standards Act (also known as FLSA) was passed in 1938. The act established a national minimum wage, guaranteed overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in what was considered "oppressive child labor."

Question 18

Which motivational theory surmises that people are motivated only by the reward they will receive when they succeed and that they will constantly weigh the value of that reward against the effort they believe is required to achieve it?

Accepted Answer

The Expectancy Theory surmises that people are motivated only by the reward they will receive when they succeed and that they will constantly weigh the value of that reward against the effort they believe is required to achieve it.
Key Takeaway: The Expectancy Theory, developed by Victor Vroom in 1964, surmises that people are motivated by the reward they will receive when they succeed at a task. The idea is that the employee will then calculate the level of effort they are required to put in to achieve that goal. This calculation is called the valence.

Question 19

When does a lockout occur?

Accepted Answer

A lockout occurs when an employer shuts down the workplace entrances, keeping employees from working.
Key Takeaway: A lockout refers to a work stoppage during which an employer will physically prevent employees from working. Although employers may sometimes impose a lockdown in protest against slowdowns, typically they are due to issues with unions and negotiations.

Question 20

Howard is a division manager at Here Comes the Sun, where you are the HR representative. Howard is extremely frustrated with the new performance appraisal system in which all employees are ranked in comparison to each other, some employees must be rated low, even if their performance is objectively good. What type of performance appraisal system are you using at Here Comes the Sun?

Accepted Answer

You are using the forced distribution performance appraisal system at Here Comes the Sun.
Key Takeaway: In the forced distribution method (also known as forced ranking), the managers are compelled to force employee performance into a bell-curve system, with a top 10%, next 35%, next 45%, and the bottom 10% (similar to how many public school teachers rank students). In this system, most employees will fall into the middle of the performance spectrum.

Quiz 1: Human Resources (HR) and Employment Law