Ch04 Employee Rights and HR Communications.docx

Chapter 4: Employee Rights and HR Communications 1. The Privacy Act of 1974 requires federal government agencies to make available information in an individual’s personnel file. Ans: True Response: See page 90, The Privacy Act of 1974: HRM Requirements 2. Companies employing 50 or more employees are required to give employees 30 days notice when closing down a plant or laying off large numbers of workers. Ans: False Response: Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988, a company employing 100 or more individuals must notify workers 60 days in advance if it is going to close its facility or lay off 50 or more workers. 3. Employee handbooks are reference guides for employees. Ans: True Response: See pages 108-109. Whether online or on paper, handbooks are useful. 4. Any organizational guarantee or promise about job security may constitute an implied employment contract. Ans: True. Response: An implied employment contract is an exception to the employment-at-will doctrine. 5. Under a contractual employee relationship, discharge may not occur even if it is based on just cause. Ans: False Response: Under a contractual employee relationship, discharge may occur only if it is based on just cause. 6. Which of the following is not a law affecting employee rights? a) The Privacy Act b) The Drug-Free Workplace Act c) The Fair Credit Reporting Act d) The Fairness in Employment Act e) The Employee Polygraph Protection Act. Ans: d Response A: Law affecting employee rights. Response B: Law affecting employee rights. Response C: Law affecting employee rights. Response D: Correct! There is no such act! Response E: Law affecting employee rights. 7. Zoe is required to take a drug test as a condition of employment by The Drug-Free Workplace Act. She has applied for which of these jobs? a) A stocker in a non-subsidized community food bank. b) A shoe salesperson c) A professor in a private college d) A technician in a nuclear power production facility e) A banker Ans: d Response A: No. If the agency received $25,000 a year in federal funds, the answer would be different. Response B: No. Response C: No. If the school received federal grants, the response would be different. Response D: Correct! Response E: No. 8. Dwayne worked for a 500-employee manufacturer in the rust belt. The company closed his plant with no advance notice to employees as it failed and applied for bankruptcy. He showed up for work one Monday and saw a sign on the fence announcing the plant closing and the bankruptcy. What protection is Dwayne given under W.A.R.N.? No protection. W.A.R.N. doesn’t apply in the case of bankruptcy. Dwayne will receive an amount of money equal to 60 days’ pay and benefits. No protection. The company was too small. Dwayne will receive a job and relocation expenses to another plant site. No protection. W.A.R.N. only applies to partial layoffs. Ans: a Response A: Correct! Response B: Not in the case of bankruptcy. Response C: No. 100 employees is the minimum number. Response D: No. Response E: No. It covers closings and layoffs. 9. Research studies suggest that a) honesty tests are not reliable. b) honesty tests are very expensive to administer. c) a small number of companies in the United States are using honesty tests to screen applicants. d) honesty tests can be effective devices to screen applicants. e) honesty tests are not valid. Ans: d Response A: No. Response B: No. Response C: No. Response D: Correct! Response E: No. 10. Elizabeth works for a large appliances store in the Midwest. She has heard a rumor that employees are filmed in the restroom. Can this rumor be true? a) No, because it would violate the Privacy Act of 1974. b) No, because it would violate the Decent Workplace Act of 1985. c) No. It is unethical to film employees in the restroom. d) Yes, because the employer owns the company. e) Yes, if the employer included this type of employee monitoring in a written policy and explained the policy to the employees. Ans: e Response A: Wrong answer. Response B: Wrong answer. Response C: Wrong answer. Response D: Not a good reason. Response E: Correct! 11. Serena was fired for refusing to sign her name to a time card that she knew was inaccurate. What type of wrongful discharge suit could she file? a) Employment-at-will doctrine b) Breach of good faith c) Public policy violation d) Implied contract e) Contractual relationship Ans: c Response A: No. This is an exception to that doctrine. Response B: No. That is a different type of exception to employment-at-will. Response C: Correct! Response D: No. Response E: Sort of. This is a broad category, and there is a more specific answer in the response choices. 12. What is roughly the proportion of all U.S. organizations using some form of drug testing? a) 10% b) 15% c) One-fourth d) Half e) Two-thirds Ans: e Response A: No. Response B: No. Response C: No. Response D: No. Response E: Correct! 13. Discipline should be immediate, provide ample warning, be consistent, and be impersonal. This statement describes which disciplinary rule? a) Hot stove rule b) Progressive discipline c) Employee assistance d) Severity of infraction e) Ergonomics Ans: a Response A: Correct! Response B: Not the best answer, although this could be part of progressive discipline. Response C: No. That is an entirely different approach. Response D: No. You’re confusing contingency factors with the right answer. Response E: No. (Think of chair design.) 14. How many times are substance abusers more likely to miss work than employees who are not substance abusers? a) Twice b) 5 times c) 10 times d) 20 times e) 30 times Ans: c Response A: No. Response B: No. Response C: Correct! Response D: No. Response E: No. 15. Which of the following is not classified as an on-the-job behavior type of disciplinary problem? a) Gross insubordination b) Wage garnishment c) Sexually harassing another employee d) Loafing e) Horseplay Ans: b Response A: On-the-job behavior type. Response B: Correct! Response C: On-the-job behavior type. Response D: On-the-job behavior type. Response E: On-the-job behavior type.