MGT of Compensation Chapter 17
Class action lawsuits associated with equal employment opportunity/discrimination can be very costly to employers.
True (because they can include large numbers of potential plaintiffs (employees, former employees, potential employees))
Living wage laws have narrower coverage than minimum wage laws.
True (they cover only city (or state) employees and/or employers that do business with the city (i.e., contractors and subcontractors). Sometimes they cover only base wages, but more frequently they require health insurance, vacations, sick pay, job security, and provide incentives to unionize.)
Heather, a law school graduate, applies for job at one of the leading corporate law firms in her hometown. In the interview, she is asked whether she has any intentions of getting married and having children in the near future. Male candidates applying for the same position are not asked these questions. In the context of discrimination under Title VII of the CIvil Rights Act of 1964, this scenario illustrates the concept of ____ ____
disparate treatment
The Department of Labor recognizes _____, mental or physical, as the degree of exertion actually expended in the performance of a job.
effort
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration specifies _____.
the number of breaks that must be provided in an eight-hour workday
The regulatory environment does not constrain the decisions of a compensation manager.
False
Which of the following is true of the role of government in employment relationships?
General economic growth/demand and business activity can be influenced through government monetary policy.
Which of the following examines pay received by women and minorities for the jobs they perform?
Valuation discrimination
How can a compensation manager ensure that compensation practices conform to judicial interpretation?
-By joining professional associations -By constantly reviewing compensation practices and their results
What are the major provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA)?
-minimum wage -hours of work -child labor
Rank the steps involved in filing affirmative action plans in the correct order.
1. utilization analysis compares a contractor's workforce to the available external workforce 2. goals and timetables are developed for achieving affirmative action 3. action steps are developed for achieving goals and timetables
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, overtime provision requires payment at one-and-a-half times the standard for working more than _____.
40 hours per week
____ ____ ____ determine pay for work done to produce goods and services contracted by the federal government.
prevailing wage laws
____ ____ applies different standards to different employees.
disparate treatment
Enforced by the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Department of Labor, ____ ____ ____ bars discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
executive order 11246
What are the primary sources of the pay gaps among both black and Hispanic men and women?
-Level of schooling -Work-related experience
The lack of representation of women in executive and director level positions in organizations is sometimes referred to as _____.
the "Glass Ceiling" effect
In the context of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which of the following criteria are AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES?
-Seniority -Merit or quality of performance -Quality or quantity of production -Some factor other than sex
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor specifies stringent norms that must be satisfied in order for jobs to be ____ from minimum-wage and overtime provisions.
exempt
Identify the law that bars discrimination on the basis of age and the law that bars discrimination on the basis of disability.
-The 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act -The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act
Which of the following represent government interests in compensation decisions?
-Whether systems for determining pay are fair -Safety nets for employees who are unable to work and for those who are unemployed -Protection of workers
____-____ legislation is meant to provide an income floor for workers in society's least productive jobs.
minimum-wage
In the context of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which of the following criteria are affirmative defenses?
-Quality or quantity of production -Some factor other than sex -Seniority -Merit or quality of performance
Which of the following affirmative defenses for unequal pay for equal work has brought about the greatest number of court cases?
A factor other than sex
Which of the following is the minimum wage for work done on covered government projects or purchases?
A government-defined prevailing wage
How do some employers get around the overtime requirement?
They categorize employees as executives.
Any civil case in which parties indicated their intent to sue on behalf of themselves as well as others not specifically named in the suit at some point prior to the final resolution of the matter is called a(n) ____ ____ ____
class action lawsuit
Which of the following are steps involved in establishing a comparable-worth plan?
-A single "gender neutral" point job evaluation plan for all jobs within a unit should be adopted. -Percentages of male and female employees in each job group should be identified.
What are the types of pay discrimination recognized by the law?
-Access discrimination -Valuation discrimination
Which of the following factors have reduced the break-even point at which it pays employers to schedule longer hours and pay the overtime premium, rather than hire, train, and pay benefits for more employees?
-A workforce with improved skills and increased training costs per employee -Increased benefits costs
In the context of unequal pay for equal work, which of the following are included in factors other than sex?
-Shift differentials -Other reasons of "business necessity" -Differences based on ability, training, or experience -Temporary assignments -Bona fide training programs
Working a night shift constitutes disparate working conditions.
False (Time of day (e.g., working a night shift) does not constitute dissimilar working conditions. However, if a differential for working at night is paid, it must be separated from the base wage for the job.)
DSTDB Corporation, a digital marketing agency, establishes a new system to calculate salaries based on skill and proficiency level, years of experience, market value, and merit. Based on this new system, the agency grants salary hikes to 45 female employees whose salaries were less than the amount computed by the new system. However, the agency refuses to grant salary hikes to 63 male employees whose salaries were also less than the amount computed by the new system. In this scenario, DSTDB Corporation is in violation of the Equal Pay Act. This violation is an example of _____.
Reverse discrimination
Which of the following bars wage discrimination on the basis of gender if workers perform equal work in the same firm?
The Equal Pay Act of 1963
Identify the law that covers all employees of companies involved in interstate commerce or in the production of goods for interstate commerce.
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
Which of the following states that time spent on activities before beginning the "principal activity" is usually not compensable?
The Portal-to-Portal Act
_____ of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, or national origin in any employment condition, including hiring, firing, promotion, transfer, compensation, and admission to training programs.
Title VII
The majority (1.4 million) of those earning minimum wage or less are in service occupations, mostly food service, where tips supplement hourly wages for many workers.
True
The term "reverse discrimination" is disliked by many people because they believe that _____.
it is still discrimination even if the group penalized is white males
A group of positions with similar duties and responsibilities that require similar qualifications, are filled by similar recruiting procedures, and are paid under the same pay schedule is known as a ____ ____
job group
____ ____ provides a minimum wage tailored to living costs in an area.
living wage
