Practices Quizzes 3&4
__________ are directives issued solely by the president, without requiring congressional approval.
Executive orders
A job description looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing a job must possess.
False A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a job entails. A job specification looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing the job must possess.
A position is defined as a set of related duties.
False A job is a set of related duties. A position is the set of duties performed by one person.
Executive orders are directives, which are passed by Congress during emergencies.
False Executive orders are directives, which are issued solely by the president. They do not require congressional approval.
During the first step of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection, a compliance officer conducts a "walk around" tour of an employer's premises, typically accompanied by a representative of the employer.
False In the first step of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection, the compliance officer reviews the company's records of deaths, injuries, and illnesses. OSHA requires this kind of record keeping at all firms with 11 or more full- or part-time employees.
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) relies on fixed job titles and narrow task descriptions.
False Instead of relying on fixed job titles and narrow task descriptions, the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) uses a common language that generalizes across jobs to describe the abilities, work styles, work activities, and work context required for 1,000 broadly defined occupations.
Organizations only create competency models for an entire organization.
False Organizations may create competency models for occupational groups, levels of the organization, or even the entire organization.
An employee is threatened with punishment if he rejects the sexual advances of his employer. This is an example of the employer engaging in quid pro quo harassment.
False Quid pro quo harassment indicates that a person makes a benefit (or punishment) contingent on an employee's submitting to (or rejecting) sexual advances. For example, a manager who promises a raise to an employee who will participate in sexual activities is engaging in quid pro quo harassment.
In the Job Characteristics Model, skill variety defines the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.
False The Job Characteristics Model describes jobs in terms of five characteristics. In this model, skill variety is the extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks involved. Feedback is the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.
Though Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that an employer cannot use race as a basis for not hiring a candidate, classifying job applicants on a racial basis is allowed.
False The Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that an employer cannot use race as a basis for not hiring a candidate or any other discriminatory practice. Classifying job applicants on the basis of their race is also not permitted under this Act.
The safety promotion technique that involves breaking down a job into basic elements, then rating each element for its potential for harm or injury, is known as the technic of operations review.
False The safety promotion technique that involves breaking down a job into basic elements, then rating each element for its potential for harm or injury, is known as job hazard analysis technique.
One method to simplify a job's mental demands is to increase the amount of information that the job requires.
False There are several ways to simplify a job's mental demands. One is to limit the amount of information and memorization that the job requires.
A restaurant owner employs a staff of 150 people in locations across two states. He is concerned about employing women because he believes that female employees tend to take more time off to look after children or other dependents. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the restaurant owner cannot refuse to hire women, but he can place them in part-time positions, reserving full-time positions for male employees.
False Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Discrimination includes not hiring an individual, but also constitutes discrimination in terms of pay, conditions of employment, or privileges of employment. Since the women would be classified in such a way that they are denied employment opportunities, as well as having their employee status adversely affected by their sex, the restaurant owner's actions would be considered illegal.
Under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, the stipulated time limit to apply for reemployment of service members ranges from 10 to 30 days.
False Under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, the stipulated time limit to apply for reemployment of service members ranges from 2 to 90 days.
A software firm shortening its workweek to accommodate employees of certain religious faiths is an example of reasonable accommodation.
False Shortening the workweek for the whole company could prove to be a difficult affair for any firm. An accommodation is considered "reasonable" if it does not impose an undue hardship on the employer, such as an expense that is large in relation to a company's resources. In contrast, adjusting an individual employee's schedule might be a reasonable accommodation of the employee's religion.
The provision for protection against reverse discrimination toward the majority is implied under a. the Thirteenth Amendment. b. the Fourteenth Amendment. c. the Occupational Safety and Health Act. d. the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. e. the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.
The Fourteenth Amendment The Fourteenth Amendment forbids the states from taking life, liberty, or property without due process of law and prevents the states from denying equal protection of the laws. Recently it has been applied to the protection of whites in charges of reverse discrimination.
The purpose of industrial engineering is to maximize efficiency.
True If workers perform tasks as efficiently as possible, not only does an organization benefit from lower costs and greater output per worker, but workers should be less fatigued. This point of view has for years formed the basis of classical industrial engineering, which looks for the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency.
The person analyzing a job determines whether each item on the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) applies to the job being analyzed.
True Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) is a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 items that represent work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs. The person analyzing a job determines whether each item on the questionnaire applies to the job being analyzed.
State laws that require employers to provide employees with information about the health risks associated with exposure to substances considered hazardous are known as right-to-know laws.
True State laws that require employers to provide employees with information about the health risks associated with exposure to substances considered hazardous are known as right-to-know laws. State right-to-know laws may be more stringent than federal standards.
Ergonomics focuses on outcomes such as reducing physical fatigue, aches and pains, and health complaints.
True The goal of ergonomics is to minimize physical strain on the worker by structuring the physical work environment around the way the human body works. Ergonomics therefore focuses on outcomes such as reducing physical fatigue, aches and pains, and health complaints.
The most comprehensive U.S. law regarding worker safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), was enacted by Congress in 1970.
True The most comprehensive U.S. law regarding worker safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), was enacted by Congress in 1970. It is the U.S. law authorizing the federal government to establish and enforce occupational safety and health standards for all places of employment engaging in interstate commerce.
Workflow takes place in the context of an organization's structure.
True Work processes are the activities that a work unit's members engage in to produce a given output. They are described in terms of operating procedures for every task performed by each employee at each stage of a process.
The Oceanside Hotel has to hire employees to fill 20 positions as part of its expansion plan. Out of 60 total applicants, 40 are black and 20 are white. The hotel hires 8 of the black applicants and 12 of the white applicants. In this context, which is the most accurate from the following? a. 0.33 < 0.8; there is evidence of potential discrimination. b. 0.2 < 0.4; there is evidence of potential discrimination. c. 0.9 > 0.8; there is no evidence of potential discrimination. d. 0.6 > 0.4; there is no evidence of potential discrimination. e. 0.66 < 0.8; there is evidence of potential discrimination.
a. 0.33 < 0.8; there is evidence of potential discrimination. This scenario requires use of the four-fifths rule, which finds evidence of potential discrimination if the hiring rate for a minority group is less than four-fifths the hiring rate for the majority group. 0.2 (or 20 percent) of the black applicants are hired, compared to the hiring of 0.6 (or 60 percent) of the white applicants. This leads to a 0.33 hiring rate, which is less than the required 0.8 four-fifths hiring rate. Thus, there is evidence of potential discrimination.
An online questionnaire that counts employees sorted by job category, sex, ethnicity, and race is the a. Employer Information Report. b. Office of Federal Contract Compliance form. c. bona fide occupational qualification report. d. employees' safety data form. e. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's information sheet.
a. Employer Information Report The Employer Information Report (EEO-1) is an online questionnaire requesting the number of employees in each job category (such as managers, professionals, and laborers), broken down by their status as male or female, Hispanic or non-Hispanic, and members of various racial groups.
Which of the following is true of job analysis? a. It is the process of getting detailed information about jobs. b. It is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a job entails. c. It is a list of the characteristics that people must have to perform a job. d. It is the process of analyzing the number of customers served by an organization. e. It is the process of enlarging jobs by combining several relatively small jobs.
a. It is the process of getting detailed information about jobs. Job analysis is the process of getting detailed information about jobs.
Old State Manufacturers has a policy that makes it clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated in the workplace, and it has a hotline for reporting inappropriate behavior. Lately, it has received some complaints that gay men are being teased about their sexual orientation. What would be the most effective action for Old State Manufacturers to take to address this situation? a. Train employees that inappropriate behavior includes targeting employees based on sexual orientation. b. Train employees not to tie up the hotline with complaints that are outside the scope of the sexual harassment policy. c. Coach the targeted employees to have more of a sense of humor about the teasing, since it is not considered illegal harassment. d. Discipline the employees who are using the hotline to report the conduct. e. Remind employees that sexual harassment, by definition, only involves men harassing women.
a. Train employees that inappropriate behavior includes targeting employees based on sexual orientation. Although a large majority of sexual harassment complaints received by the EEOC involve women being harassed by men, same-sex harassment also occurs and is illegal. The EEOC has recently treated harassment based on sexual orientation as sexual harassment, a sign of broadening protections based on sexual orientation and identity. In addition, more than 20 states forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and almost as many forbid discrimination against transgender workers.
In the context of workflow design, a job is defined as a. a set of related duties. b. the set of duties performed by a person. c. an aggregate of similar jobs. d. the set of skills and abilities that is required of a person in a job. e. the services that an organization offers to its clients.
a. a set of related duties A job is a set of related duties.
According to your text, an organization's structure that has the authority concentrated in a few people at the top of the organization is considered a. centralized. b. decentralized. c. cooperative. d. weak. e. strong.
a. centralized Ideally, the organization's structure brings together the people who must collaborate to create the desired outputs efficiently. The structure may do this in a way that is highly centralized, that is, with authority concentrated in a few people at the top of the organization.
In the Fleishman Job Analysis System, __________ are typically asked to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job. a. subject-matter experts b. supervisors c. HR specialists d. external analysts e. CEOs
a. subject-matter experts The Fleishman Job Analysis System asks subject-matter experts (typically job incumbents) to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job.
Which action could a company do to effectively defend against discrimination claims regarding involuntary layoffs of older employees? a. Implement forced retirement plans. b. Establish performance-related criteria for layoffs. c. Refrain from hiring people above the age of 40. d. Bring down the retirement age limit to 45. e. Offer less salary to older employees.
b. Establish performance-related criteria for layoffs One practical way to defend against claims of discrimination is to establish performance-related criteria for layoffs, rather than age- or salary-related criteria. Of course, those criteria must be genuinely related to performance.
Which legal measure requires all federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in affirmative-action programs designed to hire and promote women and minorities? a. Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution b. Executive Order 11246 c. Occupational Safety and Health Act d. Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution e. Rehabilitation Act of 1973
b. Executive Order 11246 President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11246, which requires all federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in affirmative-action programs designed to hire and promote women and minorities.
Genetics Medical Research is at the forefront of developing diagnostic tests using genetically modified chemicals and radiation. As a practical matter, federal regulators cannot keep up with all the safety issues employees face in working with new materials created in the labs. What duty does Genetics Medical Research have to protect its workers? a. It is sufficient for Genetics Medical Research to comply with the numerous standards published by NIOSH. b. It must meet the OSH Act's general-duty clause to be constantly alert to potential sources of harm and correct them. c. It is exempt from the OSH Act's requirement to protect worker safety and health, because it cannot accurately determine what materials constitute a hazard. d. It must comply with the numerous standards published by NIOSH, as well as ask NIOSH to prepare additional standards for this specific place of employment. e. It must comply with all standards except those with a justifiable reputation for being too complex.
b. It must meet the OSH Act's general-duty clause to be constantly alert to potential sources of harm and correct them. The main provision of the OSH Act states that each employer has a general duty to furnish each employee a place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. This is called the act's general-duty clause.
Which of the following is the most accurate reason for the controversy surrounding affirmative action in the United States? a. It contradicts the idea of a bona fide occupational qualification. b. It often leads to reverse discrimination against a majority. c. It leads to quid pro quo harassment at a workplace. d. It promotes the misuse of right-to-know laws by employers. e. It reduces the accuracy of the technic of operations review.
b. It often leads to reverse discrimination against a majority.
What is the first step of the technic of operations review of an incident? a. agreeing on one particular systematic failure that led to an incident b. establishing the basic facts surrounding an incident c. evaluating the damage caused d. discussing guidelines to be implemented in the future e. gathering feedback by analyzing the efficiency of a system
b. establishing the basic facts surrounding an incident The technic of operations review (TOR) is an analysis method for determining which specific element of a job led to a past accident. The first step in a TOR analysis is to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
The list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails is known as a a. job evaluation. b. job description. c. utilization analysis. d. conjoint analysis. e. job standardization.
b. job description. A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a job entails. TDRs are observable actions.
In which of the following situations can simplifying jobs be most beneficial? a. when the employees face the least amount of challenges b. when the costs of errors are severe c. when the scope for errors is minimal d. when the employees do not engage in multitasking e. when the information-processing requirements of the job are minimal
b. when the costs of errors are severe Research has found that challenging jobs tend to fatigue and dissatisfy workers when they feel little control over their situation, lack social support, and feel motivated mainly to avoid errors. In contrast, they may enjoy the challenges of a difficult job where they have some control and social support, especially if they enjoy learning and are unafraid of making mistakes. Because of this, it can be most beneficial to simplify jobs where employees will most appreciate having the mental demands reduced (as in a job that is extremely challenging) or where the costs of errors are severe (as in the job of a surgeon or air-traffic controller).
__________ refers to enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks. a. Job rotation b. Job evaluation c. Job extension d. Job enrichment e. Job specification
c. Job extension Job extension is enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks. An example might be combining the jobs of receptionist, typist, and file clerk into jobs containing all three kinds of work.
In seeking to determine the "one best way" to perform a job, industrial engineers work to identify a. the quickest way to get the job done. b. the way that will cost a company the least amount of money. c. the most efficient sequence of motions. d. how long an employee can go before no longer being motivated to work. e. the strategy that causes an employee the least amount of mental stress.
c. the most efficient sequence of motions. In practice, the scientific method traditionally seeks the "one best way" to perform a job by performing time-and-motion studies to identify the most efficient movements for workers to make. Once the engineers have identified the most efficient sequence of motions, the organization should select workers based on their ability to do the job, then train them in the details of the 'one best way' to perform that job.
Casia, the human resource manager of a firm, is planning how to support a strategy of empowering employees. Currently, jobs are grouped based on different functions, such as customer service, manufacturing, and packaging. Casia is considering a redesign in which members of various functions work in divisions responsible for a particular customer group. In what way could this redesign support the goals for employee empowerment? a. Authority will be more concentrated in a few people at the top of the organization. b. Workers will do more of their work alone, making their own decisions. c. The focus of the company will be primarily on the various functions. d. Employees' responsibilities will be more broadly defined and focused on higher-level goals. e. Employees are less likely to identify heavily with their department or profession.
d. Employees' responsibilities will be more broadly defined and focused on higher-level goals. Jobs that involve teamwork or broad responsibility tend to require a structure based on divisions other than functions. When the goal is to empower employees, companies need to set up structures and jobs that enable broad responsibility, such as jobs that involve employees in serving a particular group of customers or producing a particular product, rather than performing a narrowly defined function. Managing this type of functional department requires skill in managing conflicts and aligning employees' efforts with higher-level goals, because these employees tend to identify heavily with their department or profession
The human resource department at an e-commerce company with 450 employees files an annual EEO-1 report telling the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the numbers of employees it has in each job category, broken down by status as male or female, Hispanic or non-Hispanic, and members of various racial groups. How does the EEOC use this information? a. It files the reports for at least six months or until a complaint is received. b. It attempts to reach a settlement with the e-commerce company. c. It enters into a consent agreement with the e-commerce company. d. It analyzes the report to identify any patterns of discrimination. e. It uses the information as the basis for writing guidelines on employee selection.
d. It analyzes the report to identify any patterns of discrimination. The EEOC analyzes the EEO-1 reports to identify patterns of discrimination, which the agency can then attack through class-action lawsuits.
A hospital that is building a new radiology wing asks the HR department to assist in planning by bringing in an ergonomics expert. Which of the following issues should the HR department expect this person to provide advice about? a. self-managing work teams to foster empowerment and greater motivation b. use of telework for greater motivation and lower costs c. redesigned factory workstations d. setups that enable employees to move patients to and from equipment without injuries e. application of the Job Characteristics Model to the radiology technicians' jobs
d. setups that enable employees to move patients to and from equipment without injuries The study of the interface between individuals' physiology and the characteristics of the physical work environment is called ergonomics. The goal of ergonomics is to minimize physical strain on the worker by structuring the physical work environment around the way the human body works. Ergonomics therefore focuses on outcomes such as reducing physical fatigue, aches and pains, and health complaints. Ergonomic research includes the context in which work takes place, such as the lighting, space, and hours worked. Ergonomic job design has been applied in redesigning equipment used in jobs that are physically demanding. Such redesign is often aimed at reducing the physical demands of certain jobs so that anyone can perform them. In addition, many interventions focus on redesigning machines and technology to minimize occupational illnesses.
Enforcement responsibilities of the OSH Act are divided between which of the following? a. the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the Department of Labor b. the Office of Services Employment and Research and the Department of Health c. the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health d. the Department of Labor and the Department of Health e. the Center for Construction Research and Training and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
d. the Department of Labor and the Department of Health The OSH Act divided enforcement responsibilities between the Department of Labor and the Department of Health.
Niko, the plant manager of Fidget Manufacturing, asks the company's industrial engineer to review the manufacturing work and make the jobs more efficient. Olivia, the company's human resource manager, advises Niko that they should also investigate other approaches to job design for the manufacturing positions. Which of the following is the best reason for Olivia's advice? a. The redesigned jobs may involve too much task identity and skill variety. b. The redesigned jobs may involve too much skill variety and autonomy. c. Workers performing the efficient jobs may run out of things to do. d. Industrial engineering provides measurable and practical benefits. e. A focus solely on efficiency can make jobs seem boring and meaningless.
e. A focus solely on efficiency can make jobs seem boring and meaningless. Industrial engineering provides measurable and practical benefits. However, a focus on efficiency alone can create jobs that are so simple and repetitive that workers get bored. Workers performing these jobs may feel their work is meaningless. Hence, most organizations combine industrial engineering with other approaches to job design.
Which of the following employees' conditions must be accommodated under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990? a. Vern requires contact lenses to read and write reports. b. Peyton meets the clinical definition of obesity. c. Alyssa is occasionally late for work as a result of her alcoholism. d. Saad's coworkers complain that he is careless and irritable. e. Caroleena has been hearing impaired since birth.
e. Caroleena has been hearing impaired since birth. The ADA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. The first part of the definition refers to individuals who have serious disabilities—such as epilepsy, blindness, deafness, or paralysis—that affect their ability to perform major bodily functions and major life activities. Conditions not covered include obesity, substance abuse, irritability, and poor judgment. Also, if a person needs ordinary eyeglasses or contact lenses to perform each major life activity with little or no difficulty, the person is not considered disabled under the ADA.
Francine and Ed execute the same roles and responsibilities at their organization. However, Francine earns more than Ed. According to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, what justifies that the organization's decision to pay Francine more than Ed is a legal decision? a. Francine is younger than Fred. b. Ed is not an American citizen. c. Ed is blind. d. Francine is pregnant and hence she has more financial needs e. Francine's quality of work is higher than that of Ed.
e. Francine's quality of work is higher than that of Ed. Under the Equal Pay Act of 1963, if men and women in an organization are doing equal work, the employer must pay them equally. However, the act allows for reasons why men and women performing the same job might be paid differently. If the pay differences result from differences in seniority, merit, quantity or quality of production, or any factor other than sex (such as participating in a training program or working the night shift), then the differences are legal.
Which of the following is true of a competency? a. It is the set of duties performed by a particular team. b. It is the list of tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a particular job entails. c. It is the set of related duties for accomplishing work. d. It is the activity that a work unit's members engage in to produce a given output. e. It is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform successfully.
e. It is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform successfully. A competency is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform their work successfully.
Which of the following is true of job specifications? a. They are the list of the tasks and responsibilities that a job entails. b. They focus on the observable actions that comprise the various job demands. c. They are the steps involved in getting detailed information about a job. d. They include the details of payment associated with the tasks involved. e. They focus on the qualities a person performing a job must possess.
e. They focus on the qualities a person performing a job must possess. A job specification looks at the qualities or requirements the person performing the job must possess. It is a list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that an individual must have to perform the job.
In the Job Characteristics Model, task significance is defined as the a. extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks involved. b. degree to which a job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work will be carried out. c. extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself. d. degree to which a job requires completing a "whole" piece of work from beginning to end. e. extent to which a job has an important impact on the lives of other people.
e. extent to which a job has an important impact on the lives of other people. In the Job Characteristics Model, the characteristic of task significance is the extent to which the job has an important impact on the lives of other people.
Carol works in the human resource department of a wholesaler that operates four warehouses. The company has asked her to support the company's health and safety effort. The warehouse managers have set goals for good housekeeping practices and for zero accidents each quarter. Which action by Carol would best support this health and safety effort? a. distributing safety-related prizes confidentially, to protect worker privacy b. ignoring workers' suggestions unless these are already part of managers' plans c. starting the program with a focus on the most unusual hazards d. keeping safety-related complaints quiet, to avoid worrying employees e. planning public awards to reinforce safe behavior
e. planning public awards to reinforce safe behavior To ensure safe behaviors, employers should not only define how to work safely but reinforce the desired behavior. One common technique for reinforcing safe practices is implementing a safety incentive program to reward workers for their support of and commitment to safety goals. Typically, the employer distributes prizes for incentive program successes in highly public forums, such as company or department meetings.
In a Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ), __________ refers to the physical activities, tools, and devices used by a worker to perform a job. a. information input b. mental process c. job context d. task identity e. work output
e. work output The PAQ organizes work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics into six sections concerning different aspects of the job. One of the sections is work output, which is the physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform the job.
