Question 1

An employment relationship where the employer or employee can terminate the relationship at anytime is called _____________________.

Accepted Answer

Employment at will is a type of employment relationship where either the employer or employee can terminate the relationship at any time, for any reason, or no reason at all, without incurring any legal liability. Negligence, adverse impact, and defamation are not related to the concept of employment at will.

Question 2

When individuals are rewarded based on how well they perform on the job,this is called ___________________________.

Accepted Answer

Contingent pay is a system in which employees are rewarded based on their job performance or the accomplishment of specific goals or objectives. This system is also known as performance-based pay, merit-based pay, or pay-for-performance. The other options, consistency pay, constant pay, and calculated pay, do not refer to a system of payment based on job performance.

Question 3

A reward is defined as:

Accepted Answer

A reward, in the context of behavior, is anything that increases the frequency of an action, making it more likely to occur again. This is based on the principles of reinforcement in behavioral psychology.

Question 4

In a traditional award system:

Accepted Answer

In a traditional award system, employees are typically paid based on their position within the organization, with less emphasis on individual performance variations. This means that people in similar roles or ranks are paid similarly, regardless of their individual contributions or achievements.

Question 5

When an employer discloses untrue favorable performance and this information causes risk or harm to others,such an action is called ____________________.

Accepted Answer

Misrepresentation involves providing false or misleading information, which in this context refers to an employer giving an inaccurately positive review of an employee's performance. This can lead to harm if the employee is not competent for future roles based on these misrepresentations.

Question 6

Which of the following are characteristics of a traditional culture?

Accepted Answer

Top-down decision making is a characteristic of traditional cultures where decision making is centralized and hierarchical. Lateral communication and loosely defined roles are characteristics of more modern and progressive cultures. Bottom-up decision making is also a characteristic of more modern cultures where decisions are made more collaboratively and with input from lower levels of the organizational hierarchy.

Question 7

Providing a glowing recommendation for a former employee who was actually terminated due to poor performance that,if repeated in the future,could present a risk to the future employer,is called _____________________________.

Accepted Answer

Providing a glowing recommendation for a former employee who was terminated due to poor performance is misrepresentation as it presents an inaccurate picture of the employee's capabilities and can mislead the future employer. This could potentially present a risk to the future employer if the employee's poor performance is repeated. Liability and defamation refer to making negative comments about a former employee, while libel refers to making such comments in writing.

Question 8

Illegal discrimination is also referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Illegal discrimination is defined as a bias against a particular group of people based on their race, gender, age, religion, nationality, or any other characteristic protected by law. Disparate treatment refers to intentional discrimination that occurs when an employer treats an employee or applicant differently based on their protected characteristic, such as refusing to hire someone because of their race or gender. Adverse impact, on the other hand, refers to unintentional discrimination that occurs when an employment practice that is neutral on its face has a negative impact on a particular group of people due to their protected characteristic. Racism and favoritism are not synonymous with illegal discrimination and do not accurately describe the legal definition of discrimination.

Question 9

Three of the most popular job evaluation methods are:

Accepted Answer

Ranking involves subjective evaluations and can lead to disagreements among evaluators. Banding is limited to grouping jobs into broad categories based on overall levels of responsibility and complexity. Classification and point methods are more commonly used in organizations and offer a systematic approach to evaluating jobs based on specific factors such as skills, knowledge, and experience. Therefore, choice C is the best choice as it includes the two most commonly used methods, classification and point, as well as ranking to provide a diverse range of evaluation approaches.

Question 10

An organization's culture is defined by:

Accepted Answer

An organization's culture is defined by its unwritten rules and procedures, which are the norms and values followed by its employees. While the employee manual and mission statement may provide some insight into the culture, they do not fully define it. The attitudes and perceptions of employees are influenced by the culture, but they are not the culture itself.

Question 11

There are several reasons why contingent pay (CP)plans may not work as intended.Please list and describe three of these possible reasons.

Accepted Answer

The answer of There are several reasons why contingent pay...

Question 12

Disparate treatment is:

Accepted Answer

Disparate treatment refers to treating employees differently because of their protected status, such as their gender, race, age, or disability status. It is a form of discrimination that violates federal and state anti-discrimination laws. A and D are incorrect because work performance and educational levels are not protected statuses under the law. B may be a form of disparate treatment, but it is not specific enough to be the best answer.

Question 13

In a small municipal police department,each member of a team is expected to have higher than average numbers of reports,summonses,and arrests for that team;and promotions and increases in pay are based on these statistics.When an officer is working on a particularly difficult case,the other members of the team are often unwilling to help that officer with tasks leading to increased overtime.This is an example of _______________________________________.

Accepted Answer

This situation is an example of the folly of rewarding A while hoping for B, which means that the department is incentivizing a certain behavior (high numbers of reports, summonses, and arrests) while ignoring the negative consequences it may have on teamwork and collaboration. The officers are more focused on individual achievements and their own promotions/pay increases rather than working together to solve cases effectively. Additionally, the lack of willingness to help each other with tasks leading to increased overtime is a sign of poor teamwork and collaboration, which can be detrimental to the overall effectiveness of the department.

Question 14

Which of the following are characteristics of organizations with involvement cultures?

Accepted Answer

Organizations with involvement cultures have a strong emphasis on collaboration and teamwork, which leads to increased lateral communication. This type of culture also tends to have loosely defined roles to encourage employees to take on more responsibility and work together to achieve shared goals.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of adverse impact?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an example...

Question 16

Consideration of what skills,knowledge,and abilities are required for each job,how valuable the job is for the organization,and how much pay other organizations allocate to these jobs is:

Accepted Answer

A job evaluation involves assessing the skills, knowledge, and abilities required for each job, determining the job's value to the organization, and comparing pay for similar jobs in other organizations to establish fair and competitive compensation.

Question 17

The law which makes it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sex,marital status,and gender reassignment in a limited manner is:

Accepted Answer

The Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 is the legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sex, marital status, and gender reassignment in a limited manner. This act was specifically designed to prevent discrimination in employment, training, education, and the provision of goods and services based on these factors.

Question 18

Organizations can do which of the following to insure that rewards are actually seen as rewards:

Accepted Answer

Organizations should first define and measure performance to ensure that rewards are tied to actual achievements, making them meaningful. Additionally, using rewards that are available ensures that the rewards can be realistically given, enhancing their perceived value. Solely relying on financial rewards is not recommended as different individuals may value non-financial rewards more.

Question 19

Contingent pay plans address which component of performance?

Accepted Answer

Contingent pay plans are designed to motivate employees by tying their compensation to specific performance goals. Therefore, they address the motivation component of performance.

Question 20

The disclosure of untrue unfavorable performance information that damages an employee's reputation is called ______________________.

Accepted Answer

Defamation involves the communication of false and damaging information about an individual. It can take the form of either libel (written) or slander (spoken). Misrepresentation refers to the communication of false information with the intent to deceive, while derailment refers to the deliberate destruction of an individual's career advancement opportunities through unjustified negative feedback.

Quiz 10: Reward Systems and Legal Issues