Applying the Concept 9-1: Legal or Illegal Questions

As stated in the text: Remember if the question is not relevant to the candidates’ ability to do the job, it may be illegal and should not be asked.

Using the two major rules of thumb for preemployment inquiries and Exhibit 9-3, identify whether each question can or cannot be asked during a job interview.

A. legal (can ask)
B. illegal (cannot ask during preemployment)

1. I see that you are applying for a truck driver position with us at U.S. Freight Delivery. Are you a member of the Teamsters?
A. Legal (can ask). It’s OK to ask about membership in job-related organizations, such as unions or professional or trade associations. In some states, you have to be a member of a union to get certain jobs.

2. What is your sexual orientation—straight or homosexual?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). You cannot ask questions about the candidate’s sexual orientation/preference if it has nothing to do with qualifications for the job.

3. How did you like your prior jobs? Did you file a lawsuit against an employer?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). This is not job related and can be used to discriminate.

4. Where do you live now, and how long have you resided there?
A. Legal (can ask). It’s OK to ask; see Exhibit 9-3 address.

5. Have you ever tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease, HIV, or AIDS?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). This is not job related and violates ADA laws.

6. How do you feel about unions?
B. Illegal (cannot ask). Feelings about unions is not really job related; but it is legal to ask about union membership when it is required to be a union member to get the job; see question 1.

7. What is your age?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). This could be used to discriminate against older workers.

8. Did you ever get arrested for stealing on the job?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). Students may say this question is tricky, and it is. But the laws are very tricky and if you use the wrong wording, you can be asking for illegal information. You cannot ask whether the candidate has ever been arrested (an arrest does not prove guilt); however, you can ask whether the candidate has been convicted of a felony.

9. Do you own your own car?    
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). In this context, it is not job relevant. However, if you were hiring a delivery person, a car would be a BFOQ. However, asking if you own a car is still illegal. The way to ask the question legally is, do you have access to a car you can use to make deliveries? Who owns the care is not really relevant, what’s wrong with using a parents or someone else’s car? Again, can be considered tricky.

10. Tell me if you have any form of disability.
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). You can only ask this if there is anything that would prevent an applicant from performing a specific task. For example, being in a wheel chair doesn’t affect the ability to sit at a desk and work.

11. Do you belong to the Jewish Community Center, the Knights of Columbus, or other similar organizations?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). You cannot ask about membership in any non-job-related organization that would indicate the candidate’s race (Jewish), religion (Both Jewish and KofC is Catholic), or the like.

12. Do you have proof that you are legally eligible to work in the United States?
A. Legal (can ask). You can ask if an applicant can prove it, but not to actually prove it until after hiring.

13. Can you speak any foreign languages?
A. Legal (can ask). It’s OK to ask what languages an applicant can speak, but not what language the candidate speaks when not on the job or how the candidate learned the language. This could be a BFOQ for a service type of job answer the phone in Spanish, for example.

14. What is your marital status: single, married, or divorced?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). You cannot ask specific questions about marital status until after the person is hired, and divorced is not an appropriate category.

15. I like children; do you have any?
B. Illegal (cannot ask during preemployment). This is a leading question that could be used to discriminate against people with large families.

 

Applying the Concept 9-2: Sexual Harassment

Indicate which kind of behavior is described in each statement.

A. sexual harassment: (1) quid pro quo or (2) hostile work environment
B. not sexual harassment

16. Gary and Sandra both hung up pictures of nude men and women on the walls near their desks, in view of other employees who walk by.
A(2) Sexual harassment hostile work environment. Although no complaint is stated, the courts have found offensive pictures to create a (2) hostile work environment.

17. Joe tells his coworker Kate an explicitly sexual joke, even though twice before Kate said she doesn’t want to hear dirty jokes.
A(2) Sexual harassment hostile work environment. After being told to stop, Joe’s behavior creates a (2) hostile work environment.

18. Tomas typically puts his hand on Tina’s shoulder as he talks to her, and she is comfortable with touching.
B. Not sexual harassment. As long as both parties are comfortable with touching, it is not sexual harassment. However, touching is generally not recommended, and if one party tells the other to stop touching and it continues, it is sexual harassment.

19. Asif, the supervisor of the production department, tells subordinate Helene that he thinks she is sexy and that he’d like to take her out.
B. Not sexual harassment. There is nothing illegal with asking for a date, unless the person has stated “No” before and asked that the behavior stop. However, if there is a company workplace relationship policy, this could be internal company harassment.

20. Marisol tells her assistant Bill that if he goes to a motel with her, she will recommended him for a promotion.
A(1) Sexual harassment quid pro quo. (1) Sex as a requirement for the job is illegal.

21. Cindy drops some cookie crumbs in Jamal’s lap and immediately brushes them off with her hand and gives his privates a gentle squeeze that causes him to jump up in surprise.
A(2) Sexual harassment. Any touching of private areas is clearly sexual harassment the first time, as it creates a (2) hostile work environment.

 

Applying the Concept 9-3: Recruiting Sources

Select the major recruiting source(s) that should be used for each of the job openings described.

A. internal recruiting/mobility
B. employee referrals
C. walk-ins
D. outside organizations
E. agencies
F. advertising/Internet

22. “Hi, Carlos. Please go online and see if you can get us some applications for the software engineer job opening.”
F. Advertising/Internet. Going online is using the Internet.

23. “Wauneta, Henry is taking a three-week paternity leave, so please recruit a replacement for him.”
E. Agencies. Temporary agencies provide part- or full-time help for limited periods.

24. “Shane, our first-line supervisor Robert is retiring in two months. What recruiting method should we use to replace him?”
A. Promotions from within. Most first-line supervisors are promoted from within because they have the technical skills to understand the departmental operations.

25. “Oh, by the way, Lee Ann, do you know anyone who could fill the secretary position in your department?”
B. Employee referral. This is having employees recruit.

26. “We need a new sales rep. Sales Manager Lena likes to hire young people without experience in order to train them to sell using our unique approach, so please recruit for the position ASAP.”
D. Outside organizations. Educational institutions are good places to recruit people who have no prior experience.

27. “We need a person to perform routine cleaning services in a couple of weeks, but we have no budget, Sonata. Can you please pick someone coming in looking for a job?”
C. Walk-ins. People coming in are walk-ins are a good source for unskilled labor.

 

Applying the Concept 9-4: Training Methods

To select the most appropriate training method for each situation, use the letters ranging from A to J in Exhibit 9-7 (page 279).

Technical Skills

A. Written material, lectures, videos, question-and-answer sessions, discussions, demonstrations (JIT)
B. Programmed learning
C. Job rotation
D. Projects

Interpersonal Skills

E. Role playing
F. Behavior modeling

Decision-Making Skills

G. Cases
H. In-basket exercises
I. Management games
J. Interactive videos

28. You will like the course because you get information on a company and do an analysis to improve its performance by answering questions.                  
G. Cases. The course is based on the case method.

29. Now I’m going to show you how to run the machine.
A. Demonstration. Showing how to do something is a demonstration, and JIT should be used.

30. The HR department needs to develop a method to developing interpersonal and decision-making skills for managers all over the United States and three other countries that allows them to get the training on their own whenever they can get it done.
J. Interactive video. This clear describes interactive videos.

31. You will be running a company by filling out these forms and getting quarterly results on your performance; the most important measure of success is stock price.          
I. Management game. With a management game, trainees work as part of a team to “manage” a simulated company over a period of several game “quarters” or “years.”

32. There has been a large increase in the number of employee complaints. You need to develop a training program that will improve supervisors’ ability to resolve complaints.      
F. Behavior modeling. With behavior modeling, trainees watch how to handle employee complaints following the steps of a model, and then role play a situations that could occur on the job to develop skill at handling complaints on the job.

33. Your company is growing fast and hiring lots of new employees who must learn several rules and regulations before they can start their jobs.               
B. Programmed learning. Programmed learning is appropriate when there is a large number of employees to be trained on an ongoing basis. It is prepared once (time consuming) and reused several times (time saved in the long run).

34. You have new employees whom you must train to handle the typical daily tasks and problems that may come up that they will have to handle on the job.
H. In-basket exercise. An in-basket exercise is appropriate for teaching employees how to handle the daily problems they will face on the job.

35. I’m delegating to you the task of calculating the company’s turnover rate last year compared to the last four years, and I need your report tomorrow.             
D. Project. A project is used to give employees special assignments, such as preparing a report.

36. You need to train employees to cover for each other when they are not on the job.
C. Job rotation. With job rotation, employees are trained to perform different jobs.

37. You want to conduct a diversity training program to improve the relationship between diverse group members. You want them to better understand each other.            
E. Role playing. To develop relationship there are only two options. Role playing or behavior modeling. With diversity, there is no correct model to follow (so behavior modeling is not appropriate), and role playing is used to develop empathy—understanding each other better.

 

Applying the Concept 9-5: Performance Appraisal Methods

Select the performance appraisal method (see Exhibit 9-9) that is most appropriate for the given situation.

A. critical incidents file
B. management by objectives (MBO)
C. narrative method
D. behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)
E. rating scale
F. ranking

38. Indra asked you for a letter of recommendation for a job she applied for at another company.
C. Narrative method. The narrative method requires a manager to write a statement (in this case, a letter of recommendation) about an employee’s performance.

39. Samantha started a small company and now has a dozen employees. She wants to develop one performance appraisal form that you can use with all employees.
E. Rating scale. Rating scales can be used across jobs because they are general in nature.

40. Usain has been promoted from a supervisory position to a middle-management position and needs to select his replacement.
F. Ranking. Ranking compares an employee to other employees. It is needed to determine who is best qualified among the present employees.

41. Sunny is not performing up to standard level of production.
A. Critical incidents file. A critical incidents file is a record of positive and negative performance of an employee throughout the performance period. It is used to tell an employee exactly what the present problems are and to serve as the basis for changing performance.

42. Winnie wants to use an assessment system for developing each employee.
B. MBO. MBO is the most individualized development method.

43. Employees have complained that the one existing appraisal form does not work well for different types of employee jobs. John has decided to hire an HRM professional to develop a performance appraisal system that is more objective and job specific, with forms for various employee groups.
D. BARS. BARS is the most objective method and is used with specific jobs.