HR Management Quiz 1 - Assignment Example

a) Unfair discrimination is basically using different standards to judge different individuals, or the same standard is used, but it is not related to the individuals’ jobs (Mathis & Jackson, 2004). An example of this might be where a firm chooses to implement a quota; thus denying employment to a certain ethnic group. Another example of unfair discrimination is where a business is advertising for a job, but specifically states that the company will accept male applicants only. This is unfair because it discriminates against females, who may or may not be more qualified than male applicants. b) On the other hand, fair discrimination is simply recognizing differences among items or people, without holding any biases (Mathis & Jackson, 2004).

An example of this is when employers must decide between job applicants on the basis of the job requirements and the qualifications of each candidate. Just because one candidate does not get the job doesn’t mean that they have been unfairly discriminated against. It just means that another candidate may have had more advanced qualifications, and this is what the employer was looking for in this particular case. 2. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (older than 40), disability, or genetic information (U.S. EEOC).

It is also illegal to discriminate against someone because they have previously been in conflict with their union or employer. In contrast, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is to enforce, for the benefit of job seekers and wage earners, the contractual promise of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity required of those who do business with the federal government (United States Department of Labor). In terms of EEOC, U.S. companies overseas are required to comply with the law if they also have American employees. 3. a) A hostile work environment is where an employee is confronted with unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other physical or verbal behavior of a sexual nature to a point where it changes the conditions of an employee’s employment or produces an abusive working environment.

When employees are faced with this type of environment, it is expected that there will be some long-lasting psychological effects. The consequence of this is that it may follow-on to other employees, who may feel worried or even afraid of talking with their employer if strong action isn’t taken quickly and promptly. b) Conversely, hostile work harassment is where employment outcomes are linked to an individual granting sexual favors (Mathis & Jackson, 2004). The most common case is where an employee is told that they will receive some kind of benefit, such as a raise, bonus, or promotion, but only if the employee performs some sexual favors for their superior.

The person doing the harassing may either be a woman or a man. There are laws in place to prevent sexual harassment from taking place, but it is up to the employer to act on it. If an employer is aware of a situation of sexual harassment and fails to report it, he or she can be held accountable (Assonye & Associates, 2006). 4. This is not considered hostile work harassment as this has nothing to do with pressuring the employee into performing an action. This is about making sure an employee’s work output is up to standard.

An employer can do this through implementing activity measures, which assess inputs in terms of work effort (Schermerhorn et al., 2011). An example of this could be counting the number of customers that an employee talks to rather than the number of sales that they make. 5. It is acceptable for an employer to give individuals within a minority group preferential treatment in hiring, job assignment, promotions, and compensation if they are from a protected class (Mathis & Jackson, 2004). A protected class is composed of individuals who fall within a group identified for protection under equal employment law and regulations.

This can be brought about through affirmative action, which occurs when employers identify problem areas, set goals, and take positive steps to enhance opportunities for protected-class members (Mathis & Jackson, 2004). Employers can choose affirmative action voluntarily; however, many times they are required to do so. Those who are eligible to be protected-class members must come from a pre-existing group that is underrepresented within an organization. References Asonye & Associates. Chicago Employment Attorney.

Sexual Harassment/ Hostile Work Environment FAQ. 2006. Web. 1 Jul. 2011. Mathis, Robert L., and Jackson, John H. Human Resource Management. 10th ed. Singapore: South-Western, 2004. Print. Schermerhorn, John R. Jr., Hunt, James G., Osborn, Richard N., and Uhl-Bien, Mary. Organizational Behavior. 11th ed. Asia: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print. United States Department of Labor. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). About OFCCP. Web. 1 Jul. 2011. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

About EEOC: Overview. Web. 1 Jul. 2011.