ALA Human Resources Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which of the following employees is properly classified as exempt from overtime requirements?
- A paralegal earning $45,000 annually who primarily performs routine document review
- A legal administrator earning $65,000 who manages a department and directs two or more employees (Correct answer)
- A receptionist earning $35,000 who occasionally supervises a temporary worker
- A billing clerk earning $55,000 who processes invoices under close supervision
Correct answer: A legal administrator earning $65,000 who manages a department and directs two or more employees
To qualify for the executive exemption under FLSA, an employee must be paid at least $684/week on a salary basis, primarily manage the enterprise or a department, and customarily direct the work of two or more employees.
Question 2: A law firm's HR manager is developing a compensation structure. Which approach best supports internal equity?
- Paying employees based solely on market data from salary surveys
- Setting pay based on years of experience only
- Conducting a job evaluation to rank positions by relative worth before setting pay ranges (Correct answer)
- Allowing each supervising attorney to negotiate individual salaries independently
Correct answer: Conducting a job evaluation to rank positions by relative worth before setting pay ranges
Internal equity is achieved through systematic job evaluation, which ranks positions by factors like skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions before establishing pay ranges.
Question 3: Which federal law requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for qualifying family and medical reasons?
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (Correct answer)
- Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
Correct answer: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires covered employers with 50+ employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying reasons including serious health conditions and family care.
Question 4: When conducting a performance appraisal, a supervisor rates all employees as 'average' regardless of actual performance. This rating error is known as:
- Halo effect
- Recency bias
- Central tendency error (Correct answer)
- Leniency error
Correct answer: Central tendency error
Central tendency error occurs when a rater avoids extreme ratings and clusters all evaluations in the middle of the scale, failing to differentiate between high and low performers.
Question 5: A legal administrator suspects that an employee's termination was pretextual. In an employment discrimination lawsuit, what does the plaintiff need to demonstrate to establish a prima facie case under McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green?
- That the employer had explicit discriminatory intent documented in writing
- That the employee belongs to a protected class, was qualified, suffered adverse action, and was replaced by someone outside the protected class (Correct answer)
- That the employer violated at least three federal employment laws simultaneously
- That the employee filed a grievance with HR within 30 days of the adverse action
Correct answer: That the employee belongs to a protected class, was qualified, suffered adverse action, and was replaced by someone outside the protected class
Under the McDonnell Douglas framework, a plaintiff establishes a prima facie discrimination case by showing membership in a protected class, qualification for the position, an adverse employment action, and that someone outside the protected class was treated more favorably.
Question 6: Which of the following is a key component of an effective onboarding program for new legal staff?
- Assigning new hires independent complex matters on their first day to test competence
- Providing role-specific training, introducing firm culture, and clarifying performance expectations early (Correct answer)
- Limiting new hire interaction with senior staff for the first 90 days
- Focusing exclusively on compliance paperwork during the first week
Correct answer: Providing role-specific training, introducing firm culture, and clarifying performance expectations early
Effective onboarding integrates new employees by combining role-specific skill training, cultural socialization, and clear communication of performance expectations, which improves retention and productivity.
Question 7: Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which employer practice constitutes quid pro quo sexual harassment?
- A supervisor making offensive jokes in team meetings
- A coworker repeatedly asking another employee on dates despite rejections
- A manager conditioning a promotion on an employee's submission to sexual advances (Correct answer)
- Displaying inappropriate posters in a common break room
Correct answer: A manager conditioning a promotion on an employee's submission to sexual advances
Quid pro quo harassment occurs when a supervisor makes employment decisions—such as promotions, raises, or continued employment—contingent on an employee's acceptance or rejection of unwelcome sexual conduct.
ALA Human Resources Management 1
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which of the following employees is properly classified as exempt from overtime requirements?