Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights Flashcards

"Quid pro quo" harassment in the workplace occurs when:

Answer: A supervisor conditions job benefits or threatens adverse action based on submission to sexual advances

Quid pro quo harassment (Latin for 'this for that') occurs when a supervisor makes employment decisions conditional on an employee's submission to unwelcome sexual or other improper advances.

Under the ADA and California FEHA, an employer must provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities unless doing so would cause:

Answer: Undue hardship on the employer's business

Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an 'undue hardship' — significant difficulty or expense relative to the employer's resources.

Retaliation in an employment discrimination context is prohibited when an employer takes adverse action against an employee for:

Answer: Any protected activity, such as opposing discrimination or participating in an EEO investigation

Retaliation is prohibited when an employer takes adverse employment action against an employee for engaging in protected activity, which includes filing complaints, opposing discriminatory practices, or participating in investigations.

Under California's FEHA, how long does an employee generally have to file a discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department?

Answer: Three years from the discriminatory act

California's FEHA provides employees three years from the date of the alleged discriminatory act to file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, which is longer than the federal EEOC deadline.

Which of the following best describes a "hostile work environment" harassment claim?

Answer: Unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic is severe or pervasive enough to alter working conditions

A hostile work environment exists when unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic is severe or pervasive enough to create an abusive or intimidating work environment that alters the terms of employment.

Which of the following is the clearest example of "disparate treatment" discrimination?

Answer: Refusing to consider women for supervisory roles based on assumptions about leadership ability

Disparate treatment is intentional discrimination — the employer treats individuals differently because of a protected characteristic, as when women are excluded from certain roles based on gender-based assumptions.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 amended which major civil rights law to clarify that pregnancy discrimination is a form of sex discrimination?

Answer: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions as a form of sex discrimination.