CPWM Personnel Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A public works manager suspects an employee is impaired on the job. What is the most appropriate first action?
- Immediately terminate the employee
- Remove the employee from safety-sensitive duties and follow agency protocol for testing (Correct answer)
- Warn the employee privately and monitor for future incidents
- Report the issue to the union before taking any action
Correct answer: Remove the employee from safety-sensitive duties and follow agency protocol for testing
Safety comes first; the employee should be removed from safety-sensitive work and the agency's substance abuse policy and testing protocol followed.
Question 2: Which law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in organizations with 15 or more employees?
- The Americans with Disabilities Act
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Correct answer)
- The Equal Pay Act
Correct answer: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the foundational federal law prohibiting workplace discrimination based on these protected characteristics.
Question 3: When a public works department creates a succession plan, the primary goal is to:
- Reduce the number of management positions
- Identify and develop employees to fill key roles when vacancies occur (Correct answer)
- Document which employees are eligible for early retirement
- Establish a list of candidates for external hiring
Correct answer: Identify and develop employees to fill key roles when vacancies occur
Succession planning ensures organizational continuity by proactively identifying and preparing internal candidates for critical positions.
Question 4: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a 'reasonable accommodation' is best described as:
- Any modification an employee requests, regardless of cost
- A modification that enables a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential job functions without undue hardship to the employer (Correct answer)
- Reassigning all difficult tasks away from a disabled employee
- Providing the same accommodation used by other agencies
Correct answer: A modification that enables a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential job functions without undue hardship to the employer
The ADA requires modifications that allow qualified disabled employees to perform essential functions, balanced against the employer's burden.
Question 5: Which type of pay structure links employee compensation directly to measurable performance outcomes?
- Step-increment pay
- Pay-for-performance or merit pay (Correct answer)
- Cost-of-living adjustment
- Prevailing wage pay
Correct answer: Pay-for-performance or merit pay
Pay-for-performance or merit pay systems tie compensation increases to individual or organizational performance results.
Question 6: An employee who resigns claiming the work environment was made intolerable by the employer may allege:
- Wrongful termination
- Constructive discharge (Correct answer)
- Retaliatory demotion
- Hostile work environment
Correct answer: Constructive discharge
Constructive discharge occurs when an employee resigns because the employer deliberately created intolerable working conditions equivalent to a firing.
Question 7: The primary benefit of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in a public works department is to:
- Provide additional retirement savings options
- Offer confidential counseling and referral services for personal problems affecting job performance (Correct answer)
- Administer drug and alcohol testing programs
- Manage workers' compensation claims
Correct answer: Offer confidential counseling and referral services for personal problems affecting job performance
EAPs provide confidential support services for issues like mental health, substance abuse, and financial stress that affect employee productivity.
CPWM Personnel Administration 3
A public works manager suspects an employee is impaired on the job.
What is the most appropriate first action?