Professional in Human Resources-California MCQ Flashcards

Which one of the following sets standards for occupational health and safety that businesses must adhere to?

Answer: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency responsible for setting and enforcing standards for occupational health and safety. Its mission is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for employees across the United States. Businesses are legally required to comply with OSHA's regulations to protect their workforce from hazards.

The body in California responsible for enforcing sexual harassment laws is known as

Answer: The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is the state agency tasked with enforcing California's civil rights laws, including those prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace. The DFEH investigates complaints, mediates disputes, and can pursue legal action to ensure compliance with these important protections for employees.

Which of the following violates the expectation of privacy of an employee?

Answer: An employer conducting a search of their employees' handbags or briefcases

While employers can generally monitor company-owned resources and activities during work hours, searching an employee's personal belongings like handbags or briefcases typically infringes upon their reasonable expectation of privacy. Such intrusive searches often require specific policies, employee consent, or probable cause to be legally permissible, depending on jurisdiction and circumstances.

Every two years, all companies in California with ____ or more workers are required by California Code 12950 to provide managers with a minimum of two hours of training on sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention.

Answer: 5

California Code 12950 mandates that all employers in California with five or more employees must provide sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training. Supervisory employees are required to receive a minimum of two hours of training, and non-supervisory employees must receive one hour, every two years, to foster a respectful and compliant workplace environment.

California state law has decriminalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. This statute is known as:

Answer: California's Compassionate Use Act

California's Compassionate Use Act, also known as Proposition 215, was enacted in 1996, making California the first state to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. This statute allows seriously ill Californians to obtain and use marijuana for medical treatment with a physician's recommendation, decriminalizing its use under state law.

Which of the following qualifies as grounds for wrongful termination for an at-will employee?

Answer: For an illegal firing due to discrimination based on race

Even for at-will employees, termination is considered wrongful if it violates anti-discrimination laws or public policy. Firing an employee due to discrimination based on protected characteristics like race is illegal and constitutes wrongful termination, regardless of the at-will employment doctrine. Other reasons like failing to meet dress code or performance goals, if applied consistently and non-discriminatorily, are generally permissible under at-will employment.

Most employees find it challenging to establish wrongful termination because:

Answer: Most staff are at-will employees

Most employees find it challenging to establish wrongful termination primarily because the majority are considered 'at-will' employees. Under at-will employment, employers can terminate an employee for any reason, or no reason at all, as long as it's not an illegal reason (e.g., discrimination or retaliation). This makes it difficult for employees to prove that their termination was for an unlawful cause rather than a permissible one.