Ch8 | Test Bank – Paid Time-Off and Flexible Work Schedule

Chapter 08

Paid Time-Off and Flexible Work Schedule Benefits

  True / False Questions

1. FLSA requires employers to pay exempt status employees additional compensation for on-call time. (On-Call Time)

2. When companies determine vacation time according to hours worked, it usually applies to workers who are exempt to FLSA regulations. (Vacation)

3. Under the Jury Systems Improvement Act, being paid to serve on a jury in federal cases, is a protected right. (Jury Duty and Witness Duty Leaves)

4. Passage of the FMLA bestowed rights upon workers to take substantial unpaid time off work to attend to serious personal illness or qualifying family events, and it created return-to-work protections. (Leave Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993)

5. In most companies, employees cannot use floating holidays to extend vacation leave. (Holidays)

6. In 2015, on average, holiday benefit costs were higher than vacation benefits costs. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs)

7. Nonexempt employees subject to on-call time must be compensated according to the minimum wage provisions of FLSA. (On-Call Time)

8. In 2015, private industry paid leave benefit costs were highest for management, professional, and related occupations, accounting for 8.4% of total compensation. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs)

9. The EEOC requires employers to pay employees for time-off to observe religious holidays. (Holidays)

10. Most employers choose to pay nonexempt employees while they are serving on a jury or as witnesses in a court of law. (Jury Duty and Witness Duty Leaves)

11.  Some states and cities require most employers to provide paid sick leave. (Sick Leave)

12. Federal government employees are granted 12 paid holidays in a year. (Holidays)

13. Almost all small companies, defined as having fewer than 100 workers, offer paid sick leave as an employee benefit. (Sick Leave)

14. Effective paid time-off bank policies include a use-it-or-lose-it provision, rather than a carryover provision. (Integrated Paid Time-Off Policies or Paid Time-Off Banks)

15. Examples of compensable nonproduction time include cleanup and preparation time. (Nonproduction Time)

16. Rules for determining the amount of available vacation time per year is one of the important considerations of vacation policies. (Vacation)

17. Paid family leave traditionally benefited female workers but paternity leave is becoming increasingly common. (Parental Leave)

18. For bereavement leave, some companies designate maximum allowable days off according to how many hours the employee has worked. (Bereavement or Funeral Leave)

19. The FLSA of 1938 guidelines state that employers must compensate employees for duties and activities that are indispensable to performing principal activities. (Nonproduction Time)

20. Part-time employees must be eligible for vacation benefits. (Vacation).

21. One type of sabbatical is the extended personal leave, providing unpaid leave of two or more years with return-to-work guarantees. (Sabbatical Leave)

22. A survey of U.S. companies found the existence of one standard type of sabbatical leave. (Sabbatical Leave)

23. Paid time off to do volunteer activities has no relation to the retention aims of the firm. (Volunteerism)

24. Flexible work schedules are being offered to create greater work-life balance. (Flexible Work Arrangements)

25. Core hours are those times in the work day that are subject to flexible scheduling. (Flextime Schedules)

26. Flexible work schedules are regulated by the FLSA. (Compressed Workweek Schedules)

27. Nearly 4 million people telecomuute. (Telecommuting)

28. Sick leave policy is contained within the disability policy. (Sick Leave)

29. State laws prohibit unfavorable treatment of employees called to jury duty. (Jury Duty and Witness Duty Leaves)

30. Nonexempt employees' on-call time pay issues are overseen by the US Department Of Labor. (On-Call Time)

31. Full-time employees and part-time employees enjoy the same paid time-off benefits. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs)

32. Paid leave costs varied by economic sector with service-producing establishments having a higher cost per hour than goods-producing establishments. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs)

33. Private-sector U.S. companies offer most paid time-off benefits to employees on a discretionary basis. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs)

34. In unionized setting, the collective bargaining agreement or contract details employee entitlements to paid time-off benefits. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs)

35. Concerning holiday pay, if an employee feels they are being discriminated against on religious grounds, they may file a complaint with the U.S. Labor Department. (Holidays)

36. Avoiding conflicts between vacation time and pressing work deadlines is one of the five important considerations employers must keep in mind when designing vacation policies. (Vacation)

37. By Executive Order, President Obama required that government contractors and subcontractors offer paid sick leave to their employees. (Sick Leave)

38. Societal changes have lead to the weakening of the Family and Medical Leave Act. (Leave Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993)

39. The FMLA does not require that employers pay employees while on family leave but most companies choose to pay them regardless. (Key Provisions)

40. When an employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition, they must take personal leave or sick leave as they are unable to utilize the FMLA. (Key Provisions)

Multiple Choice Questions
 

41. This paid time-off policy is generally used by employees for professional development activities. (Sabbatical Leave)
A. Sabbatical Leave
B. Academic Leave
C. Professional Development Leave
D. Personal Leave42. In 2015, private industry employer costs for paid leave benefits was _____ of total compensation. (Defining and Exploring Paid Time-Off Programs) A. 3.5%
B. 4.7%
C. 6.9%
D. 12%

43. ? (Holidays)
A. Private-sector employers usually follow the same holiday practices as those for federal government employees.
B. When holidays fall on a weekend day, the employee receives two days of holiday pay.
C. Some companies add one or two days off with pay to the list of regularly scheduled holidays.
D. Floating holidays allow employees to take paid time off to observe any holiday not included as a recognized holiday.Which of the following statements is not true of holiday time-off practices

44(Leave Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993)
A. The time-off is unpaid, but medical insurance is continued
B. The time-off is paid, but medical insurance is discontinued
C. The time-off is unpaid and medical insurance is discontinued
D. The time-off is paid and medical insurance is continued. Which of the following is true concerning FMLA provisions? 

45. This provision pays employees an amount equal to the unused vacation days based on regular daily earnings. (Vacation)
A. Cash-over
B. Carryover
C. Cash-out
D. Carryout

46. ? (Holidays)
A. Denying an employee the right to observe a religious holiday violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
B. It is imperative that companies treat the observance of religious holidays uniformly as paid or unpaid time off.
C. The FLSA established guidelines for companies to honor employee wishes to observe religious holidays.
D. Christmas is currently the only federally recognized religious holiday.Which of the following statements is not true of companies’ treatment of religious holidays

47. This term is used to describe policies that allow employees to take unused vacation time at a later time. (Vacation)
A. Carry-out provisions
B. Carryover provisions
C. Cash-out provisions
D. Integration provisions

48. Employees, of covered employers, qualify for FMLA leave when they meet the following qualifications. (Key Provisions)
A. Worked 1025 hours in a 12 month time span
B. Worked 2150 hours in a 12 month time span
C. Worked 1250 hours in a 12 month time span
D. Worked 1520 hours in a 12 month time span

49. According to FMLA guidelines, employees must give how much notice for a scheduled unpaid leave? (Key Provisions)
A. 60 days
B. 7 days
C. 14 days
D. 30 days

50. This Act gives individuals the right to employment by the company they worked for prior to military service. (Military Leave)
A. Fair Labor Standards Act
B. Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
C. Military Reemployment Act
D. Military Services Reemployment Act

51. Which of the following is not a major revision to the FMLA? (Revisions to the FMLA)
A. Same-sex marriage eligibility
B. Parental leave
C. Qualifying exigency leave
D. Military caregiver leave

52(Key Provisions)
A. Guarantees paid leave
B. Spouses at same employer both get 12 weeks leave for the same incident
C. Employees have to have worked 1250 hours in the previous12 months to qualify
D. Applies to companies with less than 50 employees. Which of the following is true concerning the Family and Medical Leave Act? 

53. NOT allowing a Jewish employee to observe Hanukah would be a direct violation of which law? (Holidays)
A. FMLA
B. FSLA
C. ERISA
D. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

54. This policy allows employees to schedule time-off without having to justify the reasons. (Integrated Paid Time-Off Policies or Paid Time-Off Banks)
A. Personal paid time-off
B. Personal leave
C. Integral paid time-off
D. Integrated paid time-off

55. ? (Flexible Work Arrangements)
A. Flexible work arrangements create the flexibility for employees to balance work and nonwork demands or interests.
B. About a third of companies offer some type of flexibility to its employees.
C. Compressed workweek schedules and telecommuting are the most commonly used practices.
D. There are more disadvantages than advantages to flexible work arrangements.Which of the following statements is true of flexible work arrangements

56. Which of the following statements is not true of unscheduled absences?

A. Oversleeping is the most socially acceptable reason for an unscheduled absence.

B. Unscheduled absences can impair productivity and increase costs.

C. Companies may require medical certification for unscheduled absences.

D. Unscheduled absences may create hardship on the employer.

57. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must compensate employees for duties and activities indispensable to performing principal work activities. Which of the following is not a compensable nonproduction time? (Nonproduction Time)

A. Preparation time.

B. Cleanup time.

C. Travel time driving to work.

D. Rest periods shorter than 20 minutes.

58. Which of the following sabbaticals allows employees with the opportunity to undertake significant public service, either in the local community or in other areas important to the company? (Sabbatical Leave)

A. Personal Growth Leave.

B. Social Service Leave.

C. Extended Personal Leave.

D. Voluntary Leaves to Meet Business Needs.

59. Which of the following statements is not true of telecommuting? (Telecommuting)

A. Nearly 4 million people telecommute.

B. Telecommuters spend part of their time working in the office and other times working at home.

C. Telecommuting is appropriate for work activities that do not require regular, direct interactions with other workers.

D. Telecommuting is an option only for full-time employees.

60. When considering flexible work arrangements, the ______ enables employees to vary the number of daily work hours, as long as they maintain the regular number of work hours on a weekly basis. (Flextime Schedules)

A. core hours

B. banking hours feature

C. carryover provision

D. on-call feature

Essay Questions
 

61. List the most common paid time off practices. (Paid Time-Off Practices)

Main Points
● Holidays
● Vacation
● Sick leave
● Personal leave
● Integrated paid time-off
● Bereavement/funeral leave
● Sabbatical leave
● Volunteerism
● Jury duty and witness duty
● Military leave
● Non production time
● On-call time

• Parental leave
• The three most common flexible work arrangement practices are flextime schedules, compressed workweek schedules and telecommuting.
• Flextime schedules allow employees to modify work schedules within specified limits set by the employer. Employees adjust when they will start work and when they will leave work.
• Compressed workweek schedules enable employees to perform their work in fewer days than a regular five-day workweek. Employees may work four ten hour days or three twelve hour days.
• Telecommuting represents alternative work arrangements in which employees perform work at home or some other location besides the office. Nearly 4 million people telecommute.
• Sabbatical leave has its origins in college and university settings, applying mostly to faculty members. Sabbaticals are usually, but not always, paid time off to undertake professional development activities including the completion of research projects and curriculum development.
• Some employers outside the academic world have begun offering paid sabbatical leaves of absence to employees to further professional development. Increasingly, companies that offer sabbatical leave benefits focus on rejuvenation, helping employees “recharge their batteries.”
• Not all sabbaticals are alike. There are five different types of common sabbatical leave programs.
  • Traditional sabbaticals provide employees an opportunity to renew or retool themselves in work-related areas.
  • Personal growth leaves allow employees to further their education or acquire new competencies that will benefit themselves and the company.
  • Social service leaves provide employees with the opportunity to undertake significant public service, either in the local community or in other areas important to the company. Social service leaves enhance personal growth and company image as a responsible corporate citizen.
  • Extended personal leaves provide unpaid leave of two or more years with return-to-work guarantees. These leaves are commonly taken by employees with significant family obligations such as raising young children or caring for elderly relatives.
  • Voluntary leaves to meet business needs serve the company in times of downsizing or low production by offering extended unpaid time off.
• FMLA provides employees with job protection in cases of family or medical emergencies, allowing employees to take time off for illness that extends beyond three workdays.
• Guaranteed unpaid leave with the right of the employee to return either to the position they left or to an equivalent position with the same benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment.
• The FMLA does not require that employers pay employees while on family leave, however, it does require employers maintain group health insurance coverage for an employee.
• Under certain circumstances, employees may choose to substitute paid leave for unpaid FMLA leave.
• FMLA applies to all government employees, all private-sector companies with 50 or more workers and all public and private schools.
• Employees qualify for FMLA leave when they have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months and live within 75 miles of their place of employment.
• Employees who qualify may take FMLA leave for:
  • Birth and care of a newborn child.
  • Placement of an adopted child or a foster child.
  • Care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition.
  • When the employee is unable to work due to a serious health condition.
• Spouses employed by the same employer are jointly entitled to a combined total of 12 workweeks of family leave.
• Leave may be granted on a consecutive or intermittent basis, depending on the circumstances.
• Employees must give employers a minimum 30-day advance notification of leave when the event is expected.

65. Give a brief overview of the characteristics of personal leave. (Personal Leave)

Main Points
● Paid time-off for almost any reason
● Companies may choose to limit the scope of personal leave policies by specifying acceptable reasons
● Some leaves known as "mental health days"
● May be used to extend vacations or sick leave
● Companies allot a fixed number of personal days each year to all full-time employees or they award this benefit based on employee seniority
● Annual allotments may range from 1 to 10 days