CMCA Human Resources and Personnel Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A board member instructs the community manager to terminate an on-site employee immediately without cause. The best practice before acting is to:
- Terminate the employee immediately without question
- Review the employee handbook, applicable employment contracts, and consult legal counsel (Correct answer)
- Ask the employee to resign voluntarily without explanation
- Post the position opening while the employee is still employed
Correct answer: Review the employee handbook, applicable employment contracts, and consult legal counsel
Before termination, the manager should review employment documents for notice requirements and consult the association's attorney to minimize wrongful termination liability.
Question 2: A new Form I-9 must be completed for each employee to verify:
- Federal income tax withholding elections
- Identity and employment authorization in the United States (Correct answer)
- Health insurance enrollment eligibility
- Union membership status
Correct answer: Identity and employment authorization in the United States
Form I-9 is required by federal law (IRCA) to verify that every employee is legally authorized to work in the United States.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes progressive discipline in a community association HR context?
- Immediately terminating any employee who violates a policy
- Escalating corrective actions (verbal warning → written warning → suspension → termination) to address misconduct (Correct answer)
- Allowing employees unlimited chances to correct behavior without documentation
- Delegating all discipline decisions to the board treasurer
Correct answer: Escalating corrective actions (verbal warning → written warning → suspension → termination) to address misconduct
Progressive discipline applies increasingly serious consequences for repeated or serious infractions, giving employees notice and opportunity to correct behavior while creating a defensible paper trail.
Question 4: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a community association with 15+ employees must provide a qualified employee with a disability:
- A guaranteed promotion to any requested position
- Reasonable accommodation unless it causes undue hardship to the organization (Correct answer)
- Unlimited leave without any expectation of return
- A private office at no cost to the employee
Correct answer: Reasonable accommodation unless it causes undue hardship to the organization
The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations that enable a qualified person with a disability to perform essential job functions, unless doing so creates undue hardship.
Question 5: A community association manager receives a complaint of workplace sexual harassment between two on-site employees. The immediate required action is to:
- Ignore it unless the victim files a formal police report
- Investigate promptly, document findings, and take corrective action (Correct answer)
- Transfer the complaining employee to another work site
- Inform the harasser of the complaint and allow them to self-correct
Correct answer: Investigate promptly, document findings, and take corrective action
Federal law and best practice require prompt investigation of harassment complaints, documentation of findings, and appropriate corrective action to prevent a hostile work environment.
Question 6: When using a management company for a community, the on-site staff are typically employed by:
- The individual homeowners on a rotating basis
- The management company, not the association (Correct answer)
- The state housing authority
- The association's insurance carrier
Correct answer: The management company, not the association
In a managed community, on-site staff are usually employees of the management company, which handles HR, payroll, and compliance obligations on the association's behalf.
CMCA Human Resources and Personnel Management 2
A board member instructs the community manager to terminate an on-site employee immediately without cause.
The best practice before acting is to: