Supervisory Test Legal and Ethical Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A supervisor discovers that a team member has been falsifying timesheets. What is the FIRST action the supervisor should take?
- Terminate the employee immediately without further investigation
- Document the findings and report to HR following company policy (Correct answer)
- Confront the employee publicly in front of the team
- Ignore it if the amounts are small and performance is otherwise good
Correct answer: Document the findings and report to HR following company policy
Supervisors must document evidence and follow established HR procedures before taking any disciplinary action to ensure due process.
Question 2: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a supervisor is required to provide a qualified employee with a disability:
- Any accommodation the employee requests regardless of cost
- Reasonable accommodations unless they cause undue hardship to the organization (Correct answer)
- The same accommodations given to all other employees
- Accommodations only if the disability is visible or documented by a specialist
Correct answer: Reasonable accommodations unless they cause undue hardship to the organization
The ADA requires reasonable accommodations that do not impose undue hardship, balancing the employee's needs with organizational resources.
Question 3: Which of the following scenarios constitutes a conflict of interest for a supervisor?
- Approving overtime for a high-performing employee
- Awarding a contract to a vendor owned by the supervisor's spouse (Correct answer)
- Conducting performance reviews for direct reports
- Enforcing the company's attendance policy uniformly
Correct answer: Awarding a contract to a vendor owned by the supervisor's spouse
A conflict of interest arises when a supervisor's personal relationships or financial interests could improperly influence business decisions.
Question 4: An employee reports to their supervisor that a coworker is engaging in sexual harassment. The supervisor does NOT personally witness it. The supervisor should:
- Tell the reporting employee to handle it themselves since the supervisor didn't see it
- Investigate discreetly and report findings to HR (Correct answer)
- Warn the accused employee informally without creating a record
- Wait for more complaints before taking action
Correct answer: Investigate discreetly and report findings to HR
Supervisors have a legal duty to act on harassment complaints even when they did not personally witness the behavior.
Question 5: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to how many weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year?
- 6 weeks
- 10 weeks
- 12 weeks (Correct answer)
- 16 weeks
Correct answer: 12 weeks
FMLA provides eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave annually for qualifying family or medical reasons.
Question 6: A supervisor overhears an employee making racially offensive jokes to another employee who appears uncomfortable. The BEST response is to:
- Ignore it because the jokes were not directed at the supervisor
- Intervene immediately, address the conduct, and document the incident (Correct answer)
- Wait to see if the uncomfortable employee files a formal complaint
- Speak privately only to the employee who appeared uncomfortable
Correct answer: Intervene immediately, address the conduct, and document the incident
Supervisors who witness potential harassment must intervene and document the incident to prevent a hostile work environment from forming.
Question 7: Which law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on age, specifically protecting workers who are:
- 18 years of age or older
- 35 years of age or older
- 40 years of age or older (Correct answer)
- 55 years of age or older
Correct answer: 40 years of age or older
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects workers who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination.
Supervisory Test Legal and Ethical Compliance 2
A supervisor discovers that a team member has been falsifying timesheets.
What is the FIRST action the supervisor should take?