A pay structure specifically designed to energize direct or control employees behavior is known as

Pay specifically designed to energize, direct, or control employees' behavior is known as:

A. monthly salary.

B. wage.

C. incentive pay.

D. annual salary.

E. fixed pay.

C. incentive pay.
Along with wages and salaries, many organizations offer incentive pay—that is, pay specifically designed to energize, direct, or control employees' behavior.

An effective incentive pay plan should:

A. have performance measures based on employees' requirements.

B. not be provided as a direct percentage of employees' performance.

C. encourage group performance and dispirit individual achievements.

D. be the same for all types of employees in the organization.

E. have performance measures linked to the organization's goals.

E. have performance measures linked to the organization's goals.

An effective incentive pay plan should have performance measures that are linked to the organization's goals.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using incentive plans?

A. The goals of an incentive plan may interfere with other management goals.

B. The goals of incentive plans cannot be linked to particular outcomes or behaviors.

C. Incentive plans cannot be used to promote group and organizational performance.

D. Incentive plans cause dissatisfaction among the non-performing employees in the organization.

E. Incentive plans are not very effective for jobs other than sales and service.

A. The goals of an incentive plan may interfere with other management goals.

An incentive pay designed support to a management goal may interfere with other management goals. The employees may provide more importance to those goals that are supported by the incentive plan.

When designing incentives, managers should make sure that:

A. all the employees are paid equal amounts.

B. even the lowest performing employees get some rewards.

C. employees focus only completing the task quickly.

D. employees think that the pay plan is fair.

E. they focus on hiring employees for whom earning money is the only reason to do a good job.

D. employees think that the pay plan is fair.

Attitudes that influence the success of incentive pay include whether employees value the rewards and think the pay plan is fair.

Which of the following types of incentive pay plans are used to reward individual performance?

A. Gainsharing

B. Merit pay

C. Scanlon plan

D. Profit sharing

E. Stock ownership

B. Merit pay

Organizations may reward individual performance with a variety of incentives such as merit pay. All other options provided in the question are designed to promote group/organizational performance.

A company provides wages to its employees based on the amount workers produce. The more employees produce, the more they earn. This type of plan is called:

A. piecework rate plan.

B. merit pay plan.

C. Scanlon plan.

D. profit sharing plan.

E. standard hour plan.

A. piecework rate plan.

As an incentive to work efficiently, some organizations pay production workers a piecework rate, a wage based on the amount they produce.

A piecework rate plan is best suited for:

A. HR professionals.

B. executives.

C. production workers.

D. managers.

E. knowledge workers.

C. production workers.

As an incentive to work efficiently, some organizations pay production workers a piecework rate, a wage based on the amount they produce. This pay plan may not be suited for the other categories of jobs given.

As an incentive to work efficiently, some organizations pay production workers a ____, a wage based on the amount they produce.

A. merit pay

B. commission

C. standard hour pay

D. piecework rate

E. special bonus

D. piecework rate

As an incentive to work efficiently, some organizations pay production workers a piecework rate, a wage based on the amount they produce.

An employee who produces 10 components in an hour earns $9 ($.90 X 10) per hour, while an employee who produces 15 components earns $13.50 ($.90 x 15). This is an example of a:

A. commission plan.

B. differential piece rate plan.

C. direct commission plan.

D. profit sharing plan.

E. straight piecework plan.

E. straight piecework plan.

Incentive pay in which the employer pays the same rate per piece, no matter how much the worker produces is referred to as straight piecework plan.

35. _____ refers to an incentive pay in which the wage paid is higher when a greater amount is produced.

A. Profit sharing

B. Differential piece rate

C. Gain sharing

D. Scanlon pay

E. Merit pay
Differential piece rate refers to an incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced.

B. Differential piece rate

Differential piece rate refers to an incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced.

Which of the following is true about a piece rate plan?

A. It can be used for all types of jobs and in all types of industries.

B. It is best suited for complex jobs and tasks.

C. It can be used to encourage team work and collaboration.

D. It has a direct link between the work and how much the employee earns.

E. It encourages peers to perform as well as the co-workers and reduce conflicts.

D. It has a direct link between the work and how much the employee earns.

An obvious advantage of piece rates is the direct link between how much work the employee does and the amount the employee earns.

Differential piece rates system refers to:

A. an incentive pay plan in which the employer pays the rate per piece based on the difference in performance of employees.

B. a wage system designed for salespeople who earn a differential pay for every piece sold.

C. an incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced.

D. a system of linking pay increases to ratings on performance appraisals.

E. an incentive pay plan where every employee is paid different wages based on the skills they possess.

C. an incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced.

Differential piece rates refers to an incentive pay in which the piece rate is higher when a greater amount is produced.

Piecework rate plans are most suited for _____.

A. innovative tasks

B. non-standard jobs

C. managerial jobs

D. jobs with difficult-to-measure output

E. routine, standardized jobs

E. routine, standardized jobs

Most jobs, including those of managers, have no physical output, so it is hard to develop an appropriate performance measure. So piecework rates are most suited for very routine, standardized jobs with output that is easy to measure.

Standard hour plans are likely to succeed if:

A. most or all of a salesperson's compensation is in the form of commissions.

B. employers keep labor costs to a minimum.

C. the pay increase is linked to ratings on performance appraisals.

D. employees want the extra money more than they want to work at a pace that feels comfortable.

E. the organization values employee satisfaction and motivation more than profits.

D. employees want the extra money more than they want to work at a pace that feels comfortable.

A standard hour plan is an incentive plan that pays workers extra for work done in less than a preset "standard time." This plan can only succeed if employees want the extra money more than they want to work at a pace that feels comfortable.

Martin owns and manages a small auto-parts shop. He determines the time required to complete each task in his shop. When an employee completes the repair in less time, he/she receives an amount of pay equal to the rate determined by Martin for . Martin is using a:

A. standard hour plan.

B. differential piecework plan.

C. merit pay plan.

D. straight piecework plan.

E. Scanlon plan.

A. standard hour plan.

An incentive plan that pays workers extra for work done in less than a preset "standard time" is referred to as a standard hour plan.

Which of the following is true about standard hour plans?

A. They always encourage employees to focus on customer service.

B. They succeed only for employees who are not motivated by money.

C. They encourage employees to focus mainly on quality.

D. In terms of their pros and cons, they are very different from piecework plans.

E. They encourage employees to work as fast as they can.

E. They encourage employees to work as fast as they can.
Standard hour plans encourage employees to work as fast as they can, but not necessarily to care about quality or customer service.

An incentive system in which an organization links pay increases to ratings on performance appraisals is referred to as:

A. commission.

B. a Scanlon plan.

C. merit pay.

D. gain sharing.

E. profit sharing.

C. merit pay.

Merit pay is a system of linking pay increases to ratings on performance appraisals.

In merit pay programs, an individual's compa-ratio represents his/her:

A. pay relative to performance of other workers in the industry.

B. pay relative to average pay.

C. comparable worth versus others.

D. ratio of pay to benefits.

E. the average worth of the skills possessed by the individual.

B. pay relative to average pay.

Compa-ratio refers to the pay relative to average pay of the individual.

The decisions about merit pay are based on two factors: the individual's performance rating and the individual's:

A. compa-ratio.

B. seniority.

C. pay grade.

D. longevity.

E. emotional quotient.

A. compa-ratio.

The decisions about merit pay are based on two factors: the individual's performance rating and the individual's compa-ratio.

What is the function of a merit increase grid?

A. To make the merit increases consistent

B. To further increase the pay for those whose pay is relatively higher for their job

C. To increase the employees' compa-ratio

D. To stabilize economic conditions

E. To increase incentives on an year-by-year basis

A. To make the merit increases consistent

To make the merit increases consistent, so they will be seen as fair, many merit pay programs use a merit increase grid.

In order to control compensation costs, administrators of merit pay programs must closely monitor the compa-ratio and the:

A. number of pay grades in the pay structure.

B. an individual's performance ratings.

C. number of new hires in the company.

D. company's stock price in the financial year.

E. average pay of the area where the organization is functioning.

B. an individual's performance ratings.

The decisions about merit pay are based on two factors: the individual's performance rating and the individual's compa-ratio.

An advantage of merit pay is that:

A. it makes the reward more valuable by relating it to economic conditions.

B. it promotes group performance instead of promoting individual behavior.

C. it provides merit increases to employees only on the basis of performance.

D. it would never become costly for the employers.

E. it results in a bigger short-term reward for the best performers.

A. it makes the reward more valuable by relating it to economic conditions.

An advantage of merit pay is that it makes the reward more valuable by relating it to economic conditions.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a merit pay system?

A. It does not relate the rewards to economic conditions.

B. It cannot be used effectively in performance appraisals.

C. Comparative pay is not considered in its evaluation.

D. It is not consistent with performance management's dimensions.

E. It can quickly become expensive for the company.

E. It can quickly become expensive for the company.
A drawback of merit pay, from the employer's standpoint, is that it can quickly become expensive. Managers at a majority of organizations rate most employees' performance in the top two categories (out of four or five). Therefore, the majority of employees are eligible for the biggest merit increases, and their pay rises rapidly.

_____ provides a method for rewarding performance in all of the dimensions measured in the organization's performance management system.

A. Differential piece rate

B. Standard hour plan

C. Merit pay

D. Piece rate

E. Commission

C. Merit pay

An advantage of merit pay is that it provides a method for rewarding performance in all of the dimensions measured in the organization's performance management system. If that system is appropriately designed to measure all the important job behaviors, then the merit pay is linked to the behaviors the organization desires.

Which of the following is true of a performance bonus?

A. It is designed to reward group performance.

B. It should be re-earned by employees during each performance period.

C. It is rolled into base pay and provided yearly or monthly.

D. It lacks flexibility and hence it is less popular.

E. It is not a one time reward in most of the cases.

B. It should be re-earned by employees during each performance period.

Like merit pay, performance bonuses reward individual performance, but bonuses are not rolled into base pay. The employee must re-earn them during each performance period.

Organizations formed for the purpose of representing their members' interests in dealing with employers are known as:

A. employee guilds.

B. sororities.

C. lobbies.

D. member clubs.

E. labor unions.

E. labor unions.
Labor unions are organizations formed for the purpose of representing their members' interests and resolving conflicts with employers.

Which of the following defines labor relations?

A. It is an association that seeks to advance the shared interests of its member unions at the national level.

B. It is the election of an employee by union members to represent them in ensuring that the terms of the labor contract are enforced.

C. It is a contract provision under which the employer, on behalf of the union, automatically deducts union dues from employees' paychecks.

D. It is the field that emphasizes skills that managers and union leaders can use to minimize costly forms of conflict and seek win-win solutions to disagreements.

E. It is an alternative form of union membership in which members receive discounts on insurance and credit cards rather than representation in collective bargaining.

D. It is the field that emphasizes skills that managers and union leaders can use to minimize costly forms of conflict and seek win-win solutions to disagreements.

In the context of the three levels of decisions involved in labor relations, which of the following management decisions relates to whether the organization will work with unions or develop (or maintain) nonunion operations?

A. Negotiating contracts

B. Formulating labor relations strategy

C. Engaging in corporate governance

D. Administering contracts

E. Relationship management

B. Formulating labor relations strategy

For management, the decision pertaining to labor relations strategy involves whether the organization will work with unions or develop (or maintain) nonunion operations. For unions, the decision involves whether to fight changes in how unions relate to the organization or accept new kinds of labor-management relationships.

Which of the following decisions in labor relations involves day-to-day activities in which union members and the organization's managers may have disagreements?

A. Administering contracts

B. Formulating labor relations strategy

C. Lobbying for labor law changes

D. Negotiating contracts

E. Implementing labor laws

A. Administering contracts

Decisions regarding administering of contracts involve day-to-day activities in which union members and the organization's managers may have disagreements. Issues include complaints of work rules being violated or workers being treated unfairly in particular situations. A formal grievance procedure is typically used to resolve these issues.

Which of the following is a federal law passed in 1935 that supports collective bargaining and sets out the rights of employees to form unions?

A. The Landrum-Griffin Act

B. The Civil Rights Act

C. The Wagner Act

D. The Taft-Hartley Act

E. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

C. The Wagner Act

Perhaps the most dramatic example of labor laws' influence is the 1935 passage of the Wagner Act (also known as the National Labor Relations Act, or NLRA ), which actively supported collective bargaining.

Which of the following is covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)?

A. A worker employed as a supervisor

B. A person working for a parent

C. An independent contractor

D. An worker employed by an employer subject to the Railway Labor Act

E. A worker going out on strike to secure better working conditions

E. A worker going out on strike to secure better working conditions

The following activities are among those protected under the NLRA: union organizing, joining a union, whether recognized by the employer or not, going out on strike to secure better working conditions, refraining from activity on behalf of the union

Which of the following laws allows the states to pass so-called right-to-work laws?

A. The Taft-Hartley Act

B. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

C. The Landrum-Griffin

D. The Hatch Act

E. The Maguire Act

A. The Taft-Hartley Act

The Taft-Hartley Act allows the states to pass so-called right-to-work laws, which make union shops, maintenance of membership, and agency shops illegal. The idea behind such laws is that requiring union membership or the payment of union dues restricts the employees' right to freedom of association.

Right-to-work laws are:

A. federal laws that protect employees' right to lifetime employment.

B. state laws that make union shops, maintenance of membership, and agency shops illegal.

C. laws that protect the right of unions to insist that the employer hire only union members.

D. laws that allow terminating an existing contract and striking for a new one without notifying the employer.

E. federal laws that ensure that all union members get pension benefits.

B. state laws that make union shops, maintenance of membership, and agency shops illegal.

The Taft-Hartley Act allows the states to pass so-called right-to-work laws, which make union shops, maintenance of membership, and agency shops illegal. The idea behind such laws is that requiring union membership or the payment of union dues restricts the employees' right to freedom of association.

What is the minimum percent of employees in a bargaining unit who must sign authorization cards for the NLRB to hold a union representation election?

A. 30 percent

B. 51 percent

C. 20 percent

D. 10 percent

E. 55 percent

A. 30 percent

At the start of an organizing process, union representatives make contact with employees, present their message about the union, and invite them to sign an authorization card. For the organization process to continue, at least 30 percent of the employees must sign an authorization card.

Which of the following is true of benefits?

A. They allow employees to buy their own insurance.

B. They let employees to contribute to their own savings plans.

C. Employees do not pay income taxes on most benefits they receive.

D. They give employees greater control over what their compensation buys.

E. Laws usually do not require employers to provide benefits.

C. Employees do not pay income taxes on most benefits they receive.

Tax laws can make benefits favorable to employees. For example, employees do not pay income taxes on most benefits they receive, but they pay income taxes on cash compensation

Which of the following benefits is required by law in the United States?

A. Sick leave

B. Personal leave

C. Medical care

D. Social Security

E. Paid leave

D. Social Security

This important role of benefits is one reason that benefits are subject to government regulation. Some benefits, such as Social Security, are required by law.

In general, Social Security provides support for _____.

A. laid-off workers

B. workers injured on the job

C. retired workers

D. self-injured workers

E. sick workers

C. retired workers

In general, Social Security provides support for retired workers.

Which of the following legally required employer-provided benefits help workers injured on the job?

A. Social Security

B. Unemployment insurance

C. Group insurance

D. Workers' compensation

E. Family and medical leave

D. Workers' compensation

Workers' compensation laws help workers with the expenses resulting from job-related accidents and illnesses.

Which one of the following employer-provided benefits is required by law in the U.S.?

A. Floating holidays

B. Paid vacation leave

C. Unpaid family and medical leave

D. Long-term disability insurance

E. Long-term care insurance

C. Unpaid family and medical leave

Employers must provide unpaid leave for certain family and medical needs. Because these benefits are required by law, employers cannot gain an advantage in the labor market.

Social Security is formally known as the _____.

A. paid leave program

B. New Deal program

C. Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance program

D. employee wellness program

E. noncontributory plan

C. Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance program

If employees elect to begin receiving benefits at full retirement age (which rises with birth year), they can receive full benefits, or if they elect to begin receiving benefits at age 62, they receive benefits at a permanently reduced level.

Which legal benefit requires employers to pay payroll tax depending on state requirements?

A. Long-term disability insurance

B. Unemployment insurance

C. Workers' compensation

D. Unpaid family medical leave

E. Health care benefits

B. Unemployment insurance

Most of the funding for unemployment insurance comes from federal and state taxes on employers.

The unemployment insurance program is financed largely through federal and state taxes on:

A. both employees and employers.

B. employers only.

C. employees only.

D. retirees.

E. only high income group of citizens.

B. employers only.

Most of the funding for unemployment insurance comes from federal and state taxes on employers.

The employer's _____ refers to the number of employees the company laid off in the past and the cost of providing them with unemployment benefits.

A. attrition

B. scalability

C. experience rating

D. Six Sigma score

E. wage drift

C. experience rating

The employer's experience rating refers to the number of employees the company laid off in the past and the cost of providing them with unemployment benefits.

Workers are eligible for unemployment benefits if they:

A. voluntarily quit a job.

B. are out of work due to health reasons.

C. were discharged for cause.

D. are actively seeking work.

E. are out of work because of a labor dispute.

D. are actively seeking work.

To receive benefits, workers must meet four conditions. They must meet requirements demonstrating they had been employed. They are available for work. They are actively seeking work. They were not discharged for cause, did not quit voluntarily, and are not out of work because of a labor dispute.

Which one of the following is true of workers' compensation?

A. Employees are covered under the "no-fault" provision even if the injury is self-inflicted.

B. Disability income is not covered under this benefit.

C. It provides payments to offset lost income during involuntary unemployment.

D. Funding for the program comes from the state taxes on employees.

E. The benefits provided to the workers are not taxable.

E. The benefits provided to the workers are not taxable.
The amount of income varies from state to state but is typically two-thirds of the worker's earnings before the disability. The benefits are tax free.

The cost of a worker's compensation insurance depends on:

A. the profit earned by the organization during the concerned fiscal.

B. the number of years the concerned worker has been working in the organization.

C. the total strength of the organization's workforce.

D. the number of years for which the organization has been in business.

E. the state where the company is located.

E. the state where the company is located.
The cost of the workers' compensation insurance depends on the kinds of occupations involved, the state where the company is located, and the employer's experience rating.

To take unpaid family leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, employees must meet which of the following criteria?

A. Should be working for an employer with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius

B. Should have worked at least 15 hours per week

C. Should have worked for the employer for more than 5 years

D. Should belong to the top 10 percent of highest paid executives

E. Should be working for an employer with at least 100 employees

A. Should be working for an employer with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius

Specifically, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 requires organizations with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius to provide as much as 12 weeks of unpaid leave after childbirth or adoption, to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, or parent, for an employee's own serious illness, or to take care of urgent needs that arise when a spouse, child, or parent in the National Guard or Reserve is called to active duty.

Which of the following is true of flexible spending accounts?

A. They may be used to cover only employees' and not dependents' health-care expenses.

B. They do not permit pretax employee contributions.

C. Contributions to the accounts may exceed $5,000 per year but must be designated in advance.

D. Funds must be used by the plan's year end or they revert to the employer.

E. The money in the flexible spending account is taxed and it reduces an employee's take home pay.

D. Funds must be used by the plan's year end or they revert to the employer.

The money in the account may be spent on health care expenses of the employee and employee's dependents during the plan year. At the end of the year, any remaining funds in the account revert to the employer.

Which of the following sources do most retirees (65 and older) receive most of their income?

A. Social Security

B. Private pensions

C. Earnings from personal assets

D. Disability insurance

E. Private investments

A. Social Security

Despite the image of retired people living on their Social Security check shows that those checks amount to less than half of a retired person's income.

Which of the following is true of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974?

A. The act established certain rights related to vesting.

B. The act required employers to offer supplemental retirement plans.

C. The act barred portability of retirement savings.

D. The act reduced the responsibility of pension plan trustees.

E. The act guaranteed retirees a pension equivalent to their last drawn salary.

A. The act established certain rights related to vesting.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974 increased the responsibility of pension plan trustees to protect retirees, established certain rights related to vesting (earning a right to receive the pension) and portability (being able to move retirement savings when changing employers).

A popular defined-contribution plan whereby employees contribute pretax dollars which are then matched by the employer is known as:

A. money purchase plans.

B. Section 401(k) plans.

C. profit-sharing plans.

D. ERISA benefit plans.

E. employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

B. Section 401(k) plans.

Under the section 401(k) plans, employees contribute a percentage of their earnings, and employers may make matching contributions. The amount employees contribute is not taxed as part of their income until they receive it from the plan.

Within a 401(k) plan, who has the responsibility for investing?

A. The employee

B. The PGBC

C. The ERISA Fiduciary Advisor

D. The financial institution handling the account

E. The employer

A. The employee

The defined-contribution plans, including the 401(k) plan, free employers from the risks that investments will not perform as well as expected. They put the responsibility for wise investing squarely on the shoulders of each employee.

The _____ is a report that describes a pension plan's funding, eligibility requirements, risks, and other details.

A. mission statement

B. balanced scorecard

C. labor law posting

D. "top-heavy" plan

E. summary plan description

E. summary plan description

The summary plan description is a report that describes the plan's funding, eligibility requirements, risks, and other details.

Which of the following organizations strictly limits the definition of "independent contractors," so that employers cannot avoid legal obligations by classifying workers as self-employed when the organization receives the benefits of a permanent employee?

A. The Internal Revenue Service

B. The FBGC

C. The ERISA

D. Employee Benefit Research Institute

E. The Bureau of Labor Statistics

A. The Internal Revenue Service

The Internal Revenue Service strictly limits the definition of "independent contractors," so that employers cannot avoid legal obligations by classifying workers as self-employed when the organization receives the benefits of a permanent employee.

Which one of the following statements is true of employee benefits?

A. Employees generally have a thorough understanding of what benefits they have and what the market value of these benefits is.

B. Employees significantly underestimate the cost and value of their benefits.

C. Employers do an effective job of communicating the cost and value of benefits to their employees.

D. Employees, for the most part, are just not interested in their benefits.

E. Employers have very limited options for communicating information about benefits.

B. Employees significantly underestimate the cost and value of their benefits.

Employees and job applicants often have a poor idea of what benefits they have and what the market value of their benefits is. Research asking employees about their benefits has shown that employees significantly underestimate the cost and value of their benefits.

Which of the following types of incentive plans are used to reward individual performance quizlet?

Merit pay incentive system is used to reward individual performance. Piecework rates are most suited for routine, standardized jobs with output that is easy to measure.

When an employee's pay is calculated as a percentage of sales it is referred to as quizlet?

It makes the reward more valuable by relating it to economic conditions. When an employee's pay is calculated as a percentage of sales, it is referred to as: commission. Group bonuses typically reward the performance of all employees in an organization. False.

Which type of pay plan will most likely promote teamwork and flexibility among employees?

Profit sharing is a team-based incentive plan in which you pay your employees a percentage of your company's overall profits. Profit sharing builds a sense of ownership among employees and encourages greater team performance levels.

What is pay based on performance called?

Merit pay, also known as pay-for-performance, is defined as a raise in pay based on a set of criteria set by the employer. This usually involves the employer conducting a review meeting with the employee to discuss the employee's work performance during a certain time period.