1. Who threatened to withhold release of a new album in protest over job cuts at music group EMI?
a) Michael Jackson
b) Robbie Williams threatened to withhold the release of an album in protest over job cuts at music group EMI
c) Amy Winehouse


2. What proportion of UK workers have had a romantic relationship with a colleague, according to a recent study?

a) Just over 7 per cent
b) 27 per cent
c) Nearly 70 per cent of UK workers have had a romantic relationship with a colleague


3. Kate and James come in late each day as both do the morning school run. But now Brenda says she needs to come in late on the days her elderly mother goes to the day centre. This would leave their unit unmanned first thing three times a week. What should their employer do?

a) tell Brenda she can’t change her hours
b) The employer should try working out a rota to share the late starts among Brenda and the two employees who already start late before resorting to telling Brenda she can’t change her hours (a). An employer is entitled to consider the current state of workplace affairs when deciding whether it can offer more flexibility, so (a) could be right. But by first trying to work out a rota, the employer would be complying with its objective justification obligations for Brenda’s potential indirect age or disability discrimination claims, as well as following good employee relations practice
c) tell Kate and James it’s about time their partners took a turn


4. Betty is on maternity leave with her second child. Her childcare vouchers are provided under a salary sacrifice scheme. What should her employer do when she her paid leave runs out?

a) reduce her maternity pay to spread the cost across the whole leave period
b) Betty’s employers should continue to fund her childcare vouchers at no cost to her. Although there’s some debate on this, the generally accepted view is that childcare vouchers are a contractual benefit, rather than remuneration, so Betty is entitled to receive them throughout ordinary and additional maternity leave. The point about paid leave running out is a red herring. Because childcare vouchers are a benefit, the employee is entitled to them whether or not she is in receipt of maternity pay
c) provide the vouchers through a loan repayable on her return


5. Which of the following purchased the Jaguar and Land Rover car brands from Ford?
a) Tata bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford
b) General Motors
c) Chrysler

6. Who told the WFPMA World HR Congress that, at a time of growing mistrust of business, HR should be the “conscience of an organisation”?

a) The Archbishop of Canterbury
b) David Ulrich
c) Charles Handy told the WFPMA World HR Congress that HR should be the “conscience of an organisation”

7. A whole work unit is being made redundant, but one employee is due to go on maternity leave imminently. What should her employer do?

a) The employer should pay the pregnant employee’s redundancy entitlement and her statutory maternity pay (SMP). Once a woman qualifies for SMP, she doesn’t lose it if her employment is terminated because of redundancy, so an employer must pay both
b) pay her redundancy entitlement and forget about the maternity pay
c) move her to another unit – the risk of discrimination is too great


8. The CIPD is moving its annual conference and exhibition from Harrogate to where?

a) Brighton
b) The CIPD is moving its annual conference and exhibition from Harrogate to Manchester
c) Wimbledon


9. What was the average starting salary for graduates in 2008, according to a recruitment survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters?

a) £18,000
b) The average starting salary for graduates in 2008 was £24,500
c) £42,750

10. Employees working the night shift receive a higher rate than their day time colleagues. All the night shift are men; the day shift are mostly women. Could the women claim equal pay?

a) yes – this has to be blatant discrimination
b) no – the night shift’s unsocial hours deserve higher compensation
c) Female colleagues earning less for a day shift than male employees working a night shift may be able to claim equal pay if they can show that the night shift rate is disproportionate. The treatment is discriminatory on these facts unless it is objectively justifiable. The issue is whether the employer can objectively justify paying the night shift a higher rate for unsocial hours. It won’t be objectively justifiable if the night shift rate is far too generous in compensating unsocial hours alone


11. Nigel has twice received abusive sexist behaviour from a female client over his approach to a project. He’s now reported the client to his line manager and is refusing to have anything more to do with her. What should his employer do?

a) Tell Nigel to stop being a wimp and to learn to handle straight talking
b) Start the disciplinary procedure for Nigel over his poor customer handling skills
c) Move Nigel to another account and warn the female client that abusive sexist behaviour will not be tolerated. Under Section 6(2B) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, which came into force in April, employers are liable for the sexual harassment of their employees by a third party, where the employer is aware of the harassment and it has occurred on at least two previous occasions, and the employer has failed to take any reasonably practical steps to stop it happening again

12. Who led a workshop teaching business people how to succeed in uncertain times?

a) A group of Masai warriors and elders led a workshop teaching business people how to succeed in uncertain times
b) The Apprentice winner Lee McQueen
c) Two former Northern Rock executives


13. Which local councils appointed a joint head of HR?

a) London’s Sutton and Merton councils appointed a joint head of HR
b) Birmingham and Coventry
c) Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff


14. Brenda’s manager says she’s not up to the job and he wants to dismiss her. In her last performance appraisal she was rated ‘satisfactory’. She’s been in the job two years. What should you do?

a) start the disciplinary process by inviting her to a meeting
b) tell the line manager he can’t sack her as she’ll claim unfair dismissal
c) HR should investigate why the manager’s appraisal rating of “satisfactory” contradicts his request to dismiss Brenda. Given the disparity between Brenda’s documented performance and her manager’s assertions, it will be important to work out first what the true state of affairs is. If Brenda has genuinely been underperforming, the employer will have difficulty dismissing her fairly, because her most recent appraisal did not highlight this. However, poor performance subsequent to that appraisal may be sufficient to merit implementing a performance improvement process now. A fair performance dismissal would require giving Brenda the opportunity to improve first


15. Which employees are most likely to call in sick, according to the Office for National Statistics?

a) HR professionals
b) Call centre workers are the most likely to call in sick
c) Train drivers


16. Barry has just taken on five new staff through a Tupe transfer. One is a Nigerian. What should Barry do?

a) start the dismissal procedure in case the employee is working illegally
b) Barry should look at the documents for all five new staff taken on through a Tupe transfer – not only the Nigerian employee – to check they’re working legally. Arguably, the new employer can rely on the checks that the old employer should have done. But if the new employer is taking on any sponsored migrants under the new points-based system and is not licensed by the UK Borders Agency it must apply for a sponsor licence within 28 calendar days of the takeover. If the employer decides to check the Nigerian employee’s work status, he should check all the inherited employees to avoid possible race discrimination
c) ask the Nigerian staff member for his work permit


17. UBS bank is to award “maluses” to executives in certain circumstances. But what is a malus?

a) A type of apple tree grown only in the Swiss Alps
b) A newfangled financial product
c) A “malus” is a financial penalty

18. Asda has launched a campaign to help staff do what?

a) Lose weight
b) Get more sleep at night
c) Asda has launched a campaign to help its staff to stop smoking

19. Atiya, a retail assistant, says she can’t serve on the perfume counter as the stock contains alcohol. She’s Muslim. Do you:

a) tell her everybody has to take a turn
b) You should tell Atiya you’ll find her alternative duties – other staff can cover without too much disruption. Indirect discrimination would have to be objectively justified for the employer to escape liability in the event of a claim. If wearing gloves to handle perfume containing alcohol isn’t acceptable to her, the employer should consider alternative options, including using other staff, provided they don’t object and this arrangement doesn’t cause undue disruption
c) tell her she has to do it but she can use gloves

20. The EEF has predicted job losses in the UK manufacturing in 2009. How many?
a) Up to 9,000
b) The EEF has predicted that up to 90,000 jobs will be lost in UK manufacturing in 2009
c) Up to 900,000


General questions set by Anat Arkin. Legal questions set by legal editor Jill Evans and Adam Turner of law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner.

And the winner is...
Congratulations to Nikola Chenery of Rossendale, who wins £100 of M&S vouchers!