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HRCI SPHR Certification Exam
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"This employee handbook is not intended to be part of a contract..." is being used in an employee handbook to preserve which of the following? A. Employee rights B. Employer rights C. Employment at will D. The public policy exception
- The correct Answer is: C. Disclaimers such as the one in the question are used to preserve the nature of at-will employment between the employer and employee.
A business case can help management make better-quality decisions because it does which of the following? A. Communicates how a plan will influence operational efficiencies B. Provides multiple options for solving a business problem C. Describes possible risks that could result from taking action D. Quantitatively analyzes relevant HR trends
- The correct Answer is: C. The main purpose of building a business case is to help an employer make a decision on a particular course of action. This includes a description of the potential risks of taking—or in some cases, not taking—action.
A corporation that franchises its business model also requires its franchisees to use their computer system to process employee payroll. This practice is most likely to trigger which of the following conditions? A. A claim of indirect control B. The ostensible agency theory C. Joint employment liability D. All of the above
- The correct Answer is: D. As McDonald's Corporation discovered, certain practices with its franchisees led to a charge that the corporation indirectly controlled the conditions of employees, causing them to "ostensibly" believe that they were employees of McDonald's Corporation, not only of the franchise. For this reason, the National Labor Relations Board revised their definition of joint employment, and
franchise employees were allowed to sue the corporation and franchisee in a class action wage and hour lawsuit.
A cost-of-living pay adjustment is the best example of what type of compensation strategy? A. Quartile B. Entitlement C. Performance D. Equity
- The correct Answer is: B. Entitlement forms of pay are those that reward employees for years of service or for loyalty. A cost-of-living adjustment is not given based on any particular performance criteria; therefore, it is a form of entitlement pay.
A large employer with multiple facilities all across the United States has decided to raffle off a car at the end of the year. Employees will automatically get one entry for each week that they work without injury. Which of the following is the employer at risk for? A. Tax code violation B. Discrimination C. Retaliation D. None of the above
- The correct Answer is: C. Safety incentive programs that reward employees who do not get injured may inadvertently retaliate against those who do get hurt. Additionally, incentive programs that are too generous may discourage reporting of injuries.
A large network software firm creates a program for women in leadership. Participants meet every month for a year to provide peer support toward taking on more leadership tasks or roles. At the end of the third year, more than 100 women have graduated from the program. This company is engaged in which of the following? A. Diversity-based networking B. Learning circles C. Executive groups D. Incubators
- The correct Answer is: B. Learning circles are called many things (Socratic circles, quality circles, etc.), but all have a similar purpose. Learning circles are generally organized around a theme or purpose and are characterized by diversity, respect, and collaboration toward success in specific outcomes or targets.
A shift of a union's focus to issues of pay equity and flexible work arrangements is most likely an effort to organize which type of worker? A. Millennials B. Blue collar C. Women D. Liberal
- The correct Answer is: C. The growing percentage of women in the workforce has forced unions to alter their focus on issues that matter to this demographic. These issues include child, paid family leave, maternity leave, pay equity, and flexible work arrangements, just to name a few.
A software developer in the Midwest has decided to offer voluntary microchipping of their employees. The chips will be medically inserted into the individual's right hand and will allow employees to open doors, clock in, and even make purchases in the company cafeteria. What type of data is being collected? A. Biometric B. Personal C. Identity D. Medical
- The correct Answer is: C. There are several different ways information can be collected, stored, and eventually utilized in a 21st-century workplace. In this example, the company is using microchips to identify employees.
A winery employs hundreds of seasonal, temporary workers that are processed through a staffing agency. Many of them will be working with hazardous chemicals. Which of the following should you do first to comply with OSHA's hazard communication standard? A. Ask the temporary agency to provide general hazardous material-handling training. B. Ensure that the same protections offered to regular workers are offered to temporary workers. C. Ask the agency to come inspect the facility to ensure it is a safe work environment. D. Communicate with the agency regarding what types of protection will be needed.
- The correct Answer is: D. Both the host company and the staffing agency have responsibilities to ensure the safety of individuals who will be working with hazardous materials. Communicating with the agency allows for a coordination of effort, including the need for protection, training, and verifying that the workers are going to a safe workplace.
An employee complains to their supervisor that another employee is always late, stating that "it must be because he is lazy and just doesn't want to come to work." The next day, the complaining employee was late, and when asked why, he stated that "construction on his normal commute was heavier than usual that day." The complaining employee is most likely making what type of error? A. Values-based B. Discrimination C. Bias D. Fundamental attribution
- The correct Answer is: D. The fundamental attribution error states that people have a tendency to attribute other people's negative behavior to an internal character flaw and their own negative behaviors to a cause of the situation.
An employee has been terminated for "just cause." Which of the following reasons is most likely? A. The employee refused to forge his boss's signature on a document. B. The employee violated the employer's anti-harassment rules. C. The employee was late because he went to vote in the presidential election. D. The employee was a whistleblower who filed a report of corruption that turned out to be inaccurate.
- The correct Answer is: B. "Just cause" is a concept that describes an employer's justification for taking employment action. It cannot be used as a reason for termination if the employee refused to break the law or exercised a statutory right.
An employee has shared with her manager that she has been prescribed medicine for her bipolar disorder. Which labor laws may need to be considered on her behalf? A. The Americans with Disabilities Act B. The Occupational Safety and Health Act C. The Drug-Free Workplace Act D. Both A and B
- The correct Answer is: A. Mental illnesses are generally covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act and apply to employers with 15 or more employees. This employee may need to be reasonably accommodated as a result of her disability.
An employee is called to his supervisor's office, believing that he will be disciplined. Accordingly, he requests that his union steward be present for the meeting. His supervisor denies the request, violating which of the following employee rights? A. Statutory B. Due process C. Weingarten
Augustine filed a grievance with HR because he believed that a supervisor gave Amy—Augustine's co-worker—a higher raise than Augustine received because the supervisor is trying to date Amy. This is an example of which of the following? A. Sexual harassment B. Distributive justice C. Discriminatory treatment D. Both A and B
- The correct Answer is: B. An employee's perception of fair treatment is influenced by many factors. In this scenario, Augustine believes that the outcome (pay increases) was unfair.
By keeping the principles of VUCA in mind—conditions that are volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—what type of talent acquisition strategy should HR business partners develop? A. Single-scenario planning B. Multiple-scenario planning C. Best-case scenario planning D. Worst-case scenario planning
- The correct Answer is: B. VUCA conditions are the "new normal" for business and HR. The best answer then is to plan for multiple scenarios and outcomes, including both best- and worst-case situations.
Chuck has been struggling with having a positive attitude at work. You and his supervisor met with Chuck to make him aware of the behavioral expectations. As a result, Chuck's attitude improves. This approach is a characteristic of which type of discipline? A. Counseling B. Progressive C. Positive D. Mentoring
- The correct Answer is: C. Positive discipline approaches are characterized by constructive partnerships between the employee, manager, and human resources. The goal is to clearly communicate the expectations for behavior and engage in joint problem-solving.
Collective bargaining is best understood as which of the following? A. Implied contract B. Union responsibility C. Employer responsibility D. Statutory right
- The correct Answer is: D. The process of collective bargaining and the resulting agreement is a right granted to employees by way of specific law. In this example, the National Labor Relations Act granted individuals the right to organize and bargain collectively through a union.
Consensual romantic relationships at work represent what type of risk? A. Intimate partner violence B. Unlawful treatment C. Sexual harassment D. None, because it's consensual
- The correct Answer is: C. Relationships at work, even those that are consensual, have the potential for issues in which HR will have to intervene. This includes the risk of sexual harassment should the relationship become unwanted by either party.
Cost savings, availability of talent, and specialized expertise are all reasons for HR to recommend which of the following staffing strategies? A. Co-sourcing B. Temporary workers C. Professional employer organizations D. Part-time workers
- The correct Answer is: A. Co-sourcing is an alternative staffing strategy that can lend itself to several positive outcomes. Often used when talent is scarce or for project-based work, co-sourcing can result in cost savings when leveraged properly.
Discourteous behavior can quickly escalate to which of the following problems? A. Unlawful harassment B. Violation of a company's code of conduct C. Workplace violence D. All of the above
- The correct Answer is: D. What starts out as mere lack of etiquette or discourteous behavior can quickly escalate if left unchecked. For this reason, it is imperative that HR address expected standards of behavior in an employee handbook as well as in practice.
During training, you notice that an employee rapidly learns the new material that is exciting. After she has mastered the task, there is really not much else to learn. She most likely is experiencing which type of learning curve? A. Positively accelerating B. S-shaped C. Plateau D. Negatively accelerating
B. Determine what skills in data security personnel to hire for C. Write policies that protect critical assets D. Purchase external layers of protections, making the data harder to breach
- The correct Answer is: A. Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps a company craft an effective data security program. Building controls for these assets may include policies, practices, and the deployment of internal and external resources, but it will be difficult to know where to deploy the resources without understanding what is most at risk/important.
Fiduciary responsibility applies to which of the following? A. A human resource professional B. A board of directors C. A chief financial officer D. All of the above
- The correct Answer is: D. Fiduciary responsibility applies to many individuals with positions of authority within an organization. Fiduciary responsibility requires that these individuals act without self-interest, making quality decisions that serve all company stakeholders.
Fill in the blanks: _____________ are a creative tool used for brainstorming that is more restrictive than _____________. A. Focus groups; employee surveys B. Nominal groups; the Delphi technique C. Employee surveys; focus groups D. Mind-maps; the Medici approach
- The correct Answer is: B. Nominal groups and the Delphi technique are often confused with one another. A nominal group can meet face to face, but the discussions are more tightly controlled/facilitated than in the Delphi approach. Both are used to reach consensus in decision-making.
Fill in the blanks: _____________ refers to the way an employee feels when working on job tasks, whereas _____________ refers to an evaluation of the organization as a whole. A. Work engagement; organizational commitment B. Organizational commitment; work engagement C. Work engagement; job satisfaction D. Job satisfaction; work engagement
- The correct Answer is: A. Many HR practitioners and businesses use the terms work engagement and job satisfaction interchangeably. Organizational science has found that work engagement refers to how employees feel about the job tasks,
whereas organizational commitment refers to how employees feel about the company as a whole.
Freedom of speech, due process, and workplace safety are all examples of which of the following? A. Employee responsibilities B. Employee rights C. Employment contract clauses D. Constitutional rights
- The correct Answer is: B. Employee rights can be granted by both federal and state laws. These rights are considered to be absolute and cannot be compromised by employers without penalty or bargained away in an employment contract including a collective bargaining agreement.
Glare and shadow controls are possible abatement strategies for which type of workplace hazard? A. Lighting B. Machinery C. Electricity D. Housekeeping
- The correct Answer is: A. OSHA recommends that employers both inspect and respond to employee safety hazards that may exist due to poor lighting at workstations. This includes assessing the type and intensity of station lighting along with the presence (or lack of) glare/shadow controls that can contribute to eye strain.
How are procedures different from policies? A. Procedures are general guidelines for employee behaviors. B. Policies are more specific than procedures. C. Procedures are more specific than policies. D. There is no difference.
- The correct Answer is: C. Policies are general guidelines for both company and employee behaviors. Procedures, on the other hand, are more specific practices of how processes should be completed or systems should be implemented.
In a union environment, an employee who believes that he has been unfairly passed over for promotion should file which of the following? A. A complaint B. A grievance C. A charge of discrimination D. A charge of harassment
In your HR department, one employee is responsible for recruiting, selection, and safety; another is responsible for performance management; and a third person is responsible for employee relations and separations. This is an example of what element of a business structure? A. Span of control B. Hierarchy of authority C. Division of labor D. Generalists and specialists
- The correct Answer is: C. Division of labor is a term that identifies the responsibilities of each individual within a department or company.
Internal methods of communicating with employees include which of the following? A. Intranet postings B. Newsletters C. Instant messaging D. All of the above
- The correct Answer is: D. Organizations have many internal options to choose from when needing to communicate with their talent. These methods include employee newsletters, videos, and postings on company intranets, memos, and staff meetings.
Janitors, building cleaners, and meatpacking workers are examples of which groups targeted by unions over the last several years? A. Low skilled B. Professional C. Contingent D. Part-time
- The correct Answer is: A. Unions have successfully organized low-skilled workers mainly because of the hard work, low pay, and difficult working conditions characterized by these types of jobs.
Knowledge, experience, and future competencies of employees all represent which of the following? A. Human capital B. Human resources C. Interpersonal skills D. Psychological capital
- The correct Answer is: A. Employee knowledge, talents, and skills that add value to an organization all make up what is called human capital. The availability of future
skillsets for which an employer may compete is included in this category; for this reason, human capital management plans focus on both acquiring and retaining a qualified workforce.
Many employees are struggling to perform under the new management structure that has recently been put into place. Their primary concern is that they don't know how long the new structure will hold, simply because the company has tried it before and it didn't work. As a result, they are hesitant to invest too much effort into the new requirements. This is an example of which of the following conditions of change? A. Freezing B. Norming C. Change uncertainty D. Change avoidance
- The correct Answer is: C. Change uncertainty is a source of stress for employees that is directly tied to changes in the workplace. It occurs in the context of employees being uncertain as to how a change will affect them personally, their department, or the company as a whole.
Many employers are researching and switching to health insurance captives for which of the following reasons? A. It can control costs of health insurance. B. It allows employers to purchase stop-loss insurance for larger claims. C. Claims data is more controlled and thus utilized to make decisions about benefits. D. All of the above
- The correct Answer is: D. Many experts believe that the use of self-funded health insurance "captives" will only continue to grow. This is because businesses are finding that they can more effectively control the cost of benefits plans through the use of data to shape benefits offerings to employees and predict exposure. It also allows employers to purchase stop-loss insurance, which can be used to cover the costs of catastrophic years.
Many states have recently adopted laws that forbid employers from asking applicants about their prior salary history. This is known as what type of law? A. Anti-harassment laws B. Wage and hour laws C. Pay equity laws D. Anti-discrimination laws
- The correct Answer is: C. Pay equity laws are trending more and more in the United States. In this case, pay history bans are designed to reduce the systemic pay disparities between men and women—if women are paid unequally and
- The correct Answer is: A. Job analysis serves as the fundamental starting point for many HR processes, both operationally and strategically. When done properly, job analysis both defines the work but also identifies the relevant criteria that are important for success. From that criteria, employment tests designed to predict performance can be selected.
Of the following pairs of words, which are most likely to positively affect the collective attitude of a team? A. Job involvement and employee engagement B. Job enlargement and job enrichment C. Fair pay and feedback D. Social pressure and emotional contagion
- The correct Answer is: D. Teams often take on a single personality made up of the job attitudes of its members. Social pressure from teammates can strengthen either a positive or negative team attitude. Emotional contagion occurs when a negative (or positive) mood infects the attitudes of a team.
Of the following recognition programs, which is not entitlement-oriented? A. Service awards B. Employee of the month C. Sales awards D. Longevity bonus
- The correct Answer is: C. Employee recognition practices are similar to pay practices in that they can be entitlement-oriented or performance-based. Recognition for sales efforts (quotas, new customers, account retention) is based on employee performance.
Of the following, which is most important when it comes to building an effective safety management program? A. Creating a safety culture B. Relevant policies, procedures, and rules C. Top management support D. Approval for personal protective equipment
- The correct Answer is: C. A safety program without the support of top management has an increased chance of failing to address the unique needs of the organization. For example, if the director of HR does not wear her safety glasses in the warehouse, it is unlikely that others will follow the rules either.
Of the following, which is the most challenging issue when implementing a positive discipline approach?
A. Gaining employee buy-in B. Monitoring for consistent practices C. Writing a legally compliant policy D. The time it takes to train managers
- The correct Answer is: D. The positive approach to discipline focuses on joint problem-solving as opposed to a series of progressive consequences of employee behavioral issues. It requires extensive training for managers and supervisors to both understand and apply behavioral science theories such motivation and performance coaching.
One of the company's best performers is extremely self-managed and able to follow all rules and procedures with very little direction or feedback. This employee is most likely high in which personality characteristic? A. Neuroticism B. Conscientiousness C. Awareness D. Emotional intelligence
- The correct Answer is: B. In personality theory, conscientiousness has been linked to successful employee outcomes. This trait is characterized by employees who follow all rules and procedures and have a general sense of care about the well-being of others.
One of your production managers uses incentives to reward employees for meeting operational objectives. This is the best example of which of the following leadership styles? A. Charismatic leadership B. Transactional leadership C. Laissez-faire leadership D. Authoritarian leadership
- The correct Answer is: B. Transactional leaders are characterized by a "this for that" style. These leaders use both rewards and discipline when necessary to accomplish organizational and departmental objectives.
Organizational citizenship behaviors are marked by which of the following individual characteristics? A. Sportsmanship, altruism, and conscientiousness B. Courtesy, civic virtue, and pride C. Conscientiousness, courtesy, and altruism D. Conscientiousness, civic virtue, and emotional intelligence
you for advice on how to proceed. Which of the following options puts the company at the most risk? A. Discuss with the supervisor the reasons for the absences B. Review with the supervisor any relevant documentation C. Review the days missed to look for trends D. Proceed directly with the discipline
- The correct Answer is: D. At the center of taking any action against a worker is the need to consider employee rights. In this scenario, there are several labor laws that may be applicable for Taylor's case. At this stage, HR's best role is to help the supervisor gather and review as much relevant information as possible before making a decision to proceed with the discipline.
Technocorp Inc. is located in the Silicon Valley of California but shares 51 percent of its ownership with a parent company in Puerto Rico. This is most likely what type of business entity? A. Multinational corporation B. Franchise C. Joint venture D. Foreign subsidiary
- The correct Answer is: D. A foreign subsidiary is a legal term defining ownership. A company that is more than 50 percent owned or controlled by a parent company in another country is a foreign subsidiary.
Technological methods with which to obtain employee feedback include which of the following? A. Focus groups B. Teleconferencing C. Videos D. Instant messaging
- The correct Answer is: B. The rise of technology has opened up many digital options for HR seeking to obtain employee feedback. Teleconferencing involves satellite technology that is designed to link facilities and groups for the purpose of exchanging feedback, information, and ideas.
Tension headaches, absenteeism, and erratic behaviors are all signs of which of the following workplace safety hazards? A. Substance abuse B. Autoimmune disorders C. Soft tissue injury D. Stress
- The correct Answer is: D. Stress due to work or non-work-related circumstances is a real issue that employer safety programs may need to address. According to the CDC, symptoms may include tension headaches, excessive absenteeism, unusual or out-of-character behaviors, crying, and difficulty making decisions.
The best discipline could be described as which of the following? A. Training B. Self-discipline C. Progressive D. All of the above
- The correct Answer is: B. Most employees genuinely want to succeed in their work environment. When they clearly understand the behavioral expectations and outcomes, most will apply the proper levels of self-discipline to be successful in their jobs.
The company you work for gives all employees an annual bonus right around Christmas time. The amount is dependent upon company profitability. This effort is best represented by which of the following? A. A generous employer B. An entitlement-oriented incentive C. A company recognition program D. A way to keep overtime costs down
- The correct Answer is: C. Employee recognition programs can be individually based or company-wide. They can be especially effective when employees understand how their behaviors contributed to the company's success.
The company you work for prefers a flat-line decision-making structure. They strive to grant as much decision-making power to the employees as possible and tie pay directly to performance outcomes when possible. This is most likely what type of organization? A. A high-involvement organization B. A learning organization C. An Internet start-up D. A nonprofit
- The correct Answer is: A. High-involvement organizations are those that seek to give authority to all levels of employees. These organizations are defined by flat-line structures, transparency, and pay for performance compensation programs.
The consideration of employee inputs, work processes, and outputs are at the heart of which category of organizational theories? A. Systems
