HRCI- SPHR Practice Exam 2024-2025: Questions & Correct Verified Answers, Exams of Human Resource Management

Download HRCI- SPHR Practice Exam 2024-2025: Questions & Correct Verified Answers and more Exams Human Resource Management in PDF only on Docsity! HRCI- SPHR Practice Exam 2024-2025. Questions & Correct Verified Answers "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 - ANSC. 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 - ANSC. 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 - ANSD. 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. Subsidiary B. Merger C. Joint venture D. Franchising - ANSD. Franchising is a business structure in which one company licenses the rights to another business to use their brand, supply chain, and workflow practices. Ownership remains separate in this type of structure. A major sandwich restaurant hires 15-year-old workers to operate a meat slicer. This may violate which of the following? A. The Food and Drug Administration B. Food Safety Management C. The Fair Labor Standards Act D. The Occupational Safety and Health Act - ANSC. The Fair Labor Standards Act addresses more than just legal compensation; it also limits the type of work that may be done by minors. In this example, a meat slicer is considered a hazardous job and is therefore prohibited for workers between the ages of 14 and 15. A review of the human capital management plan (HCMP) is most likely to occur in what type of audit? A. Risk assessment B. HR C. GAAP D. Internal revenue (tax) - ANSB. A human resource audit is a type of assessment used to gather information about an organization that can be used in decision-making. Evaluating the HCMP is useful to gather data about employee skillsets and future plans to make decisions about current and future staffing levels. A safety suggestion system is an example of which of the following? A. Employee survey B. Downward communication C. Upward communication D. Incentive - ANSC. Any type of suggestion system allows an upward flow of communication from employees to management. 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 - ANSC. 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 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. - ANSB. "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 - ANSA. 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 D. Privacy - ANSC. Named after the court case that established them, Weingarten rights grant covered employees the right to have representation in disciplinary meetings. An employer who seeks to pay all employees within the 50th percentile of the labor market is using what type of compensation strategy? A. Quartile B. Entitlement C. Performance D. Equity - ANSA. A quartile compensation strategy seeks to align wage bands to the relevant labor market. It relies on valid market data to properly build wage ranges, from which employee pay decisions are made. An injured worker has been told by his workers' compensation doctor that he is able to go back to work at full duty. The employee disagrees. What should you recommend? A. Sending him back to a doctor of his choice for a final recommendation B. Discussing an IME with the workers' compensation insurance C. A referral to the company's labor attorney D. Termination of employment if he does not return - ANSB. An independent medical exam (IME) is a useful tool when there is a dispute about an injured worker's abilities. Often binding, it is conducted by a neutral, third-party physician. As the HR manager for a small construction firm, you have begun to notice an increase in falls at various work sites. So far, no one has been seriously injured; in fact, the employees joke about their "close calls." Which of the following should you do? A. Counseling B. Progressive C. Positive D. Mentoring - ANSC. 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSC. 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 - ANSA. 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 - ANSD. 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 and types of workers. The unionization of professional workers such as nurses and engineers are examples of this. Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps companies do what when it comes to data protection? A. Identify priorities when it comes to building a robust data security program 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 - ANSA. 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSB. 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 - ANSA. 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 A. The employee exchanges the right to sue the employer. B. An arbitrator is selected from the American Arbitration Association (AAA). C. There is a written arbitration agreement reviewed by legal counsel. D. All of the above - ANSD. Employers may choose to adopt arbitration practices for many reasons. One is the rising cost of legal fees associated with fighting employment-related disputes. Another is to ensure employees receive due process. Regardless of the reasons, arbitration best practices include a waiver of employee right to sue after an agreement has been settled; the use of a professional, neutral arbitrator; and a signed, written agreement that has been approved by counsel. In the absence of an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement, when may an employee expect to only be terminated for cause? A. If they are a protected class individual B. If there is a progressive discipline policy in the handbook C. If their behavior was first investigated by management D. None of the above - ANSD. The concept of "just cause" is that employees may expect that employment at will does not apply to them. This condition may be met only when there is an employment contract (written or implied) or when the employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In the wake of recent workplace violence episodes in the news, your executive team has requested that you put together a written plan that addresses what steps to take should an incident occur at one of your locations. You will most likely need what type of plan? A. Disaster recovery plan B. Incident response plan C. Business continuity plan D. All of the above - ANSB. A written incident response plan can be a critical part of a company's response system should an incident of workplace violence occur. An effective plan should identify manager and employee responsibilities, first responder resources, evacuation and head count procedures, and how to coordinate any media response. 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 - ANSC. 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 - ANSD. Organizations have many internal options to choose from when needing to communicate with their talent. These 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSC. 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 employers pay based on salary history, it stands to reason then that asking about salary history will perpetuate the disparities. Multicultural work teams, training, and mentoring systems may all be part of what type of human resource program? A. Diversity program B. Climate program C. Anti-harassment program D. Equal Employment Opportunity program - ANSA. Diversity programs have many components that, when combined, make them an effective tool used to promote a positive organizational culture. These components can include committees, work teams, training, mentoring, and the evaluation of results for reporting and refinement. Natural disasters and terrorism are both threats to which of the following? A. Employee safety and health B. Resource availability C. Business continuity D. All of the above - ANSD. Incidents such as natural disasters, terrorism, workplace violence, and loss of utilities are threats to more than just employee safety. These events may disrupt services from resources such as police and fire, as well as impact a business's ability to continue offering services or shipping products. New hires at the giant retailer for which you work are told that "putting employees first" is the company's highest value. Which of the following conditions would most directly contradict this company value? A. Lack of time-off flexibility B. Multiple lawsuits from former employees C. Refusing to accommodate military leave requests D. Highly routinized jobs in which employees are easily replaced - ANSA. While all the conditions in the options contribute to high turnover, lack 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 - ANSC. 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSB. 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 - ANSB. 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 - ANSC. Organizational citizenship behaviors have been linked to individual traits including conscientiousness, courtesy, altruism, sportsmanship, and civic virtue. policy. The supervisor has come to 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSB. 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 - ANSD. 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 - ANSB. 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. A. Fraudulent activity B. Deception C. Forgery D. Misrepresentation of financial statements - ANSA. Employee embezzlement or theft is a type of fraud committed against the employer and is subject to prosecution. The customer service representatives at your business are experiencing high degrees of burnout because 90 percent of their calls are from disgruntled customers. Which of the following is the most likely source of their burnout? A. Low emotional intelligence B. High degree of emotional labor C. Negative collective affect D. Low pay - ANSB. Emotional labor is the degree of effort it takes to manage emotions at work. In customer service settings, for example, an employee may get frustrated with an angry customer but must mask their true feelings to meet customer demands. The desire to do something that matters is an example of what type of reward? A. Psychological B. Direct C. Extrinsic D. Intrinsic - ANSD. Intrinsic rewards are those that come from within. Employees who perform because they like the work or take pride in their effort are said to be intrinsically motivated. The diversity manager at the Fortune 500 company for which you work has asked for the EEO 1 reports showing the demographics of the new hires over the last six months. The diversity manager is considering what type of diversity? A. Deep-level B. Surface-level C. Trait-based D. Biological - ANSB. Surface-level diversity is what many think of when they hear the term diversity, mainly because they are observable. Surface-level diversity includes traits such as sex, race, and age. The food distribution center for which you work has seen an increase in the number of loading-dock workers reporting ankle injuries. What strategy would be most effective to reduce or eliminate the risk? A. Require employees to wear high-top steel-toed work boots. B. Review the injury records for patterns of unsafe behaviors. C. Conduct a root-cause analysis with a committee made up of dock workers. D. Ask the occupational clinic to come in and provide safety training. - ANSC. Any time there is an increase in injuries and accidents, HR should take the time to analyze for root causes. From this, hazard abatement strategies may be developed and could include new personal protective equipment requirements or worker training. The hospital for which you work has hired an outside agency to staff the parking lot security posts. The guard works only at night and is unsupervised. Recently there has been a rash of attacks in the area against security guards in general. What steps should you take to protect this contingent worker from becoming a victim of workplace violence? incentives, and compliance efforts as part of the overall intervention strategy. The investment of physical, emotional, and cognitive resources best describes which of the following? A. Employee engagement B. Job satisfaction C. Organizational commitment D. Employee relations - ANSA. Employee engagement is a term that has lacked coherent application in many organizations. Organizational scientists have found some agreement, however, in that engagement behaviors include the investment of personal energies such as physical, emotional, and cognitive into the work tasks themselves. The large bank you work for has reached out to its major competitors to see whether they would all agree to not pay above the 25th percentile for all management positions. This, they argue, will allow each institution to fairly compete for talent. This agreement is most likely to come under fire from which agency? A. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission B. The Department of Labor C. The Department of Justice D. The National Labor Relations Board - ANSC. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for litigation related to violations of the Sherman Antitrust act. This act prohibits price fixing of any sort, including market-based pay. The large construction company for which you work is struggling to find foremen in the ever-growing economy. They realize they are at risk to lose the ability to complete the several jobs they have on the books and so decide to increase field employee pay to the 90th percentile of the midrange market wage. This is an example of which of the following risk management strategies? A. Mitigation B. Avoidance C. Acceptance D. Transference - ANSA. Risk mitigation techniques are focused on minimizing the risk, which in this case is losing good employees to competitors and being unable to satisfy their book of business. The large hotel you work for asks guests to complete cards commenting on the level of service they received from the workers. These results are most likely used by human resources to do what? A. Recognize employees B. Discipline employees C. Refine procedures D. All of the above - ANSD. Gathering feedback from both internal and external sources is a critical task for human resources. Feedback can be used to recognize, reward, and discipline employees but also to inform organizational decision-making to improve procedures. The large manufacturer for which you work recently automated the high-hazard job that was the primary source of injury for employees. This is an example of what type of hazard control? A. Administrative The manager of the marketing department established a goal for his staff that directed them to double unique web traffic to the website within 90 days. If they accomplish this goal, the department will evenly split a bonus among them. The manager is most likely using which performance management technique? A. SMART B. MBO C. 360 D. Forced distribution - ANSB. Management by objectives (MBO) is characterized by an agreement between a manager and employee that ideally cascades down from a company's strategic plan. The president of the company you work for wants to embark on a cost savings initiative throughout all departments. All employees will receive a percentage of the savings at the end of the year. This is an example of what type of compensation program? A. Deferred compensation B. Gain-sharing C. Discretionary bonus D. Commission - ANSB. A gainsharing plan is a type of compensation that is tied to performance. It can be the result of either increased revenue or cost-saving activities. The rise of sexual harassment claims in the news in 2018 is most likely going to lead to which of the following conditions? A. More enforcement of existing anti-harassment laws B. Increased training obligations of employers C. An increase in claims of workplace harassment D. Higher employee fines for wrongdoing - ANSC. The high-profile nature of the multitude of 2017 and 2018 sexual harassment claims in the workplace is bound to change the organizational climate in some way. Anti-harassment and training responsibilities have been around for a long time, but the employer culture of retaliation seemed to discourage reporting in many of the cases. While difficult to predict, it seems that the stigma of reporting and increased credibility of worker charges forecasts an increase in harassment claims that HR departments should be prepared to investigate. The values and attitudes held by employees has been shown by research to be positively correlated with overall performance. This is an example of what type of diversity at work? A. Deep-level B. Surface-level C. Trait-based D. Biological - ANSA. Deep-level diversity includes the attitudes and beliefs of each individual. Studies have shown that when measured and understood, deep-level diversity factors may contribute more to individual and organizational performance than its counterpart, surface- level diversity. To be effective, HR policies should be which of the following? A. Effective B. Relevant C. Legal D. All of the above - ANSD. Written policies for the sake of having policies can cause employers all sorts of problems, from implementation to managing risk. It is important that human resources A. If you believe an employee is under the influence of a drug at work B. If you believe the controller embezzled funds C. If an employee accuses another employee of violent behavior D. Never, because polygraph tests are unlawful. - ANSB. The Department of Labor allows private employers to commission polygraph tests for employees under certain conditions, including when an employee is suspected of theft or embezzlement. The administration of the test, however, must be done by a licensed professional, with the results kept confidential. Under what conditions would you recommend to your employer that they adopt a nonpiracy agreement? A. For a high-tech organization to prevent employee poaching B. For a work environment with legally protected trade secrets C. For companies doing business in international waters D. Never—nonpiracy agreements are unlawful. - ANSA. Nonpiracy agreements, in which separating employees agree to not to recruit a company's talent, can be beneficial under the right conditions. As with any of these types of agreements, however, it is best to have them reviewed by legal counsel prior to implementation. Under which condition may an employer adopt a fluctuating work week to calculate employee pay? A. For exempt employees to keep track of time B. If the employee schedules actually fluctuate C. For nonexempt workers who are paid a flat, biweekly sum D. Never, because fluctuating workweeks are prohibited under the Fair Labor Standards Act. - ANSB. One main consideration for an employer seeking to adopt an alternative overtime pay calculation of the fluctuating workweek is whether the employee's schedule actually fluctuates on a week-to-week basis. Under which of the following conditions may an employer avoid a claim of defamation when providing an employment reference for a former employee? A. When the information shared is truthful B. When the employer provides only dates of employment and a job title C. When the employer has received written authorization from the employee to disclose personnel information D. All of the above - ANSD. The best defense against a claim of defamation is to be truthful, clear, and unequivocal when providing an employment reference. Many employers are also able to avoid a charge of defamation by only giving out information that is factual, such as dates of employment or a job title. In some cases, former employees will provide written authorization for a previous employer to share information from their personnel record, providing some management of risk against a defamation charge. Using the information from the previous question, what type of risk is the microchipping employer exposed to? A. Identity theft B. Privacy concerns C. Health risks D. All of the above - ANSD. With implantable technology, there are several types of risk that an employer may need to take steps to What is the primary difference between andragogy and pedagogy— how adults and children learn? A. Adults learn using visual, auditory, and tactile skills; children are mostly tactile. B. Adults collect information for immediate use; children acquire general knowledge to be used in the future. C. Adults are dependent upon others to acquire useful knowledge; children are more independent and explorative. D. There are no real differences between adult and child learning principles. - ANSB. Malcolm Knowles conducted foundational research in andragogy—how adults learn. One finding was that adults orient toward learning that is focused on practical problem-solving or immediate use. Children, however, are taught to orient more toward general knowledge to be used at a future date. What recourse is available for an employee who was denied his Weingarten rights and, in the process, was terminated? A. Reinstatement B. The right to sue for criminal damage C. The right to sue for civil damages D. Back pay and reinstatement - ANSD. If an employee is dismissed or otherwise harmed by a decision that violated his rights to representation in disciplinary meetings, he may be entitled to back pay and reinstatement. When an employer terminates the rights of an employee for a discriminatory reason, which of the following is said to have occurred? A. Constructive discharge B. Wrongful discharge C. Reduction in force D. Discharge without cause - ANSB. Wrongful discharge—also called wrongful termination—occurs when an employer terminates an employee for an unlawful reason such as discrimination, failing to break the law on behalf of an employer, or exercising their rights granted by law (right to vote, whistleblowing, etc.). When calculating the number of new hires in a 12-month period, you drop the oldest number when a recent month is added. This is an example of what type of quantitative analysis? A. Mean B. Central tendency C. Rolling average D. Weighted average - ANSC. A rolling average—sometimes called a moving average—is used to calculate an average for a specific period of time. In this scenario, as a new month is added, the oldest number is dropped. Which disciplinary approach establishes the expectation in employees that they will progress through a series of steps when being disciplined? A. Positive B. Progressive C. Coaching D. Self - ANSB. Progressive discipline policies involve the establishment of a series of steps. These steps often include some variation of a series A. Suggestion systems B. Focus groups C. Surveys D. All of the above - ANSD. Gathering feedback is an important element of employee relations systems. It is the only way HR may design or recommend changes that will truly influence employee satisfaction. Common ways to obtain feedback include suggestion boxes, focus groups, and employee surveys. Which of the following are mandatory notices for an employee who has been discharged? A. COBRA notification B. Severance agreement C. Employee Change in Status form D. Both A and C - ANSA. Notification requirements at the time of employee separation can vary greatly between federal and state regulations as well as between individual employer practices. Of the options, only the COBRA notification for continuation of health benefits is federally mandated for covered employers. Which of the following conditions is most likely to improve employee productivity according to humanistic theories of motivation? A. More qualified supervisors B. Improved tools and equipment C. Management attention and feedback D. Equal rewards - ANSC. The focus of the humanistic theories of motivation is on the psychological conditions under which people work. According to these theories, the psychological conditions under which employees work are just as important as the environmental conditions. Which of the following groups contribute to the design and enforcement of workplace health and safety standards for multinational employers across Europe? A. OSHA B. Works councils C. Labor unions D. All of the above - ANSD. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), trade unions, and works councils all have taken some measure of responsibility for designing and enforcing safety standards that protect workers. Which of the following HR docs run the risk of creating an implied employment contract? A. Job offers B. Job descriptions C. Performance reviews D. All of the above - ANSD. Implied contracts can be established if HR does not take care to word information properly. A best practice is to use statements of at-will employment on documents such as job offers and job descriptions. It is also important that supervisors and other performance raters are trained to avoid making performance statements such as "you'll have a job here for life if you keep performing this way" to avoid claims of an implied contract. Which of the following intervention strategies should you recommend to an employer wanting to improve creativity and innovation in the workplace? D. Grievance arbitration - ANSD. Grievance arbitration involves a neutral third party to settle disputes that are rooted in different interpretations of a labor contract. This process is different from issues arbitration, which utilizes a neutral third party to settle disputes regarding how a contract will be written. Which of the following is quickly becoming the primary way employers vet job candidates in the 21st century? A. Online videos B. Apps C. Social media D. Job boards - ANSC. Cyber-vetting is the process of using the Internet to determine an applicant's qualifications for a job. Some studies estimate that more than 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring. Which of the following is the most fundamental component of workforce planning? A. Job pricing B. Job design C. Job evaluation D. Job analysis - ANSD. Job analysis is the process used to define a job in terms of its component tasks from which all other HR practices and strategies may be built. Which of the following is the proper definition of phantom stock? A. Employees are offered stock options as incentives but are not allowed to exercise them until they are fully vested. B. Employees are incentivized based on the stock price but never actually earn shares. C. Employees are offered stock shares at the strike price. D. Employees are offered equity shares but must earn the ability to trade. - ANSB. Phantom stock is one way to pay employees for company performance without having to grant actual shares. Which of the following is the role of a supervisor—not human resources —when disciplining an employee? A. Make the decision to discipline B. Train managers on disciplinary actions C. Design disciplinary procedures D. Understand labor laws related to employee rights - ANSA. HR often serves in an advisory capacity when the need for discipline arises. Generally, it is up to the direct supervisor or manager to ultimately make the decision to discipline their employee. Which of the following job characteristics contribute most to a sense of employee ownership over outcomes? A. Task significance and autonomy B. Autonomy and feedback C. Skill variety and task identity D. Task significance and feedback - ANSB. The job characteristics model describes the influence of job design on worker engagement and ownership. Specifically, research has found that allowing employees to control their work (autonomy) and providing them with meaningful feedback increases a sense of responsibility and ownership of their jobs. A. An emergency action plan B. The Control of Hazardous Energy standard C. The General Duty standard D. The Hazard Communication standard - ANSC. The General Duty standard emphasizes the need for employers to protect employees from hazards, even in the absence of a specific directive (standard) to do so. In addition, they have a general duty to comply with all applicable standards that pertain to their workplace. Which of the following should not be included in an employee's regular personnel file because of privacy concerns? A. Application for employment B. Historical records older than three years C. Medical benefits claims data D. Performance reviews - ANSC. Companies must take steps to address employee privacy concerns in all HR practices. This includes properly storing records that have information related to an employee's medical condition or history. Which of the following sources of data should you trust the most when it comes to building wage bands? A. Professional wage surveys B. Government wage data tables C. Internet sources such as salary.com or monster.com D. Local industry groups - ANSB. There are many external sources of information related to how HR makes decisions. In terms of credibility, HR should rely on evidence-based tools such as governmental, academic, or scientific resources that have been proven valid and reliable. Which of the following statements is true about OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program (SPP)? A. It is a coalition of employee groups and unions. B. It is mandatory. C. It requires top management support. D. All of the above - ANSA. OSHA's voluntary Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) brings together unions and employers to adopt a cohesive set of safety standards that address safety hazards in the workplace. Which of the following statements regarding emotional intelligence (EI) is false? A. EI is related to other types of intelligence, including IQ. B. Employees have different levels of EI. C. EI can be learned. D. EI is highly predictive of employee performance. - ANSD. Organizational science has spent a lot of time trying to understand the impact that emotional intelligence has on individual employee performance. A review of the studies found that there was only a modest correlation between EI levels and employee performance. Studies have found, however, that EI can be learned; it varies from individual to individual; and it is distinct from but positively related to other types of intelligence, such as IQ. Which of the following strategies would best be served by implementing an RTW program at your place of work? investment, as well as identify what information suppliers should include in a request for proposal. Which of the following types of budgets starts from scratch each year? A. Incremental B. Bottom up C. Zero-based D. Top-down - ANSC. Zero-based budgets are not built upon the previous year's spending. This approach allows departments to build budgets that are more in line with a company's strategic plan and business objectives. Which of the following types of risk is associated with embezzling? A. Legal B. Safety and health C. Security D. Workplace privacy - ANSC. Security risks are associated with financial operations and practices in addition to securing the physical assets of a business. Why is it important to have a nonunion philosophy statement? A. It supports an open door policy for employees to discuss wages and working conditions directly with the employer. B. It gives employers the opportunity to respond to dissatisfiers prior to the relationship becoming adversarial. C. Once a union has petitioned for an election, an employer's right to communicate is restricted. D. All of the above - ANSD. Employers often hesitate to even mention the word union for fear that it will give the employees ideas. However, a nonunion philosophy serves to communicate to employees the employer's desire to hear their grievances directly and provides the employer with the opportunity to respond before they are required to do so under strict regulations. Why might a manager be reluctant to discipline an employee? A. Fear of conflict B. Guilt C. Fear of lawsuits D. All of the above - ANSD. There are many reasons managers may hesitate to discipline their employees. Some supervisors are not effective conflict managers, while others may know that they (and others) are guilty of similar offenses. The fear of the company or they themselves being sued may also influence a manager's decision to take corrective action to resolve negative employee behaviors. Why might it be a good idea to work with an insurance broker if a company decides to place employees on international assignments? A. The broker can help build crisis response plans. B. The broker may have connections to negotiate in a crisis situation. C. The broker may have access to international resources should a medical emergency arise. D. All of the above - ANSD. An employer may decide to purchase additional types of insurance to accommodate the unique needs of international employees. Brokers who provide these types of policies often have resources far beyond the administrative, including navigating the need to negotiate should an event occur and medical or emergency travel services for the employee and family members should the need arise. You received an urgent call from management saying that the surveillance system caught an employee downloading a customer list to a thumb drive. What should you advise? A. Confront the employee and immediately search them and their belongings. B. Call the police. C. Confront the employee and show the proof of the theft. D. Nothing; employee surveillance is unlawful. - ANSC. HR is often called in to help with investigations of employee wrongdoing. Of the options presented, confronting the employee and showing the proof of the theft should be enough to either get the employee to confess or to terminate the employee for cause. You recently were informed that your company is being acquired by a major competitor. You have been authorized to put together an executive agreement that will pay the CEO to stay on board for a period of three years after the deal is finalized. This is an example of which executive compensation benefit? A. Golden handcuff B. Golden parachute C. Golden life jacket D. Golden handshake - ANSC. Of the "golden" category of executive benefits, a lifejacket is used to ensure an executive remains with a company after an event such as a merger or acquisition. Your American employer has asked you to identify the risk of global illness for expatriates working across the globe. Which HR tool should you use? A. An international broker B. Government resources C. A self-inspection D. A job hazard analysis - ANSB. There are many methods employers may choose to conduct an assessment of the specific types of risks associated with sending expatriates to various parts of the world. In this case, the assessment may be begin by accessing the United States' Centers for Disease Control's global health website, which includes up- to-date information on the global health risks in various countries. Your company CEO recorded a "state of the company" video and asked you to post it on the company intranet. This is an example of what type of communication? A. Upward communication B. Downward communication C. Electronic communication D. Digital communication - ANSB. Downward communication flows from executives, managers, and supervisors down to the employees. Your company handbook includes the statement "Employees are prohibited from alcohol use at work." This is an example of which of the following? A. Policy B. Procedure C. Rule D. All of the above - ANSC. A rule is a specific guideline that serves to restrict certain employee behaviors. Often found in the handbook under "Code of Conduct," rules are written so there is very little interpretation needed as to their meaning.