PHR/SPHR Terms

B. Civil Rights Act of 1964 C. Age Discrimination in Employment Act The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in treatment based on race, sex, national origin, religion, or color. This applies to selection for participation in training programs as well as hiring and firing. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects against discrimination based on an employee's age (over 40). Training participation decisions may not be made on that basis.

Chapter 11 1. Which two of the following laws impact employee learning and development? A. Sherman Antitrust Act B. Civil Rights Act of 1964 C. Age Discrimination in Employment Act D. Sarbanes-Oxley Act

C. Production rates

Chapter 9 1. Which of the following is not an HR data indicator? A. Turnover rates B. Retention rates C. Production rates D. Cost per hire

C. Any deliverable she provides will establish her reputation as reliable or unreliable.

1. Amanda has joined the HR department recently. as the newest HR analysis, Amanda has been assigned to provide client departments with monthly reports detailing the HR performance indices. What is the most important factor Amanda should keep in mind while performing this task? A. Department managers always have the right to veto any HR initiative. B. Any request by the client department should be accepted and provided to them. C. Any deliverable she provides will establish her reputation as reliable or unreliable. D. Customer reports will eventually be collected and destroyed because of their confidential nature.

A. SHPRi - (1) HRCI B. aPHR - (1) HRCI C. SHRM-SCP - (2) D. IPMA-CP - (3)

1. Match the following certification designations to the certifying organization. A. SPHRi B. aPHR C. SHRM-SCP D. IPMA-CP (1) HRCI (2) SHRM (3) IPMA-HR

A. Save money

19. Employee retention programs can: A. Save money B. Eliminate the need for exit interviews C. Prevent competitors from stealing our workers D. Encourage managers to expand work objectives

Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI)

1. ______________ was accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) in 2008.

Federal Register

13. Government regulations are published in the ____________ ____________________

Tax incentives

13. When considering business expansion, it is wise to explore the potential ________ _____________ offered by various jurisdictions.

Job description

14. A __________ includes a statement of the qualifications necessary to perform a job.

A. Feedback to the sender

16. Successful communication always includes: A. Feedback to the sender B. Projection to the receiver C. An easy message to understand D. A deadline for action

A. Indirect assignee

20. Which of the following is not a type of international work assignment? A. Indirect assignee B. Stealth expatriate C. Returnee D. Outsourced employee

Identity Right to work

27. Form I-9 is used to prove employees' ____________ and _______________ in this country.

A. Validated

3. HRCI's certification exams have all been _______, meaning they actually measure what they say they measure. A. Validated B. Expunged C. Contested D. Proven

B. Psychic absorption learner

30. Which of the following is not a type of adult learner? A. Tactile/kinesthetic learner B. Psychic absorption learner C. Auditory learner D. Visual learner

aPHR

4. Simone has just graduated from college and is beginning her first job as an HR analyst with a major employer. She is wondering what certification she should seek to begin her career. You tell her to take the exam for ___________.

A. Delivery ADDIE is an instructional design model that follows phases of assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation

5. ADDIE is an instructional design tool. What is not part of ADDIE? A. Delivery B. Implementation C. Design D. Development

B. SWOT C. PEST

5. Which of the following are methods of gathering data for strategic planning purposes? (Choose two). A. EFOS B. SWOT C. PEST D. RIDS

California

8. PHRca is a certification that recognizes the unique characteristics of business and employment requirements in ________________________

B. Skilled masterful change agent Although all those skills listed are important to the profession, being a masterful change agent is most important because change agents serve as catalyst in helping others work through and accept change, along with implementing processes and programs that align with the change.

9. One of the most important competencies of an HR professional is: A. Skilled project manager B. Skilled masterful change agent C. Excellent time management skills modeler D. Listening modeler

B. 1976

Chapter 1 1. HRCI has been certifying HR professionals since: A. 1986 B. 1976 C. 3008 D. 2016

C. IHRM-CP

10. Which of the following is not a valid HR certification designation? A. GPHR B. SHRM-SCP C. IHRM-CP D. IPMA-SCP

B. aPHR C. SHRM-CP D. IPMA-SCP F. SPHR-SCP

1. Which of the following are valid HR certifications? A. SPHRca B. aPHR C. SHRM-CP D. IPMA-SCP E. Intern-CP F. SPHR-SCP

Readiness to learn

6. Trainability is concerned with ____________ ____ ____________ and its associated motivation.

C. A list of everyone in the group identifying each person's skills and whether they are currently ready for promotion The list should show what skills each person has now and whether they are ready for promotion now or need further experience or training before being ready for promotion

Chapter 10 1. Harriet has just taken over for the HR manager in her group, and her boss is asking for an update on the succession plan. He wants to see the employee skill inventory as soon as possible. Harriet didn't even know there was a succession plan. What should Harriet be looking for in her files? A. A confidential record that lists each employee's skills and abilities B. A list of only the top-rated people in the group who have computer skills C. A list of everyone in the group identifying each person's skills and whether they are currently ready for promotion D. A list of people showing what individuals are capable of doing now, without regard for any future assignment

B. Conduct a strategic planning session to determine the organization's goals for compensation and benefits While all the answer options are important for developing a total rewards strategy, a strategic planning session should be the first step to ensure that future total rewards decisions are aligned with the company's goals, mission, and company culture.

Yasmine is the new HR director for a small technology startup company with 10 employees. The company is forecasting rapid growth with plans to grow to 100 employees in the next years. The company currently does not have a total rewards strategy in place. Yasmine has been tasked with developing a total rewards program. Each of the current employees, both male and female, are paid based on their desired salary expressed at the time of hire. 13. What should Yasmine's first step be in developing a total rewards strategy? A. Analyze the current benefits offerings and evaluate the best options for the company B. Conduct a strategic planning session to determine the organizaiton's goals for compensation and benefits C. Conduct an employee opinion survey to evaluate employee opinions about compensation and benefits plans D. Meet with the finance director to determine the total budget for compensation and benefits

C. There is no restriction on the amount paid because all the incumbents are women. The Equal Pay act requires men and women doing the same work to be paid at the same rate. If there are no men in the job, only women, there is no Equal Pay Act issue. If all the incumbents are women, there is no employment discrimination based on sex because there is only one gender represented. So with those conditions, there is no barrier to paying the new employee more based on her previous job's compensation. However, considering previous compensation in hiring decisions is now illegal in some states, so be careful.

10. The Tractor and Belt Company (TBC) doesn't have an HR manager. HR is handled by the payroll clerk. When a new employee is assigned to the production department as an assembler, the payroll clerk raises a question. Should the new person be paid the same as all the other employees, all women, in the department, or is it okay to pay her more because she made more at her former job? A. There are no restrictions on the amount a new employee can be paid. It is market driven. B. The Fair and Decent Treatment Act requires all people doing the same work to be paid the same amount. C. There is no restriction on the amount paid because all the incumbents are women. D. Once a valid market survey has been done, it can be used to determine starting pay for new people.

D. Diverse and interrelated Matrix organizations allow for great flexibility and quick reaction to outside changes.

10. The matrix type of organizational structure is uniquely suited to managing a group of activities that are: A. Narrow and interrelated B. Narrow in focus and unrelated C. Diverse and unrelated D. Diverse and interrelated

B. Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Among other things, ERISA requires plan administrators to furnish an SPD when a participant first becomes covered by a plan and then at regular intervals thereafter

10. This law requires an administrator of an employee benefit plan to furnish participants with a summary plan description (SPD) describing their rights, benefits, and responsibilities under the plan. A. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability ACT (HIPAA) B. Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) C. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) D. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)

Objectives

11. At the end of each training session, it is important to review the _____________.

C. Human resource planning Human resource planning involves all facets of people management issues. Forecasting the need for more or fewer people, budget considerations, and recruiting sources comes into play. How HR can be used to support the organization's strategic plans is critical.

11. The process of analyzing and identifying the need for availability of human resources so that the organization can meet its objectives is known as: A. Strategic planning B. PEST analysis C. Human resource planning D. Organization planning

C. Job enrichment Job enrichment expands the amount of responsibility the job is given

13. Providing motivation by increasing job responsibility is known as: A. Job enlargement B. Job rotation C. Job enrichment D. Job training

Workforce planning

13. _____________ is a process that ensures the organization's goals are aligned with the activities and makeup of the workforce.

A. Turnover rates B. Financial statements

14. Business metrics can include which of the following? (Choose two). A. Turnover rates B. Financial statements C. Planning session attendance D. Remedial staffing indicators

B. Individuals Individuals bear the primary responsibility for their own career, including development if that is what the individual wants

14. In managing career development, it is which of the following who has primary responsibility? A. Supervising managers B. Individuals C. HR managers D. Training managers

Unconscious bias

14. ___________ ________________ are stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness.

C. If the sinkhole poses an immediate danger of death or serious injury, Jerry should call 911 and report it. He should barricade the perimeter of the sinkhole with tape or something else to prevent people from falling in. It doesn't matter if Jerry is a manager. All employees should be trained to react to imminent dangers by taking immediate action to prevent anyone from serious injury. And walking up to the edge to see whether it is going to collapse is just nuts.

15. Jerry just arrived at work and found a sinkhole in the parking lot. He is early enough that other people have not yet begun arriving for work. Because the hole is about 10 fee across at the moment, what should Jerry be doing about the problem? A. If Jerry is a management employee, he should take charge of the situation and begin the process of alerting others tot he danger posed by the sinkhole. B. If Jerry is a nonmanagement employee, he should give his boss a call and leave a voicemail message, if necessary, about the sinkhole. C. If the sink hole poses an immediate danger of death or serious injury, Jerry should call 911 and report it. He should barricade the perimeter of the sinkhole with tape or something else to prevent people from falling in. D. Jerry should first test the edges of the sinkhole to see whether it could grow in size. Then he should barricade the perimeter so no one will fall in.

D. The rate of employee loss

15. Turnover measures: A. The amount of time it takes to interview all job candidates in a selection pool B. How quickly the budget can be approved C. The number of people in a training program D. The rate of employee loss

A. Survey the existing workforce of both companies. Part of the due diligence is surveying the workforce to determine not only how many employees are in the organization but what they are doing and their certifications/licenses/skills

15. Yoko's organization is acquiring another smaller company. What is the first step for her HR department to be involved with? A. Survey the existing workforce of both companies. B. Eliminate the redundant positions C. Review the collective bargaining agreements that exist D. Assure OSHA compliance

C. Ask her direct reports to complete self-evaluations, share her evaluations with HR for review, and engage in two-way feedback with each direct report about the self-evaluation and supervisor ratings, mutually developing professional goals at the end of the meeting. Ensuring HR has reviewed evaluations, engaging in two-way feedback, and mutually developing professional goals are best practices in the performance evaluation process. Performance evaluation meetings are not the most appropriate time to develop personal goals, since the conversation is focused on job performance.

16. Dora just completed performance evaluations for 10 direct reports. What should Dora do before she presents the performance evaluations to her direct reports? A. Ask her direct reports to complete self-evaluations, share her evaluations with HR for review, and review her performance ratings line by line with each direct report. B. Review her evaluations to be sure there is no rating bias, review her performance ratings line by line with each direct report, and mutually develop professional goals at the end of each meeting. C. Ask her direct reports to complete self-evaluations, share her evaluations with HR for review, and engage in two-way feedback with each direct report about the self-evaluation and supervisor ratings, mutually developing professional goals at the end of the meeting. D. Ask her direct reports to complete self-evaluations, share her evaluations with HR for review, and engage in conversation with each direct report, mutually developing personal and professional goals at the end of the meeting.

B. Talk with each employee and ask if the person has been invited to self-identify. If the employee chooses not to self-identify, speak with the supervisor and get a determination based on observation. Employees should always be invited to self-identify. If they refuse and since employers are obligated to maintain the data, the next best way to get it is to ask the supervisor to make a personal observation and record it in the data fields.

18. Lawana has just been given the job of preparing an EEO-1 for her employer group. She finds some gaps in the employee race and gender data she will need to use in reporting. How should she handle that problem? A. Ignore the missing data and just report what data she has. She should not guess about any of the race or gender identifications. B. Talk with each employee and ask if the person has been invited to self-identify. If the employee chooses not to self-identify, speak with the supervisor and get a determination based on observation. C. Take the best guess possible and fill in the blanks. D. Where data is missing, it is usually a good idea to default to White as a race and male as a gender. Statistically, those are the most common entries.

B. Strategic management of the organization with less focus on labor relations Designing strategic support programs for human resource management is critical in today's fast-paced employment world. Competition is more stringent, and legal requirements are constantly expanding. While supporting executive wishes has always been part of the HR job, the design of strategic programs is relatively new.

18. The role of human resource management has changed over the last few decades because more focus is now placed on: A. Finding people with qualifications in high technology that can meet today's challenges B. Strategic management of the organization with less focus on labor relations C. Recruiting and less focus on paperwork D. Supporting the executive suite and the programs that the officers want implemented

Ethnocentric

18. When all key management positions are filled by expatriates, this is a(n) ____________ global staffing approach.

D. ISOs are not permitted in the financial industry There is no industry restriction on ISOs. All of the other answer options are correct

18. Which of the following does not apply to an incentive stock option (ISO)? A. ISOs can be granted only to employees B. Employees must exercise the ISO within three months of terminating employment C. ISOs are governed by Internal Revenue Code Section 422 D. ISOs are not permitted in the financial industry

C. Similar values Although it may make negotiations easier, having similar values is not a requirement of a bargaining unit. Similar wages, benefits, and working conditions make up the fourth requirement.

18. Which of the following is not a factor that defines a bargaining unit? A. Common supervision B. Similarity of skills C. Similar values D. Business operations in common

environmental protection

19. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reflects how the organization integrates and aligns with its communities as a helping hand for sustaining economic prosperity, social equity, and ____________ ________

D. Every strategic decision must contribute to the financial performance of the organization It is not just a matter of budget dollars, but the contribution they make toward the organizational "bottom line"

19. Financial contributions from the HR department are important because: A. Training and staffing are the easiest areas to cut and gain back budget B. Executives expect the HR department to be the most flexible in budget terms. C. There is little impact from reducing the HR department's budget D. Every strategic decision must contribute to the financial performance of the organization

C. Facilitate a conversation with the two of them in the same room to try to find common agreements Any and all small agreements assist with the stages of conflict resolution. Agreeing on the problem and on small changes gives a feeling of compromise to both parties so you can begin the process of looking at all possible acceptable solutions

19. Mark and Gwen are co-workers whose cubicles are located in a 12-by-10 enclosed room. Their manager is unable to resolve a conflict that they are having related to the temperature in the room, and the matter has escalated to HR. Which would be the best tactic to use in resolving their conflict? A. Use the seniority system; the person with the most seniority gets to decide on the temperature. B. Provide a portable fan for the cubicle and the desk of the person who is too warm. C. Facilitate a conversation with the two of them in the same room to try to find common agreements D. Create a schedule of telecommuting so that they are not in the same office at the same time.

B. Provide a secure access system that will permit employees to see only their own records

19. Today, giving employees electronic access to their personal information is more common. When doing so, employers should: A. Make sure the records are no more than six to eight months old B. Provide a secure access system that will permit employees to see only their own records C. Give access to union representatives so they will be able to reconcile their union dues payments D. Permit employees to make any changes they want on their records

B. Perform Performing includes demonstrating, showing, selecting, listing, citing, and any number of other activities that can prove the participant actually learned from the training experience.

2. A good training objective should begin with "The participant will be able to": A. Understand B. Perform C. Expect D. Absorb

A. Internet based Chunking is particularly helpful in Internet-based training programs where students can participate in a course in small time increments

2. Content chunking is a concept that has particular application in what type of training? A. Internet-based B. Classroom-based C. Self-paced books D. Job-based

Deauthorized

2. If a union's collective bargaining agreement remains in effect but employees are not forced to be members or pay dues to the union, the union has been _____________.

C. Instructional design principles and processes

2. Needs assessment and analysis is an area of required knowledge that applies to this functional area: A. Employee communications B. Ethical and professional standards C. Instructional design principles and processes D. Environmental scanning concepts and applications

A. Unemployed The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 provides for federal unemployment insurance and sets guidelines for state unemployment insurance programs

2. The Wagner-Peyser Act protects employees who are: A. Unemployed B. Injured on the job C. Unable to work because of pregnancy D. Have two or more jobs

B. Not at all. By specifying how much will be paid and the start date, there is no promise of continued work, so there is no contract Employment contracts require a promise to do something in return for consideration such as work. Even if an offer is made and accepted, the letter would need to contain a promise of retention for a certain period of time to overcome the employment-at-will status

2. When Barack began his work with the AB Trucking Company, he established a process of sending engagement letters to all his new employees. Is he crating employment contracts by doing so? A. Probably. By laying out the amount of money he is going to pay them and when they will begin work, he is creating a contract agreement. B. Not at all. By specifying how much will be paid and the start date, there is no promise of continued work, so there is no contract C. Absolutely. By giving the new employee a chance to review the employee handbook and sign the engagement letter, there is a written contract for employment D. Maybe not. If the letter doesn't require a signature from the new employee, there likely isn't a contact being created

Cost per hire = $1,000. Cost per hire = ((External costs of $1,000) + (Internal costs of $5,000 and $4,000))/ 10 total hires

20. Denny's Drywall hired 10 employees in August. Advertising the job openings cost $1,000, and the recruiting specialist, Debbie, spent 100 percent of her work time in August hiring these employees. Debbie's monthly salary is $5,000. Denny's Drywall also had to house the new employees in a satellite office location for the month that cost $4,000. What is the cost per hire.

B. Persuade The five leadership practices Kouzes and Posner identify in The Leadership Challenge are challenge, inspire, enable, model, and encourage

20. Which is not one of the leadership practices that Kouzes and Posner identify for effective leadership? A. Enable B. Persuade C. Model D. Encourage

B. Mentorship programs C. Supporting work-life balance

20. Which of the following are strategies for improving employee retention? (Choose two). A. On-time paychecks B. Mentorship programs C. Supporting work-life balance D. Preventing managers from dismissing anyone without HR approval

D. PERT/CPM planning charts Program Evaluation and Review Technique charts handle multiple project requirements and can be enhanced by the critical path method in visual charts

21. Complex project management is made easier through the use of: A. PARK/ITEM planning charts B. Gaunt PERK planning charts C. PACK/CWA planning charts D. PERT/CPM planning charts

B. Behaviors must be spelled out explicitly Behaviors must be clearly identified

21. In a low-context culture, which is true? A. Tasks must be spelled out explicitly. B. Behaviors must be spelled out explicitly C. People know how to behave D. People have connections over long periods of time

Emotional Intelligence

22. The ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions is known as ___________ _____________

D. Can be helpful in processing requests for job accommodation Statements in a job description related to physical and mental job requirements can be helpful in determining what job accommodation can be made when requested by the applicant or employee

23. Job descriptions: A. Are required by law B. Have no real practical value C. Can be helpful in defending against union claims of work hours violations D. Can be helpful in processing requests for job accommodation

C. Decreasing returns Most often, decreasing returns is the type of learning curve adults experience

24. Which learning curve is the most common? A. Increasing returns B. S-shaped curve C. Decreasing returns D. Plateau curve

A, B, D Published industrial results are not subject to needs assessment

3. Needs assessment can be applied to which of the following processes? (Choose three). A. Benefits planning, vacation assessments, attendance programs, and employee training needs B. Strategic planning, public relations, and emergency awareness C. Published industrial results D. Staffing forecasts, training planning, and budgeting

A. Outsourcing D. Shared services

4. Which of the following are budgeting, accounting, and financial concepts? (Choose two) A. Outsourcing B. Government contracting C. Competitive advantage D. Shared services

Collective bargaining agreements

4. _______________ ________ _______________ are contracts between a union and an employer

A. PHRca B. PHRi E. SPHR

5. Which of the following are valid HR certifications? (Choose three). A. PHRca B. PHRi C. NPHR D. UPHR E. SPHR

B. Skinner Skinner was the father or operant conditioning

6. Operant conditioning was a creation of: A. Herzberg B. Skinner C. Maslow D. Freud

D. Motivation comes from positive reinforcement

7. Operant conditioning suggests: A. Motivation comes from levels of personal responsibility B. Motivation comes from ego needs C. Motivation comes from self-actualization D. Motivation comes from positive reinforcement

B. An estimate of income and expenses that will occur in a given time period It is an estimate for the future. A is incorrect because an estimate is not a firm allotment. C is incorrect because a budget looks forward; a statement of actual expenses is a report, not a forecast. D is incorrect because professional group membership and participation is likely only one line item in an HR budget.

8. A budget is: A. An allocation of money that may not be exceeded B. An estimate of income and expenses that will occur in a given time period C. A statement of actual expenses incurred in the most recent time period D. A guess about the cost of participation in professional organizations and events

Scanlon

8. The ____________ plan is a gainsharing plan based on the historical ratio of labor cost to sales value of production.

A. Establish the training objectives The training objectives are the focus for every piece of training program content. If it doesn't help achieve the training objectives, it should not be in the training program

8. The first thing to do when designing training is to: A. Establish the training objectives B. Establish the format for training delivery C. Establish the program length D. Establish the program location

Ready to learn

9. Adult students are generally more __________ _________ __________ than younger students.

Business plans

9. _________________ _______________ are expressions of opportunities and challenges along with benefits to be gained and action plans for reaching them.

A. Employment at will means either the employee or the employer can end the relationship at any time for any reason. Either party can end the relationship with or without notice subject to some limitations on the employer created by various laws barring illegal treatment

Chapter 8 1. Alysse is setting up the human resource systems for her newly formed organization. She wants to write a policy about employment at will but isn't sure what it is. How would you explain it to her? A. Employment at will means either the employee or the employer can end the relationship at any time for any reason. B. Employment at will means the employer can terminate an employee when necessary, but the employee must give two weeks' notice. C. Employment at will means the employee can quit at any time, even without notice D. Employment at will doesn't exist anymore because of state and federal labor laws

A. Executive exemption C. Administrative exemption D. Sales executive exemption Although technical exemption can easily be confused with computer employee exemption and sales executive exemption might sound similar to outside sales exemption, these are not correct.

10. Which of the following are types of exemption from the Fair Labor Standards Act? (Choose three) A. Executive exemption B. Technical exemption C. Administrative exemption D. Sales executive exemption

D. Sleep messaging input Training during employee sleep is not a common form of training program design

10. Which of the following is not a commonly accepted training program design? A. Instructor led B. Facilitator led C. Self-study D. Sleep messaging input

C. National Occupational Standards (NOS) D. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) NOS is British. ANSI is American. The other two options do not exist as organizations.

10. Which of the following publishes standards for developing service delivery plans? (Choose two). A. United Nations Standards Publishing Organization (UNSPO) B. Universal Business Standards Development Organization (UBSDO) C. National Occupational Standards (NOS) D. American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

D. Straight commission plan with a draw in Cecilia's first year of employment Based on XYZ's past practice of 100 percent commission compensation plans for sales employees, Cecilia would receive straight commission with a draw in her first year of employment. A draw consists of guaranteed commission for a defined period of time. If, during this period, a salesperson does not earn a commission equal to or exceeding the draw, the salesperson does not owe the organization the difference

11. Cecilia just graduated from college and is starting her first job sales at XYZ Pharmaceutical Sales. XYZ Pharmaceutical Sales normally pays sales employees 100 percent commission but has created a new compensation plan for Cecilia that calculates commission for closing new sales accounts, with less risk to her total compensation in her first year of employment. Which type of sales incentive plan has XYZ offered Cecilia? A. Straight salary plan B. Salary plus commission plan C. Straight commission plan D. Straight commission plan with a draw in Cecilia's first year of employment

B. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulates welfare benefit plans, including life insurance. ERISA specifically regulates welfare benefit plans such as health insurance and life insurance. That is in addition to the regulation of pension and retirement plans offered by employers. It makes no difference who underwrites the life insurance - the employer or a vendor. ERISA will still provide requirements.

11. Finding a life insurance company to provide benefits to her workforce has been difficult for Joan, the HR manager. She decides to recommend that they offer a self-insured plan. What controls might Joan have to consider in her planning? A. There are no federal restrictions on a company providing its own life insurance plan to employees. B. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulates welfare benefit plans, including life insurance. C. The Life Insurance Benefit Plans Act has control over what Joan is able to do with her idea. D. Only state laws will have an influence on Joan's development of a self-insured benefit plan.

B. She can go out to talk with the picketers and ask them to allow people to cross over into work. She can also explain to the picketers that she will call the police if they continue to block public access to the employer's property. She should tell them she will get a restraining order if they don't open things up for people to move into the property. Local and state laws will usually govern property rights and whether it is permissible to block entrance to private property. Law enforcement officials can be helpful to ensure access rights are not trammeled during a strike. If necessary, seeking a restraining order against the union may be necessary.

11. Isabella is sitting at her desk in the HR department on the first day of a union strike. Picketers have assembled at the front gate and are blocking the sidewalk and not allowing anyone to enter the employer's property. As the HR manager, what should Isabella do? A. There is nothing she can do. The union has a right to picket outside the employer's gate. People will just have to wait for a break in the picket line so they can cross over and go to work. B. She can go out to talk with the picketers and ask them to allow people to cross over into work. She can also explain to the picketers that she will call the police if they continue to block public access to the employer's property. She should tell them she will get a restraining order if they don't open things up for people to move into the property. C. Without even talking with the picketers, she should call the police. There is no way they should be permitted to prevent people from entering the workplace. D. Isabella should fight fire with fire. She should organize a few management people with signs protesting the union blocking their entrance to the property and picket inside the gate. Their demonstration can counter any effect the union pickets might have.

D. People who originate in the Indian subcontinent should be classified as Asian. According to the EEO-1 instructions, the category of Asian includes all people from the Indian subcontinent. The fact that he lived on an island off the coast is irrelevant.

11. Solomon is from an island off the coast of India and has always been told he is classified as Asian. Now Andrew, his HR manager, is telling him something else. How should Solomon be classified? A. Always default to White when there is a question B. Solomon should identify himself as being Two or More Races C. Because he comes from an island off the coast of India, he really should be classified as a Pacific Islander. D. People who originate in the Indian subcontinent should be classified as Asian.

55%

11. Studies have shown that ___________% of employers are looking for certifications at the HR director level.

C. Background checks are still legal and should be conducted on applicants before a job offer is made to be sure there is no history of bad behavior that could bring liability into the new workplace The EEOC simply recommends making sure they are job related and that conviction records not automatically disqualify candidates. Using background checks to help prevent claims of negligent hiring is a good idea.

10. Elaine has attended an industry meeting with other HR professionals. She came back to her office with the idea that background investigations of new hires is something she ought to implement. What would you say to Elaine about that idea? A. The EEOC has banned background investigations in any form because they discriminate against Hispanics and Blacks. B. The EEOC has only recommended that background checks not automatically eliminate Hispanics or Blacks because of employment history C. Background checks are still legal and should be conducted on applicants before a job offer is made to be sure there is no history of bad behavior that could bring liability into the new workplace D. Finding anyone these days with no skeleton in the closet is going to be difficult. Background checks are not really worth the money or time they require

D. Everyone has a race, and White is a government-designated race. Treating someone differently because of their race is not legal. You should accept Jolene's complaint. All races are protected against illegal discrimination.

10. Jolene has come to the HR department to file a complaint of race discrimination against her boss, who is Asian. She says he won't allow her to go to a key training program simply because she is White and he wants to train the Asians first. He says to her, "You can't complain because you're White." What would you tell Jolene? A. Jolene's boss is right. She can't file a race complaint because she is White. B. You should really speak with the company attorney before even talking with Jolene about this complaint. She needs to find out whether it would be alright to accept the complaint before doing anything else. C. The only comparison with White is Black. Asians can't be the cause of an illegal race complaint when Jolene is White. D. Everyone has a race, and White is a government-designated race. Treating someone differently because of their race is not legal. You should accept Jolene's complaint.

A. New workplace amenities C. Program to enhance work-life balance A bonus program helps improve the perception of fairness, equity, and effort, and a recognition program helps improve organizational feedback

10. Pradeep's organization recently conducted an employee opinion survey. Results indicated that work environment needs improvement. Based on employee motivation concepts, which two rewards programs should Pradeep consider implementing to improve the work environment? A. New workplace amenities B. Bonus program C. Program to enhance work-life balance D. Recognition program

$200. Cost per hire = (($680) + ($1,200 + $520))/12

10. Siena is the operations manager for a startup. Senior management is interested in the cost per hire of the 12 customer service representatives who were just hired. The total job posting fees were $680, it cost $1,200 to upgrade the office space to accommodate the new employees, and it cost $520 to purchase new uniforms for the staff. The cost per hire is ______________.

B. Jacob would be well advised to invite his labor relations attorney to participate in the negotiation process. He will need advice at each stage of the process to be sure he makes only wise commitments for the employer. It is always a good idea to have a labor attorney involved with the negotiation process, but Jacob needs to be involved in the details so he can assign costs to each provision of the union requests. The bottom line is that there is always a budget constraint to be considered in the negotiation process. But Jacob doesn't want to make agreements that aren't required either. Paying for the attorney to participate is a wise decision.

10. When Jacob's company experienced its first union-organizing effort, the union won the election, and Jacob was faced with having to negotiate his first union contract. Because it was his first time, what would you recommend Jacob do? A. He should be all right if he gets a copy of another contract to use as a model and then sticks to that language. B. Jacob would be well advised to invite his labor relations attorney to participate in the negotiation process. He will need advice at each stage of the process to be sure he makes only wise commitments for the employer. C. Jacob should turn the negotiations over to the labor attorney. He can do all the negotiating, and Jacob doesn't even have to be involved. D. Once the union provides its demands, the only thing Jacob needs to do is explain to the union what can be done and what can't be done.

D. Improve or increase an individual's interactions and behaviors Emotional intelligence (EQ) interventions involve skill and coaching or mentoring to cause a person's interactions to improve by changing an ineffective behavior

10. When an HR intervention has a focus on emotional intelligence (EQ), the goal is to: A. Heighten emotions B. Always improve co-worker relationships C. Cause EQ rating to align with IQ rating D. Improve or increase an individual's interactions and behaviors

D. Steve should follow the collective bargaining agreement for reducing union staff and reduce management based on organizational policy. While selecting staff for RIF based on inverse seniority or performance valuation scores are common tactics, union and nonunion employees cannot always be treated the same. The collective bargaining agreement should be consulted for all employment decisions regarding union staff, and the organizational policy should be consulted for nonunion staff. In the absence of a clear policy, Steve has more control over how RIF determinations are made.

11. The hotel Steve works at is closing two restaurants. Both restaurants are staffed by union servers and kitchen staff, as well as nonunion management staff. Steve needs to plan a reduction in force (RIF) for all servers and half of the restaurants' management. Kitchen staff will be moved to another restaurant at the hotel. How should he select staff for the RIF? A. Steve should select all staff based on inverse seniority. B. Steve should select all staff based on recent performance evaluation scores. C. Steve should follow the collective bargaining agreement for reducing union staff and reduce management based on recent performance evaluation scores. D. Steve should follow the collective bargaining agreement for reducing union staff and reduce management based on organizational policy.

D. HRIS, HCM, HRMS

11. The three types of information systems used for tracking employee data are: A. HRIS, UEDE, HRQM B. HRIS, EDRS, QMEE C. HRIS, BCOP, HCTD D. HRIS, HCM, HRMS

B. The time required to develop a training program in-house by Joey would take too long Sometimes it is more cost and time effective to utilize an already developed training program that is available from a third-party vendor

11. Training and development manager Joey received a request from the operations director to develop a team-building program that would focus on blending the values of Gen X with the Baby Boomers. Joey does not possess the knowledge of generational issues for team building. Which of the following is a justification Joey can use to sell his boss on purchasing an already existing team-building training program from a third-party consultant? A. Outside expertise will generate higher credibility from the Gen X participants because Joey is from the Baby Boomer generation. B. The time required to develop a training program in-house by Joey would take too long C. There are many vendors that offer this kind of specific training D. A Gen X training facilitator would be better to deliver this type of training program

C. Americans with Disabilities Act D. Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures In 1978, the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, and the Equal Opportunity Commission jointly adopted the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures to establish uniform standards for employers for the use of selection procedures and to address adverse impact, validation, and recordkeeping requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The other choices are laws that directly relate to employers' compensation programs.

11. Which of the following laws do not directly relate to a company's compensation or benefits programs? A. Equal Pay Act B. Fair Labor Standards Act C. Americans with Disabilities Act D. Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures

A. Grievance resolution process C. Employee suggestion program While an employee assistance program and internal application process may have employee relations benefits, they are not true employee relations programs. An employee assistance program is part of an organization's benefits packet, and an internal application process is part of the talent acquisition process

11. Which of the following two employer policies are employee relations programs? A. Grievance resolution process B. Employee assistance program C. Employee suggestion program D. Internal application process

A. 15 days of absence from work beyond using all of the paid time off available. B. Missing three project deadlines Specific job-related or performance results are legitimate reasons for withholding a bonus payment as long as others who are similarly situated are treated in the same way

11. Wilmington is a newly appointed first-level supervisor. Riley knows him fairly well because she was involved in the discussions about his promotion. He now wants to talk with her about a problem he is having with two of his workers. One is Black, and one is Native American. The Black employee is saying he was not given a bonus check because of his race. He wants to have hi money. The Native American employee received a bonus check. What would be a legitimate reason for withholding the bonus payment to the Black employee? (Choose two). A. 15 days of absence from work beyond using all of the paid time off available. B. Missing three project deadlines C. Bringing cakes and cupcakes to share every Friday D. Passed latest training program with highest score in the class E. Announced she would quit if she didn't get her bonus

C. Creating placement rate goals and letting a nondiscriminatory selection process select the best-qualified people. Preferences and set-asides are illegal under case law. Outreach and recruiting so a candidate pool reflects a mix of race and sex can allow a nondiscriminatory selection system to pick the best-qualified person. In some cases, that will be a woman or racial minority.

12. Affirmative action plans have a great deal to do with altering the demographics of an employer's organization. They do this by: A. Creating "set-asides" for job openings that are underrepresented in certain race categories. B. Providing preferential selection for the underrepresented race category C. Creating placement rate goals and letting a nondiscriminatory selection process select the best-qualified people. D. Moving applicants with a certain race up to the top of the selection list

A. Self-assessment evaluation More organizations are having their employees complete a self-assessment on their performance and submit it prior to their evaluation interview meeting. This affords an opportunity for the employee to be more engaged with setting their job goals for the next review period and focuses discussions on their career development in the organization

12. What performance evaluation method increases employee engagement and dialogue the most? A. Self-assessment evaluation B. Behaviorally anchored rating scale method (BARS) C. A forced-choice method D. Paired comparison method

C. His approach to references will develop a reputation for the employer, and other employers will soon be able to know whether someone was a bad performer simply because Alex doesn't give them any feedback about performance. That in itself could constitute a poor reference and be cause for some upset among former employees. His approach is a risky one that could bring liability to the employer. Providing references only about good performers will create a reputation that no reference means a bad reference. That could bring liability. It is best to provide references either for everyone or not for anyone. Your legal advisor can provide guidance.

12. Alex insists on taking all calls requesting employment verification for former employees. As the HR manager, he refuses to give any feedback about people who were poor performers, but for those who were good performers, he is willing to explain how well they had done. What do you think of Alex's approach to employee references? A. It sounds good. There should be no problem since he isn't saying anything bad about anyone. B. He should never give out any information about any former employee, good or bad. C. His approach to references will develop a reputation for the employer, and other employers will soon be able to know whether someone was a bad performer simply because Alex doesn't give them any feedback about performance. That in itself could constitute a poor reference and be cause for some upset among former employees. His approach is a risky one that could bring liability to the employer. D. Only if a former employee signs a release of liability should Alex give out information about poor performers.

A. The degree to which decision-making authority is restricted to senior management The greater grasp senior management retains on decision-making, the more centralized the organization

12. In an organizational structure, what is centralized? A. The degree to which decision-making authority is restricted to senior management B. The degree to which decision-making authority is given to lower levels in an organization's hierarchy C. the hierarchical division of labor that distributes formal authority and establishes how critical decisions will be made D. The degree to which decisions are made by committees

D. Violent behavior of any kind is justification for immediate dismissal. Even if there is no policy that says violence can result in immediate termination, that is how this situation should be handled It is hard to be absolute in any recommendation, but this situation sounds like it should result in immediate termination of at least the aggressive employee. It may be appropriate to also discipline the other employee depending on the outcome of an investigation

12. Mary received an anonymous complaint that an employee initiated a physical fight with another employee. After investigating the complaint and speaking to witnesses, she learned that the allegations made in the complaint were true. Mary has never before had an employee who caused a physical fight with another employee. The policy in her organization calls for progressive discipline. Mary isn't sure if she should just give the employee a warning or terminate him immediately. What would you recommend? A. This is the reason people should learn self-defense. When someone is defending themselves, there should be no reason for employer-imposed discipline. The aggressive employee should be given a written warning, though. B. It is hard for someone to start a fight by themselves. Both employees should be written up, skipping the oral warning step of progressive discipline. C. It depends on how other aggressive behavior has been treated in the past. Even though there have not been fights per se, the employee treatment should be guided by history. D. Violent behavior of any kind is justification for immediate dismissal. Even if there is no policy that says violence can result in immediate termination, that is how this situation should be handled

A. She may offer any document authorized on the Form I-9 instructions as proof of her authorization to work in this country. The deadline for completing a Form I-9 is three days after hire. Any documents listed on the form are acceptable. The employer may not designate certain documents are requirements. A Social Security number is one way to demonstrate authorization to work in this country. A valid U.S. passport is also a way to demonstrate both identity and work authorization.

12. Simone has just been hired and is asked to complete a Form I-9. She offers her driver's license as proof of her identity. What else is required for her to complete the document? A. She may offer any document authorized on the Form I-9 instructions as proof of her authorization to work in this country. B. She must have a Social Security number to submit on the form. C. Simone has a U.S. passport but is told that she can't use it for her Form I-9. D. As long as Simone offers to get a Social Security number in the next 30 days, she can submit her Form I-9.

C. Government-sponsored benefits

12. Social Security, COBRA, and Medicare are examples of: A. Medical benefits B. Social benefits C. Government-sponsored benefits D. Legally mandated benefits

A. Meeting legal requirements All legal requirements must be included when setting strategic goals. B and C are incorrect because they are narrow and do not include all legal requirements. D is incorrect because payroll requirements are just part of the legal requirements

12. Strategies must support a commitment to: A. Meeting legal requirements B. Meeting industry requirements C. Meeting competitor requirements D. Meeting payroll requirements

B. A description of the complete set of concepts, tasks, responsibilities, and knowledge required to fulfill the duties of an HR generalist

12. The HRCI Body of Knowledge (BoK) is: A. A list of everything any HR manager should know. B. A description of the complete set of concepts, tasks, responsibilities, and knowledge required to fulfill the duties of an HR generalist C. A list of all the desirable knowledge items any HR manager should understand D. A description of the responsibilities undertaken by any HR generalist

A. Raise employee interpersonal skills B. Improve job performance D. Adjust to industry advancements Training can raise employee interpersonal skills, improve job performance, and adjust to industry advancements. It cannot adjust prior quarter results. history cannot be changed by training today.

12. Training can be used as a strategic tool to do what? A. Raise employee interpersonal skills B. Improve job performance C. Adjust prior quarter results D. Adjust to industry advancements

A. Ranking This is an example of ranking jobs. The paired comparison method involves plotting all of the jobs into a matrix. You then compare each job with every other job.

5. To which of the following job evaluation methods does the paired comparison method belong? A. Ranking B. Job classification C. Point-factor D. Factor comparison

C. If the employee's work hours are reduced to the point that he or she no longer qualifies for benefits, 16 months of coverage is available for the employee, his or her spouse, and dependent child(ren). Eighteen months of coverage is available for employees and their dependents in the event of a termination or reduction in work hours.

12. Which of the following is not correct about COBRA availability periods after a qualifying event? A. In the event of an employee death, 36 months of COBRA coverage is available for the employee's spouse and dependent child(ren). B. Upon an employee's termination of employment, 18 months of coverage is available for the employee, his or her spouse, and dependent child(ren). C. If the employee's work hours are reduced to the point that he or she no longer qualifies for benefits, 16 months of coverage is available for the employee, his or her spouse, and dependent child(ren). D. A qualified disabled beneficiary is allotted 29 months of COBRA coverage after a qualifying event.

B. Reviewing how many employees have individual or family coverage C. Analyzing which benefit plans are most utilized by employees and which are least utilized A benefits gap analysis is intended to review an organization's current benefits offerings and determine what needs are not being met. As such, it is important to review workforce demographics and current plan utilization. A competitor's benefits plan and sick time usage might be helpful to review, but these actions are not part of a benefits gap analysis

12. Which of the following steps are part of a benefits gap analysis? (Choose two). A. Reviewing the benefits offered by competitors B. Reviewing how many employees have individual or family coverage C. Analyzing which benefit plans are most utilized by employees and which are least utilized D. Reviewing how many sick days employees use per year

C. Being sure all the information you present is up-to-date and accurate HR credibility rests on the accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness of its information

12. You are asked to prepare a presentation for the senior management and executive team on the subject of the updated insurance benefit packages available for the coming year. What should you consider the highest priority for your presentation? A. Finding the most dazzling PowerPoint slide templates. B. Getting some scientific research references to support your information. C. Being sure all the information you present is up-to-date and accurate D. Getting some slides from the insurance companies to help with formatting

Wildcat strike

13. An illegal, unsanctioned work stoppage by a union in reaction to some dispute with the employer is a _____________ ________________

B. Your willingness to expand your acceptance of other people's background

13. Cultural sensitivity requires: A. Other people adjusting to your background B. Your willingness to expand your acceptance of other people's background C. Other people explaining how you need to change your attitude D. Your learning new languages

B. Organizational membership Employee benefits are indirect compensation given to employees for organizational membership. The other choices are incorrect

13. Employee benefits are indirect compensation given to employees for: A. Loyalty B. Organizational membership C. Performance D. Organizational incentives

A. Review it with his legal counsel and senior executives. Determine whether the OFCCP claims are accurate and negotiate something else as a consequence if they are not. A conciliation agreement is a legal contract. When it comes from OFCCP, it means they will come back every six months or so to be sure you are doing what it promises you will do. If not, they can take you through the enforcement process to force you to comply. Always get your management attorney involved before signing such a contract.

13. Gerardo manages the HR function along with the accounting department. He is involved in an OFCCP audit of his affirmative action plans. The agency wants him to sign a conciliation agreement saying he will hire a certain number of women into one job title and give back pay to a group of Hispanics who weren't hired. What would you advise Gerardo to do with the conciliation agreement? A. Review it with his legal counsel and senior executives. Determine whether the OFCCP claims are accurate and negotiate something else as a consequence if they are not. B. Go ahead and sign the conciliation agreement. It's just a promise and doesn't really matter. C. Whenever there is a document like this coming from the federal government, there should be a set of instructions that comes along with it telling the contractor what to do. Gerardo should look for that list. D. Gerardo should read it and make sure there isn't anything that talks about illegal discrimination. He should scratch out any references to discrimination and send it back to the OFCCP with his signature

B. He should notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the accident and the injuries. The company has eight hours after the accident to file its report of serious injury with OSHA. We don't know how long ago the accident happened, but it was long enough that the operator is now in the hospital. Steve should gather all the information needed for the report and get it called into the OSHA office.

13. Steve is the HR director for a crane operations company. He just got a phone call from one of his field supervisors with tragic news. One of their units has collapsed, and their operator is in the hospital with serious injuries. What should Steve do with that information? A. Steve should immediately call the hospital to be sure all the insurance information is on file for their employee. B. He should notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the accident and the injuries. C. He should notify the Crane Safety Institute of America to be sure they are able to add this accident to their database. D. Steve should call the crane operator's spouse to let her know about the tragedy.

A. .01 The selection ratio is determined by dividing the number of applicants hired from a group by the total number of applicants from that group. For the Hispanic or Latino population, 3 selected applicants divided by 300 in the total population is .01 or 1 percent.

14. Lucky Mart has been struggling over the past few months to hire quality candidates. They have changed their interview process to include a pre-employment skills test that screens candidates for their understanding of bagging procedures in English, the native language at Lucky Mart's headquarters. The store has also begun posting on different online job boards to attract a wider candidate pool and is requiring applicants to submit resumes instead of applications. There are 500 applicants for Lucky Mart's most recent job posting. Two hundred applicants are White (not Hispanic or Latino), and 5 are selected. The other 300 applicants are Hispanic or Latino, and 3 are selected. What is the selection ratio of the Hispanic or Latino group? A. .01 B. .1 C. .25 D. .025

D. They are different steps in the disciplinary action process. Generally, coaching is a first attempt to correct performance. Corrective action involves more formal documentation if previous coaching has been unsuccessful. Coaching is sometimes referred to as verbal warning or counseling session in an attempt to correct workplace issues before they escalate into more formal corrective action.

13. What is the difference between corrective action and coaching? A. They are different steps in the disciplinary action process. Generally, corrective action is a first attempt to correct performance. Coaching involves more formal documentation if previous corrective action has been unsuccessful. B. Corrective action is for policy violations, and coaching is for performance issues. C. Corrective action applies only to the private sector. The public sector is required by law to use the term coaching. D. They are different steps in the disciplinary action process. Generally, coaching is a first attempt to correct performance. Corrective action involves more formal documentation if previous coaching has been unsuccessful.

B. Hunker down and start learning what facts you need to convey and design the best way for that to happen. If your boss recognizes that you need to practice your writing skills, this assignment may be designed for that purpose. Delegating to someone else or trying to get out of it some other way would not be appropriate

13. Your boss asks you to prepare a memo that will be distributed to all employees explaining the new company policy on sick leave. You hate writing, especially something that will be as widely seen as this. What should you do? A. Plead with your boss to give the assignment to one of your colleagues. B. Hunker down and start learning what facts you need to convey and design the best way for that to happen. C. Delegate the assignment to your support clerk. She writes well. D. Go to a friend who works at a different company and ask if they have anything like this that you can use as a model.

B. Keep the other person talking to extract more information

14. Active listening is used to: A. Keep pace with the speed of the conversation B. Keep the other person talking to extract more information C. Whisper sensitive information from mouth to ear D. Give the impression that you aren't planning your next comment

C. It would be unethical for us to provide home address labels for employees to anyone, even Charlene. It is a violation of privacy standards. Employee home addresses are considered private and confidential information. Giving them out to someone, even an employee, for use in a private venture is unethical

14. Charlene has come in to ask you to give her a set of labels with employee home addresses on them. She wants to send some new marketing materials to everyone in hopes of selling her beauty aid products. What will you tell Charlene? A. Sure. No problem. We can get them to you in a couple of days. B. It will never happen. We can't spend the money on labels for such projects. C. It would be unethical for us to provide home address labels for employees to anyone, even Charlene. It is a violation of privacy standards. D. Without approval from the organization's CEO there is no way HR is going to be able to agree to issue Charlene the address labels.

C. Third-party contract Because Colin doesn't contract directly with the employees, he instead contracts with a third party for the services of the employees

14. Colin is the HR manager at a tax preparation firm. During the tax season, Colin contracts with a temporary agency for seasonal help. The seasonal workers receive payroll checks from the temporary agency and not Colin's organization. What type of contract will Colin sign with the temporary agency for the seasonal workers? A. Temporary contract B. Seasonal contract C. Third-party contract D. Direct contract

D. Safety programs must be developed that provide for refresher training on all equipment operating procedures. Injury and illness prevention programs are required by OSHA. Part of the identification and remediation of workplace hazards is employee training. Even if employees have been trained on equipment operation, periodic refresher programs can help overcome bad habits that might have developed. Refresher programs conducted on a yearly basis represent a reasonable interval for Donna's situation.

14. Every year Donna has to attend training on the use of the company vehicles she drives. She thinks this is a silly waste of time. Donna knows how to drive, and she knows the company vehicles. Why should she attend training every year. A. There is no federal requirement for Donna to take yearly training. B. OSHA only requires training be done once for vehicle operation. C. Only state provisions govern how frequently training must be done in Donna's situation. D. Safety programs must be developed that provide for refresher training on all equipment operating procedures.

B. Probably not. The subordinate initiated the relationship. If indeed there actually is one. It is hard for a subordinate to harass a supervisor because in the end, the supervisor is the one with the organizational power. It's probably not quid pro quo harassment because the invitation came from a subordinate. It's likely not hostile environment harassment because the person being harassed has to suffer unwanted advances of a sexual nature. She is actually the one initiating the invitation.

14. Guillermo supervises a group of six women in the accounting department. They are responsible for all payments and receipts. On Friday, Eleanor invites Guillermo to her apartment for a home-cooked dinner. He accepts. Under the various U.S. Supreme Court opinions on the subject, is this classified as sexual harassment? A. Very likely. Anytime a supervisor has a relationship with a subordinate, it is classified as sexual harassment B. Probably not. The subordinate initiated the relationship. If indeed there actually is one. It is hard for a subordinate to harass a supervisor because in the end, the supervisor is the one with the organizational power. C. It all depends on what happens after dinner. Guillermo is the one with the supervisory power. If he initiates anything, he can be in trouble. D. If they are having an affair, there is likely sexual harassment involved.

A. Violating the Equal Pay Act (EPA) Since we know that the company currently pays employees based on their desired salary, there is a potential for discriminating on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees at a rate less than the rate paid employees of the opposite sex for equal work on jobs requiring equal skill, effort, and responsibility. We do not know if the company is a federal contractor (or subcontractor), so the Service Contract Act may not apply to the company. We also do not have information on the ages of company employees with regard to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

14. Which potential legal problems should Yasmine be worried about, based on the company's current compensation methods? A. Violating the Equal Pay Act (EPA) B. Violating the Copeland "Anti-Kickback" Act C. Violating the Service Contract Act D. Violating the Age Discrimination in Employment act (ADEA)

D. Maybe. However, if the employer can describe the reward as "special" based on the circumstances, it needn't create a precedent that must be followed in each future instance It is not a requirement that each person who completes their project ahead of schedule be given a paid day off. However, if you create a situation where people in similar circumstances are treated differently based on membership in a protected class, you could face a claim of illegal discrimination.

14. Woodrow has been awarded a paid day off because he delivered his product development project ahead of schedule. Does this mean every time someone delivers a job in advance of the deadline they should be given a paid day off? A. Maybe. If the situations are the same or very similar, the reward should be the same. B. Maybe. Assuming that the employees had the same amount of service and their projects were similar in difficulty, they should all be given a paid day off C. Maybe. With an eye on illegal discrimination, the employer should err on the side of providing a day off with pay to anyone who completes work ahead of schedule D. Maybe. However, if the employer can describe the reward as "special" based on the circumstances, it needn't create a precedent that must be followed in each future instance

Pure localization

15. A ___________ ______________ international compensation plan works best when an employee is moving from a low-salary country to a high-salary country.

C. Design a succession plan and identify high-potential employees A succession plan is a key component for business success and should be part of every organization's learning and development program to be sure that there is no gap in knowledge that cripples an organization because of the departure of key human capital

15. A large technology company has identified a group of key managers in various departments who were hired with employment contracts that included large equity options. The company went public two years ago and continues to see a steady increase in stock value. There is a realization that many of these managers may retire when they are eligible to exercise their stock options in three more years. What OD activity should HR be focused on related to this circumstance? A. Review the organization's retirement plan and begin counseling discussions B. Expand the vacation policy for this group of managers C. Design a succession plan and identify high-potential employees D. Hire executive coaches to help this group of management with work-life balance

B. Review recent organization-wide employee opinion survey responses, determine gap areas, draft the program, obtain management approval, communicate, and implement the program. While all the options presented may be possible ways to achieve this task, B is the best answer. Employee opinion survey responses will be most applicable to the organization's needs. Also, some answer choices do not mention important steps such as determining gap areas, obtaining management approval, and communicating the program.

15. Emilio has been tasked with developing a recognition program for his organization. What steps should he take to develop and implement the program? A. Review best practices in his organization's industry, draft the program, obtain management approval, communicate, and implement the program. B. Review recent organization-wide employee opinion survey responses, determine gap areas, draft the program, obtain management approval, communicate, and implement the program. C. Conduct a focus group in one department to find out what type of employee recognition program is valuable, and test the recognition program in that department. If it is successful, roll it out to the entire organization. D. Review the HRIS data of employee ages to determine what generations in the workplace are most prevalent, review published data about employee recognition programs and generations in the workplace, and develop and implement the most appropriate program based on the data.

B. There is no federal law requiring diversity management programs. Sophisticated employers are moving in that direction because it is the right thing to do and production results often improve Diversity management programs are not a new idea, and they are not a legal requirement. More and more employers, however, are implementing them because they help with employee satisfaction and marketplace perceptions.

15. Harold has heard that it is necessary to have a diversity management program under some new federal law. What would you tell Harold about the requirement? A. The new law won't be effective until a year after it was passed. So there is no immediate requirement for him to worry about. B. There is no federal law requiring diversity management programs. Sophisticated employers are moving in that direction because it is the right thing to do and production results often improve C. There is no law requiring diversity management programs, and employers should not consider moving toward such programs unless they are federal contractors D. The new law will require diversity management programs only for employers who have federal contracts to provide goods or services to government agencies.

C. Yes. The impact ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is .04 (40 percent) and less than the four-fifths rule. Additional analysis should be done to see whether there really is adverse impact. First, let's calculate impact ratios to see whether there is adverse impact. This is done by dividing the selection ratio for a group by the selection ratio for the highest group. We know the selection ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is .01. The selection ratio for White applicants is as follows: 5 selected applicants/ 200 total population = .025 or 2.5 percent. This means the impact ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is as follows: .01/.025 = .4 or 40 percent. This is less than 80 percent, which means additional analysis should be done to see whether there really is adverse impact.

15. Lucky Mart has been struggling over the past few months to hire quality candidates. They have changed their interview process to include a pre-employment skills test that screens candidates for their understanding of bagging procedures in English, the native language at Lucky Mart's headquarters. The store has also begun posting on different online job boards to attract a wider candidate pool and is requiring applicants to submit resumes instead of applications. Lucky Mart is concerned that fewer Hispanic or Latino applicants were selected than White (not Hispanic or Latino) applicants. Should Lucky Mart be worried about adverse impact? A. Yes. The impact ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is .06 (60 percent) less than the two-thirds rule. Additional analysis should be done to see whether there really is adverse impact. B. No. The impact ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is .07 (70 percent) and more than the two-thirds rule. This means there is no adverse impact. C. Yes. The impact ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is .04 (40 percent) and less than the four-fifths rule. Additional analysis should be done to see whether there really is adverse impact. D. No. The impact ratio for Hispanic or Latino applicants is .09 (90 percent) and more than the four-fifths rule. This means there is no adverse impact.

D. Mid-career Mid-career is a phase when evaluation of career objectives occurs. It is too soon for retirement but a time of life when work-life family issues are more of a factor and can shift a person's motivations about work

18. Kiara has been working at her company for close to 18 years out of her 25 years as a programmer. What stage would probably best describe Kiara's career development? A. Late-career B. Mid-career crisis C. Occupational preparation D. Mid-career

A. I will have a serious conversation with the HR supervisor. It is not acceptable to suggest the company will permit use of the copy machine for personal business. If the company did approve of such use, it would need to extend that same offer to every employee. It is important to talk with the supervisor about the precedent being set when such permission is given to one employee. That permission may also violate company policy.

15. One of the organization's HR supervisors has told a line manager that it is OK to use the company copy machine to make flyers for their new business. The company doesn't mind, and it won't amount to much money. What is your response to this advice? A. I will have a serious conversation with the HR supervisor. It is not acceptable to suggest the company will permit use of the copy machine for personal business. If the company did approve of such use, it would need to extend that same offer to every employee. B. I will have a talk with the HR supervisor and tell that person to keep such things really quiet. We don't want a general announcement about people who are doing such things. C. I will ignore the issue. It isn't such a big deal anyway. D. I will terminate the HR supervisor on the spot.

A. Projecting your voice C. Scanning the group looking for nonverbal clues to responses

15. What do presenter platform skills include? (Choose two). A. Projecting your voice B. Reading the training script C. Scanning the group looking for nonverbal clues to responses D. Having people read from the PowerPoint slides for themselves

A. Factor comparison method The factor comparison method is a systematic and scientific method of job evaluation. It is the most complex method of the four recognized methods. Under this method, instead of ranking complete jobs, each job is ranked according to a series of factors. These factors include mental effort, physical effort, skill needed, responsibility, supervisory responsibility, working conditions, and other such factors. Pay will be assigned in this method by comparing the weights of the factors required for each job and divided among the factors weighted by the importance. Wages are assigned to the job in comparison to its ranking on each job factor

15. Which job evaluation method is most difficult to use? A. Factor comparison method B. Ranking method C. Classification method D. Point-factor method

B. Applicant's self-identification of race and sex D. Applicant's self-identification of disabled and veteran status Although age is a protected classification and compensation provided to employees must be in alignment with laws like the Equal Pay Act, hiring managers may need to know this information. For example, some jobs require an employee to be at least 21 years of age (e.g., a bartender) and knowing what an applicant's desired wage helps with the budgeting and negotiation process. At the time of this book, some states

15. Which two fields in applicant tracking systems should not be shared with hiring managers? A. Applicant's age B. Applicant's self-identification of race and sex C. Applicant's desired compensation D. Applicant's self-identification of disabled and veteran status

C. Of course, there can be harassment based on race, religion, age, national origin, or a number of other categories. Harassment has been recognized by the courts when it is based on sex but also when it is based on race, ethnicity, religion, and other protected categories. Executives need to understand that these are all liabilities for the organization.

16. Every month, Ali has to provide a report to the executives that details what employee complaints have been received. This month's report shows complaints of harassment from two people. One was based on race, and the other was based on religion. The executives are challenging those classifications, saying harassment can be based only on sexual conditions. What would you tell the executives if you were Ali? A. It shouldn't have been classified as harassment, rather just plain discrimination. There really can't be any harassment other than sexual harassment. B. We should really get our attorney to set the classifications for us. We're not sure if there can be harassment based on anything other than sex. C. Of course, there can be harassment based on race, religion, age, national origin, or a number of other categories. D. Executives should be encouraged to avoid getting into such details. It isn't really important. In the end, we just have two complaints of discrimination

C. Leadership is getting people to understand the goal and willingly (voluntarily) following the leader to that goal. Getting people to willingly follow toward the accomplishment of a specific goal is an ideal leadership skill

16. Everyone seems to be talking about leadership these days. Why is it so important? What is leadership anyway? A. Leadership is someone giving orders and charging off to whatever the goal is. B. Leadership is briefing everyone about the goal and then sending them off to get there. C. Leadership is getting people to understand the goal and willingly (voluntarily) following the leader to that goal. D. Leadership is always taking credit for the achievements of the group.

C. Gianna should review the experience of employers in the automobile industry to determine how to design her program The best way to ensure success of a new employment program is to study those that have already been successful. The automobile industry has achieved a great deal of success with this method of addressing work problems. It makes sense to study their efforts and consider using some of their methods.

16. Gianna has been asked by her boss to develop a program for use of self-directed work teams in their organization. She has limited experience with that form of organization. How would you advise her on her project? A. Self-directed work teams only work well in the high-tech industry B. Her program should have a method for determining how a leader will be appointed for each work team. There must be management control over all team efforts. C. Gianna should review the experience of employers in the automobile industry to determine how to design her program D. She should place a sunset provision into her program so each work team is disbanded 12 months after it is formed. Everyone needs to return to their normal work group no later than that 12th month.

C. Extrinsic and Intrinsic needs Hygiene factors are considered extrinsic and associated with job security, pay, working conditions, and relationships, whereas motivational factors are considered intrinsic, associated with recognition, achievement, and personal growth-related events in the job

16. Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory is based on which two categories of needs? A. Psychological and basic needs B. Motivational and security needs C. Extrinsic and Intrinsic needs D. Safety and self-esteem needs

A. Avoidance, mitigation, acceptance

2. Risk management strategy can include: A. Avoidance, mitigation, acceptance B. Acceptance, non-acceptance, insurance C. Insurance, FEMA support, industry support D. OSHA endorsement, insurance, risk assessment

A. The new pre-employment skills test The pre-employment skills test is a concern because it is in English. The native language of Hispanic or Latino applicants may not be English, and it may be more difficult for this group to perform well on the test because of language barriers. The job boards and new process of submitting resumes are not a foremost concern because the Hispanic or Latino applicant population is higher than the White population.

16. Lucky Mart has been struggling over the past few months to hire quality candidates. They have changed their interview process to include a pre-employment skills test that screens candidates for their understanding of bagging procedures in English, the native language at Lucky Mart's headquarters. The store has also begun posting on different online job boards to attract a wider candidate pool and is requiring applicants to submit resumes instead of applications. If you were the HR director at Lucky Mart, which of the following procedures would you evaluate first to avoid the potential for adverse impact in selection? A. The new pre-employment skills test B. The job boards the positions are being posted on C. The new procedure of submitting resumes instead of applications D. All of the above

B. How long new employees remain on the job after they are hired How long they stay in the job after being hired is the measurement.

16. Retention rates measure: A. The amount of time trainees retain the knowledge from class B. How long new employees remain on the job after they are hired C. How many people remain in the candidate pools for consideration D. The number of people who are not qualified for the job in the question

A. Job ranking method The simplest method of job evaluation is the ranking method. According to this method, jobs are arranged from highest to lowest, in order of their value or merit to the organization. Jobs can also be arranged according to the relative difficulty in performing them. The jobs are examined as a whole rather than on the basis of important factors in the job; the job at the top of the list has the highest value, and obviously the job at the bottom of the list will have the lowest value. The ranking method is simple to understand and practice; it is best suited for a small organization. This kind of ranking is highly subjective in nature and may offend many employees

16. The simplest method of job evaluation is the: A. Job ranking method B. Point-factor method C. Classification method D. Factor comparison method

A. Posting requirements call for a display of the report in a prominent location if there are 10 or more people on the payroll. If she must, Theresa should show her boss the requirement in OSHA regulations. A prominent display location excludes places such as the back of a closet door or inside a binder somewhere in the manager's office.

16. Theresa attended a seminar recently that pointed out the need to post a yearly summary of injury and illness cases. Her boss doesn't want to do that, saying he doesn't want to publicize the problems the organization has had. What should Theresa tell him? A. Posting requirements call for display of the report in a prominent location if there are 10 or more people on the payroll. B. Posting requirements can be met by putting a report on the back of the closet door in the employee lounge. C. Posting requirements can be met by making the report available in a binder in the HR manager's office. D. Posting requirements are optional, but good employers are using the report as a "best practice" in safety programs.

C. 0.92 Compa-ratio is calculated using this formula: Pay rate/midpoint; 60,000/65,000 = 0.92

16. What is the compa-ratio of an employee's salary if she is paid $60,000 per year and the midpoint of the salary range for that position if $65,000 per year? A. 1.08 B. 1.02 C. 0.92 D. 0.96

C. CEOs may be punished, including jail time, for fraudulent financial reports SOX brought criminal liability to the most senior manager in the organization. There is some personal incentive for the CEO to insist that employees behave and follow the rules.

16. Which of the following is a legal consequence of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act? A. Organizations are allowed to conduct their own stock appraisal B. Shareholders are prevented from suing the company C. CEOs may be punished, including jail time, for fraudulent financial reports D. Audit firms must alternate every two years

D. Piece rate The piece rate pay method compensates employees a set amount for each unit of work completed. For example, in a manufacturing setting, an employee receives a set amount for each item he produces, regardless of how fast or slow he works

17. A(n) ____________ system is a productivity-based system in which an employee is paid for each unit of production A. Incentive B. Merit C. Results-oriented D. Piece rate

A. Personal protective equipment should be provided by the employer, including breathing apparatus and hazmat suits. Working inside an enclosed space with dangerous fumes calls for hazmat equipment and adequate breathing equipment. OSHA regulations specify the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary in this and other working conditions.

17. An employer routinely works with hazardous chemicals trucking them for delivery to various customer locations. After each load, the truck must be cleaned before being loaded with a different chemical. Cleaning has to be done by someone inside the tanker using special absorbent materials. What else should be considered? A. Personal protective equipment should be provided by the employer, including breathing apparatus and hazmat suits. B. Standard coveralls and boot covers should be provided for employees to use if they want. C. Workers should never be sent into a tanker truck for any reason. D. Breathing equipment is absolutely a requirement if someone will be in the tanker truck for longer than 30 minutes.

A. The vandalism is a safety risk. Contact the insurance carrier, file a claim, and begin repairing the area. Safety risks should always be considered first. Former employees may be disgruntled because of being involuntarily terminated. Current employees may not necessarily feel the same way.

17. Christine is the HR manager at a supermarket that experienced vandalism. The police were nearby and caught the individuals engage in vandalism. Christine learned that several former employees were involved. What should Christine do next? A. The vandalism is a safety risk. Contact the insurance carrier, file a claim, and begin repairing the area. B. Christine should write a new policy prohibiting vandalism and share it with all employees. C. If former employees are disgruntled, all employees might be disgruntled. Conduct an employee opinion survey. D. This demonstrates the start of a union-organizing attempt. Immediately hire a labor attorney.

C. Working together to accomplish a common set of goals

17. Collaboration is a process of: A. Blending a dominant group with a submissive group B. Establishing leader dominance first and foremost C. Working together to accomplish a common set of goals D. Collaring the most brilliant employee as a team member

A. Salary data surveys and management trends Both salary data surveys and management trends are valid external information sources for decision-making. Legal analysis is also a valid input. However, CEO expectations are internal, not external. Candidate compensation may be valid, but salary history is now outlawed in many jurisdictions. Industry data survey information may be a valid source, but there are no published national affirmative action plan summaries.

17. External information sources used for HR decisions and recommendations can include: A. Salary data surveys and management trends B. Legal analysis and CEO expectations C. Candidate compensation expectations and salary history D. Industry data survey and published national affirmative action summaries

C. Employee self-service systems, learning management systems, HRIS Employee self-service systems, learning management systems, and the HR information system are all examples of HR reporting tools

17. HR reporting tools can include: A. Applicant tracking, learning management. U.S. Census Bureau requests B. HRIS, learning management, U.S. Postal Service master mailing list C. Employee self-service systems, learning management systems, HRIS D. HRIM, applicant tracking, production schedules

A. WARN kicks in, and they must notify the local government as well as employees who will be affected at least 60 days before the layoff date. WARN applies because the layoff will involve more than 100 full-time people at a single location. It requires 60 days advance notification to both the employees and the local government officials

17. Times are still hard for the AB Trucking company. They are going to have to close one of their work locations. That will take 146 full-time people off the payroll who will have to look for work with other employers. What should the company consider in their layoff planning? A. WARN kicks in, and they must notify the local government as well as employees who will be affected at least 60 days before the layoff date. B. WARN kicks in, but they don't have to notify anybody until a week before the layoff date. C. Because they are in the transportation industry, the WARN Act doesn't apply. They have carte blanche in how they handle the layoff. D. WARN kicks in, and they have to notify employees 60 days in advance, but notifying the local government is a voluntary decision

A. Self-directed team Self-directed teams as a group select their own leadership and identify their own direction, holding themselves accountable for the intended accomplishments

17. What type of team involves a group that is given general direction to resolve an issue or solve a problem? A. Self-directed team B. Task force C. Project team D. Work team

A. Offer her extra vacation days. C. Offer her a signing bonus. Extra vacation days or a signing bonus are great ways to sweeten the total rewards package. Decisions that might result in inequity compared to other employees are not a good idea.

17. Which of the following are the best two options to close a job offer with a high-potential candidate for manager position? A. Offer her extra vacation days. B. Build her a larger office space. C. Offer her a signing bonus. D. Offer her a salary above the maximum pay rate for the job.

B. Increase deductibles D. Require generic drugs in their prescription plans Increasing deductibles and requiring generic drugs in prescription plans are common ways to reduce healthcare costs. Health-risk assessment programs and Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperatives (HIPCs) are also common. Implementing an age-risk assessment program sounds like possible discrimination

17. Which of the following are ways that organizations can help lower healthcare costs? (Choose two). A. Implement an age-risk assessment program B. Increase deductibles C. Join a Health Insurance Purchasing Alternative D. Require generic drugs in their prescription plans

B. Payroll management theory Payroll management theory is not part of business management. It falls within the compensation category. All other answers are listed int he business management knowledge requirements

17. Which of the following is not a knowledge requirement of HR professionals in the area of business management? A. Corporate governance procedures B. Payroll management theory C. Change management theory D. Dealing with situations that are uncertain, unclear, or chaotic

C. Accident reporting D. Emergency response planning Background checks are completed prior to hire or transfer into a new position and not for health or safety reasons. Long-term disability is part of the employee benefit package and should not be confused with workers' compensation for work-related injuries

17. Which of the following two policies should be covered in a health and safety program? A. State disability insurance B. Background checks C. Accident reporting D. Emergency response planning

C. Protect the employee's self-esteem

18. Disciplinary discussions should always: A. Be conducted on a Friday afternoon B. Be conducted by the second-line supervisor C. Protect the employee's self-esteem D. Protect the HR manager from involvement

C. Emma should recess the meeting and tell the steward that she will not continue their conversation until the steward can conduct herself in a civil manner Emma does not have to sit there and take abuse from the steward. If the steward cannot behave civilly, the meeting should end. Only when the steward can control herself should Emma agree to continue. It might also be a good idea to provide some feedback to the union president about what has happened in the meeting.

18. Emma has never had to manage a union contract before. As the HR manager, she is involved with the grievance-handling process as the third step in the process. At her first meeting with the union steward, the steward began yelling at Emma and telling her what she had to do to satisfy the union in this situation. Emma was stunned. What should she do? A. She has little choice but to sit there and take it. She is the employer's representative, and if she gets upset, it will only make matters worse B. Emma should call a recess and ask for a management representative to join the meeting with her so she can have some backup in an unpleasant situation C. Emma should recess the meeting and tell the steward that she will not continue their conversation until the steward can conduct herself in a civil manner D. Once the steward has blown off all her steam. Emma should continue the discussion by explaining the employer's position

C. Quarterly injury results

18. Employer risks can result in: A. Industry reports on collective results B. National averages for financial results C. Quarterly injury results D. Monthly sales results

C. Any possible harm can be prevented if used syringes are placed into an approved sharps container. The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act requires all sharps be disposed of in approved sharps containers. It also requires posting of warnings and information about blood-borne pathogens.

18. Shelly has worked for the same dentist for more than 10 years. In all that time, there has been no mention of any special requirements for handling syringes. She arranges the doctor's equipment trays every day and cleans them up after they have been used. She just tosses the used equipment into the autoclave or into the trash if it won't be used again. If you were advising Shelly about the practices used in her dental office what would you say? A. Needles should be broken off before they are thrown into the trash can. B. Sharps should be triple wrapped in a stiff paper to protect from sticking someone handling the trash. C. Any possible harm can be prevented if used syringes are placed into an approved sharps container. D. Putting used syringes into any solid container that is wrapped in red paper is sufficient to meet requirements.

B. Sex The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. It is job content, not job titles, that determines whether jobs are substantially equal

18. The Equal Pay Act prohibits wage discrimination on the basis of: A. Race B. Sex C. Seniority D. Merit

B. An employer's obligation to be honest in employee interactions The expectation is that the employer and employee will deal with each other honestly, fairly, and in good faith.

18. The covenant of good faith and fair dealing means: A. A religious obligation B. An employer's obligation to be honest in employee interactions C. An employer's obligation to give the employees what they want D. A requirement stemming from the Renaissance

C. Benchmark Benchmark jobs are positions that remain consistent across the industry in terms of salary, responsibilities, and seniority and can therefore be compared from organization to organization. Data is widely available on the key metrics of these jobs, including salary and career route

19. A _____________ job is one that is found in many organizations and performed by several individuals who have similar duties that are relatively stable and that require similar KSAs. A. Key B. Comparable C. Benchmark D. Red-circled

D. Communicate to the employee group that the position will be eliminated in advance, give the group an opportunity to transfer open positions in the organization if they are qualified, and separate all employees not selected for a new position. This approach is the best way to help maintain goodwill with employees. The change is not a surprise, and employees are given the opportunity to find a position in another part of the organization. All employees who are not transferred are separated because the position is being eliminated.

19. Malea is leading the organization's restructure project and has to reduce the workforce. To affect the least number of employees, Malea decides to eliminate the same accounting position across the organization. What is the best way for her to do this? A. Select the employees for separation based on their performance. B. Separate all employees in this position, regardless of their performance. C. Select half of the employees for separation because they have the most recent hire date and move the other half to new positions D. Communicate to the employee group that the position will be eliminated in advance, give the group an opportunity to transfer open positions in the organization if they are qualified, and separate all employees not selected for a new position.

A. Retiree annuitant - (3) Retired employee called back to work for a previous employer. B. Contract labor - (1) Temporary employee hired for a specific period of time. C. Project hires - (2) Temporary employee hired to complete a specific project. D. Phased retirement - (4) Employee who works a reduced schedule leading up to retirement

19. Match the type of staffing to the appropriate description. A. Retiree annuitant B. Contract labor C. Project hires D. Phased retirement (1) Temporary employee hired for a specific period of time. (2) Temporary employee hired to complete a specific project. (3) Retired employee called back to work for a previous employer. (4) Employee who works a reduced schedule leading up to retirement

D. Yes. In this instance, she should also have conducted a search of his driving record before hiring him into a job that required driving for deliveries. She shouldn't have relied on only former employer input. A background check should be tailored to the situation. For a job that requires driving, a check of DMV records and history of insurance claims should be routine. Had Sophia conducted such a check, she surely would have uncovered this history and been able to change her hiring decision.

19. Sophia makes it a practice to call each applicant's former employers to verify employment claims and determine if there were any behavioral problems in prior jobs. Her company is now being sued because a new hire had an automobile accident while on a deliver run. It turned out he had a history of reckless driving charges in his past two jobs. But she wasn't told about those when she talked with the former employers. Should Sophia be worried? A. Yes. Almost certainly, Sophia will be blamed for negligent hiring. She has little defense. She should have found out about the new employee's previous employment issues. B. No. She tired to get information from the previous employers, and they wouldn't talk to her. She made a good faith effort. She is off the hook. C. Yes. Sophia is going to have to explain to her attorney why she hired this person when there was such a bad history of workplace behavior. D. Yes. In this instance, she should also have conducted a search of his driving record before hiring him into a job that required driving for deliveries. She shouldn't have relied on only former employer input.

C. Based on a fresh start each year with no carryover from previous years Zero-based budgets start fresh each year. Simply subtracting expenses from revenues to get zero would work fine in a public-sector organization but not in a for-profit company. Refusing to accommodate projects that come up after a budget is finalized means there can be no flexibility in the organization's response to new needs. And it has no relation to head count except that head count translates to expense dollars, only one part of the budget.

20. A zero-based budget is: A. A result of subtracting expenses from revenues to get zero B. Providing zero compensation for projects submitted after the budget is finalized C. Based on a fresh start each year with no carryover from previous years D. Using a foundation of zero additions to head count before new requirements

C. MSHA rules apply to all mining operations in the United States. The Golden Nugget Mine will have to study those rules and get ready for inspections by the government. The Mine Safety and Health Administration has jurisdiction over all mining operations, not just coal mines. It handles safety complaints and conducts inspections of both above-ground and underground mining operations. All mine operators are required to conduct their internal safety inspections and maintain records of those inspections.

19. The price of gold is climbing, and folks at the Golden Nugget Mine are planning to reopen their operation. They know that safety is an important consideration. But what about federal regulations for gold mines? Are there such things? A. There are only OSHA regulations in general. All of those rules still apply. B. There are MSHA regulations to be considered, but because they are not in the coal mining business, the Golden Nugget Mine won't have to worry about them. C. MSHA rules apply to all mining operations in the United States. The Golden Nugget Mine will have to study those rules and get ready for inspections by the government. D. MSHA can tell the mine what to do, but it has no authority to conduct inspections because the Golden Nugget is not a coal mine.

B. They should listen politely and take her written request. They should investigate other possible accommodations and giver her some suggestions if those might be better than what she requested. The interactive process requires employers to determine whether there might be other ways to accommodate the needs of their employee. Discussing those other possibilities will come next in the process.

19. When Ophelia had her weekend automobile accident, everyone in the office rushed to show her support. Now that she is confined to a wheelchair, she is asking her employer to support her by giving her a job accommodation so she can still do her job as the scheduling clerk. What should her employer do? A. They should listen politely and take her written request. There isn't anything they really have to do about an accommodation because it doesn't involve a workplace injury. B. They should listen politely and take her written request. They should investigate other possible accommodations and giver her some suggestions if those might be better than what she requested. C. They should listen politely and take her written request. It is just a matter of time before they will have to approve the request because of the ADA requirements. D. Because Ophelia is a member of the union that represents office workers, the contract will contain a specification explaining whether anyone in the workplace will be given a job accommodation and under what conditions.

B. RSUs are received according to a vesting schedule C. Upon vesting, a portion of the RSUs is withheld to pay for income taxes. RSUs are received according to a vesting schedule, and a portion is used to pay for income taxes at the time of vesting. Additionally, RSUs are assigned a fair market value when they vest and are considered direct compensation

19. Which of the following apply to a restricted stock unit (RSU)? (Choose two). A. RSUs are assigned a fair market value at the time of contract negotiation B. RSUs are received according to a vesting schedule C. Upon vesting, a portion of the RSUs is withheld to pay for income taxes. D. RSUs are considered indirect compensation

Quantitative A good example of this type of selection system is a written test that requires a certain threshold as a passing score.

2. A _____________ selection system uses numerical performance levels and allows for specific numerical cutoffs as qualification thresholds.

C. The employee is entitled to the full reimbursement for $500 Flexible spending accounts are authorized under Section 125 (cafeteria) plans. FSAs offer employees a pretax method to defer pay toward their group health plan costs as well as their out-of-pocket medical costs. FSA health care claims below the annual elected deferral must be paid by the employer when they are incurred even though the employee's FSA payroll deductions have not created a sufficient balance to cover the expense

2. An employee elects a $500 annual deferment in his Section 125 flexible benefits plan. His employer pays an FSA claim for $500 in March. In April, the employee terminates his employment after deferring only $290 to his plan. What happens in this situation? A. The employee must pay the company $290 for the amount in excess of his actual deferral B. The employer may withhold $290 from the employer's final paycheck C. The employee is entitled to the full reimbursement for $500 D. the employee becomes ineligible for the full FSA reimbursement

HRCI

2. In 2008, _________ was accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCAA).

D. Getting everyone flu shots in the fall each year

2. It is not necessary for HR professionals to be concerned with: A. Organizational and HR visions B. Building and record security C. employee ethics D. Getting everyone flu shots in the fall each year

C. A point system is not necessary for determining what similarities exist between job content descriptions. She can assign compensation groups based on her assessment of those similarities and differences in the level of job responsibilities.

2. Lydia finds that her job descriptions are all written and current. Now, she wants to use them to be sure each job is properly assigned to a compensation level. She doesn't want to get caught in an OFCCP audit with the government telling her she needs to make large adjustments all at once. How should Lydia's organization be evaluating their jobs for compensation levels? A. Lydia should call one of the job evaluation consulting firms to have them review all the jobs in her organization. B. She can create her own point system and arbitrarily set compensation levels wherever she wants. C. A point system is not necessary for determining what similarities exist between job content descriptions. She can assign compensation groups based on her assessment of those similarities and differences in the level of job responsibilities. D. Lydia should avoid any type of job evaluation program if it hasn't been statistically proven to be 100 percent accurate.

A. Gap analysis technique - (2) Measuring the distance (or difference) between where you are and where you want to be B. Delphi technique - (4) Determining the future outcome and then manipulating a group to reach that conclusion or goal statement C. Linear regression -(1) Tool to compare relationships among several variables D. Turnover analysis - (3) Analyzing trends with regard to the reasons employees leave an organization

2. Match the workforce analysis technique to its definition A. Gap analysis technique B. Delphi technique C. Linear regression D. Turnover analysis (1) Tool to compare relationships among several variables (2) Measuring the distance (or difference) between where you are and where you want to be (3) Analyzing trends with regard to the reasons employees leave an organization (4) Determining the future outcome and then manipulating a group to reach that conclusion or goal statement

C. Studies such as the Management Progress Study conducted by American Telephone and Telegraph beginning in 1956 and continuing over the next 30 years It was the psychologists at AT&T who gathered data about management skills over more than 30 years. They identified characteristics of successful managers in the process.

20. Management skills have been identified over a long period of time through the work of: A. Various universities around the country and their studies of manufacturing plants B. Various consulting firms across the country and their studies of university environments C. Studies such as the Management Progress Study conducted by American Telephone and Telegraph beginning in 1956 and continuing over the next 30 years D. IBM's study of management individuals that lasted for 35 years

A. A well-constructed employee survey can provide information about the types of employment benefits employees would find attractive, how they feel about their managers, and if they believe they are being treated fairly. All of these feedback categories can be assigned dollar values and can be compared over time as budget impacts In fact, each category of employee feedback can be assigned a dollar value, and those can be tracked over time as budget impacts. Benefits are only one segment of the employee experience at work. Interpersonal relations with supervisors and managers is another big issue. Generally speaking, employees who feel well treated will be better performers, which also impacts the financial results.

20. Oliva believes that it is a good idea to conduct an employee survey each year to get input about employee attitudes. Her vice president thinks that employee surveys cost too much money and don't provide much value in the end. What should Olivia tell the vice president? A. A well-constructed employee survey can provide information about the types of employment benefits employees would find attractive, how they feel about their managers, and if they believe they are being treated fairly. All of these feedback categories can be assigned dollar values and can be compared over time as budget impacts B. Because the professional HR community is suggesting that employee surveys be conducted each year, it would be wise for Olivia's organization to do that also C. The organization Olivia worked at before did an employee survey, and she thinks it would communicate to employees that the employer is willing to listen to them D. In the modern workplace, employee attitudes are controlling factors. Surveys will help managers regain control of the workplace

D. Lie detector tests can be required only in limited circumstances, and this isn't one of them. You can't test her. Except for law enforcement, security officers, and people who handle controlled substances, lie detectors are no longer permitted in the workplace. They were commonly used prior to 1988's Employee Polygraph Protection Act.

20. Olivia suspects her payroll clerk of embezzlement. She has inspected the records for the past three months, and the pattern is clear. But to be sure it is the payroll clerk and not the accounts payable clerk. Olivia wants to confront her and demand she take a lie detector test. A. Good going, Olivia. You caught her. Sure enough, demanding that she take a lie detector test is a good way to confirm your suspicions. B. While lie detector tests can be used for some employees, accounting employees are exempt. You can't test her. C. Lie detector tests are not permitted for any use by any employer. You can't test her. D. Lie detector tests can be required only in limited circumstances, and this isn't one of them. You can't test her.

C. Job performance decision-making ratings Ratings for decision-making are a qualitative measurement, not a quantitative one.

20. Quantitative measurements can include all but: A. Number of days on job requisition is open before being filled B. Accidents by department C. Job performance decision-making ratings D. Number of people attending new employee orientation in their first week

B. Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act protects whistle-blowers who expose security violations and also requires administrators of define contribution plans to provide 30 days' notice of a blackout period

20. Which of the following laws cover both whistle-blower protection and notice requirements for define contribution plans? A. ERISA B. Sarbanes-Oxley act C. False Claims Act D. Privacy Act

A. Disability benefits when the employer pays the premium C. Base pay Employee-paid disability benefits, when purchased with after-tax dollars, are not taxable because they have already been taxed. Work-related company vehicle use is also no taxable.

20. Which of the following two benefits are taxable? A. Disability benefits when the employer pays the premium B. Employee-paid disability benefits when purchased with after-tax dollars C. Base pay D. Work-related company vehicle use

Card check

20. _____________ _________________ is a process where a majority of employees in the bargaining unit sign a card saying they want representation from the specific union and the employer accepts that without an election.

D. Whatever Sam thinks, the ADA and Rehabilitation Act requirements have been applied to his company for six years already. Adding more contracts won't change his current obligations. Sam's company will not incur any additional obligations for disabled workers if they seek additional government contracts. They have been obligated under both laws for six years.

21. For the past six years, Sam's company has been a federal contractor working on equipment for the Department of Defense. They have additional contract opportunities coming up, and Sam isn't sure if there will be an extra burden related to disabled workers because they are subject to both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. A. Sam should rest easy. The ADA and the Rehabilitation Act are identical in their content and requirements. B. Sam's company has already met its recruiting obligations and now only has to worry about meeting ADA requirements. C. Handling job accommodation requests is a requirement of the ADA but not the Rehabilitation Act. Things should be easier. D. Whatever Sam thinks, the ADA and Rehabilitation Act requirements have been applied to his company for six years already. Adding more contracts won't change his current obligations.

B. Worker's compensation insurance claims per quarter Claims per quarter is a quantitative measurement

21. Qualitative measurements can include all but: A. Ratings of employee promotability B. Worker's compensation insurance claims per quarter C. Employee survey ratings of working conditions D. Opinion ratings of employee cafeteria offerings

D. Identify the training needs

3. The first step in the training process is to: A. Select the instructor for the pilot program B. Identify the training developer C. Establish a budget of the training program D. Identify the training needs

Strategic planning

3. Vision, mission, and values are part of an organization's _______________ __________________ process.

B. Arthur can discontinue his participation in the AB Transit Company's employment process. Arthur has to decide whether he wants to continue seeking employment with the AB Transit Company. If so, he must participate in their drug testing program. If he wants to avoid testing, he must drop out of the job application process and seek employment elsewhere.

22. Arthur has applied for a job with the AB Transit Company. He is told he must take and pass a urine drug test. If he fails the test and any subsequent random drug test after he is hired, he will be dismissed from the company. Arthur reacts loudly and says, "That's an invasion of my privacy! I won't do it." What happens now? A. Arthur can call his lawyer and have the drug test waived since he doesn't want to take it. B. Arthur can discontinue his participation in the AB Transit Company's employment process. C. Arthur can take the test now and still refuse to participated in random tests later. D. Arthur can have his friend take the test for him.

A. Explain the coming changes to all employees and solicit their help in deciding how to assign the new routes. Prepare the project plan and make sure everyone has a chance to see it before the implementation date Whenever possible, involving employees in designing the plan for accommodating organizational changes will be the best for employee morale.

22. The AB Trucking Co. is expanding its routes and hiring more people. Those changes will mean that employees will have to take on different work assignments. How should the HR manager handle those changes with the workforce? A. Explain the coming changes to all employees and solicit their help in deciding how to assign the new routes. Prepare the project plan and make sure everyone has a chance to see it before the implementation date B. Explain the coming changes and tell the truckers that assignments will be made based on seniority. The new people will be assigned last. C. Explain the coming changes and let the senior executives handle the questions about how new job assignments will be made. D. Explain the coming changes and let the employees discuss among themselves how they want to assign routes to the workforce

Mentoring

22. ________________ is an action-oriented relationship between two people within the organization, usually a senior and junior colleague.

A. She can have the time off, but it will be logged as unpaid and charged as FMLA leave. Under the FMLA, Cynthia is entitled to an unpaid leave of absence as a spouse of a covered military service worker. It will be logged as unpaid time off unless she wants to use some of her accrued paid time off. It will also be logged in her record as excused FMLA leave.

23. Cynthia works for a large multi-state manufacturing company and approaches her boss one morning and tells him that her husband has just received orders from the Coast guard to report for deployment to the Middle East. They have a week to get everything ready for his departure. She wants to know whether she can have excused time off during the coming week. If you were her boss, what would you tell her? A. She can have the time off, but it will be logged as unpaid and charged as FMLA leave. B. She can take the time off, but it will be unexcused because she didn't give more than a week's notice. C. If she wants the time off, she will have to use her paid vacation time for the week. D. Jennifer has already requested the week off for vacation, and only one person can be off at any one time or the unit won't be able to function. Cynthia's request is denied with regrets.

B. Matrix. This is a perfect example of when multiple reporting relationships exist for certain jobs

23. When the AB Trucking Co. makes its organizational changes, it plans to alter its reporting relationships. If it elects to have each supervisor report to an operations manager and also to a financial manager, what type of organizational structure will AB Trucking Co. be using? A. Formalized. This is a firm structure that can be charted, regardless of how many reporting lines exist from one job to another. B. Matrix. This is a perfect example of when multiple reporting relationships exist for certain jobs C. Span of control. The span of control will be exceedingly easier to manage with multiple reporting relationships. D. Work specialization. Because there are multiple reporting relationships, the specialization of each will increase.

A. Visual Matthew is a visual learner. Writing things down gives him that visual reference

23. You have observed that your employee Matthew consistently has a notebook in hand and is taking notes in the training sessions. Which learning style is Matthew exhibiting? A. Visual B. Auditory C. Kinesthetic D. Tactile

C. Yes. Targeting by race and sex (gender) is acceptable when creating candidate pools. Targeting by race and gender is acceptable when identifying people to include in a candidate pool. Selecting someone from that candidate pool must be done using nondiscriminatory processes that do not include consideration of race or gender.

24. Is it permissible to create outreach and recruiting programs specifically targeted at females and minorities? A. Yes. Anything to bring the number of women and minorities up in the organization. B. No. All focus on race or sex (gender) when recruiting is illegal. C. Yes. Targeting by race and sex (gender) is acceptable when creating candidate pools. D. No. Even if the quantity of females and minorities is really low, any openly targeted system would be illegal.

B. Conduct meetings with key players from each organization to outline the cultural values of each organization and determine how best to protect them in the blended employer unit. Involving key managers from each organization can provide a foundation for whatever cultural values the new organization would like to build

24. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) provide HR managers with special problems of cultural differences. To make sure that the cultures don't clash after the merger, the HR manager should: A. Assign a subordinate to monitor the complaint levels and report on problems that are being addressed. B. Conduct meetings with key players from each organization to outline the cultural values of each organization and determine how best to protect them in the blended employer unit. C. Send memos to department heads that specify the new cultural characteristics and express the expectation that the department heads will "make it happen." D. Provide written complaint forms to all employees and express a willingness to listen to any comments the employees have to make about the merger.

A. Relevant C. Time bound D. Measurable SMART goals and objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and time bound. strength is not included in the list.

3. Which of the following are parts of a SMART goal? (Choose three) A. Relevant B. Strength C. Time bound D. Measurable

B. The request he has made would exempt him from several of his job's key responsibilities. Even the congressional offices are subject to the ADA's requirement to consider and discuss requests for job accommodation. Job accommodations must be made to make it easier for an employee to perform one of the job's essential functions If he can't do that, even with an accommodation, he is not eligible for assignment to that job. If there is no other job available, the employer can't return him to work until his status changes.

24. Robert works for a congressional representative and suffers a disabling injury in an automobile accident. Robert cannot work more than three hours per day according to his doctor. Weeks later, when he returns to work, he asks for a job accommodation and is told that it can't be done. When he presses the point, his supervisor says the reason is: A. Congressional staff people aren't covered by the ADA so they don't have to even discuss his request. B. The request he has made would exempt him from several of his job's key responsibilities. C. The request he has made would set a precedent that other representatives' offices would have to follow. D. Because congressional staff members have to meet the public every day, they can't have people seeing disabled workers in the office. It doesn't look good.

C. Personal training history

25. Employee personnel file records should include: A. Medical information about disabilities B. Investigation file information about complaints C. Personal training history D. Detailed security clearance information

A. Jimmy might have to wait until he can arrange for insurance through one of the exchanges. Employers are required to provide health insurance coverage or pay a penalty in lieu of that insurance only if they have 50 or more full-time workers. With only 10 employees, Jimmy's employer is not obligated to provide health insurance coverage. Jimmy may purchase it for himself through one of the exchanges set up for that purpose.

25. Jimmy has heard that he will be getting healthcare coverage from his company because of the new Obamacare law. His company employs only 10 people, but Jimmy is excited that he will finally get some insurance. He hasn't been feeling very well lately. A. Jimmy might have to wait until he can arrange for insurance through one of the exchanges. B. Jimmy should get an enrollment form from his boss because all employees will be covered by the new requirements that employers must provide health insurance for workers. C. Jimmy is out of luck. The new law only covers employers with 50 or more people, and there is no way Jimmy will be getting health insurance under the new law. D. Jimmy's boss just ran out of forms, but he will get some more from HR and then have Jimmy sign up for his coverage.

A. How the decision will fit into the organization's strategic plan and whether it will be cost effective Key factors are the organizational strategic plan and the budget. If outsourcing will fit nicely into those two considerations, it may be a good alternative. But there are also other factors to be considered such as employee morale, responsiveness of the vendor, and more

25. The AB Trucking Co. is considering outsourcing its HR, accounting, and safety functions to vendors. What considerations should be given to issues impacting that decision? A. How the decision will fit into the organization's strategic plan and whether it will be cost effective B. How the employees will react C. How much money can be saved and what workload can be eliminated from the company executives D. How all the compliance work can be done by someone else

D. An employee focus group(s) A focus group offers the opportunity to have two-way dialogue for clarity and probing purposes

25. When a large cross-section of employee opinions or perspectives is needed, what is the method that should be used? A. An employee suggestion system B. A general employee meeting with the CEO C. A call for written recommendations from employees for specific problems D. An employee focus group(s)

A. Employee race and sex - (4) B. Right to work in the United States - (2) C. Social Security number - (3) D. Serious injury and death (1)

26. Match the following recordkeeping requirements with the laws requiring them. A. Employee race and sex B. Right to work in the United States C. Social Security number D. Serious injury and death (1) Occupational Safety and Health Act (2) Immigration Reform and Control Act (3) Internal Revenue Service Regulations (4) Fair Labor Standards Act

A. They offer specific descriptions of the minimum job performance requirements Performance standards offer employees clear descriptions of the minimum requirements expected of them.

26. Performance standards are a good tool to use because: A. They offer specific descriptions of the minimum job performance requirements B. They offer a best-case, hoped-for expectation of job performance C. They offer management a reason for having job descriptions D. They offer employees stretch-objectives for their job growth

Functional, divisional, matrix

28. Three key types of structures employers usually implement are _________________, ____________________, and __________________.

B. SWOT, PEST

29. Two methods of environmental scanning are A. PERT, CPM B. SWOT, PEST C. CCRG, USGS D. USDA, FICA

B. Productivity-based pay system The employer is using an incentive program based on performance results, which is considered a productivity-based system. A merit-pay system does not address incentive pay. A competency-based system addresses capabilities, whereas a flat-rate system establishes a fixed rate of pay.

3. A window manufacturer guarantees its installers a base wage plus an extra $25 for each job completed to specifications. The employer is using a: A. Merit pay system B. Productivity-based pay system C. Competency-based system D. Flat-rate system

C. Focus on real-world issues As people mature, they shift in their motivation for learning. Real-world examples and emphasis on how the training is going to be immediately applied is most helpful

8. Adult learners in comparison to child learners have which of the following characteristics? A. Resistance to change B. Inflexibility C. Focus on real-world issues D. Directed by others

A. It is entirely up to the company how it wants to handle the policy. Application forms are not a legal requirement, but using them is generally considered a best practice in the employment arena. Job candidates can be forced to go through the company's process of completing an application form, online or offline. The company is not constrained by the government on how it designs its job application process. If it wants to have a certain form completed, it can establish that policy. A decision should be made about what documents it will accept from job applicants. Consistency in how the process is applied is critical in avoiding complaints of bias.

3. AB Trucking has had a policy that nobody will be hired unless they complete the company's job application. Now, all of their job applications are being processed online, and some applicants want to submit their resumes instead of a job application form. What can AB Trucking do about the resume versus application controversy? A. It is entirely up to the company how it wants to handle the policy. Application forms are not a legal requirement, but using them is generally considered a best practice in the employment arena. Job candidates can be forced to go through the company's process of completing an application form, online or offline. B. The government has set up regulations that say employers have to accept resumes if they are submitted in a job search. The company doesn't really have any choice but to accept them. C. Job applications are old-school. Almost no employer uses them these days. The company should change its policy and use only resumes in the future. D. Resumes don't have all of the information that can be gathered on a job application, and people lie on resumes anyway. That alone is reason for the company to continue using its job application forms.

B. Security/safety needs Safety and security needs must be met first before moving up the pyramid of hierarchical needs according to Maslow's theory

3. According to Maslow's hierarchy, which needs must be met first? A. Social needs B. Security/safety needs C. Self-actualization needs D. Belonging/loving needs

B. Credited service for retirement plan purposes USERRA gives employees on military leave the same seniority-based benefits, including retirement rights, as they would receive if they had not taken leave

3. According to USERRA, employees called to active duty are entitled to: A. Higher limits for salary deferral contributions B. Credited service for retirement plan purposes C. Lower co-payments and deductibles for continued family benefits D. An early vesting schedule for retirement benefits

D. Create a new employee onboarding program to introduce employees to the organization and include regular check-ins between supervisors and new hires during the first 90 days of employment Onboarding programs are the best way to communicate company expectations at the outset of employment. It can be a stressful time for a new employee, and a structured program that is managed by human resources helps ensure that supervisors are meeting expectations required of them as well.

3. Alonzo is the HR manager for Top Notch Trucking. One of the biggest issues facing Top Notch Trucking is high turnover in the first 90 days of employment. Employees frequently comment during exit interviews that they do not feel connected to the organization and communication is poor. Given exit interview results, what is the best course of action to help reduce high turnover in the first 90 days? A. Ask supervisors to communicate more frequently with new employees B. Create a task force to schedule more employee events C. Add a question to the job application about applicant communication styles D. Create a new employee onboarding program to introduce employees to the organization and include regular check-ins between supervisors and new hires during the first 90 days of employment

A. Perhaps. It was close to a promise that she wouldn't be laid off in the future. Caladonia wasn't promised a job forever. But she was told the employer always found another way to deal with slow periods. In many jurisdictions, she can rely on that as a contract

3. Caladonia was interviewing with the HR manager of an organization she really wanted to work for. The HR manager told her that "the employer was really good about not laying off workers." They always found another way to deal with slow periods. Can Caladonia rely on that statement as an oral contact? A. Perhaps. It was close to a promise that she wouldn't be laid off in the future. B. Absolutely. There is no question that the HR manager made an oral contract with Caladonia C. Probably not. There really wasn't any promise made to not lay her off later D. Definitely not. The HR manager can say anything during an interview, and it can't be relied on as an oral contract.

A. Gwen should explain to her boss that the NLRD has ruled such committees to be in violation of the law if management controls them. Gwen should offer her boss the insight NLRB v. Electromation, Inc. It prohibits employee-management committees that are controlled by management.

3. Gwen has just been promoted to HR manager and has no background in that area of the business. She has always been in engineering. Her boss wants her to establish an employee-management committee that he can chair. How would you advise Gwen under those circumstances? A. Gwen should explain to her boss that the NLRD has ruled such committees to be in violation of the law if management controls them. B. There is nothing wrong with an employee-management committee as long as it has representation from both management and nonmanagement. C. Employee-management committees are legal only in organizations that have no union representation. D. When employees participate in management, they must be paid a differential to compensate for the higher-level responsibilities they are taking on.

D. The company is prohibited from any action against Mary because she is engaging in protected concerted activity. Mary is protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. The National Labor Relations Board has taken the position that almost all postings on the Internet, whether complaining about supervisors or employers or making charges that employees are treated unfairly, are protected concerted activities under the act.

3. Mary has had a bad encounter with her supervisor, Henry. That evening after getting home from work, she pulls out her computer and sends a blistering post to her Facebook page. She names her company and her supervisor. She calls him unfair, pigheaded, and without principles. What can the company do about her posting? A. The company can demand that she remove the offensive post. If she doesn't, the company can file legal action against her. B. The company can demand that Facebook remove the offensive post. If it doesn't, the company can file legal action against Facebook. C. The company is protected against such employee comments by the Fair and decent Treatment Act and can take disciplinary action against Mary. D. The company is prohibited from any action against Mary because she is engaging in protected concerted activity.

B. There is no reason that it couldn't work if Cortez believes the two people are capable and want to make it work. Sometimes using part-time workers to accomplish one job is a good solution. A great deal depends on the reliability of incumbents.

4. An employee in Cortez's organization came to him and suggested that she and her co-worker could consolidate their duties into one job and each work part-time, sharing the 40 hours each week so the work got done as always. What would you say if you were Cortez? A. Unfortunately, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Unified Job Consolidation Act say that sharing jobs is not permitted because it would violate union agreements. B. There is no reason that it couldn't work if Cortez believes the two people are capable and want to make it work. C. Having more than one person and one Social Security number on one job assignment won't work. It makes tax reporting impossible. D. It's not a good idea because it doubles the liability for workers' compensation and unemployment insurance.

Evaluation of training results

4. Finally, every training program should include an ___________ of training _____________.

A. It is okay to use tests if they are job-specific in their measurement. Remember that it is the user of a test who holds the liability, not the publisher of the test. If a test has been validated to properly predict success in specific jobs with specific knowledge and skill requirements, it can be used for those jobs. Using it for all jobs is not a good idea. If the boss insists, he needs to be told what the consequences can be.

4. Lebron serves his employer as the HR director. It is a startup company, and his bosses want him to hire people fast so they have given him some tests to use in the screening process. He was told to hire the applicants with the best scores. Are these tests something Lebron should use? A. It is okay to use tests if they are job-specific in their measurement. B. No way. He should not use any tests that he hasn't bought from a legitimate test publisher. C. Tests are just fine. He should be sure the passing scores are set so they can get the best people. D. If the boss says to use the tests, he has little choice. He just has to be sure to score them properly.

B. Team style The team style of leadership encourages teamwork and commitment among employees

4. Leslie has moved into a new supervisory position in the creative services department. She intends to set a good example for her subordinates. She recognizes that there are already strong creative partnerships within the department, so she tries to foster even more cooperation. What style of leadership is Leslie practicing? A. Authoritarian leadership B. Team style C. Democratic leadership D. Collaborative leadership

D. Adhere to the organization's no-bribe ethics policy and seek other solutions for the shipment delay issue. A bribery demand is not only a violation of the company's policy but also a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1997 (see Chapter 2). Paying such a bribe could be a criminal act under federal law.

4. Mikhael is the shipping and receiving manager at your Sri Lanka parts plant. He has experienced problems with getting shipments through Customs for timely delivery to the United States. His contact at Sri Lanka Customs informs him that he can expedite the shipments if Mikhael would pay him a gratuity for his service in cash. Your organization's ethics clearly state that bribes are considered unethical behavior; however, this "gratuity" seems to be in the best interest of the organization. What is your course of action? A. Authorize Mikhael to make the payments out of petty cash. B. Report the bribe incident to the local Sri Lankan Customs head officer. C. Ask executive management for "special outside-of-policy" authorization. D. Adhere to the organization's no-bribe ethics policy and seek other solutions for the shipment delay issue.

B. Employee grievances are often regarding workplace rules and work assignment processes. Discrimination complaints have more to do with equal employment opportunity issues. Labor relations issues are usually handled by grievance procedures, whereas discrimination complaints are considered EEO issues.

4. Naji is wondering how he is going to describe the difference between his organization's employee grievance resolution process and the discrimination complaint-handling process. What would you suggest? A. There isn't any difference between them. The processes for handling them is the same. B. Employee grievances are often regarding workplace rules and work assignment processes. Discrimination complaints have more to do with equal employment opportunity issues. C. Grievances happen only in union-represented organizations, so Naji doesn't have to worry about that. He still has to explain how discrimination complaints can be handled in his organization. D. Handling grievances is not required by law, but handling discrimination complaints is a legal requirement under federal law.

B. There is a need for the company to keep the Social Security number for tax reporting. Both the FLSA and the IRS regulations require employers to obtain and report Social Security numbers from all employees. A Social Security number is required for completion of the Form I-9 to prove authorization to work in this country. The company may not remove it from its records, regardless of how concerned Pete may be.

4. Pete is sensitive about he security of his personally identifiable information since his credit card has been stolen twice in the past year. He is trying to clear up his credit rating because of the problems with the stolen cards. Now, he has approached the HR manager at his organization and requested that his Social Security number be removed from all company records. He thinks that a mistake could cause him more grief if the Social Security number were to be obtained by thieves. As the HR manager, what should you do? A. The company can and should delete the Social Security number from its records to protect Pete. B. There is a need for the company to keep the Social Security number for tax reporting. C. There is a need for the company to keep the Social Security number for census reporting. D. The company has no need for the Social Security number by should keep it regardless.

C. A scale based on compensable factors The factor comparison job evaluation method involves a set of compensable factors identified as determining the worth of jobs. Typically, the number of compensable factors is small. Next, benchmark jobs are identified. Benchmark jobs should be selected as having certain characteristics such as equitable pay and be distributed along a range. The jobs are then priced, and the total pay for each job is divided into pay for each factor. This process establishes the rate of pay for each factor for each benchmark job. The other jobs in the organization are then compared with the benchmark jobs, and rates of pay for each factor are summed to determine the rates of pay for each of the other jobs.

4. Under the factor comparison method, jobs are evaluated through the use of: A. Predetermined wage classes B. A wage/salary conversion table C. A scale based on compensable factors D. A comparison with market pricing

D. Development of RFPs, evaluation of match to project requirements for each vendor, background checking, financial stability RFPs should be the foundation of vendor-assigned projects. Vendor selection should be based on the match of vendor capabilities to RFP requirements, background investigation, and financial stability

4. Vendor selection can involve which of the following list of activities? A. Reference checking, financial assessment, comparison with similar projects B. Interviewing, background checking, financial stability assessment C. Appointment of contract manager, review of financial statements, review of similar projects D. Development of RFPs, evaluation of match to project requirements for each vendor, background checking, financial stability

A. Reduce base salary levels Decreasing an employee's salary is illegal in most countries, particularly in Latin America and Europe. It is legal in the United States

4. Which of the following is a common action taken in the United States to lower budgets that would most likely violate compensation laws in other countries? A. Reduce base salary levels B. Offer early retirement packages C. Delay or not fill open positions D. Downgrade job titles

B. Using stock as collateral to borrow capital from a financial institution An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is an employee-owner method that provides a company's workforce with an ownership interest in the company. In an ESOP, companies provide their employees with stock ownership, often at no up-front cost to the employees. ESOP shares, however, are part of employees' remuneration for work performed. Shares are allocated to employees and may be held in an ESOP trust until the employee retires or leaves the company. The ESOP can borrow money to buy shares, with the company making tax-deductible contributions to the plan to enable it to repay the loan.

5. An organization establishes an ESOP by doing which of the following? A. Deducting a small amount from the individual's pay for the purchase of stock B. Using stock as collateral to borrow capital from a financial institution C. Providing upper management with a bonus D. Having it's profits distributed with favorable tax treatment

B. EEO/AA, employee records management, performance management In fact, all of these things are going to require documentation. The most correct answer is B because it has the widest impact across the employer's organization

5. Organizational documentation requirements can impact these functional areas of professional HR management: A. Parking policy, payroll compliance, orientation B. EEO/AA, employee records management, performance management C. Magazine subscriptions, amusement park discount programs, forms management D. Vacation selection system, cafeteria menu planning, parking lot space assignments

A. Pat has not understood the FLSA requirements that employers keep race and sex data on employees. Race and sex data is specifically required by the FLSA. For employers with 15 or more people on the payroll, who are engaged in interstate commerce, EEOC regulations also require maintenance of those data records.

5. Pat is talking with her colleagues about illegal discrimination at work. Someone mentions that the company is going to be sending out a request for updated race and sex information. Pat says that isn't legal. The company isn't supposed to track any of that information. What would you tell Pat? A. Pat has not understood the FLSA requirements that employers keep race and sex data on employees. B. The EEOC has issued guidelines that agree with Pat's belief that it is illegal to maintain that information in company records. C. Only federal contractors are required to maintain the race and sex identification for employees. D. It is only the public-sector employees who are exempt from providing their race and sex identification to employers.

C. Matrix When the organization calls for reporting to two or more supervisors, the organization is known as a matrix organization

5. Taylor is the quality assurance director at her organization and reports to both the division VP at her facility and the VP of quality assurance located at the headquarters office. This is an example of what type of organizational structure? A. Span of control B. Formalized C. Matrix D. Chan of command

C. The amount of light in a workspace wasn't a prime motivator The amount of workspace light during the Hawthorne study had no correlation with productivity levels. It was having the company pay the workgroup some attention that caused production to rise.

5. The Hawthorne Effect pointed out: A. A greater amount of light in a workspace created motivation B. Less light in a workspace didn't impact motivation C. The amount of light in a workspace wasn't a prime motivator D. Motivation came from being able to see the workbench

B. Sometimes. If the temporary period is truly used to train a replacement, it could get the organization across the institutional knowledge gap, passing along that information to someone new. One reason these arrangements sometimes fail is that they go on and on and on. There is no real replacement training going on. The retired employee is doing the same work as before they retired, and nobody is being transferred, promoted, or hired into that job as a replacement.

5. The local county's workforce has been decimated in recent months because the pension plan is changing and folks wanted to get their higher-level calculation before the changes cut that formula. The result, however, has been that a great deal of organizational intelligence walked out the door. The senior staff are suggesting you hire back some of the key personnel as temporary workers until you are able to get replacements trained. Is that a good idea? A. Hardly ever. It gives the newly retired people a way to "double dip" and make more money than they would have if they had stayed on the job without retiring. B. Sometimes. If the temporary period is truly used to train a replacement, it could get the organization across the institutional knowledge gap, passing along that information to someone new. C. Always. There is no downside to bringing back retirees as temporary workers. So what if they make a bit more? The work gets done without interruption. D. Maybe, if there is a limit of six months on the temporary assignment in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Hostile work environment and Quid Pro Quo A hostile work environment by definition is pervasive, severe conduct that discriminates against a protected classification. Quid pro quo means "this for that" in Latin. Often, it involves a manager or other authority figure offering or merely hinting that he or she will give the employee something (a raise or a promotion) in return for that employee's satisfaction of a sexual demand.

5. The two types of sexual harassment are __________ and _______________.

C. You will speak with Lloyd's boss to find out why the leave of absence was denied, and you will get back to Lloyd with some feedback about the reasons why. There may be a misunderstanding between Lloyd and his boss. You should speak with the boss to determine what the business reasons were for the decision to deny Lloyd's request. Feedback to Lloyd is critical to complete the communication.

5. When Lloyd was told that he couldn't take personal leave of absence, he said to the HR manager that his boss was being unfair. Lloyd wants to file a complaint of discrimination because he is being treated unfairly. As the HR manager, what would you tell Lloyd? A. His boss has never made an unfair decision in his time with the company. It is unlikely he would be unfair in this situation. B. There can be discrimination only if someone else was given a leave of absence who was a different race than Lloyd. C. You will speak with Lloyd's boss to find out why the leave of absence was denied, and you will get back to Lloyd with some feedback about the reasons why. D. Fairness is not a protected or guaranteed outcome of every employment decision. Lloyd should just accept the decision and make other plans.

D. Universally, unions will rely on seniority as the determining factor for all treatment under contract provisions We have yet to see a union contract that didn't use seniority as the determining factor for contract provisions

5. Will seniority always be the determining factor in a union agreement? A. Not always. Some union contracts will use education as the determining factor over ruling seniority in the process B. Seniority is used only by unions that have contracts or subcontracts with federal agencies C. Public agencies rely on seniority, and they are the only ones with those agreements D. Universally, unions will rely on seniority as the determining factor for all treatment under contract provisions

B. It sounds like a good idea. Will he be able to show that the test actually predicts success on the jobs he wants to use it for? If not, he should find a different screening tool. The test should measure Excel skills because those are the predictors of success for Abel's accounting positions.

6. Abel has been having trouble selecting quality accounting people. Everyone claims to be able to use Excel spreadsheets, but few actually can once they get on the job. In the end, he has had to terminate people because of poor performance. He is thinking he will use a test he saw at the local office supply warehouse. If you were the HR manager in Abel's organization, what advice would you give him about his plans for testing? A. It sounds like a good idea. It certainly could control the cost of turnover. We should try it. B. It sounds like a good idea. Will he be able to show that the test actually predicts success on the jobs he wants to use it for? If not, he should find a different screening tool. C. It doesn't sound like a good idea. With everyone talking about the liability of written tests these days, we can't take that risk for any job. D. It doesn't sound like a good idea. It is going to create more paperwork for HR, and we can't stand any workload increase.

A. This is a serious issue. Charlene should investigate the charge. The EEOC is a civil rights enforcement agency, so it is a serious matter. Charlene has 30 days to get her written response to the commission.

6. Charlene is the HR manager for her company. She opens her mail one day and finds a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) saying one of the company's employees has filed a charge of illegal discrimination. How seriously should Charlene take this letter? A. This is a serious issue. Charlene should investigate the charge. B. This is a serious issue. Charlene has 90 days in which to get her response together. C. This is not serious. These things happen all the time. Charlene can talk it over with the complaining employee and try to get it resolved. D. This is not serious. There isn't much the EEOC can do even if the complaint has some merit. Charlene can set it aside and deal with it later when she gets time.

D. Threat Competition constitutes a threat to the company. During strategic planning and SWOT analysis, all perceived threats should be considered seriously.

6. Elton has hired a consultancy firm to perform an environmental scanning on his organization. The report indicates that a global competitor is moving into a state where Elton's company has existed for decades. Elton should present this information to executive management as a(n): A. Opportunity B. Weakness C. Strength D. Threat

A. Human resource development, training and development, compensation and benefits This answer is correct because it has the widest impact on employer's organization.

6. HR professionals must be concerned about adult learning processes because they impact these areas of the organization: A. Human resource development, training and development, compensation and benefits B. Payroll, employee orientation programs, training and development C. Job description development, vacation planning, government compliance D. Safety compliance, compensation and benefits, employee training

D. Contribute to the enterprise strategic plan HR strategic plans should always support the enterprise strategic plan. The other answers may be correct only under very narrow circumstances and therefore are not appropriate answers for this question

6. HR strategic plans should always; A. Provide for a 2 percent growth in staff B. Give more responsibility to the HR director C. Provide for an annual planning session retreat D. Contribute to the enterprise strategic plan

A. If there is a conflict between union contract and the employer's policies, the contract will always win Contract provisions are policy. So contract provisions will prevail.

6. Is it possible for employment policies (as laid out in the employee handbook) to take precedence over union contracts? A. If there is a conflict between union contract and the employer's policies, the contract will always win B. IF a conflict arises, then the policy will always prevail C. Whenever there are different provisions in a union contract and employer policy, the differences must be arbitrated to resolution D. It is up to the manager of the unit involved to determine which will be applied in a given situation

C. Lecturing, self-paced online, subgroup exercises Texting, e-mail, and recess are not commonly accepted training techniques

8. Employee training is a function that falls within human resources development. The following are generally accepted training techniques: A. Texting, lecturing, small group discussions B. Reading, group discussion, e-mail C. Lecturing, self-paced online, subgroup exercises D. On-the-job, classroom, recess

C. Yes. An AAP is needed for minorities, women, disabled people, and veterans The contract exceeds $50,000, and there are more than 50 employees, so an AAP is required for minorities and women. A plan for disabled people and another for veterans are quired as well because the contract is over $10,000 for disabled AAP requirements and $100,000 for veteran AAP requirements

6. Pat has just discovered that her organization has signed a contract with the federal government to provide computer products and installation services. The contract value is $600,000. The organization just hired its 61st employee. Does Pat's organization now need to prepare an affirmative action plan? A. No. When they get to 100 employees, they will need to develop an AAP B. Because the contract value is less than $1,000,000, they are exempt from the AAP requirement. C. Yes. An AAP is needed for minorities, women, disabled people, and veterans D. Yes. Only an AAP for minorities and women is necessary

A. Sit for and pass the SPHR exam D. Have a minimum of four years of experience at professional HR level.

6. Someone already certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) must __________ to gain certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). (Choose two). A. Sit for and pass the SPHR exam B. Have a minimum of seven years of experience as a professional HR level. C. Sit for and pass the SPHRca exam. D. Have a minimum of four years of experience as a professional HR level.

B. Once the work week has been designated to begin on a certain day of the week, it should not be changed by the HR manager. The FLSA requires employers to designate a day as the beginning of the workweek. To change that designation, there should be a significant business reason. Moving the workweek to begin based on projects is not acceptable. The FLSA requires consistency because of the need to pay overtime for hours in excess of 40 in a workweek. Constantly moving a workweek could deprive employees of earned overtime.

6. The Tractor and Belt Company (TBC) handles conveyor belt installations for many small firms. Each of the customer projects begins on a day that is most convenient of the customer. Sometimes that's Monday; sometimes it's Thursday or some other day. The HR manager says that the company will adjust its workweek to begin when the customer's project starts. That way, each installation team has a separate workweek, and those workweeks can shift several times a month. It's better for the payroll system that way, and the company can usually avoid paying overtime. What would you advise the HR manager to do if you disagree with the policy of changing workweeks? A. The HR manager is taking advantage of the FLSA's provisions for flexible workweeks that support small business. B. Once the workweek has been designated to begin on a certain day of the week, it should not be changed by the HR manager. C. It depends on state laws and regulations whether the workweek begins on any specific day of the week. D. The FLSA says a workweek should always begin on Sunday.

C. Base pay Hazard pay, shift pay, and overtime are all differentials. Base pay is the foundation of an employer's compensation program

6. Which of the following is not a pay differential? A. Hazard pay B. Shift pay C. Base pay D. Overtime

D. Vesting Vesting is the absolute right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. The portion vested cannot be reclaimed by the employer, nor can it be used to satisfy the employer's debts. Any portion not vested may be forfeited under certain conditions, such as termination of employment.

6. ___________ is the right of employees to receive benefits from their retirement plans. A. Transference B. Portability C. Social Security D. Vesting

B. Notify the employee's supervisor and explain that he or she cannot discuss the complaint with the employee. Conduct an investigation without talking to the complaining employee. Collect documentation that pertains to the complaint. Write the employer's rationale for the decisions and actions taken that resulted in the complaint. Once a formal complaint has been filed with the EEOC, an employer is prohibited from discussing it with the complaining employee. The employer will have to conduct its investigation without the benefit of the employee's input. That's why it is much better to handle complaints internally so everyone involved can participate in the investigation.

7. Charlene is the HR manager for her company. She opens her mail one day and finds a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) saying one of the company's employees has filed a charge of illegal discrimination. What should Charlene do before responding to the EEOC? A. Go to the employee who filed the complaint and ask why. B. Notify the employee's supervisor and explain that he or she cannot discuss the complaint with the employee. Conduct an investigation without talking to the complaining employee. Collect documentation that pertains to the complaint. Write the employer's rationale for the decisions and actions taken that resulted in the complaint. C. Notify the employee that the notice of complaint was received and explain that we will be investigating to identify what happened and how to respond. Tell the employee she want to schedule an interview to discuss what happened and what can be done to remedy the situation. D. Tell the supervisor that she will have to explain this to the CEO and the senior legal counsel. Once they are aware of the complaint, she will get back to the supervisor with their reaction.

D. With provisions for exceptions to be approved by senior management, Dabney can be confident that the handbook policies will be applied by all managers in his organization There will always be someone wanting an exception to a policy. Requiring senior management review and approval for each exception is key to making sure there are legitimate business reasons supporting each request.

7. Dabney is the HR manager for his employer. He has been asked to write an employee handbook to provide all the organization's policies in writing. What will employees be able to assume about the handbook policies? A. Handbook policies are only guidelines, and they will offer general instruction about how to treat things like vacation and leaves of absence B. Dabney should write the handbook so policies are acceptable to most employees. There will always be some exceptions to the rules. C. The policies are requirements. All managers and employees should use them consistently, or there can be complaints of illegal discrimination D. With provisions for exceptions to be approved by senior management, Dabney can be confident that the handbook policies will be applied by all managers in his organization

B. Elton may have to prepare a 16-point affirmative action plan that is required of all federal construction contractors if the contract value exceeds $10,000. If his contract exceeds $10,000, Elton will need an affirmative action plan that satisfies regulatory requirements for construction contractors. The 10-point plan they must develop is not the same as the plans required for goods and services contractors.

7. Elton heads a company that contracts to build office buildings for the federal government. He isn't sure if he has any affirmative action obligations because of his work. What would you tell him if you were his HR advisor? A. Don't worry. Construction firms are not classified as providers of goods and services. There is no affirmative action plan obligation for Elton's company. B. Elton may have to prepare a 16-point affirmative action plan that is required of all federal construction contractors if the contract value exceeds $10,000. C. Elton has to meet the same requirements as all other federal contractors that sell anything to the government. D. Elton should revisit the question once his contracts exceed $1,000,000.

GPHR

7. HR professionals who operate in a global marketplace are able to demonstrate mastery of cross-border HR responsibilities, including strategies of globalization and development of HR policies and initiatives supporting organizational global growth by achieving a _______________ certification.

D. Both subjective and objective approaches can be used on instructor jobs as long as they both have been validated according to the Uniform Guidelines. There is no reason that both objective and subjective selection systems cannot be used together in sorting candidates for instructor jobs.

7. Jo is trying to standardize the selection system for instructors in her training group. Having one procedure to screen candidates should yield both consistency and accuracy. What she hasn't decided is whether she should use an objective or subjective system. What would you tell her? A. Only objective systems are able to "slice and dice" candidates effectively. Jo should use numeric devices only. B. It is so hard to pin down clear delineations of skill using a numeric system. Jo should rely on a subjective process that gives her greater flexibility in grading candidates. C. There is no way to quantify everything about an instructor's job. Therefore, it is impossible to use a quantitative system for that job set. Go with subjective. D. Both subjective and objective approaches can be used on instructor jobs as long as they both have been validated according to the Uniform Guidelines.

C. Federal law says Sandy cannot work more than 8 hours a day when it is a vacation week. The FLSA prohibits people aged 14 and 15 from working more than 8 hours a day even when school is not in session.

7. Sandy is 15 years old and a Sophmore at Central High School. She gets a job at the local hamburger drive-in. Her boss says he needs her to work the following schedule during the Spring Break week: 4 hours at lunch time every day, 9 hours on Saturday, and 6 hours on Sunday. Is that schedule acceptable for Sandy given that she has a work permit from the school? A. Because it is a school vacation week, there are no restrictions on the hours that Sandy can work. B. Only state laws impact what hours Sandy can work because it happens during a vacation week. C. Federal law says Sandy cannot work more than 8 hours a day when it is a vacation week. D. Because Sandy won't be working more than 40 hours for the week, there is no problem.

D. Link training and development to the new strategic plan Linking training and development activities to the new strategic plan is the first step to ensure that activities and resources are aligned with the organization's new initiatives

7. The Tasty Good corporation downsized because of intense global competition and modified its strategic business plan for the year. The most important task that the HR department's training and development function needs to do to support the change is to: A. Cost-justify training B. Work with employees on accepting the change C. Evaluate the effectiveness of all training programs D. Link training and development to the new strategic plan

A. Align human capital with the larger organization's strategic plans HR must always support the larger organization's strategic plans. The other three options do not suggest that HR is involved in the larger organization's strategic planning process

7. The primary responsibility of HR in its support of enterprise strategic plans is to: A. Align human capital with the larger organization's strategic plans B. Set goals that the board of directors tells HR to set C. Set goals that the CEO tells HR to set D. Align human capital (head count) with the approved budget

D. The local prevailing wage The Service Contract Act requires contractors and subcontractors performing services on federal prime contracts in excess of $2,500 to pay service employees in various classes no less than the wage rates and fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality where work is performed.

7. Under the Service Contracts Act, a company with a federal service contract exceeding $2,500 must pay: A. The wage established by the contract B. Union wages C. 125 percent of the maximum wage D. The local prevailing wage

B. Development of HR goals aligned with the organization's strategic plan The employer should always retain control of its goal determination functions so it can be assured the goals will support the organization's strategic plan.

7. Which of the following HR functions is not appropriate for outsourcing? A. Benefit administration B. Development of HR goals aligned with the organization's strategic plan C. New employee orientation/onboarding D. Open enrollment

A. Performing a standard deviation analysis of employee movement Standard deviation analysis is important for disparity analysis but does not involve business management competencies

7. Which of the following is not considered a business management competence requirement for HR professionals? A. Performing a standard deviation analysis of employee movement B. Creating and managing within a financial budget C. Understanding financial reports D. Discussing financial issues

D. Broadbanding Broadbanding is a term that refers to pay ranges with a wide spread. This is often done to facilitate the management of pay levels within the pay range. A side effect of broadbanding is to reduce the opportunity for promotions due to a smaller number of ranges. That can adversely affect morale.

7. Which of the following terms refers to collapsing multiple pay ranges into a single wide pay range? A. Wide banding B. Pay compression C. Green circle rates D. Broadbanding

D. Even though Gary can work unlimited hours, he cannot be assigned to drive the forklift because forklifts are classified as "power-driven hoisting apparatus," which is one of the 17 most dangerous jobs as classified by OSHA that may not be operated by workers under the age of 18. Driving a "power-driven hoisting apparatus" is one of the 17 most dangerous jobs that may not be performed by workers younger than 18. At Gary's age, the FLSA has no restriction on the hours he may work in a week.

8. Gary is a junior at Southpark High School. He is 17 years old. The school needs some help in its warehouse during the summer, and Gary needs a job so he can save money for college. His boss is the manager of facilities. Gary is assigned to work nine hours every day during the week because one of the other employees is on disability leave. And because the other employee was the forklift driver, Gary has been given training in how to drive that equipment around the warehouse and loading dock. He likes that duty because he has been driving a car only a few months. The forklift is cool. Is there any difficulty with the facilities manager's requirements of Gary? A. Everything the facilities manager has required Gary to do is permissible under federal laws. B. Since there is no restriction to the number of hours Gary can work, everything should be okay. C. Whatever the facilities manager wants Gary to do is okay because it's only a summer job. D. Even though Gary can work unlimited hours, he cannot be assigned to drive the forklift because forklifts are classified as "power-driven hoisting apparatus," which is one of the 17 most dangerous jobs as classified by OSHA that may not be operated by workers under the age of 18.

B. Don't be concerned, Julia. Discrimination is something we don't tolerate, and it is also illegal. We are required by the government to keep the race and sex data. Identifying race and sex is voluntary. The employer is required to keep records of every employee's race and sex identification, however. When someone doesn't volunteer the information, the employer must make a determination by observation and keep a record of the race and sex of the individual.

8. Julia has been asked to identify her race and sex for her employer. She is uncomfortable doing that, thinking that she might be the target of some discrimination if she tells them. If you were Julia's HR manager, what would you tell her? A. It's okay. We can put down whatever we want to identify your race and sex. B. Don't be concerned, Julia. Discrimination is something we don't tolerate, and it is also illegal. We are required by the government to keep the race and sex data. C. If you don't tell us what you want recorded, we will just have to leave your information blank in the database. D. Julia should be sent to the HR department so they can tell her she has no choice. She must identify her race and sex for the company records.

A. Tuition assistance D. Paid volunteer time Legal assistance is a less commonly offered noncash reward program, and medical benefits are not considered a noncash reward

8. The following two programs are common noncash rewards programs: A. Tuition assistance B. Legal assistance C. Medical benefits D. Paid volunteer time

B. Explanation of areas requiring performance improvement C. Consequences for not successfully completing the plan Performance improvement plan outline expected areas of performance improvement, timeline for improvement, resources available to assist the employee, and consequences for not meeting plan expectations

8. Which of the following two items are elements of a performance improvement plan? A. Witness statements outlining the employee's performance issues B. Explanation of areas requiring performance improvement C. Consequences for not successfully completing the plan D. Section for the employee to waive rights to pursuing legal action

A. Volume of employee complaints B. Total participation in a diversity and inclusion program The volume of employee complaints can measure how well employee relations programs are operating, and total participation in D&I programs can provide insight on employee engagement. The annual cost of health benefits and total number of employees requesting overtime are helpful measurements but are not the best approaches for measuring these programs.

8. Which of the following two options are methods for assessing employee relations and employee engagement programs? A. Volume of employee complaints B. Total participation in a diversity and inclusion program C. Annual cost of health benefits D. Total number of employees requesting overtime

Inpatriates

8. ____________ are people who are working at corporate headquarters who originated in another country.

Ethics Ethics determine how we behave with employees, vendors, customers, clients, and other stakeholders. They govern "how we do things around here." They are constant references of employee decision-making and behavior

8. __________________ is the most important foundational issue of organizational effectiveness

Employee Assistance Program

9. A _____________ is an employer-sponsored benefit that provides a number of services to help promote the physical, mental, and emotional wellness of employees.

C. Progressive discipline is a good process for any employer. It offers due process to workers, and it satisfies the legal covenant called good faith and fair dealing Due process is the effort made by employers who want to convey that they are treating employees fairly. It demonstrates that the employer is abiding by the covenant of good faith and fair dealing

9. A union contract normally details the process called progressive discipline. How would you counsel nonunion employers to deal with the process? A. Progressive discipline is required only for union-represented organizations B. There is no need for nonunion employers to have progressive discipline process since they are probably at-will employers and can terminate employees any time C. Progressive discipline is a good process for any employer. It offers due process to workers, and it satisfies the legal covenant called good faith and fair dealing D. Employers can consider using progressive discipline, but absent a union contract, there is little motivation to use the process

B. Determine the audience for communication Determining the audience for communication is the first step. The audience will help inform the content of the communication, timing, and cost.

9. Alonzo is developing a communication plan to accompany his organization's new safety incentive program. Which of the following actions should Alonzo take first in developing the plan? A. Determine the timing of communication B. Determine the audience for communication C. Determine the cost of communication D. Determine the content of communication

B. 1.5 days of compensating time off. The FLSA requires all hours of work in excess of 40 in a week be paid overtime for city workers at the rate of 1.5 times the normal hourly pay rate. Compensating time off in lieu of overtime pay must be given at the rate of 1.5 hours for every overtime hour. So a day of overtime (8 hours) should be compensated for with 1.5 days of compensating time off.

9. Hank puts in the following hours at his city job: Sunday, 0; Monday, 8; Tuesday, 8; Wednesday, 9; Thursday, 8; Friday, 8; Saturday, 7. His boss says he will give Hank compensating time off for every hour of overtime Hank works. How many compensating hours off should Hank receive for this work time? A. One day of compensating time off. B. 1.5 days of compensating time off. C. 7 hours of compensating time off. D. Compensating time off is not permitted under the FLSA.

B. Call the candidate to offer the job verbally first, share the total rewards package, negotiate compensation, and provide a written offer for the candidate's signature. Job offers are best done verbally at first, allowing both the candidate and employer to negotiate the terms of the job. Then, offers should be documented in writing once both parties have agreed. While it may seem like the nice thing to do to call candidates who are not being selected first, there is no guarantee your top choice for the position will agree to take the position.

9. Marina is new to the compensation department and has to make her first job offer to a new employee. Which is the best tactic to use? A. Conduct the entire process in writing over e-mail for documentation purposes. B. Call the candidate to offer the job verbally first, share the total rewards package, negotiate compensation, and provide a written offer for the candidate's signature. C. Call all the candidates who are not going to be offered a job first to get that out of the way and then send a written offer to the candidate being offered the job. D. Call the candidate to offer the job verbally, share the total rewards package, and let management know via e-mail that the candidate accepted the job.

A. First, Mia should speak with her legal advisors to determine whether mediation or arbitration would fit into their employment culture. Not every employer is well suited to requiring all employees to use arbitration for the resolution of disputes in the workplace. An examination of the pros and cons for mandatory arbitration should be made, and it should be reviewed with legal counsel before moving forward with a policy change. Not all employers will find that mediation or arbitration are the best methods for resolving conflicts in the workplace.

9. Mia has only been an HR manager for six months. She has been told by other HR professionals that she should have a policy that requires employees to go through arbitration rather than permit lawsuits. What should she do, if anything? A. First, Mia should speak with her legal advisors to determine whether mediation or arbitration would fit into their employment culture. Not every employer is well suited to requiring all employees to use arbitration for the resolution of disputes in the workplace. B. Mia should draft a new policy statement that can be forwarded to senior management for its approval. It should take advantage of mandatory arbitration to prevent the cost of employee lawsuits C. Never should a policy be drafted that doesn't already have the approval of senior management. A discussion about changing employee requirements related to dispute resolution should take place, and then a new policy should be drafted and implemented. D. Once everyone in the organization understands the concept of mandatory arbitration and what it will cost each participant, the employer can proceed with a policy requiring it as the dispute resolution method to be used.

B. Society for Human Resource Management and International Public Management Association for Human Resources.

9. Other certification agencies, in addition to the Human Resource Certification Institute, include: A. Cross-Border HR Professionals Association and Society for Human Resource Management. B. Society for Human Resource Management and International Public Management Association for Human Resources. C. American National Standards Institute and Cross-Border HR Professionals Association D. Society for Human Resource Management and Human Resource Standards Acceptance Group

C. Referring a qualified friend for a vacant position at the company Suggesting a friend apply for a job opening at the employer's organization is perfectly ethical. It even demonstrates a willingness to support the employer as a good place to work.

9. Which of the following actions taken by HR Manager Chris is the most ethical? A. Working exclusively with a technical contracting agency for the IT group to qualify for a random prize drawing for customers B. Not standing up and voicing displeasure about a discriminatory decision made by a superior C. Referring a qualified friend for a vacant position at the company D. Deleting low-paying companies from salary survey results of HR positions

B. The employee must receive severance payments or something else of value they would not otherwise receive. C. The employee must be advised in writing to consult an attorney before signing the waiver. All waivers must be in writing and signed, but it is not a requirement that they be signed by the CEO of the organization. The employee must be given 21 days to consider the terms (45 days if more than one employee) and be able to revoke the agreement for up to 7 days after.

9. Which of the following are requirements of voluntary waivers or claims to comply with the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (OWBPA)? Choose two. A. The waivers must be signed by the CEO of the organization B. The employee must receive severance payments or something else of value they would not otherwise receive. C. The employee must be advised in writing to consult an attorney before signing the waiver. D. The employee must be given 30 days to consider the terms and be able to revoke the agreement for up to 10 days after.

C. Even though Hispanic is an ethnicity, it is treated like a race when harassment is concerned. She may have a case against her co-workers because of their behavior. Race is a protected category when harassment is alleged.

9. Yvette has told her supervisor that she feels her co-workers are harassing her because she is Hispanic. They point to her and laugh, exclude her from their table in the break room, and have damaged her work so it has had to be redone. She believes they have also punctured her car tire on more than one occasion. Is this really illegal harassment? A. Who can say if it is illegal or not? It sure sounds like it is inappropriate behavior. B. Harassment can only be sexual harassment. You can't be harassed because of your Hispanic heritage. C. Even though Hispanic is an ethnicity, it is treated like a race when harassment is concerned. She may have a case against her co-workers because of their behavior. D. Even though Hispanic is an ethnicity, it is excluded form racial comparisons and therefore cannot be the reason cited for the harassment complaint.

C. The NLRA governs all union interactions regardless of the union's scope of involvement The National Labor Relations Act has effect regardless of how large the union or employer may be. The key is that operations take place in the United States.

Chapter 13 1. Dabney is the HR manager negotiating a renewal of the contract his organization has with an international union. Because the union is international, he isn't sure if the National Labor Relations Act applies to his situation. What would you tell him? A. He's right to be concerned. It is the International Labor Relations Act (ILRA) that governs his situation with the union. B. When the union is an international organization, it can choose between the governance of the ILRA and the NLRA C. The NLRA governs all union interactions regardless of the union's scope of involvement D. If Dabney's organization is negotiating in good faith, there is no law that will tell him what to do. Only if he isn't willing to negotiate will the NLRA take effect.

C. Unfortunately, all employees are subject to payroll tax withholding. If the new worker is classified as an employee and is on the payroll, the IRS demands that income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax be withheld. The law does not allow employees to opt out because they want to file their own tax payments each quarter.

Chapter 2 1. John, a new employee, has just arrived at the orientation program where everyone completes their payroll forms and signs up for healthcare benefits. He bring his W-4 form to you and says he isn't subject to payroll withholding because he pays his taxes directly each quarter. What is your response? A. That's okay. We won't process a W-4 form for you. We will give you a form 1099. B. I'll check with the accounting department to find out whether you can do that. C. Unfortunately, all employees are subject to payroll tax withholding. D. If you can show me a W-10 form you have submitted to the IRS, we can block your paycheck withholding.

Core Knowledge

Chapter 3 1. There are some areas of HR knowledge that are known as ____________ ______________ because they apply to all HR professionals at all levels.

D. Interpreting and applying information related to general business environment and industry best practices. General business environmental knowledge and industry best practices awareness are responsibilities of HR professionals. All other answer choices are not primary HR responsibilities

Chapter 4 1. One of the primary HR responsibilities in business management is: A. Deciding which goal to choose when only one can be achieved B. Selecting the CPA who will audit the payroll records C. Identifying competitive organizations and the size of market they hold D. Interpreting and applying information related to general business environment and industry best practices.

B. Whether or not it is a problem depends on Stewart's reaction. If it is unwelcome, there might be a problem. If the behavior of the boss is unwelcome, this could be an incident of quid pro quo sexual harassment. We need more information to know for sure. If Stewart's co-workers saw what happened, they might also object should Stewart go along with the boss's sexual advance. Co-workers could be negatively affected because of favoritism or perceived favoritism toward Stewart on the part of his boss, and there could be other problems as well.

Chapter 5 1. Stewart was working late when his boss approached him and asked if he would like to go get a drink. His boss then put his hand on Stewart's backside and gave it a little squeeze. What is going on here? A. Nothing. It is simply his boss showing a little affection for Stewart. No problem. B. Whether or not it is a problem depends on Stewart's reaction. If it is unwelcome, there might be a problem. C. If Stewart agrees, they can have a drink without anyone being the wiser. D. It is a problem only if one of Stewart's co-workers saw what happened.

A. Environmental scanning D. SWOT analysis Environmental scanning and SWOT analysis are valuable components of needs assessment and strategic planning

Chapter 6 1. When conducting a needs assessment, which processes are used in strategic planning? (Choose two). A. Environmental scanning B. Healthcare scanning C. Opinions from local supervisors and managers D. SWOT analysis

D. COBRA benefits up to 36 months to spouses of covered deceased workers COBRA provides up to 36 months' continuation of group health benefits in the event of a divorce or death of the employed spouse. None of the other choices is a valid COBRA provision

Chapter 7 1. According to COBRA, a company with 20 or more employees must offer: A. Health insurance to its employees B. Continued medical insurance coverage to employees terminated for gross misconduct C. COBRA benefits to workers if the company terminates its health plan D. COBRA benefits up to 36 months to spouses of covered deceased workers