Sphr Flashcards

Question: One of your production managers uses incentives to reward employees for meeting operational objectives. This is the best example of which of the following leadership styles?
A. Charismatic leadership
B. Transactional leadership
C. Laissez-faire leadership
D. Authoritarian leadership
Answer: B. Transactional leaders are characterized by a "this for that" style. These leaders use both rewards and discipline when necessary to accomplish organizational and departmental objectives.
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Question: Consensual romantic relationships at work represent what type of risk?
A. Intimate partner violence
B. Unlawful treatment
C. Sexual harassment
D. None, because it's consensual
Answer: C. Relationships at work, even those that are consensual, have the potential for issues in which HR will have to intervene. This includes the risk of sexual harassment should the relationship become unwanted by either party.
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Question: The international gas utility company for which you direct HR does not have an organized health and safety program for its workers. What should be your first step?
A. Focus on becoming compliant with international, federal, state, and local safety standards.
B. Identify the employees who are most at risk and begin safety efforts with them.
C. Obtain approval for a company-wide incentive program based on zero accidents or injuries.
D. Meet with the workers' compensation brokers to assess the costs of lack of a safety program.
See the answer
Answer: B. In this high-risk industry, it would be prudent for human resources to begin building a safety program for those workers who are most at risk. This effort may include data collection, incentives, and compliance efforts as part of the overall intervention strategy.
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Question: The food distribution center for which you work has seen an increase in the number of loading-dock workers reporting ankle injuries. What strategy would be most effective to reduce or eliminate the risk?
A. Require employees to wear high-top steel-toed work boots.
B. Review the injury records for patterns of unsafe behaviors.
C. Conduct a root-cause analysis with a committee made up of dock workers.
D. Ask the occupational clinic to come in and provide safety training.
Answer: C. Any time there is an increase in injuries and accidents, HR should take the time to analyze for root causes. From this, hazard abatement strategies may be developed and could include new personal protective equipment requirements or worker training.
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Question: The major Internet provider for which you are the VP of human resources has just experienced the largest customer and employee data breach in the history of the United States. In an effort to comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), you should first do what?
A. Evaluate the areas where the company's data is still at risk for hackers
B. Research credit monitoring services to offer affected individuals.
C. Wait to notify investors until the executive team can sell their shares of company stock.
D. Assess the depth of the data breach and notify investors as soon as is practicable.
Answer: D. When a data breach of this magnitude occurs, it is important for HR to help the company respond in accordance with governing agencies but also in a manner that protects the interests of both the company and the affected individuals.
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Question: Which of the following are examples of the physical assets that must be secured to prevent a cybersecurity attack?
A. The employees
B. The buildings
C. The workstations
D. The power lines
Answer: C. Physical assets such as workstations and servers can be tracked and monitored as part of a company's efforts to prevent cyberattacks on sensitive company and customer data.
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Question: Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps companies do what when it comes to data protection?
A. Identify priorities when it comes to building a robust data security program
B. Determine what skills in data security personnel to hire for
C. Write policies that protect critical assets
D. Purchase external layers of protections, making the data harder to breach
Answer: A. Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps a company craft an effective data security program. Building controls for these assets may include policies, practices, and the deployment of internal and external resources, but it will be difficult to know where to deploy the resources without understanding what is most at risk/important.
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Question: The hospital for which you work has hired an outside agency to staff the parking lot security posts. The guard works only at night and is unsupervised. Recently there has been a rash of attacks in the area against security guards in general. What steps should you take to protect this contingent worker from becoming a victim of workplace violence?
A. Allow him to carry his personal gun while on duty.
B. Install security cameras that are monitored from the inside.
C. Make a business case to the board of directors that this post should have two workers at all times.
D. Ask the employment agency to cover the costs of additional security recommendations.
Answer: B. In this case, a team approach may work to help minimize an act of workplace violence. Security cameras can act as a deterrent to crime. Having the cameras internally monitored increases the ability for a quick response should an event occur.
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Question: A major sandwich restaurant hires 15-year-old workers to operate a meat slicer. This may violate which of the following?
A. The Food and Drug Administration
B. Food Safety Management
C. The Fair Labor Standards Act
D. The Occupational Safety and Health Act
Answer: C. The Fair Labor Standards Act addresses more than just legal compensation; it also limits the type of work that may be done by minors. In this example, a meat slicer is considered a hazardous job and is therefore prohibited for workers between the ages of 14 and 15.
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Question: An employee has shared with her manager that she has been prescribed medicine for her bipolar disorder. Which labor laws may need to be considered on her behalf?
A. The Americans with Disabilities Act
B. The Occupational Safety and Health Act
C. The Drug-Free Workplace Act
D. Both A and B
Answer: A. Mental illnesses are generally covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act and apply to employers with 15 or more employees. This employee may need to be reasonably accommodated as a result of her disability.
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Question: A winery employs hundreds of seasonal, temporary workers that are processed through a staffing agency. Many of them will be working with hazardous chemicals. Which of the following should you do first to comply with OSHA's hazard communication standard?
A. Ask the temporary agency to provide general hazardous material-handling training.
B. Ensure that the same protections offered to regular workers are offered to temporary workers.
C. Ask the agency to come inspect the facility to ensure it is a safe work environment.
D. Communicate with the agency regarding what types of protection will be needed.
Answer: D. Both the host company and the staffing agency have responsibilities to ensure the safety of individuals who will be working with hazardous materials. Communicating with the agency allows for a coordination of effort, including the need for protection, training, and verifying that the workers are going to a safe workplace.
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Question: A software developer in the Midwest has decided to offer voluntary microchipping of their employees. The chips will be medically inserted into the individual's right hand and will allow employees to open doors, clock in, and even make purchases in the company cafeteria. What type of data is being collected?
A. Biometric
B. Personal
C. Identity
D. Medical
Answer: C. There are several different ways information can be collected, stored, and eventually utilized in a 21st-century workplace. In this example, the company is using microchips to identify employees.
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Question: Using the information from the previous question, what type of risk is the microchipping employer exposed to?
A. Identity theft
B. Privacy concerns
C. Health risks
D. All of the above
Answer: D. With implantable technology, there are several types of risk that an employer may need to take steps to minimize. The capabilities and design of the microchip must be reviewed to ensure it does not send information about an employee, unlawfully track employee movements, or cause infection or other health issues.
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Question: Which of the following mitigation efforts will improve data security?
A. Purchasing EPL insurance
B. A computer monitoring system of employee keystrokes
C. Writing a policy that prohibits the sharing of passwords
D. Not collecting the data at all
Answer: C. In risk management, employers may seek to eliminate, mitigate, or transfer the risk. An example of a mitigation effort is one that reduces—but does not eliminate—the likelihood of a data breach. For that reason, an employer policy that prohibits the sharing of employee passwords is the best answer.
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Question: In the wake of recent workplace violence episodes in the news, your executive team has requested that you put together a written plan that addresses what steps to take should an incident occur at one of your locations. You will most likely need what type of plan?
A. Disaster recovery plan
B. Incident response plan
C. Business continuity plan
D. All of the above
Answer: B. A written incident response plan can be a critical part of a company's response system should an incident of workplace violence occur. An effective plan should identify manager and employee responsibilities, first responder resources, evacuation and head count procedures, and how to coordinate any media response.
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Question: Your company has a written plan that details the manual workarounds for the company's accounting and payment systems should there be an emergency. This is an example that would be included in what type of plan?
A. Business continuity
B. Critical incident
C. Disaster recovery
D. Injury and illness
Answer: A. A business continuity plan will most likely detail an information technology (IT) response to the enterprise system of a company. This is needed to get critical business processes that are based on technology back up and running as soon as possible after an incident.
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Question: To comply with SEC rules at your place of business, you should do which of the following?
A. Link executive pay to monthly performance measures.
B. Disclose executive pay rates to all employees.
C. Publish the ratio of executive to employee pay to shareholders.
D. All of the above.
Answer: C. The SEC adopted new executive pay ratio rules that went into effect in 2017. The rules require a public company to disclose the ratio of the median of the annual total compensation of all employees to the annual total compensation of the CEO.
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Question: Which of the following statements is true about OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program (SPP)?
A. It is a coalition of employee groups and unions.
B. It is mandatory.
C. It requires top management support.
D. All of the above
Answer: A. OSHA's voluntary Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) brings together unions and employers to adopt a cohesive set of safety standards that address safety hazards in the workplace.
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Question: Of the following, which is most important when it comes to building an effective safety management program?
A. Creating a safety culture
B. Relevant policies, procedures, and rules
C. Top management support
D. Approval for personal protective equipment
Answer: C. A safety program without the support of top management has an increased chance of failing to address the unique needs of the organization. For example, if the director of HR does not wear her safety glasses in the warehouse, it is unlikely that others will follow the rules either.
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Question: A large employer with multiple facilities all across the United States has decided to raffle off a car at the end of the year. Employees will automatically get one entry for each week that they work without injury. Which of the following is the employer at risk for?
A. Tax code violation
B. Discrimination
C. Retaliation
D. None of the above
Answer: C. Safety incentive programs that reward employees who do not get injured may inadvertently retaliate against those who do get hurt. Additionally, incentive programs that are too generous may discourage reporting of injuries.
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Question: To be removed from OSHA's routine inspection list, which program should you recommend your employer join?
A. Voluntary Protection Program
B. Strategic Partnership Program
C. Alliance Program
D. Consultation Program
Answer: A. OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is open to employers that have an effective, well-established safety program. If the employer is accepted into the program, the employer may be removed from routine, scheduled inspection lists.
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Question: Employers have which of the following obligations with regard to international assignee protection?
A. They must carry kidnap and ransom insurance for high hazard areas.
B. They have a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to protect their expatriates.
C. They must have a written crisis management plan in place.
D. Employers have the same obligation for international assignees as they do for home country nationals.
Answer: B. Employers have a global duty of care to keep international assignees safe. This obligation may take on many forms, but it generally must account for the unique needs of employees that travel or live abroad as part of their work responsibilities.
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Question: Why might it be a good idea to work with an insurance broker if a company decides to place employees on international assignments?
A. The broker can help build crisis response plans.
B. The broker may have connections to negotiate in a crisis situation.
C. The broker may have access to international resources should a medical emergency arise.
D. All of the above
Answer: D. An employer may decide to purchase additional types of insurance to accommodate the unique needs of international employees. Brokers who provide these types of policies often have resources far beyond the administrative, including navigating the need to negotiate should an event occur and medical or emergency travel services for the employee and family members should the need arise.
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Question: Which of the following strategies would best be served by implementing an RTW program at your place of work?
A. The ability to coordinate different types of leave
B. Compliance with OSHA standards
C. The need to reduce injuries and accidents in the workplace
D. The desire to reduce the overall costs of workplace injuries
Answer: D. A return-to-work program is one that returns an injured worker back to the job in a modified capacity. Once the injured employee is working modified duty, his pay comes from payroll as opposed to his wages being part of the overall compensation claim.
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Question: Under what conditions may an injured worker's pay be reduced when accepting a modified duty assignment?
A. Only if the injured worker is temporarily stationed at a job that normally pays a lower rate
B. It depends on the laws of the state in which the injury occurred
C. Only if they are doing so for a nonretaliatory reason
D. All of the above
Answer: D. There are some cases where it is entirely reasonable for an employer to pay a temporarily injured worker a lower wage while on a modified duty assignment. Employers that adopt this strategy must take care that no retaliation is occurring and that they are not violating the laws of the states in which the employee was injured.
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Question: An injured worker has been told by his workers' compensation doctor that he is able to go back to work at full duty. The employee disagrees. What should you recommend?
A. Sending him back to a doctor of his choice for a final recommendation
B. Discussing an IME with the workers' compensation insurance
C. A referral to the company's labor attorney
D. Termination of employment if he does not return
Answer: B. An independent medical exam (IME) is a useful tool when there is a dispute about an injured worker's abilities. Often binding, it is conducted by a neutral, third-party physician.
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Question: Collective bargaining is best understood as which of the following?
A. Implied contract
B. Union responsibility
C. Employer responsibility
D. Statutory right
Answer: D. The process of collective bargaining and the resulting agreement is a right granted to employees by way of specific law. In this example, the National Labor Relations Act granted individuals the right to organize and bargain collectively through a union.
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Question: Freedom of speech, due process, and workplace safety are all examples of which of the following?
A. Employee responsibilities
B. Employee rights
C. Employment contract clauses
D. Constitutional rights
Answer: B. Employee rights can be granted by both federal and state laws. These rights are considered to be absolute and cannot be compromised by employers without penalty or bargained away in an employment contract including a collective bargaining agreement.
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Question: Which of the following agreements may employers have the most legal trouble enforcing?
A. Nonsolicitation of current employees
B. Arbitration agreements
C. Employment contracts
D. Noncompete agreements
Answer: D. Noncompete agreements are clauses or documents that prohibit a separating employee from competing with the employer in the same line of business for a specified period of time. If these agreements are overly restrictive or in a state that does not allow an employer to prevent an employee from making a living, they may prove difficult to enforce.
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Question: Under what conditions would you recommend to your employer that they adopt a nonpiracy agreement?
A. For a high-tech organization to prevent employee poaching
B. For a work environment with legally protected trade secrets
C. For companies doing business in international waters
D. Never—nonpiracy agreements are unlawful.
Answer: A. Nonpiracy agreements, in which separating employees agree to not to recruit a company's talent, can be beneficial under the right conditions. As with any of these types of agreements, however, it is best to have them reviewed by legal counsel prior to implementation.
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Question: When an employer terminates the rights of an employee for a discriminatory reason, which of the following is said to have occurred?
A. Constructive discharge
B. Wrongful discharge
C. Reduction in force
D. Discharge without cause
Answer: B. Wrongful discharge—also called wrongful termination—occurs when an employer terminates an employee for an unlawful reason such as discrimination, failing to break the law on behalf of an employer, or exercising their rights granted by law (right to vote, whistleblowing, etc.).
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Question: In the absence of an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement, when may an employee expect to only be terminated for cause?
A. If they are a protected class individual
B. If there is a progressive discipline policy in the handbook
C. If their behavior was first investigated by management
D. None of the above
Answer: D. The concept of "just cause" is that employees may expect that employment at will does not apply to them. This condition may be met only when there is an employment contract (written or implied) or when the employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
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Question: An employee has been terminated for "just cause." Which of the following reasons is most likely?
A. The employee refused to forge his boss's signature on a document.
B. The employee violated the employer's anti-harassment rules.
C. The employee was late because he went to vote in the presidential election.
D. The employee was a whistleblower who filed a report of corruption that turned out to be inaccurate.
Answer: B. "Just cause" is a concept that describes an employer's justification for taking employment action. It cannot be used as a reason for termination if the employee refused to break the law or exercised a statutory right.
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Question: Augustine filed a grievance with HR because he believed that a supervisor gave Amy—Augustine's co-worker—a higher raise than Augustine received because the supervisor is trying to date Amy. This is an example of which of the following?
A. Sexual harassment
B. Distributive justice
C. Discriminatory treatment
D. Both A and B
Answer: B. An employee's perception of fair treatment is influenced by many factors. In this scenario, Augustine believes that the outcome (pay increases) was unfair.
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Question: In compulsory arbitration, which of the following conditions is nearly always included?
A. The employee exchanges the right to sue the employer.
B. An arbitrator is selected from the American Arbitration Association (AAA).
C. There is a written arbitration agreement reviewed by legal counsel.
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Employers may choose to adopt arbitration practices for many reasons. One is the rising cost of legal fees associated with fighting employment-related disputes. Another is to ensure employees receive due process. Regardless of the reasons, arbitration best practices include a waiver of employee right to sue after an agreement has been settled; the use of a professional, neutral arbitrator; and a signed, written agreement that has been approved by counsel.
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Question: Which of the following should not be included in an employee's regular personnel file because of privacy concerns?
A. Application for employment
B. Historical records older than three years
C. Medical benefits claims data
D. Performance reviews
Answer: C. Companies must take steps to address employee privacy concerns in all HR practices. This includes properly storing records that have information related to an employee's medical condition or history.
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Question: Of the following recognition programs, which is not entitlement-oriented?
A. Service awards
B. Employee of the month
C. Sales awards
D. Longevity bonus
Answer: C. Employee recognition practices are similar to pay practices in that they can be entitlement-oriented or performance-based. Recognition for sales efforts (quotas, new customers, account retention) is based on employee performance.
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Question: Multicultural work teams, training, and mentoring systems may all be part of what type of human resource program?
A. Diversity program
B. Climate program
C. Anti-harassment program
D. Equal Employment Opportunity program
Answer: A. Diversity programs have many components that, when combined, make them an effective tool used to promote a positive organizational culture. These components can include committees, work teams, training, mentoring, and the evaluation of results for reporting and refinement.
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Question: Discourteous behavior can quickly escalate to which of the following problems?
A. Unlawful harassment
B. Violation of a company's code of conduct
C. Workplace violence
D. All of the above
Answer: D. What starts out as mere lack of etiquette or discourteous behavior can quickly escalate if left unchecked. For this reason, it is imperative that HR address expected standards of behavior in an employee handbook as well as in practice.
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Question: The company you work for gives all employees an annual bonus right around Christmas time. The amount is dependent upon company profitability. This effort is best represented by which of the following?
A. A generous employer
B. An entitlement-oriented incentive
C. A company recognition program
D. A way to keep overtime costs down
Answer: C. Employee recognition programs can be individually based or company-wide. They can be especially effective when employees understand how their behaviors contributed to the company's success.
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Question: Under which of the following conditions may an employer avoid a claim of defamation when providing an employment reference for a former employee?
A. When the information shared is truthful
B. When the employer provides only dates of employment and a job title
C. When the employer has received written authorization from the employee to disclose personnel information
D. All of the above
Answer: D. The best defense against a claim of defamation is to be truthful, clear, and unequivocal when providing an employment reference. Many employers are also able to avoid a charge of defamation by only giving out information that is factual, such as dates of employment or a job title. In some cases, former employees will provide written authorization for a previous employer to share information from their personnel record, providing some management of risk against a defamation charge.
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Question: In a union environment, an employee who believes that he has been unfairly passed over for promotion should file which of the following?
A. A complaint
B. A grievance
C. A charge of discrimination
D. A charge of harassment
Answer: B. A grievance is a formal written complaint filed when an employee has moved beyond simply feeling dissatisfied. In a union environment, HR and the union will most likely have a formal grievance procedure.
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Question: An employee is called to his supervisor's office, believing that he will be disciplined. Accordingly, he requests that his union steward be present for the meeting. His supervisor denies the request, violating which of the following employee rights?
A. Statutory
B. Due process
C. Weingarten
D. Privacy
Answer: C. Named after the court case that established them, Weingarten rights grant covered employees the right to have representation in disciplinary meetings.
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Question: What recourse is available for an employee who was denied his Weingarten rights and, in the process, was terminated?
A. Reinstatement
B. The right to sue for criminal damage
C. The right to sue for civil damages
D. Back pay and reinstatement
Answer: D. If an employee is dismissed or otherwise harmed by a decision that violated his rights to representation in disciplinary meetings, he may be entitled to back pay and reinstatement.
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Question: Which of the following is occurring when a third party settles disputes that occur as the result of differences in the interpretation of a collective bargaining agreement?
A. Collective bargaining
B. Labor negotiations
C. Labor strike
D. Grievance arbitration
Answer: D. Grievance arbitration involves a neutral third party to settle disputes that are rooted in different interpretations of a labor contract. This process is different from issues arbitration, which utilizes a neutral third party to settle disputes regarding how a contract will be written.
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Question: Engineers, nurses, and physicians would most likely belong to what type of union?
A. Nongovernmental
B. Professional
C. Industrial
D. Services
Answer: B. As a result of the general decline in union membership over the years, unions have targeted specific industries and types of workers. The unionization of professional workers such as nurses and engineers are examples of this.
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Question: Janitors, building cleaners, and meatpacking workers are examples of which groups targeted by unions over the last several years?
A. Low skilled
B. Professional
C. Contingent
D. Part-time
Answer: A. Unions have successfully organized low-skilled workers mainly because of the hard work, low pay, and difficult working conditions characterized by these types of jobs.
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Question: A shift of a union's focus to issues of pay equity and flexible work arrangements is most likely an effort to organize which type of worker?
A. Millennials
B. Blue collar
C. Women
D. Liberal
Answer: C. The growing percentage of women in the workforce has forced unions to alter their focus on issues that matter to this demographic. These issues include child, paid family leave, maternity leave, pay equity, and flexible work arrangements, just to name a few.
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Question: Which disciplinary approach establishes the expectation in employees that they will progress through a series of steps when being disciplined?
A. Positive
B. Progressive
C. Coaching
D. Self
Answer: B. Progressive discipline policies involve the establishment of a series of steps. These steps often include some variation of a series of verbal, written, and final written warnings that, if unmet, will eventually result in termination.
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Question: Which of the following are formal systems designed to obtain employee feedback?
A. Suggestion systems
B. Focus groups
C. Surveys
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Gathering feedback is an important element of employee relations systems. It is the only way HR may design or recommend changes that will truly influence employee satisfaction. Common ways to obtain feedback include suggestion boxes, focus groups, and employee surveys.
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Question: Technological methods with which to obtain employee feedback include which of the following?
A. Focus groups
B. Teleconferencing
C. Videos
D. Instant messaging
Answer: B. The rise of technology has opened up many digital options for HR seeking to obtain employee feedback. Teleconferencing involves satellite technology that is designed to link facilities and groups for the purpose of exchanging feedback, information, and ideas.
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Question: Internal methods of communicating with employees include which of the following?
A. Intranet postings
B. Newsletters
C. Instant messaging
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Organizations have many internal options to choose from when needing to communicate with their talent. These methods include employee newsletters, videos, and postings on company intranets, memos, and staff meetings.
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Question: Taylor has been frequently absent from work over the last three months, so much so that she has violated the company's attendance policy. The supervisor has come to you for advice on how to proceed. Which of the following options puts the company at the most risk?
A. Discuss with the supervisor the reasons for the absences
B. Review with the supervisor any relevant documentation
C. Review the days missed to look for trends
D. Proceed directly with the discipline
Answer: D. At the center of taking any action against a worker is the need to consider employee rights. In this scenario, there are several labor laws that may be applicable for Taylor's case. At this stage, HR's best role is to help the supervisor gather and review as much relevant information as possible before making a decision to proceed with the discipline.
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Question: Which of the following is the role of a supervisor—not human resources—when disciplining an employee?
A. Make the decision to discipline
B. Train managers on disciplinary actions
C. Design disciplinary procedures
D. Understand labor laws related to employee rights
Answer: A. HR often serves in an advisory capacity when the need for discipline arises. Generally, it is up to the direct supervisor or manager to ultimately make the decision to discipline their employee.
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Question: The best discipline could be described as which of the following?
A. Training
B. Self-discipline
C. Progressive
D. All of the above
Answer: B. Most employees genuinely want to succeed in their work environment. When they clearly understand the behavioral expectations and outcomes, most will apply the proper levels of self-discipline to be successful in their jobs.
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Question: Chuck has been struggling with having a positive attitude at work. You and his supervisor met with Chuck to make him aware of the behavioral expectations. As a result, Chuck's attitude improves. This approach is a characteristic of which type of discipline?
A. Counseling
B. Progressive
C. Positive
D. Mentoring
Answer: C. Positive discipline approaches are characterized by constructive partnerships between the employee, manager, and human resources. The goal is to clearly communicate the expectations for behavior and engage in joint problem-solving.
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Question: Of the following, which is the most challenging issue when implementing a positive discipline approach?
A. Gaining employee buy-in
B. Monitoring for consistent practices
C. Writing a legally compliant policy
D. The time it takes to train managers
Answer: D. The positive approach to discipline focuses on joint problem-solving as opposed to a series of progressive consequences of employee behavioral issues. It requires extensive training for managers and supervisors to both understand and apply behavioral science theories such motivation and performance coaching.
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Question: You are the senior labor relations specialist at your place of work, and the company has an existing progressive discipline policy and practice. Under this policy, which of the following employee offenses would most likely lead to immediate termination?
A. Falsifying an employment application
B. Insubordination
C. Safety rule violation
D. Excessive tardiness
Answer: A. Progressive discipline policies include a series of steps (verbal, written, final written, etc.) to address employee performance deficiencies. There are certain egregious offenses, however, in which an employee may be immediately discharged. These include falsifying an employment application, theft, and alcohol or drug use at work.
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Question: Why might a manager be reluctant to discipline an employee?
A. Fear of conflict
B. Guilt
C. Fear of lawsuits
D. All of the above
Answer: D. There are many reasons managers may hesitate to discipline their employees. Some supervisors are not effective conflict managers, while others may know that they (and others) are guilty of similar offenses. The fear of the company or they themselves being sued may also influence a manager's decision to take corrective action to resolve negative employee behaviors.
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Question: Which of the following are mandatory notices for an employee who has been discharged?
A. COBRA notification
B. Severance agreement
C. Employee Change in Status form
D. Both A and C
Answer: A. Notification requirements at the time of employee separation can vary greatly between federal and state regulations as well as between individual employer practices. Of the options, only the COBRA notification for continuation of health benefits is federally mandated for covered employers.
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Question: To be effective, HR policies should be which of the following?
A. Effective
B. Relevant
C. Legal
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Written policies for the sake of having policies can cause employers all sorts of problems, from implementation to managing risk. It is important that human resources evaluate all current and potential policies to ensure that they are relevant, effective, and legal.
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Question: You received an urgent call from management saying that the surveillance system caught an employee downloading a customer list to a thumb drive. What should you advise?
A. Confront the employee and immediately search them and their belongings.
B. Call the police.
C. Confront the employee and show the proof of the theft.
D. Nothing; employee surveillance is unlawful.
Answer: C. HR is often called in to help with investigations of employee wrongdoing. Of the options presented, confronting the employee and showing the proof of the theft should be enough to either get the employee to confess or to terminate the employee for cause.
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Question: How are procedures different from policies?
A. Procedures are general guidelines for employee behaviors.
B. Policies are more specific than procedures.
C. Procedures are more specific than policies.
D. There is no difference.
Answer: C. Policies are general guidelines for both company and employee behaviors. Procedures, on the other hand, are more specific practices of how processes should be completed or systems should be implemented.
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Question: Your company handbook includes the statement "Employees are prohibited from alcohol use at work." This is an example of which of the following?
A. Policy
B. Procedure
C. Rule
D. All of the above
Answer: C. A rule is a specific guideline that serves to restrict certain employee behaviors. Often found in the handbook under "Code of Conduct," rules are written so there is very little interpretation needed as to their meaning.
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Question: Which of the following phrases should be eliminated from a company handbook?
A. Permanent employee
B. Probation period
C. No social media use
D. All of the above
Answer: D. There are many risks that can be created simply by the language used in a company handbook. The term permanent employee dilutes employment at will, and a probationary period—as opposed to an introductory period—does the same. Prohibiting social media use completely can erode an employee's right to engage in protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act.
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Question: "This employee handbook is not intended to be part of a contract..." is being used in an employee handbook to preserve which of the following?
A. Employee rights
B. Employer rights
C. Employment at will
D. The public policy exception
Answer: C. Disclaimers such as the one in the question are used to preserve the nature of at-will employment between the employer and employee.
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Question: Your company CEO recorded a "state of the company" video and asked you to post it on the company intranet. This is an example of what type of communication?
A. Upward communication
B. Downward communication
C. Electronic communication
D. Digital communication
Answer: B. Downward communication flows from executives, managers, and supervisors down to the employees.
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Question: A safety suggestion system is an example of which of the following?
A. Employee survey
B. Downward communication
C. Upward communication
D. Incentive
Answer: C. Any type of suggestion system allows an upward flow of communication from employees to management.
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Question: The large hotel you work for asks guests to complete cards commenting on the level of service they received from the workers. These results are most likely used by human resources to do what?
A. Recognize employees
B. Discipline employees
C. Refine procedures
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Gathering feedback from both internal and external sources is a critical task for human resources. Feedback can be used to recognize, reward, and discipline employees but also to inform organizational decision-making to improve procedures.
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Question: Which of the following requires employers to provide jobs and a workplace environment that are free from recognized safety and health hazards?
A. An emergency action plan
B. The Control of Hazardous Energy standard
C. The General Duty standard
D. The Hazard Communication standard
Answer: C. The General Duty standard emphasizes the need for employers to protect employees from hazards, even in the absence of a specific directive (standard) to do so. In addition, they have a general duty to comply with all applicable standards that pertain to their workplace.
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Question: Workplace violence, theft, and computer hackers are all classified as which of the following types of risk?
A. Security
B. Health
C. Safety
D. Financial
Answer: A. Security risks are those that affect the financial, physical, informational, or human assets of an organization.
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Question: Which of the following types of risk is associated with embezzling?
A. Legal
B. Safety and health
C. Security
D. Workplace privacy
Answer: C. Security risks are associated with financial operations and practices in addition to securing the physical assets of a business.
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Question: The controller of your organization was caught paying herself for additional vacation time that was never authorized or approved. Additionally, she coded the transactions so that they did not show up under G&A payroll but rather as a production expense. This is an example of which of the following?
A. Fraudulent activity
B. Deception
C. Forgery
D. Misrepresentation of financial statements
Answer: A. Employee embezzlement or theft is a type of fraud committed against the employer and is subject to prosecution.
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Question: Natural disasters and terrorism are both threats to which of the following?
A. Employee safety and health
B. Resource availability
C. Business continuity
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Incidents such as natural disasters, terrorism, workplace violence, and loss of utilities are threats to more than just employee safety. These events may disrupt services from resources such as police and fire, as well as impact a business's ability to continue offering services or shipping products.
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Question: A review of the human capital management plan (HCMP) is most likely to occur in what type of audit?
A. Risk assessment
B. HR
C. GAAP
D. Internal revenue (tax)
Answer: B. A human resource audit is a type of assessment used to gather information about an organization that can be used in decision-making. Evaluating the HCMP is useful to gather data about employee skillsets and future plans to make decisions about current and future staffing levels.
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Question: As the HR manager for a small construction firm, you have begun to notice an increase in falls at various work sites. So far, no one has been seriously injured; in fact, the employees joke about their "close calls." Which of the following should you do?
A. Discipline employees for not taking safety risks seriously
B. Conduct worksite inspections to identify potential fall hazards
C. Retrain employees in your company's fall protection procedures
D. Nothing yet, as no injuries have occurred
Answer: B. Any time there is an uptick in near misses, a company should take notice. Encouraging employees to speak up will help identify potential hazards and allow for a preventive response. Site walk-throughs can help identify hazards, as well as give HR the opportunity to talk with employees about what might help to keep a near miss from becoming an injury.
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Question: The manager of the marketing department established a goal for his staff that directed them to double unique web traffic to the website within 90 days. If they accomplish this goal, the department will evenly split a bonus among them. The manager is most likely using which performance management technique?
A. SMART
B. MBO
C. 360
D. Forced distribution
Answer: B. Management by objectives (MBO) is characterized by an agreement between a manager and employee that ideally cascades down from a company's strategic plan.
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Question: Why is it important to have a nonunion philosophy statement?
A. It supports an open door policy for employees to discuss wages and working conditions directly with the employer.
B. It gives employers the opportunity to respond to dissatisfiers prior to the relationship becoming adversarial.
C. Once a union has petitioned for an election, an employer's right to communicate is restricted.
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Employers often hesitate to even mention the word union for fear that it will give the employees ideas. However, a nonunion philosophy serves to communicate to employees the employer's desire to hear their grievances directly and provides the employer with the opportunity to respond before they are required to do so under strict regulations.
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Question: One of the company's best performers is extremely self-managed and able to follow all rules and procedures with very little direction or feedback. This employee is most likely high in which personality characteristic?
A. Neuroticism
B. Conscientiousness
C. Awareness
D. Emotional intelligence
Answer: B. In personality theory, conscientiousness has been linked to successful employee outcomes. This trait is characterized by employees who follow all rules and procedures and have a general sense of care about the well-being of others.
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Question: Organizational citizenship behaviors are marked by which of the following individual characteristics?
A. Sportsmanship, altruism, and conscientiousness
B. Courtesy, civic virtue, and pride
C. Conscientiousness, courtesy, and altruism
D. Conscientiousness, civic virtue, and emotional intelligence
Answer: C. Organizational citizenship behaviors have been linked to individual traits including conscientiousness, courtesy, altruism, sportsmanship, and civic virtue.
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Question: The investment of physical, emotional, and cognitive resources best describes which of the following?
A. Employee engagement
B. Job satisfaction
C. Organizational commitment
D. Employee relations
Answer: A. Employee engagement is a term that has lacked coherent application in many organizations. Organizational scientists have found some agreement, however, in that engagement behaviors include the investment of personal energies such as physical, emotional, and cognitive into the work tasks themselves.
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Question: Which of the following terms describes an organization that is rigidly devoted to polices, rules, and procedures?
A. Centralized
B. Formal
C. Decentralized
D. Bureaucratic
Answer: D. A bureaucratic organization is one that is characterized by administrative workflow, rigid policies, and procedures. These types of structures evolved from the shift of small family-owned farms and businesses to organizations that employed hundreds of people as the result of the Industrial Revolution.
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Question: Which of the following conditions is most likely to improve employee productivity according to humanistic theories of motivation?
A. More qualified supervisors
B. Improved tools and equipment
C. Management attention and feedback
D. Equal rewards
Answer: C. The focus of the humanistic theories of motivation is on the psychological conditions under which people work. According to these theories, the psychological conditions under which employees work are just as important as the environmental conditions.
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Question: The consideration of employee inputs, work processes, and outputs are at the heart of which category of organizational theories?
A. Systems
B. Humanistic
C. Bureaucratic
D. Relational
Answer: A. Systems theories view organizations as a "whole" entity as opposed to focusing on a single part. These theories consider the inputs, the throughputs, and the outputs of a company along with the context (political, economic) in which they perform.
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Question: Which of the following intervention strategies should you recommend to an employer wanting to improve creativity and innovation in the workplace?
A. Create a bonus program.
B. Increase diversity.
C. Improve the quality of tools and equipment to encourage these outcomes.
D. Allow employees to adjust their schedules based on project needs.
Answer: B. Traditional application of many motivation theories is based on increasing rewards or punishment. Studies have found that this does not work when it comes to improving creativity; in fact, it actually narrows the focus to simply getting the reward. Increasing diversity has been shown to open up creative processes by gaining multiple perspectives and different ways of thinking.
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Question: The desire to do something that matters is an example of what type of reward?
A. Psychological
B. Direct
C. Extrinsic
D. Intrinsic
Answer: D. Intrinsic rewards are those that come from within. Employees who perform because they like the work or take pride in their effort are said to be intrinsically motivated.
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Question: Which of the following management techniques should you recommend to an employer that requires immediate compliance from their employees, such as for air traffic controllers or emergency dispatchers?
A. Decentralized
B. Self-direction
C. Open systems
D. Traditional
Answer: D. Management as a practice has had to evolve as the nature of business has evolved. Traditional forms of management made up of hierarchies, policies, and rules are most effective in environments where high degrees of compliance are necessary or desired.
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Question: The customer service representatives at your business are experiencing high degrees of burnout because 90 percent of their calls are from disgruntled customers. Which of the following is the most likely source of their burnout?
A. Low emotional intelligence
B. High degree of emotional labor
C. Negative collective affect
D. Low pay
Answer: B. Emotional labor is the degree of effort it takes to manage emotions at work. In customer service settings, for example, an employee may get frustrated with an angry customer but must mask their true feelings to meet customer demands.
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Question: An employee complains to their supervisor that another employee is always late, stating that "it must be because he is lazy and just doesn't want to come to work." The next day, the complaining employee was late, and when asked why, he stated that "construction on his normal commute was heavier than usual that day." The complaining employee is most likely making what type of error?
A. Values-based
B. Discrimination
C. Bias
D. Fundamental attribution
Answer: D. The fundamental attribution error states that people have a tendency to attribute other people's negative behavior to an internal character flaw and their own negative behaviors to a cause of the situation.
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Question: The president of the company you work for wants to embark on a cost savings initiative throughout all departments. All employees will receive a percentage of the savings at the end of the year. This is an example of what type of compensation program?
A. Deferred compensation
B. Gain-sharing
C. Discretionary bonus
D. Commission
Answer: B. A gainsharing plan is a type of compensation that is tied to performance. It can be the result of either increased revenue or cost-saving activities.
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Question: Which of the following theories of motivation looks at how people compare their efforts with their rewards?
A. Equity
B. Intrinsic
C. Extrinsic
D. Systems
Answer: A. Equity theories of motivation pivot on the idea that employees are motivated most by when their inputs (what they put into the job) are equal to the rewards (what they receive in return).
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Question: Many employees are struggling to perform under the new management structure that has recently been put into place. Their primary concern is that they don't know how long the new structure will hold, simply because the company has tried it before and it didn't work. As a result, they are hesitant to invest too much effort into the new requirements. This is an example of which of the following conditions of change?
A. Freezing
B. Norming
C. Change uncertainty
D. Change avoidance
Answer: C. Change uncertainty is a source of stress for employees that is directly tied to changes in the workplace. It occurs in the context of employees being uncertain as to how a change will affect them personally, their department, or the company as a whole.
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Question: Organizational development is made up of which of the following scientific domains?
A. Social psychology
B. Industrial-organizational psychology
C. Applied psychology
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Organizational development consists of a series of interventions that may address strategic, operational, or human resource-style challenges. As a result, OD consists of scientific theories designed to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being, all of which must be applied in a workplace setting.
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Question: Fill in the blanks: _____________ are a creative tool used for brainstorming that is more restrictive than _____________.
A. Focus groups; employee surveys
B. Nominal groups; the Delphi technique
C. Employee surveys; focus groups
D. Mind-maps; the Medici approach
Answer: B. Nominal groups and the Delphi technique are often confused with one another. A nominal group can meet face to face, but the discussions are more tightly controlled/facilitated than in the Delphi approach. Both are used to reach consensus in decision-making.
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Question: A local gym recently sold the rights to another company to use their name, supply chain resources, and workflow processes in another city. This is an example of what type of business structure?
A. Subsidiary
B. Merger
C. Joint venture
D. Franchising
Answer: D. Franchising is a business structure in which one company licenses the rights to another business to use their brand, supply chain, and workflow practices. Ownership remains separate in this type of structure.
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Question: Which of the following types of budgets starts from scratch each year?
A. Incremental
B. Bottom up
C. Zero-based
D. Top-down
Answer: C. Zero-based budgets are not built upon the previous year's spending. This approach allows departments to build budgets that are more in line with a company's strategic plan and business objectives.
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Question: Cost savings, availability of talent, and specialized expertise are all reasons for HR to recommend which of the following staffing strategies?
A. Co-sourcing
B. Temporary workers
C. Professional employer organizations
D. Part-time workers
Answer: A. Co-sourcing is an alternative staffing strategy that can lend itself to several positive outcomes. Often used when talent is scarce or for project-based work, co-sourcing can result in cost savings when leveraged properly.
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Question: Which of the following is an example of a business operating expense?
A. Salaries
B. Rent
C. Software licenses
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Business operating expenses such as salaries, rent, equipment, technology, benefits, and more all make up a company's overhead. For HR purposes, labor is often the largest expense, followed closely by employee benefits.
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Question: In your HR department, one employee is responsible for recruiting, selection, and safety; another is responsible for performance management; and a third person is responsible for employee relations and separations. This is an example of what element of a business structure?
A. Span of control
B. Hierarchy of authority
C. Division of labor
D. Generalists and specialists
Answer: C. Division of labor is a term that identifies the responsibilities of each individual within a department or company.
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Question: Which of the following is not an example of a line manager?
A. HR manager
B. Production manager
C. Sales manager
D. All of the above are line managers.
Answer: A. The key distinction between line and staff management is revenue generation. Line managers are those who are responsible for processes and people who generate revenue for a business. Staff managers are those who support line managers such as accounting, IT, and HR.
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Question: Which of the following sources of data should you trust the most when it comes to building wage bands?
A. Professional wage surveys
B. Government wage data tables
C. Internet sources such as salary.com or monster.com
D. Local industry groups
Answer: B. There are many external sources of information related to how HR makes decisions. In terms of credibility, HR should rely on evidence-based tools such as governmental, academic, or scientific resources that have been proven valid and reliable.
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Question: You are in the final decision-making meeting related to the hiring of a budget analyst. The salary range for the position is between $80,000 and $120,000, and you didn't really plan to pay on the high end. During negotiations, the applicant states that she is looking for a minimum of $130,000 plus bonus. As a result, you decide to offer the candidate a starting salary of $115,000. Which type of bias has possibly occurred?
A. Confirmation bias
B. Availability bias
C. Anchoring bias
D. No bias occurred because you were still within range.
Answer: C. Anchoring bias in negotiations occurs when an individual starts with a higher dollar amount, thus anchoring that amount in your mind as a starting point. In this case, you did not plan to pay on the high end of the range, but the candidate starting point was high enough to get you to change your behavior and offer more than intended.
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Question: Knowledge, experience, and future competencies of employees all represent which of the following?
A. Human capital
B. Human resources
C. Interpersonal skills
D. Psychological capital
Answer: A. Employee knowledge, talents, and skills that add value to an organization all make up what is called human capital. The availability of future skillsets for which an employer may compete is included in this category; for this reason, human capital management plans focus on both acquiring and retaining a qualified workforce.
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Question: By keeping the principles of VUCA in mind—conditions that are volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—what type of talent acquisition strategy should HR business partners develop?
A. Single-scenario planning
B. Multiple-scenario planning
C. Best-case scenario planning
D. Worst-case scenario planning
Answer: B. VUCA conditions are the "new normal" for business and HR. The best answer then is to plan for multiple scenarios and outcomes, including both best- and worst-case situations.
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Question: New hires at the giant retailer for which you work are told that "putting employees first" is the company's highest value. Which of the following conditions would most directly contradict this company value?
A. Lack of time-off flexibility
B. Multiple lawsuits from former employees
C. Refusing to accommodate military leave requests
D. Highly routinized jobs in which employees are easily replaced
Answer: A. While all the conditions in the options contribute to high turnover, lack of non-legally required time-off flexibility for employees is the most contradictory to a company that states that serving employees is their highest value.
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Question: What is the main benefit of transactional onboarding practices?
A. Employee acculturation
B. Increased retention in the first six months of employment
C. Improved employee satisfaction
D. Making processes more efficient
Answer: D. Transactional orientation and onboarding practices include automating processes such as Form I-9 and W-4 processing. Transactional practices increase efficiencies through automation while at the same time helping employers manage the risks associated with processing errors.
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Question: A corporation that franchises its business model also requires its franchisees to use their computer system to process employee payroll. This practice is most likely to trigger which of the following conditions?
A. A claim of indirect control
B. The ostensible agency theory
C. Joint employment liability
D. All of the above
Answer: D. As McDonald's Corporation discovered, certain practices with its franchisees led to a charge that the corporation indirectly controlled the conditions of employees, causing them to "ostensibly" believe that they were employees of McDonald's Corporation, not only of the franchise. For this reason, the National Labor Relations Board revised their definition of joint employment, and franchise employees were allowed to sue the corporation and franchisee in a class action wage and hour lawsuit.
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Question: What is the primary difference between andragogy and pedagogy—how adults and children learn?
A. Adults learn using visual, auditory, and tactile skills; children are mostly tactile.
B. Adults collect information for immediate use; children acquire general knowledge to be used in the future.
C. Adults are dependent upon others to acquire useful knowledge; children are more independent and explorative.
D. There are no real differences between adult and child learning principles.
Answer: B. Malcolm Knowles conducted foundational research in andragogy—how adults learn. One finding was that adults orient toward learning that is focused on practical problem-solving or immediate use. Children, however, are taught to orient more toward general knowledge to be used at a future date.
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Question: An employer who seeks to pay all employees within the 50th percentile of the labor market is using what type of compensation strategy?
A. Quartile
B. Entitlement
C. Performance
D. Equity
Answer: A. A quartile compensation strategy seeks to align wage bands to the relevant labor market. It relies on valid market data to properly build wage ranges, from which employee pay decisions are made.
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Question: A cost-of-living pay adjustment is the best example of what type of compensation strategy?
A. Quartile
B. Entitlement
C. Performance
D. Equity
Answer: B. Entitlement forms of pay are those that reward employees for years of service or for loyalty. A cost-of-living adjustment is not given based on any particular performance criteria; therefore, it is a form of entitlement pay.
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Question: The large bank you work for has reached out to its major competitors to see whether they would all agree to not pay above the 25th percentile for all management positions. This, they argue, will allow each institution to fairly compete for talent. This agreement is most likely to come under fire from which agency?
A. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
B. The Department of Labor
C. The Department of Justice
D. The National Labor Relations Board
Answer: C. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for litigation related to violations of the Sherman Antitrust act. This act prohibits price fixing of any sort, including market-based pay.
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Question: Technocorp Inc. is located in the Silicon Valley of California but shares 51 percent of its ownership with a parent company in Puerto Rico. This is most likely what type of business entity?
A. Multinational corporation
B. Franchise
C. Joint venture
D. Foreign subsidiary
Answer: D. A foreign subsidiary is a legal term defining ownership. A company that is more than 50 percent owned or controlled by a parent company in another country is a foreign subsidiary.
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Question: Fiduciary responsibility applies to which of the following?
A. A human resource professional
B. A board of directors
C. A chief financial officer
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Fiduciary responsibility applies to many individuals with positions of authority within an organization. Fiduciary responsibility requires that these individuals act without self-interest, making quality decisions that serve all company stakeholders.
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Question: Overpopulation, poverty, and lack of clean water are all global issues that many businesses are tackling with the help of which of the following?
A. Community organizers
B. Nongovernment organizations (NGOs)
C. Agencies such as the American Red Cross
D. Other business leaders
Answer: B. Nongovernment organizations are gaining in popularity as a tool to help global and multinational businesses engage in social responsibility initiatives. NGOs are typically nonprofit, voluntary, and independent of any particular government.
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Question: Many employers are researching and switching to health insurance captives for which of the following reasons?
A. It can control costs of health insurance.
B. It allows employers to purchase stop-loss insurance for larger claims.
C. Claims data is more controlled and thus utilized to make decisions about benefits.
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Many experts believe that the use of self-funded health insurance "captives" will only continue to grow. This is because businesses are finding that they can more effectively control the cost of benefits plans through the use of data to shape benefits offerings to employees and predict exposure. It also allows employers to purchase stop-loss insurance, which can be used to cover the costs of catastrophic years.
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Question: Wendy is the director of HR at a large multinational corporation. She extended the open enrollment period for benefits to accommodate her spouse, who required a different plan. This is an example of which of the following?
A. Breach of company trust
B. Exercising a choice-of-law clause
C. Breaking the law
D. Unethical conduct
Answer: D. Human resource professionals have high ethical standards that must be adhered to. This includes not using their decision-making authority to meet personal needs or commitments.
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Question: Fill in the blanks: _____________ refers to the way an employee feels when working on job tasks, whereas _____________ refers to an evaluation of the organization as a whole.
A. Work engagement; organizational commitment
B. Organizational commitment; work engagement
C. Work engagement; job satisfaction
D. Job satisfaction; work engagement
Answer: A. Many HR practitioners and businesses use the terms work engagement and job satisfaction interchangeably. Organizational science has found that work engagement refers to how employees feel about the job tasks, whereas organizational commitment refers to how employees feel about the company as a whole.
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Question: Which of the following is the most fundamental component of workforce planning?
A. Job pricing
B. Job design
C. Job evaluation
D. Job analysis
Answer: D. Job analysis is the process used to define a job in terms of its component tasks from which all other HR practices and strategies may be built.
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Question: When calculating the number of new hires in a 12-month period, you drop the oldest number when a recent month is added. This is an example of what type of quantitative analysis?
A. Mean
B. Central tendency
C. Rolling average
D. Weighted average
Answer: C. A rolling average—sometimes called a moving average—is used to calculate an average for a specific period of time. In this scenario, as a new month is added, the oldest number is dropped.
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Question: Which of the following tools should you first use when considering the integration of an HRIS system into your workplace?
A. Results from a needs analysis
B. The ROI of the system
C. An RFP
D. The proposed system's features and benefits
Answer: A. When considering the implementation of any new technology, HR must consider the needs that the company is seeking to meet. A needs analysis will provide information to help calculate the return on the investment, as well as identify what information suppliers should include in a request for proposal.
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Question: A business case can help management make better-quality decisions because it does which of the following?
A. Communicates how a plan will influence operational efficiencies
B. Provides multiple options for solving a business problem
C. Describes possible risks that could result from taking action
D. Quantitatively analyzes relevant HR trends
Answer: C. The main purpose of building a business case is to help an employer make a decision on a particular course of action. This includes a description of the potential risks of taking—or in some cases, not taking—action.
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Question: Under what conditions should you recommend that an employer require an employee to take a polygraph test?
A. If you believe an employee is under the influence of a drug at work
B. If you believe the controller embezzled funds
C. If an employee accuses another employee of violent behavior
D. Never, because polygraph tests are unlawful.
Answer: B. The Department of Labor allows private employers to commission polygraph tests for employees under certain conditions, including when an employee is suspected of theft or embezzlement. The administration of the test, however, must be done by a licensed professional, with the results kept confidential.
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Question: The company you work for prefers a flat-line decision-making structure. They strive to grant as much decision-making power to the employees as possible and tie pay directly to performance outcomes when possible. This is most likely what type of organization?
A. A high-involvement organization
B. A learning organization
C. An Internet start-up
D. A nonprofit
Answer: A. High-involvement organizations are those that seek to give authority to all levels of employees. These organizations are defined by flat-line structures, transparency, and pay for performance compensation programs.
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Question: Which of the following job characteristics contribute most to a sense of employee ownership over outcomes?
A. Task significance and autonomy
B. Autonomy and feedback
C. Skill variety and task identity
D. Task significance and feedback
Answer: B. The job characteristics model describes the influence of job design on worker engagement and ownership. Specifically, research has found that allowing employees to control their work (autonomy) and providing them with meaningful feedback increases a sense of responsibility and ownership of their jobs.
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Question: During training, you notice that an employee rapidly learns the new material that is exciting. After she has mastered the task, there is really not much else to learn. She most likely is experiencing which type of learning curve?
A. Positively accelerating
B. S-shaped
C. Plateau
D. Negatively accelerating
Answer: D. A negatively accelerating learning curve is characterized by rapid learning at the beginning of training, with a tapering off as the skills are mastered.
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Question: A large network software firm creates a program for women in leadership. Participants meet every month for a year to provide peer support toward taking on more leadership tasks or roles. At the end of the third year, more than 100 women have graduated from the program. This company is engaged in which of the following?
A. Diversity-based networking
B. Learning circles
C. Executive groups
D. Incubators
Answer: B. Learning circles are called many things (Socratic circles, quality circles, etc.), but all have a similar purpose. Learning circles are generally organized around a theme or purpose and are characterized by diversity, respect, and collaboration toward success in specific outcomes or targets.
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Question: Many states have recently adopted laws that forbid employers from asking applicants about their prior salary history. This is known as what type of law?
A. Anti-harassment laws
B. Wage and hour laws
C. Pay equity laws
D. Anti-discrimination laws
Answer: C. Pay equity laws are trending more and more in the United States. In this case, pay history bans are designed to reduce the systemic pay disparities between men and women—if women are paid unequally and employers pay based on salary history, it stands to reason then that asking about salary history will perpetuate the disparities.
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Question: Employee behavior will be affected by wages based upon which of the following?
A. If they can live comfortably on their base wages
B. If they are making more in their current jobs than they could working for competitors
C. The perception of what was earned versus what was discretionary
D. The perception that they are paid what they are worth
Answer: C. Organizational justice issues around compensation have an absolute impact on the nonmonetary value of total rewards. Justice issues include the manner in which rewards are allocated; employee behavior will be altered to the extent that rewards are earned and that rewards are discretionary.
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Question: The HR manager for whom you are responsible got upset after a disgruntled employee yelled at her. By the end of the day, however, she understood that the employee's anger had nothing to do with her and that he was just reacting to the situation. The HR manager is demonstrating which of the following elements of emotional intelligence?
A. Emotional regulation
B. Emotional labor
C. Self-awareness
D. Emotional support
Answer: A. Emotional intelligence is considered to have three aspects: self-awareness, other awareness, and emotional regulation. Emotional regulation is the ability of individuals to recover rapidly from an experienced emotion.
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Question: Which of the following statements regarding emotional intelligence (EI) is false?
A. EI is related to other types of intelligence, including IQ.
B. Employees have different levels of EI.
C. EI can be learned.
D. EI is highly predictive of employee performance.
Answer: D. Organizational science has spent a lot of time trying to understand the impact that emotional intelligence has on individual employee performance. A review of the studies found that there was only a modest correlation between EI levels and employee performance. Studies have found, however, that EI can be learned; it varies from individual to individual; and it is distinct from but positively related to other types of intelligence, such as IQ.
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Question: Which generation is more likely to value money and flexibility as career goals?
A. Generation X
B. Boomers
C. Millennials
D. Traditionalists
Answer: B. With multiple generations in the workplace, it can be difficult to balance the different priorities for career development. Boomers generally are seeking monetary gains and stability along with flexibility. Immediate rewards and career portability are valued by generation Xers, and millennials gravitate toward parallel careers and choice.
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Question: The diversity manager at the Fortune 500 company for which you work has asked for the EEO 1 reports showing the demographics of the new hires over the last six months. The diversity manager is considering what type of diversity?
A. Deep-level
B. Surface-level
C. Trait-based
D. Biological
Answer: B. Surface-level diversity is what many think of when they hear the term diversity, mainly because they are observable. Surface-level diversity includes traits such as sex, race, and age.
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Question: The values and attitudes held by employees has been shown by research to be positively correlated with overall performance. This is an example of what type of diversity at work?
A. Deep-level
B. Surface-level
C. Trait-based
D. Biological
Answer: A. Deep-level diversity includes the attitudes and beliefs of each individual. Studies have shown that when measured and understood, deep-level diversity factors may contribute more to individual and organizational performance than its counterpart, surface-level diversity.
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Question: Under which condition may an employer adopt a fluctuating work week to calculate employee pay?
A. For exempt employees to keep track of time
B. If the employee schedules actually fluctuate
C. For nonexempt workers who are paid a flat, biweekly sum
D. Never, because fluctuating workweeks are prohibited under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Answer: B. One main consideration for an employer seeking to adopt an alternative overtime pay calculation of the fluctuating workweek is whether the employee's schedule actually fluctuates on a week-to-week basis.
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Question: Of the following pairs of words, which are most likely to positively affect the collective attitude of a team?
A. Job involvement and employee engagement
B. Job enlargement and job enrichment
C. Fair pay and feedback
D. Social pressure and emotional contagion
Answer: D. Teams often take on a single personality made up of the job attitudes of its members. Social pressure from teammates can strengthen either a positive or negative team attitude. Emotional contagion occurs when a negative (or positive) mood infects the attitudes of a team.
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Question: You recently were informed that your company is being acquired by a major competitor. You have been authorized to put together an executive agreement that will pay the CEO to stay on board for a period of three years after the deal is finalized. This is an example of which executive compensation benefit?
A. Golden handcuff
B. Golden parachute
C. Golden life jacket
D. Golden handshake
Answer: C. Of the "golden" category of executive benefits, a lifejacket is used to ensure an executive remains with a company after an event such as a merger or acquisition.
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Question: Which of the following is the proper definition of phantom stock?
A. Employees are offered stock options as incentives but are not allowed to exercise them until they are fully vested.
B. Employees are incentivized based on the stock price but never actually earn shares.
C. Employees are offered stock shares at the strike price.
D. Employees are offered equity shares but must earn the ability to trade.
Answer: B. Phantom stock is one way to pay employees for company performance without having to grant actual shares.
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Question: The large construction company for which you work is struggling to find foremen in the ever-growing economy. They realize they are at risk to lose the ability to complete the several jobs they have on the books and so decide to increase field employee pay to the 90th percentile of the midrange market wage. This is an example of which of the following risk management strategies?
A. Mitigation
B. Avoidance
C. Acceptance
D. Transference
Answer: A. Risk mitigation techniques are focused on minimizing the risk, which in this case is losing good employees to competitors and being unable to satisfy their book of business.
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Question: Which of the following HR docs run the risk of creating an implied employment contract?
A. Job offers
B. Job descriptions
C. Performance reviews
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Implied contracts can be established if HR does not take care to word information properly. A best practice is to use statements of at-will employment on documents such as job offers and job descriptions. It is also important that supervisors and other performance raters are trained to avoid making performance statements such as "you'll have a job here for life if you keep performing this way" to avoid claims of an implied contract.
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Question: Predicting the consequences of an electricity outage at your place of work is the primary focus of which of the following business continuity planning tools?
A. Hazard assessment
B. Rapid response plan
C. Business impact analysis
D. Prevention plan
Answer: C. Assessing the business impact of any type of operational disruption (natural or man-made) is the focus of a business impact analysis (BIA). HR should consider lost or delayed sales or income, increased expenses (overtime, outsourcing), potential regulatory fines, and other impacts that may be the result of a business disruption.
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Question: The large manufacturer for which you work recently automated the high-hazard job that was the primary source of injury for employees. This is an example of what type of hazard control?
A. Administrative
B. Engineering
C. Training
D. PPE
Answer: B. Controls that are introduced to reduce workplace hazards may be administrative, engineering, or the requirement of personal protective equipment. In this example, a process was changed to reduce hazard exposure, which is a type of engineering control as defined by OSHA.
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Question: Glare and shadow controls are possible abatement strategies for which type of workplace hazard?
A. Lighting
B. Machinery
C. Electricity
D. Housekeeping
Answer: A. OSHA recommends that employers both inspect and respond to employee safety hazards that may exist due to poor lighting at workstations. This includes assessing the type and intensity of station lighting along with the presence (or lack of) glare/shadow controls that can contribute to eye strain.
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Question: The major hospital for which you work has asked you to create an educational resource for local employers to help prepare for an influenza pandemic. Which of the following would you recommend employers do to help prevent the spread of disease?
A. Mandate flu vaccines for all employees.
B. Encourage employees to stay home when sick.
C. Provide hand sanitizer to kill the germs.
D. All of the above
Answer: B. A global pandemic of the flu (such as H1N1 in 2009) is a threat that occurs when a new strain of the virus emerges. New strain pandemics are resistant to seasonal vaccines and can spread quickly. For that reason, employers should have flexible attendance policies that encourage workers to stay home when sick to avoid the spread of the disease.
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Question: The rise of sexual harassment claims in the news in 2018 is most likely going to lead to which of the following conditions?
A. More enforcement of existing anti-harassment laws
B. Increased training obligations of employers
C. An increase in claims of workplace harassment
D. Higher employee fines for wrongdoing
Answer: C. The high-profile nature of the multitude of 2017 and 2018 sexual harassment claims in the workplace is bound to change the organizational climate in some way. Anti-harassment and training responsibilities have been around for a long time, but the employer culture of retaliation seemed to discourage reporting in many of the cases. While difficult to predict, it seems that the stigma of reporting and increased credibility of worker charges forecasts an increase in harassment claims that HR departments should be prepared to investigate.
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Question: Tension headaches, absenteeism, and erratic behaviors are all signs of which of the following workplace safety hazards?
A. Substance abuse
B. Autoimmune disorders
C. Soft tissue injury
D. Stress
Answer: D. Stress due to work or non-work-related circumstances is a real issue that employer safety programs may need to address. According to the CDC, symptoms may include tension headaches, excessive absenteeism, unusual or out-of-character behaviors, crying, and difficulty making decisions.
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Question: Your American employer has asked you to identify the risk of global illness for expatriates working across the globe. Which HR tool should you use?
A. An international broker
B. Government resources
C. A self-inspection
D. A job hazard analysis
Answer: B. There are many methods employers may choose to conduct an assessment of the specific types of risks associated with sending expatriates to various parts of the world. In this case, the assessment may be begin by accessing the United States' Centers for Disease Control's global health website, which includes up-to-date information on the global health risks in various countries.
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Question: Which of the following groups contribute to the design and enforcement of workplace health and safety standards for multinational employers across Europe?
A. OSHA
B. Works councils
C. Labor unions
D. All of the above
Answer: D. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), trade unions, and works councils all have taken some measure of responsibility for designing and enforcing safety standards that protect workers.
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Question: Of the following HR tools, which is the first that you should use when trying to identify predictors of success in a job?
A. Job analysis
B. Job specifications
C. Job descriptions
D. Job evaluation
Answer: A. Job analysis serves as the fundamental starting point for many HR processes, both operationally and strategically. When done properly, job analysis both defines the work but also identifies the relevant criteria that are important for success. From that criteria, employment tests designed to predict performance can be selected.
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Question: Which of the following is quickly becoming the primary way employers vet job candidates in the 21st century?
A. Online videos
B. Apps
C. Social media
D. Job boards
Answer: C. Cyber-vetting is the process of using the Internet to determine an applicant's qualifications for a job. Some studies estimate that more than 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring.
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Question: What is a major advantage of having a return-to-work program for individuals with a non-work-related injury?
A. Increased compliance with workers' compensation laws
B. Preparing for stronger labor laws related to safety
C. Better individual management of work responsibilities
D. All of the above
Answer: C. Studies have found that by allowing individuals with non-work-related injuries to participate in return to work programs, these individuals feel more in control of their responsibilities at work. Helping individuals struggling with disabilities through RTW programs changes their focus from what is a "problem" to the tools they may use for effective management related to their work, attendance, and other outcomes.
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Question: One of your production managers uses incentives to reward employees for meeting operational objectives. This is the best example of which of the following leadership styles? A. Charismatic leadership B. Transactional leadership C. Laissez-faire leadership D. Authoritarian leadership Answer: B. Transactional leaders are characterized by a "this for that" style. These leaders use both rewards and discipline when necessary to accomplish organizational and departmental objectives. ================================================== Question: Consensual romantic relationships at work represent what type of risk? A. Intimate partner violence B. Unlawful treatment C. Sexual harassment D. None, because it's consensual Answer: C. Relationships at work, even those that are consensual, have the potential for issues in which HR will have to intervene. This includes the risk of sexual harassment should the relationship become unwanted by either party. ================================================== Question: The international gas utility company for which you direct HR does not have an organized health and safety program for its workers. What should be your first step? A. Focus on becoming compliant with international, federal, state, and local safety standards. B. Identify the employees who are most at risk and begin safety efforts with them. C. Obtain approval for a company-wide incentive program based on zero accidents or injuries. D. Meet with the workers' compensation brokers to assess the costs of lack of a safety program. See the answer Answer: B. In this high-risk industry, it would be prudent for human resources to begin building a safety program for those workers who are most at risk. This effort may include data collection, incentives, and compliance efforts as part of the overall intervention strategy. ================================================== Question: The food distribution center for which you work has seen an increase in the number of loading-dock workers reporting ankle injuries. What strategy would be most effective to reduce or eliminate the risk? A. Require employees to wear high-top steel-toed work boots. B. Review the injury records for patterns of unsafe behaviors. C. Conduct a root-cause analysis with a committee made up of dock workers. D. Ask the occupational clinic to come in and provide safety training. Answer: C. Any time there is an increase in injuries and accidents, HR should take the time to analyze for root causes. From this, hazard abatement strategies may be developed and could include new personal protective equipment requirements or worker training. ================================================== Question: The major Internet provider for which you are the VP of human resources has just experienced the largest customer and employee data breach in the history of the United States. In an effort to comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), you should first do what? A. Evaluate the areas where the company's data is still at risk for hackers B. Research credit monitoring services to offer affected individuals. C. Wait to notify investors until the executive team can sell their shares of company stock. D. Assess the depth of the data breach and notify investors as soon as is practicable. Answer: D. When a data breach of this magnitude occurs, it is important for HR to help the company respond in accordance with governing agencies but also in a manner that protects the interests of both the company and the affected individuals. ================================================== Question: Which of the following are examples of the physical assets that must be secured to prevent a cybersecurity attack? A. The employees B. The buildings C. The workstations D. The power lines Answer: C. Physical assets such as workstations and servers can be tracked and monitored as part of a company's efforts to prevent cyberattacks on sensitive company and customer data. ================================================== Question: Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps companies do what when it comes to data protection? A. Identify priorities when it comes to building a robust data security program B. Determine what skills in data security personnel to hire for C. Write policies that protect critical assets D. Purchase external layers of protections, making the data harder to breach Answer: A. Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps a company craft an effective data security program. Building controls for these assets may include policies, practices, and the deployment of internal and external resources, but it will be difficult to know where to deploy the resources without understanding what is most at risk/important. ================================================== Question: The hospital for which you work has hired an outside agency to staff the parking lot security posts. The guard works only at night and is unsupervised. Recently there has been a rash of attacks in the area against security guards in general. What steps should you take to protect this contingent worker from becoming a victim of workplace violence? A. Allow him to carry his personal gun while on duty. B. Install security cameras that are monitored from the inside. C. Make a business case to the board of directors that this post should have two workers at all times. D. Ask the employment agency to cover the costs of additional security recommendations. Answer: B. In this case, a team approach may work to help minimize an act of workplace violence. Security cameras can act as a deterrent to crime. Having the cameras internally monitored increases the ability for a quick response should an event occur. ================================================== Question: A major sandwich restaurant hires 15-year-old workers to operate a meat slicer. This may violate which of the following? A. The Food and Drug Administration B. Food Safety Management C. The Fair Labor Standards Act D. The Occupational Safety and Health Act Answer: C. The Fair Labor Standards Act addresses more than just legal compensation; it also limits the type of work that may be done by minors. In this example, a meat slicer is considered a hazardous job and is therefore prohibited for workers between the ages of 14 and 15. ================================================== Question: An employee has shared with her manager that she has been prescribed medicine for her bipolar disorder. Which labor laws may need to be considered on her behalf? A. The Americans with Disabilities Act B. The Occupational Safety and Health Act C. The Drug-Free Workplace Act D. Both A and B Answer: A. Mental illnesses are generally covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act and apply to employers with 15 or more employees. This employee may need to be reasonably accommodated as a result of her disability. ================================================== Question: A winery employs hundreds of seasonal, temporary workers that are processed through a staffing agency. Many of them will be working with hazardous chemicals. Which of the following should you do first to comply with OSHA's hazard communication standard? A. Ask the temporary agency to provide general hazardous material-handling training. B. Ensure that the same protections offered to regular workers are offered to temporary workers. C. Ask the agency to come inspect the facility to ensure it is a safe work environment. D. Communicate with the agency regarding what types of protection will be needed. Answer: D. Both the host company and the staffing agency have responsibilities to ensure the safety of individuals who will be working with hazardous materials. Communicating with the agency allows for a coordination of effort, including the need for protection, training, and verifying that the workers are going to a safe workplace. ================================================== Question: A software developer in the Midwest has decided to offer voluntary microchipping of their employees. The chips will be medically inserted into the individual's right hand and will allow employees to open doors, clock in, and even make purchases in the company cafeteria. What type of data is being collected? A. Biometric B. Personal C. Identity D. Medical Answer: C. There are several different ways information can be collected, stored, and eventually utilized in a 21st-century workplace. In this example, the company is using microchips to identify employees. ================================================== Question: Using the information from the previous question, what type of risk is the microchipping employer exposed to? A. Identity theft B. Privacy concerns C. Health risks D. All of the above Answer: D. With implantable technology, there are several types of risk that an employer may need to take steps to minimize. The capabilities and design of the microchip must be reviewed to ensure it does not send information about an employee, unlawfully track employee movements, or cause infection or other health issues. ================================================== Question: Which of the following mitigation efforts will improve data security? A. Purchasing EPL insurance B. A computer monitoring system of employee keystrokes C. Writing a policy that prohibits the sharing of passwords D. Not collecting the data at all Answer: C. In risk management, employers may seek to eliminate, mitigate, or transfer the risk. An example of a mitigation effort is one that reduces—but does not eliminate—the likelihood of a data breach. For that reason, an employer policy that prohibits the sharing of employee passwords is the best answer. ================================================== Question: In the wake of recent workplace violence episodes in the news, your executive team has requested that you put together a written plan that addresses what steps to take should an incident occur at one of your locations. You will most likely need what type of plan? A. Disaster recovery plan B. Incident response plan C. Business continuity plan D. All of the above Answer: B. A written incident response plan can be a critical part of a company's response system should an incident of workplace violence occur. An effective plan should identify manager and employee responsibilities, first responder resources, evacuation and head count procedures, and how to coordinate any media response. ================================================== Question: Your company has a written plan that details the manual workarounds for the company's accounting and payment systems should there be an emergency. This is an example that would be included in what type of plan? A. Business continuity B. Critical incident C. Disaster recovery D. Injury and illness Answer: A. A business continuity plan will most likely detail an information technology (IT) response to the enterprise system of a company. This is needed to get critical business processes that are based on technology back up and running as soon as possible after an incident. ================================================== Question: To comply with SEC rules at your place of business, you should do which of the following? A. Link executive pay to monthly performance measures. B. Disclose executive pay rates to all employees. C. Publish the ratio of executive to employee pay to shareholders. D. All of the above. Answer: C. The SEC adopted new executive pay ratio rules that went into effect in 2017. The rules require a public company to disclose the ratio of the median of the annual total compensation of all employees to the annual total compensation of the CEO. ================================================== Question: Which of the following statements is true about OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program (SPP)? A. It is a coalition of employee groups and unions. B. It is mandatory. C. It requires top management support. D. All of the above Answer: A. OSHA's voluntary Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) brings together unions and employers to adopt a cohesive set of safety standards that address safety hazards in the workplace. ================================================== Question: Of the following, which is most important when it comes to building an effective safety management program? A. Creating a safety culture B. Relevant policies, procedures, and rules C. Top management support D. Approval for personal protective equipment Answer: C. A safety program without the support of top management has an increased chance of failing to address the unique needs of the organization. For example, if the director of HR does not wear her safety glasses in the warehouse, it is unlikely that others will follow the rules either. ================================================== Question: A large employer with multiple facilities all across the United States has decided to raffle off a car at the end of the year. Employees will automatically get one entry for each week that they work without injury. Which of the following is the employer at risk for? A. Tax code violation B. Discrimination C. Retaliation D. None of the above Answer: C. Safety incentive programs that reward employees who do not get injured may inadvertently retaliate against those who do get hurt. Additionally, incentive programs that are too generous may discourage reporting of injuries. ================================================== Question: To be removed from OSHA's routine inspection list, which program should you recommend your employer join? A. Voluntary Protection Program B. Strategic Partnership Program C. Alliance Program D. Consultation Program Answer: A. OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is open to employers that have an effective, well-established safety program. If the employer is accepted into the program, the employer may be removed from routine, scheduled inspection lists. ================================================== Question: Employers have which of the following obligations with regard to international assignee protection? A. They must carry kidnap and ransom insurance for high hazard areas. B. They have a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to protect their expatriates. C. They must have a written crisis management plan in place. D. Employers have the same obligation for international assignees as they do for home country nationals. Answer: B. Employers have a global duty of care to keep international assignees safe. This obligation may take on many forms, but it generally must account for the unique needs of employees that travel or live abroad as part of their work responsibilities. ================================================== Question: Why might it be a good idea to work with an insurance broker if a company decides to place employees on international assignments? A. The broker can help build crisis response plans. B. The broker may have connections to negotiate in a crisis situation. C. The broker may have access to international resources should a medical emergency arise. D. All of the above Answer: D. An employer may decide to purchase additional types of insurance to accommodate the unique needs of international employees. Brokers who provide these types of policies often have resources far beyond the administrative, including navigating the need to negotiate should an event occur and medical or emergency travel services for the employee and family members should the need arise. ================================================== Question: Which of the following strategies would best be served by implementing an RTW program at your place of work? A. The ability to coordinate different types of leave B. Compliance with OSHA standards C. The need to reduce injuries and accidents in the workplace D. The desire to reduce the overall costs of workplace injuries Answer: D. A return-to-work program is one that returns an injured worker back to the job in a modified capacity. Once the injured employee is working modified duty, his pay comes from payroll as opposed to his wages being part of the overall compensation claim. ================================================== Question: Under what conditions may an injured worker's pay be reduced when accepting a modified duty assignment? A. Only if the injured worker is temporarily stationed at a job that normally pays a lower rate B. It depends on the laws of the state in which the injury occurred C. Only if they are doing so for a nonretaliatory reason D. All of the above Answer: D. There are some cases where it is entirely reasonable for an employer to pay a temporarily injured worker a lower wage while on a modified duty assignment. Employers that adopt this strategy must take care that no retaliation is occurring and that they are not violating the laws of the states in which the employee was injured. ================================================== Question: An injured worker has been told by his workers' compensation doctor that he is able to go back to work at full duty. The employee disagrees. What should you recommend? A. Sending him back to a doctor of his choice for a final recommendation B. Discussing an IME with the workers' compensation insurance C. A referral to the company's labor attorney D. Termination of employment if he does not return Answer: B. An independent medical exam (IME) is a useful tool when there is a dispute about an injured worker's abilities. Often binding, it is conducted by a neutral, third-party physician. ================================================== Question: Collective bargaining is best understood as which of the following? A. Implied contract B. Union responsibility C. Employer responsibility D. Statutory right Answer: D. The process of collective bargaining and the resulting agreement is a right granted to employees by way of specific law. In this example, the National Labor Relations Act granted individuals the right to organize and bargain collectively through a union. ================================================== Question: Freedom of speech, due process, and workplace safety are all examples of which of the following? A. Employee responsibilities B. Employee rights C. Employment contract clauses D. Constitutional rights Answer: B. Employee rights can be granted by both federal and state laws. These rights are considered to be absolute and cannot be compromised by employers without penalty or bargained away in an employment contract including a collective bargaining agreement. ================================================== Question: Which of the following agreements may employers have the most legal trouble enforcing? A. Nonsolicitation of current employees B. Arbitration agreements C. Employment contracts D. Noncompete agreements Answer: D. Noncompete agreements are clauses or documents that prohibit a separating employee from competing with the employer in the same line of business for a specified period of time. If these agreements are overly restrictive or in a state that does not allow an employer to prevent an employee from making a living, they may prove difficult to enforce. ================================================== Question: Under what conditions would you recommend to your employer that they adopt a nonpiracy agreement? A. For a high-tech organization to prevent employee poaching B. For a work environment with legally protected trade secrets C. For companies doing business in international waters D. Never—nonpiracy agreements are unlawful. Answer: A. Nonpiracy agreements, in which separating employees agree to not to recruit a company's talent, can be beneficial under the right conditions. As with any of these types of agreements, however, it is best to have them reviewed by legal counsel prior to implementation. ================================================== Question: When an employer terminates the rights of an employee for a discriminatory reason, which of the following is said to have occurred? A. Constructive discharge B. Wrongful discharge C. Reduction in force D. Discharge without cause Answer: B. Wrongful discharge—also called wrongful termination—occurs when an employer terminates an employee for an unlawful reason such as discrimination, failing to break the law on behalf of an employer, or exercising their rights granted by law (right to vote, whistleblowing, etc.). ================================================== Question: In the absence of an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement, when may an employee expect to only be terminated for cause? A. If they are a protected class individual B. If there is a progressive discipline policy in the handbook C. If their behavior was first investigated by management D. None of the above Answer: D. The concept of "just cause" is that employees may expect that employment at will does not apply to them. This condition may be met only when there is an employment contract (written or implied) or when the employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. ================================================== Question: An employee has been terminated for "just cause." Which of the following reasons is most likely? A. The employee refused to forge his boss's signature on a document. B. The employee violated the employer's anti-harassment rules. C. The employee was late because he went to vote in the presidential election. D. The employee was a whistleblower who filed a report of corruption that turned out to be inaccurate. Answer: B. "Just cause" is a concept that describes an employer's justification for taking employment action. It cannot be used as a reason for termination if the employee refused to break the law or exercised a statutory right. ================================================== Question: Augustine filed a grievance with HR because he believed that a supervisor gave Amy—Augustine's co-worker—a higher raise than Augustine received because the supervisor is trying to date Amy. This is an example of which of the following? A. Sexual harassment B. Distributive justice C. Discriminatory treatment D. Both A and B Answer: B. An employee's perception of fair treatment is influenced by many factors. In this scenario, Augustine believes that the outcome (pay increases) was unfair. ================================================== Question: In compulsory arbitration, which of the following conditions is nearly always included? A. The employee exchanges the right to sue the employer. B. An arbitrator is selected from the American Arbitration Association (AAA). C. There is a written arbitration agreement reviewed by legal counsel. D. All of the above Answer: D. Employers may choose to adopt arbitration practices for many reasons. One is the rising cost of legal fees associated with fighting employment-related disputes. Another is to ensure employees receive due process. Regardless of the reasons, arbitration best practices include a waiver of employee right to sue after an agreement has been settled; the use of a professional, neutral arbitrator; and a signed, written agreement that has been approved by counsel. ================================================== Question: Which of the following should not be included in an employee's regular personnel file because of privacy concerns? A. Application for employment B. Historical records older than three years C. Medical benefits claims data D. Performance reviews Answer: C. Companies must take steps to address employee privacy concerns in all HR practices. This includes properly storing records that have information related to an employee's medical condition or history. ================================================== Question: Of the following recognition programs, which is not entitlement-oriented? A. Service awards B. Employee of the month C. Sales awards D. Longevity bonus Answer: C. Employee recognition practices are similar to pay practices in that they can be entitlement-oriented or performance-based. Recognition for sales efforts (quotas, new customers, account retention) is based on employee performance. ================================================== Question: Multicultural work teams, training, and mentoring systems may all be part of what type of human resource program? A. Diversity program B. Climate program C. Anti-harassment program D. Equal Employment Opportunity program Answer: A. Diversity programs have many components that, when combined, make them an effective tool used to promote a positive organizational culture. These components can include committees, work teams, training, mentoring, and the evaluation of results for reporting and refinement. ================================================== Question: Discourteous behavior can quickly escalate to which of the following problems? A. Unlawful harassment B. Violation of a company's code of conduct C. Workplace violence D. All of the above Answer: D. What starts out as mere lack of etiquette or discourteous behavior can quickly escalate if left unchecked. For this reason, it is imperative that HR address expected standards of behavior in an employee handbook as well as in practice. ================================================== Question: The company you work for gives all employees an annual bonus right around Christmas time. The amount is dependent upon company profitability. This effort is best represented by which of the following? A. A generous employer B. An entitlement-oriented incentive C. A company recognition program D. A way to keep overtime costs down Answer: C. Employee recognition programs can be individually based or company-wide. They can be especially effective when employees understand how their behaviors contributed to the company's success. ================================================== Question: Under which of the following conditions may an employer avoid a claim of defamation when providing an employment reference for a former employee? A. When the information shared is truthful B. When the employer provides only dates of employment and a job title C. When the employer has received written authorization from the employee to disclose personnel information D. All of the above Answer: D. The best defense against a claim of defamation is to be truthful, clear, and unequivocal when providing an employment reference. Many employers are also able to avoid a charge of defamation by only giving out information that is factual, such as dates of employment or a job title. In some cases, former employees will provide written authorization for a previous employer to share information from their personnel record, providing some management of risk against a defamation charge. ================================================== Question: In a union environment, an employee who believes that he has been unfairly passed over for promotion should file which of the following? A. A complaint B. A grievance C. A charge of discrimination D. A charge of harassment Answer: B. A grievance is a formal written complaint filed when an employee has moved beyond simply feeling dissatisfied. In a union environment, HR and the union will most likely have a formal grievance procedure. ================================================== Question: An employee is called to his supervisor's office, believing that he will be disciplined. Accordingly, he requests that his union steward be present for the meeting. His supervisor denies the request, violating which of the following employee rights? A. Statutory B. Due process C. Weingarten D. Privacy Answer: C. Named after the court case that established them, Weingarten rights grant covered employees the right to have representation in disciplinary meetings. ================================================== Question: What recourse is available for an employee who was denied his Weingarten rights and, in the process, was terminated? A. Reinstatement B. The right to sue for criminal damage C. The right to sue for civil damages D. Back pay and reinstatement Answer: D. If an employee is dismissed or otherwise harmed by a decision that violated his rights to representation in disciplinary meetings, he may be entitled to back pay and reinstatement. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is occurring when a third party settles disputes that occur as the result of differences in the interpretation of a collective bargaining agreement? A. Collective bargaining B. Labor negotiations C. Labor strike D. Grievance arbitration Answer: D. Grievance arbitration involves a neutral third party to settle disputes that are rooted in different interpretations of a labor contract. This process is different from issues arbitration, which utilizes a neutral third party to settle disputes regarding how a contract will be written. ================================================== Question: Engineers, nurses, and physicians would most likely belong to what type of union? A. Nongovernmental B. Professional C. Industrial D. Services Answer: B. As a result of the general decline in union membership over the years, unions have targeted specific industries and types of workers. The unionization of professional workers such as nurses and engineers are examples of this. ================================================== Question: Janitors, building cleaners, and meatpacking workers are examples of which groups targeted by unions over the last several years? A. Low skilled B. Professional C. Contingent D. Part-time Answer: A. Unions have successfully organized low-skilled workers mainly because of the hard work, low pay, and difficult working conditions characterized by these types of jobs. ================================================== Question: A shift of a union's focus to issues of pay equity and flexible work arrangements is most likely an effort to organize which type of worker? A. Millennials B. Blue collar C. Women D. Liberal Answer: C. The growing percentage of women in the workforce has forced unions to alter their focus on issues that matter to this demographic. These issues include child, paid family leave, maternity leave, pay equity, and flexible work arrangements, just to name a few. ================================================== Question: Which disciplinary approach establishes the expectation in employees that they will progress through a series of steps when being disciplined? A. Positive B. Progressive C. Coaching D. Self Answer: B. Progressive discipline policies involve the establishment of a series of steps. These steps often include some variation of a series of verbal, written, and final written warnings that, if unmet, will eventually result in termination. ================================================== Question: Which of the following are formal systems designed to obtain employee feedback? A. Suggestion systems B. Focus groups C. Surveys D. All of the above Answer: D. Gathering feedback is an important element of employee relations systems. It is the only way HR may design or recommend changes that will truly influence employee satisfaction. Common ways to obtain feedback include suggestion boxes, focus groups, and employee surveys. ================================================== Question: Technological methods with which to obtain employee feedback include which of the following? A. Focus groups B. Teleconferencing C. Videos D. Instant messaging Answer: B. The rise of technology has opened up many digital options for HR seeking to obtain employee feedback. Teleconferencing involves satellite technology that is designed to link facilities and groups for the purpose of exchanging feedback, information, and ideas. ================================================== Question: Internal methods of communicating with employees include which of the following? A. Intranet postings B. Newsletters C. Instant messaging D. All of the above Answer: D. Organizations have many internal options to choose from when needing to communicate with their talent. These methods include employee newsletters, videos, and postings on company intranets, memos, and staff meetings. ================================================== Question: Taylor has been frequently absent from work over the last three months, so much so that she has violated the company's attendance policy. The supervisor has come to you for advice on how to proceed. Which of the following options puts the company at the most risk? A. Discuss with the supervisor the reasons for the absences B. Review with the supervisor any relevant documentation C. Review the days missed to look for trends D. Proceed directly with the discipline Answer: D. At the center of taking any action against a worker is the need to consider employee rights. In this scenario, there are several labor laws that may be applicable for Taylor's case. At this stage, HR's best role is to help the supervisor gather and review as much relevant information as possible before making a decision to proceed with the discipline. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is the role of a supervisor—not human resources—when disciplining an employee? A. Make the decision to discipline B. Train managers on disciplinary actions C. Design disciplinary procedures D. Understand labor laws related to employee rights Answer: A. HR often serves in an advisory capacity when the need for discipline arises. Generally, it is up to the direct supervisor or manager to ultimately make the decision to discipline their employee. ================================================== Question: The best discipline could be described as which of the following? A. Training B. Self-discipline C. Progressive D. All of the above Answer: B. Most employees genuinely want to succeed in their work environment. When they clearly understand the behavioral expectations and outcomes, most will apply the proper levels of self-discipline to be successful in their jobs. ================================================== Question: Chuck has been struggling with having a positive attitude at work. You and his supervisor met with Chuck to make him aware of the behavioral expectations. As a result, Chuck's attitude improves. This approach is a characteristic of which type of discipline? A. Counseling B. Progressive C. Positive D. Mentoring Answer: C. Positive discipline approaches are characterized by constructive partnerships between the employee, manager, and human resources. The goal is to clearly communicate the expectations for behavior and engage in joint problem-solving. ================================================== Question: Of the following, which is the most challenging issue when implementing a positive discipline approach? A. Gaining employee buy-in B. Monitoring for consistent practices C. Writing a legally compliant policy D. The time it takes to train managers Answer: D. The positive approach to discipline focuses on joint problem-solving as opposed to a series of progressive consequences of employee behavioral issues. It requires extensive training for managers and supervisors to both understand and apply behavioral science theories such motivation and performance coaching. ================================================== Question: You are the senior labor relations specialist at your place of work, and the company has an existing progressive discipline policy and practice. Under this policy, which of the following employee offenses would most likely lead to immediate termination? A. Falsifying an employment application B. Insubordination C. Safety rule violation D. Excessive tardiness Answer: A. Progressive discipline policies include a series of steps (verbal, written, final written, etc.) to address employee performance deficiencies. There are certain egregious offenses, however, in which an employee may be immediately discharged. These include falsifying an employment application, theft, and alcohol or drug use at work. ================================================== Question: Why might a manager be reluctant to discipline an employee? A. Fear of conflict B. Guilt C. Fear of lawsuits D. All of the above Answer: D. There are many reasons managers may hesitate to discipline their employees. Some supervisors are not effective conflict managers, while others may know that they (and others) are guilty of similar offenses. The fear of the company or they themselves being sued may also influence a manager's decision to take corrective action to resolve negative employee behaviors. ================================================== Question: Which of the following are mandatory notices for an employee who has been discharged? A. COBRA notification B. Severance agreement C. Employee Change in Status form D. Both A and C Answer: A. Notification requirements at the time of employee separation can vary greatly between federal and state regulations as well as between individual employer practices. Of the options, only the COBRA notification for continuation of health benefits is federally mandated for covered employers. ================================================== Question: To be effective, HR policies should be which of the following? A. Effective B. Relevant C. Legal D. All of the above Answer: D. Written policies for the sake of having policies can cause employers all sorts of problems, from implementation to managing risk. It is important that human resources evaluate all current and potential policies to ensure that they are relevant, effective, and legal. ================================================== Question: You received an urgent call from management saying that the surveillance system caught an employee downloading a customer list to a thumb drive. What should you advise? A. Confront the employee and immediately search them and their belongings. B. Call the police. C. Confront the employee and show the proof of the theft. D. Nothing; employee surveillance is unlawful. Answer: C. HR is often called in to help with investigations of employee wrongdoing. Of the options presented, confronting the employee and showing the proof of the theft should be enough to either get the employee to confess or to terminate the employee for cause. ================================================== Question: How are procedures different from policies? A. Procedures are general guidelines for employee behaviors. B. Policies are more specific than procedures. C. Procedures are more specific than policies. D. There is no difference. Answer: C. Policies are general guidelines for both company and employee behaviors. Procedures, on the other hand, are more specific practices of how processes should be completed or systems should be implemented. ================================================== Question: Your company handbook includes the statement "Employees are prohibited from alcohol use at work." This is an example of which of the following? A. Policy B. Procedure C. Rule D. All of the above Answer: C. A rule is a specific guideline that serves to restrict certain employee behaviors. Often found in the handbook under "Code of Conduct," rules are written so there is very little interpretation needed as to their meaning. ================================================== Question: Which of the following phrases should be eliminated from a company handbook? A. Permanent employee B. Probation period C. No social media use D. All of the above Answer: D. There are many risks that can be created simply by the language used in a company handbook. The term permanent employee dilutes employment at will, and a probationary period—as opposed to an introductory period—does the same. Prohibiting social media use completely can erode an employee's right to engage in protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act. ================================================== Question: "This employee handbook is not intended to be part of a contract..." is being used in an employee handbook to preserve which of the following? A. Employee rights B. Employer rights C. Employment at will D. The public policy exception Answer: C. Disclaimers such as the one in the question are used to preserve the nature of at-will employment between the employer and employee. ================================================== Question: Your company CEO recorded a "state of the company" video and asked you to post it on the company intranet. This is an example of what type of communication? A. Upward communication B. Downward communication C. Electronic communication D. Digital communication Answer: B. Downward communication flows from executives, managers, and supervisors down to the employees. ================================================== Question: A safety suggestion system is an example of which of the following? A. Employee survey B. Downward communication C. Upward communication D. Incentive Answer: C. Any type of suggestion system allows an upward flow of communication from employees to management. ================================================== Question: The large hotel you work for asks guests to complete cards commenting on the level of service they received from the workers. These results are most likely used by human resources to do what? A. Recognize employees B. Discipline employees C. Refine procedures D. All of the above Answer: D. Gathering feedback from both internal and external sources is a critical task for human resources. Feedback can be used to recognize, reward, and discipline employees but also to inform organizational decision-making to improve procedures. ================================================== Question: Which of the following requires employers to provide jobs and a workplace environment that are free from recognized safety and health hazards? A. An emergency action plan B. The Control of Hazardous Energy standard C. The General Duty standard D. The Hazard Communication standard Answer: C. The General Duty standard emphasizes the need for employers to protect employees from hazards, even in the absence of a specific directive (standard) to do so. In addition, they have a general duty to comply with all applicable standards that pertain to their workplace. ================================================== Question: Workplace violence, theft, and computer hackers are all classified as which of the following types of risk? A. Security B. Health C. Safety D. Financial Answer: A. Security risks are those that affect the financial, physical, informational, or human assets of an organization. ================================================== Question: Which of the following types of risk is associated with embezzling? A. Legal B. Safety and health C. Security D. Workplace privacy Answer: C. Security risks are associated with financial operations and practices in addition to securing the physical assets of a business. ================================================== Question: The controller of your organization was caught paying herself for additional vacation time that was never authorized or approved. Additionally, she coded the transactions so that they did not show up under G&A payroll but rather as a production expense. This is an example of which of the following? A. Fraudulent activity B. Deception C. Forgery D. Misrepresentation of financial statements Answer: A. Employee embezzlement or theft is a type of fraud committed against the employer and is subject to prosecution. ================================================== Question: Natural disasters and terrorism are both threats to which of the following? A. Employee safety and health B. Resource availability C. Business continuity D. All of the above Answer: D. Incidents such as natural disasters, terrorism, workplace violence, and loss of utilities are threats to more than just employee safety. These events may disrupt services from resources such as police and fire, as well as impact a business's ability to continue offering services or shipping products. ================================================== Question: A review of the human capital management plan (HCMP) is most likely to occur in what type of audit? A. Risk assessment B. HR C. GAAP D. Internal revenue (tax) Answer: B. A human resource audit is a type of assessment used to gather information about an organization that can be used in decision-making. Evaluating the HCMP is useful to gather data about employee skillsets and future plans to make decisions about current and future staffing levels. ================================================== Question: As the HR manager for a small construction firm, you have begun to notice an increase in falls at various work sites. So far, no one has been seriously injured; in fact, the employees joke about their "close calls." Which of the following should you do? A. Discipline employees for not taking safety risks seriously B. Conduct worksite inspections to identify potential fall hazards C. Retrain employees in your company's fall protection procedures D. Nothing yet, as no injuries have occurred Answer: B. Any time there is an uptick in near misses, a company should take notice. Encouraging employees to speak up will help identify potential hazards and allow for a preventive response. Site walk-throughs can help identify hazards, as well as give HR the opportunity to talk with employees about what might help to keep a near miss from becoming an injury. ================================================== Question: The manager of the marketing department established a goal for his staff that directed them to double unique web traffic to the website within 90 days. If they accomplish this goal, the department will evenly split a bonus among them. The manager is most likely using which performance management technique? A. SMART B. MBO C. 360 D. Forced distribution Answer: B. Management by objectives (MBO) is characterized by an agreement between a manager and employee that ideally cascades down from a company's strategic plan. ================================================== Question: Why is it important to have a nonunion philosophy statement? A. It supports an open door policy for employees to discuss wages and working conditions directly with the employer. B. It gives employers the opportunity to respond to dissatisfiers prior to the relationship becoming adversarial. C. Once a union has petitioned for an election, an employer's right to communicate is restricted. D. All of the above Answer: D. Employers often hesitate to even mention the word union for fear that it will give the employees ideas. However, a nonunion philosophy serves to communicate to employees the employer's desire to hear their grievances directly and provides the employer with the opportunity to respond before they are required to do so under strict regulations. ================================================== Question: One of the company's best performers is extremely self-managed and able to follow all rules and procedures with very little direction or feedback. This employee is most likely high in which personality characteristic? A. Neuroticism B. Conscientiousness C. Awareness D. Emotional intelligence Answer: B. In personality theory, conscientiousness has been linked to successful employee outcomes. This trait is characterized by employees who follow all rules and procedures and have a general sense of care about the well-being of others. ================================================== Question: Organizational citizenship behaviors are marked by which of the following individual characteristics? A. Sportsmanship, altruism, and conscientiousness B. Courtesy, civic virtue, and pride C. Conscientiousness, courtesy, and altruism D. Conscientiousness, civic virtue, and emotional intelligence Answer: C. Organizational citizenship behaviors have been linked to individual traits including conscientiousness, courtesy, altruism, sportsmanship, and civic virtue. ================================================== Question: The investment of physical, emotional, and cognitive resources best describes which of the following? A. Employee engagement B. Job satisfaction C. Organizational commitment D. Employee relations Answer: A. Employee engagement is a term that has lacked coherent application in many organizations. Organizational scientists have found some agreement, however, in that engagement behaviors include the investment of personal energies such as physical, emotional, and cognitive into the work tasks themselves. ================================================== Question: Which of the following terms describes an organization that is rigidly devoted to polices, rules, and procedures? A. Centralized B. Formal C. Decentralized D. Bureaucratic Answer: D. A bureaucratic organization is one that is characterized by administrative workflow, rigid policies, and procedures. These types of structures evolved from the shift of small family-owned farms and businesses to organizations that employed hundreds of people as the result of the Industrial Revolution. ================================================== Question: Which of the following conditions is most likely to improve employee productivity according to humanistic theories of motivation? A. More qualified supervisors B. Improved tools and equipment C. Management attention and feedback D. Equal rewards Answer: C. The focus of the humanistic theories of motivation is on the psychological conditions under which people work. According to these theories, the psychological conditions under which employees work are just as important as the environmental conditions. ================================================== Question: The consideration of employee inputs, work processes, and outputs are at the heart of which category of organizational theories? A. Systems B. Humanistic C. Bureaucratic D. Relational Answer: A. Systems theories view organizations as a "whole" entity as opposed to focusing on a single part. These theories consider the inputs, the throughputs, and the outputs of a company along with the context (political, economic) in which they perform. ================================================== Question: Which of the following intervention strategies should you recommend to an employer wanting to improve creativity and innovation in the workplace? A. Create a bonus program. B. Increase diversity. C. Improve the quality of tools and equipment to encourage these outcomes. D. Allow employees to adjust their schedules based on project needs. Answer: B. Traditional application of many motivation theories is based on increasing rewards or punishment. Studies have found that this does not work when it comes to improving creativity; in fact, it actually narrows the focus to simply getting the reward. Increasing diversity has been shown to open up creative processes by gaining multiple perspectives and different ways of thinking. ================================================== Question: The desire to do something that matters is an example of what type of reward? A. Psychological B. Direct C. Extrinsic D. Intrinsic Answer: D. Intrinsic rewards are those that come from within. Employees who perform because they like the work or take pride in their effort are said to be intrinsically motivated. ================================================== Question: Which of the following management techniques should you recommend to an employer that requires immediate compliance from their employees, such as for air traffic controllers or emergency dispatchers? A. Decentralized B. Self-direction C. Open systems D. Traditional Answer: D. Management as a practice has had to evolve as the nature of business has evolved. Traditional forms of management made up of hierarchies, policies, and rules are most effective in environments where high degrees of compliance are necessary or desired. ================================================== Question: The customer service representatives at your business are experiencing high degrees of burnout because 90 percent of their calls are from disgruntled customers. Which of the following is the most likely source of their burnout? A. Low emotional intelligence B. High degree of emotional labor C. Negative collective affect D. Low pay Answer: B. Emotional labor is the degree of effort it takes to manage emotions at work. In customer service settings, for example, an employee may get frustrated with an angry customer but must mask their true feelings to meet customer demands. ================================================== Question: An employee complains to their supervisor that another employee is always late, stating that "it must be because he is lazy and just doesn't want to come to work." The next day, the complaining employee was late, and when asked why, he stated that "construction on his normal commute was heavier than usual that day." The complaining employee is most likely making what type of error? A. Values-based B. Discrimination C. Bias D. Fundamental attribution Answer: D. The fundamental attribution error states that people have a tendency to attribute other people's negative behavior to an internal character flaw and their own negative behaviors to a cause of the situation. ================================================== Question: The president of the company you work for wants to embark on a cost savings initiative throughout all departments. All employees will receive a percentage of the savings at the end of the year. This is an example of what type of compensation program? A. Deferred compensation B. Gain-sharing C. Discretionary bonus D. Commission Answer: B. A gainsharing plan is a type of compensation that is tied to performance. It can be the result of either increased revenue or cost-saving activities. ================================================== Question: Which of the following theories of motivation looks at how people compare their efforts with their rewards? A. Equity B. Intrinsic C. Extrinsic D. Systems Answer: A. Equity theories of motivation pivot on the idea that employees are motivated most by when their inputs (what they put into the job) are equal to the rewards (what they receive in return). ================================================== Question: Many employees are struggling to perform under the new management structure that has recently been put into place. Their primary concern is that they don't know how long the new structure will hold, simply because the company has tried it before and it didn't work. As a result, they are hesitant to invest too much effort into the new requirements. This is an example of which of the following conditions of change? A. Freezing B. Norming C. Change uncertainty D. Change avoidance Answer: C. Change uncertainty is a source of stress for employees that is directly tied to changes in the workplace. It occurs in the context of employees being uncertain as to how a change will affect them personally, their department, or the company as a whole. ================================================== Question: Organizational development is made up of which of the following scientific domains? A. Social psychology B. Industrial-organizational psychology C. Applied psychology D. All of the above Answer: D. Organizational development consists of a series of interventions that may address strategic, operational, or human resource-style challenges. As a result, OD consists of scientific theories designed to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being, all of which must be applied in a workplace setting. ================================================== Question: Fill in the blanks: _____________ are a creative tool used for brainstorming that is more restrictive than _____________. A. Focus groups; employee surveys B. Nominal groups; the Delphi technique C. Employee surveys; focus groups D. Mind-maps; the Medici approach Answer: B. Nominal groups and the Delphi technique are often confused with one another. A nominal group can meet face to face, but the discussions are more tightly controlled/facilitated than in the Delphi approach. Both are used to reach consensus in decision-making. ================================================== Question: A local gym recently sold the rights to another company to use their name, supply chain resources, and workflow processes in another city. This is an example of what type of business structure? A. Subsidiary B. Merger C. Joint venture D. Franchising Answer: D. Franchising is a business structure in which one company licenses the rights to another business to use their brand, supply chain, and workflow practices. Ownership remains separate in this type of structure. ================================================== Question: Which of the following types of budgets starts from scratch each year? A. Incremental B. Bottom up C. Zero-based D. Top-down Answer: C. Zero-based budgets are not built upon the previous year's spending. This approach allows departments to build budgets that are more in line with a company's strategic plan and business objectives. ================================================== Question: Cost savings, availability of talent, and specialized expertise are all reasons for HR to recommend which of the following staffing strategies? A. Co-sourcing B. Temporary workers C. Professional employer organizations D. Part-time workers Answer: A. Co-sourcing is an alternative staffing strategy that can lend itself to several positive outcomes. Often used when talent is scarce or for project-based work, co-sourcing can result in cost savings when leveraged properly. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is an example of a business operating expense? A. Salaries B. Rent C. Software licenses D. All of the above Answer: D. Business operating expenses such as salaries, rent, equipment, technology, benefits, and more all make up a company's overhead. For HR purposes, labor is often the largest expense, followed closely by employee benefits. ================================================== Question: In your HR department, one employee is responsible for recruiting, selection, and safety; another is responsible for performance management; and a third person is responsible for employee relations and separations. This is an example of what element of a business structure? A. Span of control B. Hierarchy of authority C. Division of labor D. Generalists and specialists Answer: C. Division of labor is a term that identifies the responsibilities of each individual within a department or company. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is not an example of a line manager? A. HR manager B. Production manager C. Sales manager D. All of the above are line managers. Answer: A. The key distinction between line and staff management is revenue generation. Line managers are those who are responsible for processes and people who generate revenue for a business. Staff managers are those who support line managers such as accounting, IT, and HR. ================================================== Question: Which of the following sources of data should you trust the most when it comes to building wage bands? A. Professional wage surveys B. Government wage data tables C. Internet sources such as salary.com or monster.com D. Local industry groups Answer: B. There are many external sources of information related to how HR makes decisions. In terms of credibility, HR should rely on evidence-based tools such as governmental, academic, or scientific resources that have been proven valid and reliable. ================================================== Question: You are in the final decision-making meeting related to the hiring of a budget analyst. The salary range for the position is between $80,000 and $120,000, and you didn't really plan to pay on the high end. During negotiations, the applicant states that she is looking for a minimum of $130,000 plus bonus. As a result, you decide to offer the candidate a starting salary of $115,000. Which type of bias has possibly occurred? A. Confirmation bias B. Availability bias C. Anchoring bias D. No bias occurred because you were still within range. Answer: C. Anchoring bias in negotiations occurs when an individual starts with a higher dollar amount, thus anchoring that amount in your mind as a starting point. In this case, you did not plan to pay on the high end of the range, but the candidate starting point was high enough to get you to change your behavior and offer more than intended. ================================================== Question: Knowledge, experience, and future competencies of employees all represent which of the following? A. Human capital B. Human resources C. Interpersonal skills D. Psychological capital Answer: A. Employee knowledge, talents, and skills that add value to an organization all make up what is called human capital. The availability of future skillsets for which an employer may compete is included in this category; for this reason, human capital management plans focus on both acquiring and retaining a qualified workforce. ================================================== Question: By keeping the principles of VUCA in mind—conditions that are volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—what type of talent acquisition strategy should HR business partners develop? A. Single-scenario planning B. Multiple-scenario planning C. Best-case scenario planning D. Worst-case scenario planning Answer: B. VUCA conditions are the "new normal" for business and HR. The best answer then is to plan for multiple scenarios and outcomes, including both best- and worst-case situations. ================================================== Question: New hires at the giant retailer for which you work are told that "putting employees first" is the company's highest value. Which of the following conditions would most directly contradict this company value? A. Lack of time-off flexibility B. Multiple lawsuits from former employees C. Refusing to accommodate military leave requests D. Highly routinized jobs in which employees are easily replaced Answer: A. While all the conditions in the options contribute to high turnover, lack of non-legally required time-off flexibility for employees is the most contradictory to a company that states that serving employees is their highest value. ================================================== Question: What is the main benefit of transactional onboarding practices? A. Employee acculturation B. Increased retention in the first six months of employment C. Improved employee satisfaction D. Making processes more efficient Answer: D. Transactional orientation and onboarding practices include automating processes such as Form I-9 and W-4 processing. Transactional practices increase efficiencies through automation while at the same time helping employers manage the risks associated with processing errors. ================================================== Question: A corporation that franchises its business model also requires its franchisees to use their computer system to process employee payroll. This practice is most likely to trigger which of the following conditions? A. A claim of indirect control B. The ostensible agency theory C. Joint employment liability D. All of the above Answer: D. As McDonald's Corporation discovered, certain practices with its franchisees led to a charge that the corporation indirectly controlled the conditions of employees, causing them to "ostensibly" believe that they were employees of McDonald's Corporation, not only of the franchise. For this reason, the National Labor Relations Board revised their definition of joint employment, and franchise employees were allowed to sue the corporation and franchisee in a class action wage and hour lawsuit. ================================================== Question: What is the primary difference between andragogy and pedagogy—how adults and children learn? A. Adults learn using visual, auditory, and tactile skills; children are mostly tactile. B. Adults collect information for immediate use; children acquire general knowledge to be used in the future. C. Adults are dependent upon others to acquire useful knowledge; children are more independent and explorative. D. There are no real differences between adult and child learning principles. Answer: B. Malcolm Knowles conducted foundational research in andragogy—how adults learn. One finding was that adults orient toward learning that is focused on practical problem-solving or immediate use. Children, however, are taught to orient more toward general knowledge to be used at a future date. ================================================== Question: An employer who seeks to pay all employees within the 50th percentile of the labor market is using what type of compensation strategy? A. Quartile B. Entitlement C. Performance D. Equity Answer: A. A quartile compensation strategy seeks to align wage bands to the relevant labor market. It relies on valid market data to properly build wage ranges, from which employee pay decisions are made. ================================================== Question: A cost-of-living pay adjustment is the best example of what type of compensation strategy? A. Quartile B. Entitlement C. Performance D. Equity Answer: B. Entitlement forms of pay are those that reward employees for years of service or for loyalty. A cost-of-living adjustment is not given based on any particular performance criteria; therefore, it is a form of entitlement pay. ================================================== Question: The large bank you work for has reached out to its major competitors to see whether they would all agree to not pay above the 25th percentile for all management positions. This, they argue, will allow each institution to fairly compete for talent. This agreement is most likely to come under fire from which agency? A. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission B. The Department of Labor C. The Department of Justice D. The National Labor Relations Board Answer: C. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for litigation related to violations of the Sherman Antitrust act. This act prohibits price fixing of any sort, including market-based pay. ================================================== Question: Technocorp Inc. is located in the Silicon Valley of California but shares 51 percent of its ownership with a parent company in Puerto Rico. This is most likely what type of business entity? A. Multinational corporation B. Franchise C. Joint venture D. Foreign subsidiary Answer: D. A foreign subsidiary is a legal term defining ownership. A company that is more than 50 percent owned or controlled by a parent company in another country is a foreign subsidiary. ================================================== Question: Fiduciary responsibility applies to which of the following? A. A human resource professional B. A board of directors C. A chief financial officer D. All of the above Answer: D. Fiduciary responsibility applies to many individuals with positions of authority within an organization. Fiduciary responsibility requires that these individuals act without self-interest, making quality decisions that serve all company stakeholders. ================================================== Question: Overpopulation, poverty, and lack of clean water are all global issues that many businesses are tackling with the help of which of the following? A. Community organizers B. Nongovernment organizations (NGOs) C. Agencies such as the American Red Cross D. Other business leaders Answer: B. Nongovernment organizations are gaining in popularity as a tool to help global and multinational businesses engage in social responsibility initiatives. NGOs are typically nonprofit, voluntary, and independent of any particular government. ================================================== Question: Many employers are researching and switching to health insurance captives for which of the following reasons? A. It can control costs of health insurance. B. It allows employers to purchase stop-loss insurance for larger claims. C. Claims data is more controlled and thus utilized to make decisions about benefits. D. All of the above Answer: D. Many experts believe that the use of self-funded health insurance "captives" will only continue to grow. This is because businesses are finding that they can more effectively control the cost of benefits plans through the use of data to shape benefits offerings to employees and predict exposure. It also allows employers to purchase stop-loss insurance, which can be used to cover the costs of catastrophic years. ================================================== Question: Wendy is the director of HR at a large multinational corporation. She extended the open enrollment period for benefits to accommodate her spouse, who required a different plan. This is an example of which of the following? A. Breach of company trust B. Exercising a choice-of-law clause C. Breaking the law D. Unethical conduct Answer: D. Human resource professionals have high ethical standards that must be adhered to. This includes not using their decision-making authority to meet personal needs or commitments. ================================================== Question: Fill in the blanks: _____________ refers to the way an employee feels when working on job tasks, whereas _____________ refers to an evaluation of the organization as a whole. A. Work engagement; organizational commitment B. Organizational commitment; work engagement C. Work engagement; job satisfaction D. Job satisfaction; work engagement Answer: A. Many HR practitioners and businesses use the terms work engagement and job satisfaction interchangeably. Organizational science has found that work engagement refers to how employees feel about the job tasks, whereas organizational commitment refers to how employees feel about the company as a whole. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is the most fundamental component of workforce planning? A. Job pricing B. Job design C. Job evaluation D. Job analysis Answer: D. Job analysis is the process used to define a job in terms of its component tasks from which all other HR practices and strategies may be built. ================================================== Question: When calculating the number of new hires in a 12-month period, you drop the oldest number when a recent month is added. This is an example of what type of quantitative analysis? A. Mean B. Central tendency C. Rolling average D. Weighted average Answer: C. A rolling average—sometimes called a moving average—is used to calculate an average for a specific period of time. In this scenario, as a new month is added, the oldest number is dropped. ================================================== Question: Which of the following tools should you first use when considering the integration of an HRIS system into your workplace? A. Results from a needs analysis B. The ROI of the system C. An RFP D. The proposed system's features and benefits Answer: A. When considering the implementation of any new technology, HR must consider the needs that the company is seeking to meet. A needs analysis will provide information to help calculate the return on the investment, as well as identify what information suppliers should include in a request for proposal. ================================================== Question: A business case can help management make better-quality decisions because it does which of the following? A. Communicates how a plan will influence operational efficiencies B. Provides multiple options for solving a business problem C. Describes possible risks that could result from taking action D. Quantitatively analyzes relevant HR trends Answer: C. The main purpose of building a business case is to help an employer make a decision on a particular course of action. This includes a description of the potential risks of taking—or in some cases, not taking—action. ================================================== Question: Under what conditions should you recommend that an employer require an employee to take a polygraph test? A. If you believe an employee is under the influence of a drug at work B. If you believe the controller embezzled funds C. If an employee accuses another employee of violent behavior D. Never, because polygraph tests are unlawful. Answer: B. The Department of Labor allows private employers to commission polygraph tests for employees under certain conditions, including when an employee is suspected of theft or embezzlement. The administration of the test, however, must be done by a licensed professional, with the results kept confidential. ================================================== Question: The company you work for prefers a flat-line decision-making structure. They strive to grant as much decision-making power to the employees as possible and tie pay directly to performance outcomes when possible. This is most likely what type of organization? A. A high-involvement organization B. A learning organization C. An Internet start-up D. A nonprofit Answer: A. High-involvement organizations are those that seek to give authority to all levels of employees. These organizations are defined by flat-line structures, transparency, and pay for performance compensation programs. ================================================== Question: Which of the following job characteristics contribute most to a sense of employee ownership over outcomes? A. Task significance and autonomy B. Autonomy and feedback C. Skill variety and task identity D. Task significance and feedback Answer: B. The job characteristics model describes the influence of job design on worker engagement and ownership. Specifically, research has found that allowing employees to control their work (autonomy) and providing them with meaningful feedback increases a sense of responsibility and ownership of their jobs. ================================================== Question: During training, you notice that an employee rapidly learns the new material that is exciting. After she has mastered the task, there is really not much else to learn. She most likely is experiencing which type of learning curve? A. Positively accelerating B. S-shaped C. Plateau D. Negatively accelerating Answer: D. A negatively accelerating learning curve is characterized by rapid learning at the beginning of training, with a tapering off as the skills are mastered. ================================================== Question: A large network software firm creates a program for women in leadership. Participants meet every month for a year to provide peer support toward taking on more leadership tasks or roles. At the end of the third year, more than 100 women have graduated from the program. This company is engaged in which of the following? A. Diversity-based networking B. Learning circles C. Executive groups D. Incubators Answer: B. Learning circles are called many things (Socratic circles, quality circles, etc.), but all have a similar purpose. Learning circles are generally organized around a theme or purpose and are characterized by diversity, respect, and collaboration toward success in specific outcomes or targets. ================================================== Question: Many states have recently adopted laws that forbid employers from asking applicants about their prior salary history. This is known as what type of law? A. Anti-harassment laws B. Wage and hour laws C. Pay equity laws D. Anti-discrimination laws Answer: C. Pay equity laws are trending more and more in the United States. In this case, pay history bans are designed to reduce the systemic pay disparities between men and women—if women are paid unequally and employers pay based on salary history, it stands to reason then that asking about salary history will perpetuate the disparities. ================================================== Question: Employee behavior will be affected by wages based upon which of the following? A. If they can live comfortably on their base wages B. If they are making more in their current jobs than they could working for competitors C. The perception of what was earned versus what was discretionary D. The perception that they are paid what they are worth Answer: C. Organizational justice issues around compensation have an absolute impact on the nonmonetary value of total rewards. Justice issues include the manner in which rewards are allocated; employee behavior will be altered to the extent that rewards are earned and that rewards are discretionary. ================================================== Question: The HR manager for whom you are responsible got upset after a disgruntled employee yelled at her. By the end of the day, however, she understood that the employee's anger had nothing to do with her and that he was just reacting to the situation. The HR manager is demonstrating which of the following elements of emotional intelligence? A. Emotional regulation B. Emotional labor C. Self-awareness D. Emotional support Answer: A. Emotional intelligence is considered to have three aspects: self-awareness, other awareness, and emotional regulation. Emotional regulation is the ability of individuals to recover rapidly from an experienced emotion. ================================================== Question: Which of the following statements regarding emotional intelligence (EI) is false? A. EI is related to other types of intelligence, including IQ. B. Employees have different levels of EI. C. EI can be learned. D. EI is highly predictive of employee performance. Answer: D. Organizational science has spent a lot of time trying to understand the impact that emotional intelligence has on individual employee performance. A review of the studies found that there was only a modest correlation between EI levels and employee performance. Studies have found, however, that EI can be learned; it varies from individual to individual; and it is distinct from but positively related to other types of intelligence, such as IQ. ================================================== Question: Which generation is more likely to value money and flexibility as career goals? A. Generation X B. Boomers C. Millennials D. Traditionalists Answer: B. With multiple generations in the workplace, it can be difficult to balance the different priorities for career development. Boomers generally are seeking monetary gains and stability along with flexibility. Immediate rewards and career portability are valued by generation Xers, and millennials gravitate toward parallel careers and choice. ================================================== Question: The diversity manager at the Fortune 500 company for which you work has asked for the EEO 1 reports showing the demographics of the new hires over the last six months. The diversity manager is considering what type of diversity? A. Deep-level B. Surface-level C. Trait-based D. Biological Answer: B. Surface-level diversity is what many think of when they hear the term diversity, mainly because they are observable. Surface-level diversity includes traits such as sex, race, and age. ================================================== Question: The values and attitudes held by employees has been shown by research to be positively correlated with overall performance. This is an example of what type of diversity at work? A. Deep-level B. Surface-level C. Trait-based D. Biological Answer: A. Deep-level diversity includes the attitudes and beliefs of each individual. Studies have shown that when measured and understood, deep-level diversity factors may contribute more to individual and organizational performance than its counterpart, surface-level diversity. ================================================== Question: Under which condition may an employer adopt a fluctuating work week to calculate employee pay? A. For exempt employees to keep track of time B. If the employee schedules actually fluctuate C. For nonexempt workers who are paid a flat, biweekly sum D. Never, because fluctuating workweeks are prohibited under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Answer: B. One main consideration for an employer seeking to adopt an alternative overtime pay calculation of the fluctuating workweek is whether the employee's schedule actually fluctuates on a week-to-week basis. ================================================== Question: Of the following pairs of words, which are most likely to positively affect the collective attitude of a team? A. Job involvement and employee engagement B. Job enlargement and job enrichment C. Fair pay and feedback D. Social pressure and emotional contagion Answer: D. Teams often take on a single personality made up of the job attitudes of its members. Social pressure from teammates can strengthen either a positive or negative team attitude. Emotional contagion occurs when a negative (or positive) mood infects the attitudes of a team. ================================================== Question: You recently were informed that your company is being acquired by a major competitor. You have been authorized to put together an executive agreement that will pay the CEO to stay on board for a period of three years after the deal is finalized. This is an example of which executive compensation benefit? A. Golden handcuff B. Golden parachute C. Golden life jacket D. Golden handshake Answer: C. Of the "golden" category of executive benefits, a lifejacket is used to ensure an executive remains with a company after an event such as a merger or acquisition. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is the proper definition of phantom stock? A. Employees are offered stock options as incentives but are not allowed to exercise them until they are fully vested. B. Employees are incentivized based on the stock price but never actually earn shares. C. Employees are offered stock shares at the strike price. D. Employees are offered equity shares but must earn the ability to trade. Answer: B. Phantom stock is one way to pay employees for company performance without having to grant actual shares. ================================================== Question: The large construction company for which you work is struggling to find foremen in the ever-growing economy. They realize they are at risk to lose the ability to complete the several jobs they have on the books and so decide to increase field employee pay to the 90th percentile of the midrange market wage. This is an example of which of the following risk management strategies? A. Mitigation B. Avoidance C. Acceptance D. Transference Answer: A. Risk mitigation techniques are focused on minimizing the risk, which in this case is losing good employees to competitors and being unable to satisfy their book of business. ================================================== Question: Which of the following HR docs run the risk of creating an implied employment contract? A. Job offers B. Job descriptions C. Performance reviews D. All of the above Answer: D. Implied contracts can be established if HR does not take care to word information properly. A best practice is to use statements of at-will employment on documents such as job offers and job descriptions. It is also important that supervisors and other performance raters are trained to avoid making performance statements such as "you'll have a job here for life if you keep performing this way" to avoid claims of an implied contract. ================================================== Question: Predicting the consequences of an electricity outage at your place of work is the primary focus of which of the following business continuity planning tools? A. Hazard assessment B. Rapid response plan C. Business impact analysis D. Prevention plan Answer: C. Assessing the business impact of any type of operational disruption (natural or man-made) is the focus of a business impact analysis (BIA). HR should consider lost or delayed sales or income, increased expenses (overtime, outsourcing), potential regulatory fines, and other impacts that may be the result of a business disruption. ================================================== Question: The large manufacturer for which you work recently automated the high-hazard job that was the primary source of injury for employees. This is an example of what type of hazard control? A. Administrative B. Engineering C. Training D. PPE Answer: B. Controls that are introduced to reduce workplace hazards may be administrative, engineering, or the requirement of personal protective equipment. In this example, a process was changed to reduce hazard exposure, which is a type of engineering control as defined by OSHA. ================================================== Question: Glare and shadow controls are possible abatement strategies for which type of workplace hazard? A. Lighting B. Machinery C. Electricity D. Housekeeping Answer: A. OSHA recommends that employers both inspect and respond to employee safety hazards that may exist due to poor lighting at workstations. This includes assessing the type and intensity of station lighting along with the presence (or lack of) glare/shadow controls that can contribute to eye strain. ================================================== Question: The major hospital for which you work has asked you to create an educational resource for local employers to help prepare for an influenza pandemic. Which of the following would you recommend employers do to help prevent the spread of disease? A. Mandate flu vaccines for all employees. B. Encourage employees to stay home when sick. C. Provide hand sanitizer to kill the germs. D. All of the above Answer: B. A global pandemic of the flu (such as H1N1 in 2009) is a threat that occurs when a new strain of the virus emerges. New strain pandemics are resistant to seasonal vaccines and can spread quickly. For that reason, employers should have flexible attendance policies that encourage workers to stay home when sick to avoid the spread of the disease. ================================================== Question: The rise of sexual harassment claims in the news in 2018 is most likely going to lead to which of the following conditions? A. More enforcement of existing anti-harassment laws B. Increased training obligations of employers C. An increase in claims of workplace harassment D. Higher employee fines for wrongdoing Answer: C. The high-profile nature of the multitude of 2017 and 2018 sexual harassment claims in the workplace is bound to change the organizational climate in some way. Anti-harassment and training responsibilities have been around for a long time, but the employer culture of retaliation seemed to discourage reporting in many of the cases. While difficult to predict, it seems that the stigma of reporting and increased credibility of worker charges forecasts an increase in harassment claims that HR departments should be prepared to investigate. ================================================== Question: Tension headaches, absenteeism, and erratic behaviors are all signs of which of the following workplace safety hazards? A. Substance abuse B. Autoimmune disorders C. Soft tissue injury D. Stress Answer: D. Stress due to work or non-work-related circumstances is a real issue that employer safety programs may need to address. According to the CDC, symptoms may include tension headaches, excessive absenteeism, unusual or out-of-character behaviors, crying, and difficulty making decisions. ================================================== Question: Your American employer has asked you to identify the risk of global illness for expatriates working across the globe. Which HR tool should you use? A. An international broker B. Government resources C. A self-inspection D. A job hazard analysis Answer: B. There are many methods employers may choose to conduct an assessment of the specific types of risks associated with sending expatriates to various parts of the world. In this case, the assessment may be begin by accessing the United States' Centers for Disease Control's global health website, which includes up-to-date information on the global health risks in various countries. ================================================== Question: Which of the following groups contribute to the design and enforcement of workplace health and safety standards for multinational employers across Europe? A. OSHA B. Works councils C. Labor unions D. All of the above Answer: D. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), trade unions, and works councils all have taken some measure of responsibility for designing and enforcing safety standards that protect workers. ================================================== Question: Of the following HR tools, which is the first that you should use when trying to identify predictors of success in a job? A. Job analysis B. Job specifications C. Job descriptions D. Job evaluation Answer: A. Job analysis serves as the fundamental starting point for many HR processes, both operationally and strategically. When done properly, job analysis both defines the work but also identifies the relevant criteria that are important for success. From that criteria, employment tests designed to predict performance can be selected. ================================================== Question: Which of the following is quickly becoming the primary way employers vet job candidates in the 21st century? A. Online videos B. Apps C. Social media D. Job boards Answer: C. Cyber-vetting is the process of using the Internet to determine an applicant's qualifications for a job. Some studies estimate that more than 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring. ================================================== Question: What is a major advantage of having a return-to-work program for individuals with a non-work-related injury? A. Increased compliance with workers' compensation laws B. Preparing for stronger labor laws related to safety C. Better individual management of work responsibilities D. All of the above Answer: C. Studies have found that by allowing individuals with non-work-related injuries to participate in return to work programs, these individuals feel more in control of their responsibilities at work. Helping individuals struggling with disabilities through RTW programs changes their focus from what is a "problem" to the tools they may use for effective management related to their work, attendance, and other outcomes. ==================================================