aPHR HR Operations 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of an employee handbook?
- To serve as a legally binding employment contract
- To communicate company policies, expectations, and employee rights in a consistent manner (Correct answer)
- To replace job descriptions for all roles
- To document individual performance goals for each employee
Correct answer: To communicate company policies, expectations, and employee rights in a consistent manner
Employee handbooks ensure consistent communication of workplace policies and expectations while clarifying employee rights and responsibilities.
Question 2: An employer wants to verify that a job applicant's stated previous salary is accurate. Under laws enacted in several US states and cities, this practice is:
- Always required by federal law before making an offer
- Prohibited, as salary history bans prevent employers from asking about or using prior compensation (Correct answer)
- Only permitted for executive-level positions
- Required only for positions paying over $100,000
Correct answer: Prohibited, as salary history bans prevent employers from asking about or using prior compensation
Many US jurisdictions have enacted salary history bans to address pay equity concerns, prohibiting employers from asking about or relying on prior pay.
Question 3: Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), qualifying events that trigger continuation coverage include:
- An employee receiving a pay raise
- Voluntary or involuntary termination of employment (other than for gross misconduct) (Correct answer)
- An employee transferring to a different department
- A change in the company's health insurance carrier
Correct answer: Voluntary or involuntary termination of employment (other than for gross misconduct)
Job loss (except for gross misconduct) is a COBRA qualifying event that allows employees to continue group health coverage at their own expense.
Question 4: Which HR operational document is typically used to formally document a job vacancy and initiate the recruiting process?
- Performance improvement plan (PIP)
- Job requisition form (Correct answer)
- Employee status change form
- Separation agreement
Correct answer: Job requisition form
A job requisition formally authorizes filling a vacancy and triggers the recruitment workflow, capturing role details and approval signatures.
Question 5: A company has 55 employees. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), this company is:
- Required to provide FMLA leave because it employs more than 50 people
- Not covered by FMLA, which applies to employers with 50 or more employees within 75 miles (Correct answer)
- Exempt from FMLA but must offer state-equivalent leave in all states
- Required to offer FMLA only to full-time employees
Correct answer: Not covered by FMLA, which applies to employers with 50 or more employees within 75 miles
FMLA applies to employers with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius, and employees must also meet eligibility requirements regarding tenure and hours worked.
Question 6: When conducting a new hire orientation, which HR operational objective is MOST important?
- Impressing new hires with the company's history and executive bios
- Ensuring completion of required paperwork and communicating key policies to support early compliance and engagement (Correct answer)
- Introducing new hires to every employee in the organization
- Presenting the company's stock price history and financial performance
Correct answer: Ensuring completion of required paperwork and communicating key policies to support early compliance and engagement
Orientation must ensure legal paperwork is completed and employees understand key policies so they can perform effectively and in compliance from day one.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the concept of 'span of control' as it relates to HR operations and organizational design?
- The number of HR policies an HR manager is responsible for enforcing
- The number of direct reports a manager oversees, which affects workload distribution and supervision quality (Correct answer)
- The geographic territory an HR business partner covers
- The range of compensation levels within a job grade
Correct answer: The number of direct reports a manager oversees, which affects workload distribution and supervision quality
Span of control refers to the number of subordinates a manager supervises, and HR uses this to design effective reporting structures and identify management capacity issues.
aPHR HR Operations 5
What is the primary purpose of an employee handbook?