CHRP Professional Practice and Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical principle requires HR professionals to treat all employees consistently regardless of personal relationships?
- Beneficence
- Impartiality (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
- Non-maleficence
Correct answer: Impartiality
Impartiality requires HR professionals to apply policies and decisions fairly without favoritism based on personal relationships or preferences.
Question 2: An HR professional is aware of a senior executive's substance abuse problem that is affecting workplace performance. The BEST course of action is to:
- Ignore it because it involves a senior executive
- Immediately terminate the executive without investigation
- Follow the same policies that would apply to any employee, including EAP referral (Correct answer)
- Publicly disclose the situation to all employees
Correct answer: Follow the same policies that would apply to any employee, including EAP referral
HR must apply policies consistently at all levels; the same performance and support processes, including Employee Assistance Programs, apply to executives.
Question 3: The SHRM Code of Ethics identifies which of the following as a core ethical responsibility for HR professionals?
- Maximizing shareholder returns above all other considerations
- Maintaining employee privacy and protecting confidential information (Correct answer)
- Advocating only for management's interests in all disputes
- Avoiding all participation in public policy discussions
Correct answer: Maintaining employee privacy and protecting confidential information
The SHRM Code of Ethics explicitly identifies protecting the privacy and confidential information of employees as a core HR responsibility.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of continuing professional development (CPD) for CHRPs?
- To fulfill a government-mandated training quota
- To maintain and enhance competence in a constantly evolving profession (Correct answer)
- To qualify for salary increases within the organization
- To network with peers and find new employment opportunities
Correct answer: To maintain and enhance competence in a constantly evolving profession
CPD ensures HR professionals keep their knowledge and skills current to serve organizations and employees effectively as the field evolves.
Question 5: When conducting an HR audit, the practice of benchmarking involves:
- Comparing HR metrics and practices against industry standards or top performers (Correct answer)
- Auditing individual employee performance against job descriptions
- Setting financial targets for the HR department
- Reviewing compliance with all local, state, and federal labor laws
Correct answer: Comparing HR metrics and practices against industry standards or top performers
Benchmarking compares an organization's HR practices and metrics to external standards or industry leaders to identify gaps and opportunities.
Question 6: A manager asks HR to help build a case to terminate an employee the manager personally dislikes, without legitimate performance reasons. The HR professional should:
- Assist the manager to maintain a positive working relationship
- Refuse and explain that terminations must be based on valid, documented reasons (Correct answer)
- Transfer the employee to another department without explanation
- Document the request and terminate the employee anyway
Correct answer: Refuse and explain that terminations must be based on valid, documented reasons
HR must refuse to support pretextual terminations and educate the manager that adverse actions require legitimate, documented business reasons.
Question 7: The concept of 'psychological safety' in workplace ethics refers to:
- Providing mental health insurance benefits to all employees
- An environment where employees can speak up without fear of punishment or humiliation (Correct answer)
- Securing employee records from unauthorized digital access
- Screening candidates for mental health conditions during hiring
Correct answer: An environment where employees can speak up without fear of punishment or humiliation
Psychological safety is an environment where employees feel safe to voice concerns, take risks, and raise issues without fear of retaliation.
CHRP Professional Practice and Ethics 3
Which ethical principle requires HR professionals to treat all employees consistently regardless of personal relationships?