PCM Human Resources & Talent Development 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Federal law requires employers to verify identity and work eligibility for every new hire. Which form is used?
- IRS Form W-4
- USCIS Form I-9 (Correct answer)
- IRS Form 1099
- DOL Form WH-380
Correct answer: USCIS Form I-9
Form I-9 must be completed for every new hire to verify identity and employment authorization in the U.S.
Question 2: Several states require debt collectors to hold individual licenses or registrations. How should HR handle this?
- Ignore it because only the agency needs a license
- Let collectors handle their own renewals without tracking
- Track license requirements by state, confirm licensing before assigning accounts, and monitor renewals (Correct answer)
- License only managers
Correct answer: Track license requirements by state, confirm licensing before assigning accounts, and monitor renewals
Where states require individual collector licenses, HR must track and verify them before collectors work accounts in that state.
Question 3: A collection agency lets collectors work remotely. Which HR control matters most for data security and compliance?
- Allowing personal email for account notes
- Letting collectors use any home device without restrictions
- Removing call recording for remote staff
- Written remote-work policies with secure company devices, VPN access, clean-desk rules, and signed acknowledgments (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Written remote-work policies with secure company devices, VPN access, clean-desk rules, and signed acknowledgments
Remote collectors handle sensitive consumer data, so secure equipment and enforceable policies are needed to meet GLBA and client requirements.
Question 4: Which performance management practice is most likely to hold up as fair if challenged?
- Objective, documented metrics applied the same way to all employees in the same role (Correct answer)
- Ratings based on the manager's personal impression
- Changing goals for individual employees without notice
- Reviewing only employees the manager dislikes
Correct answer: Objective, documented metrics applied the same way to all employees in the same role
Consistent, objective, documented criteria lower the risk of discrimination claims and support fair decisions.
Question 5: A collector's commission drops their effective pay for a week below federal minimum wage. What must the employer do?
- Nothing, since commission plans are exempt
- Make up the difference so total pay for the workweek meets at least minimum wage (Correct answer)
- Wait until the end of the quarter to review it
- Ask the employee to sign a waiver
Correct answer: Make up the difference so total pay for the workweek meets at least minimum wage
Non-exempt employees must receive at least the minimum wage for all hours worked each workweek, regardless of how commission performs.
Question 6: What does the 70-20-10 learning and development model suggest about how collectors gain skills?
- 70% from classroom courses, 20% from reading, 10% from on-the-job work
- Equal parts from every method
- About 70% from on-the-job experience, 20% from coaching and peers, and 10% from formal training (Correct answer)
- 10% from experience and 90% from e-learning
Correct answer: About 70% from on-the-job experience, 20% from coaching and peers, and 10% from formal training
The 70-20-10 model says most development comes from hands-on experience, then social learning, then formal courses.
Question 7: Which time-keeping practice puts an agency at risk of FLSA 'off-the-clock' violations?
- Using an automated timekeeping system tied to phone login
- Requiring supervisors to approve timecard edits
- Paying for short rest breaks of 20 minutes or less
- Requiring collectors to boot up computers and log in to the dialer before clocking in (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Requiring collectors to boot up computers and log in to the dialer before clocking in
Required pre-shift tasks like starting systems are generally compensable work, so making collectors do them unpaid risks off-the-clock claims.
