PHR Practice Test
When you compare your company's return on investment to that of the competition, you'll see that it's a little lower. What is the most effective course of action?
Explanation:
The best plan of action in this circumstance is to adjust the strategic plan to maximize the value of expenses with
the greatest return. Only develop a new strategic plan if the ROI is much lower than the competition. If the difference
is not significant, only an adjustment is needed to ensure that financial resources expended receive the greatest return.
According to which motivation theory, employees are motivated by success, but they weigh the expected benefit against the effort required to accomplish it?
Explanation:
There are three terms of Vroom's expectancy theory:
Expectancy - whether an employee expects to achieve their goal;
Instrumentality – whether an employee is confident in their ability for goal achievement;
Valence – whether the value of the goal is equal to or more valuable than the effort to achieve it.
Which of the following is a SMART goal's element?
Explanation:
A SMART goal is specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and time-based. SMART goals are used for evaluating
employee performance, by setting specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and time-based criteria that can be
documented and recorded for review.
You want to build and maintain a strong sense of ethics inside an organization as an HR professional. One efficient method is to:
Explanation:
Establishing a policy and procedures manual, which expands on the "corporate value statement" and defines acceptable
behavior, will give the organization a proper foundation for setting expectations of proper behavior and protocol in the
organization. Regular HR Audits ensure that employees are following policy. Writing a corporate ethics statement without
detailing a policy and procedures manual will not be an effective way to maintain ethics within the organization.
What is the name given to an employee who files a complaint with a federal agency alleging that their employer has engaged in illegal activity?
Explanation:
A whistle-blower describes a person who reports that their employer has participated in illegal activity.
The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 protects federal employees who report illegal activity. The
Office of Special Counsel investigates federal complaints. The Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002 protects
employers of publicly traded companies and reports are filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
People form a variety of organizations to achieve their commercial objectives. Which of the following types of business organizations protects the owners from the company's debts and liabilities?
Explanation:
As long as certain formalities are followed, a corporate entity is a form of business ownership that protects the
owners or shareholders from the liabilities and debts of the company. In other words, the owners cannot be sued
for the debts of the company unless there are grounds to pierce the corporate veil, like fraud. This is also true of
limited liability companies (LLC) that requires less formality in its management.
As part of a marketing strategy, a restaurant launches a new happy-hour. The owner wants to know if the marketing helped sales a year later. Which form of strategic planning statistic can be used to compare sales from the prior year to the current year?
Explanation:
The gross profit margin is total revenue for a certain period minus the cost of sales for that period divided by total
revenue for that period. Comparing the gross profit margin for the two periods is helpful in determining if the new
campaign is increasing sales or if a new strategy is needed.
Why is it so important to ask valid questions during an interview?
Explanation:
Valid interview questions are job specific and ensure that answers demonstrate
job-specific skills. Validity demonstrates a relationship between past performance and the interview process.
What federal legislation defines sexual harassment as a form of discrimination?
Explanation:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
What is Executive Order 11246 purpose?
Explanation:
Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 24, 1965, established requirements
for non-discriminatory practices in hiring and employment on the part of U.S. government contractors. It requires
contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during
employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin."
Employers with 100 or more employees are obliged to file the EEO-1 (Employer Information Report). When is the deadline for submitting EEO-1 report component 1?
Explanation:
The EEO-1 form is a federally required survey reporting wage and race data. Component 1, a report of race and gender,
is required for all employers with over 100 employees and federal contractors with 50 or more employees and at least
$50,000 in government contracts. The deadline to file component 1 of the EEO-1 is May 31st. Only, employers with over
100 employees are required to also complete component 2 form, due September 30.
Which of the following questions should be answered before choosing an HRIS system?
Explanation:
An HRIS is a software system designed for tracking human resources data, such as, payroll, employee information,
management and accounting. A needs analysis should be conducted and answers provided to the listed questions.
Additionally, it should be understood whether the HRIS will be integrated with payroll or other systems and what
kinds of reports will be produced.
A nonexempt employee who normally works Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. travels on Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to attend a conference. For travel time, how many hours should the employee be compensated?
Explanation:
The FLSA does not consider travel time outside of regular work hours to be payable. Travel is only eligible for pay
during regular working hours (8:00am-5:00pm), including weekend days.
Which of the following is a direct compensation example?
Explanation:
A bonus is a form of direct compensation. Direct compensation is a monetary reward for employment.
Indirect compensation is a non-monetary reward and includes many benefits, like vacation, mobile phone,
health insurance, and more. And also includes legally obligated benefits like payroll taxes, unemployment
insurance, and worker's compensation.
A non-exempt employee is participating in non-job-related professional training outside of normal working hours. The event will be documented as certified training on the employee's performance review. Should the employee be compensated for his or her attendance at the training?
Explanation:
By documenting the attendance in a performance review the event would be considered a job requirement
and would meet one of the four requirements for paid training. To be non-paid an event must be outside normal
work hours, voluntary, not job related, and no other work is performed during the event.
Your employer provides medical benefits to military personnel, but does not provide the same benefits to women on maternity leave. This is a violation _______.
Explanation:
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act amended Title VII to prohibit discrimination on the basis of pregnancy.
If benefits are offered to other staff on leave, the same benefits must be offered to those on leave for
pregnancy-related conditions.
A hands-on experience demonstrates which type of learning.
Explanation:
Kinesthetic learning is a learning style where understanding and comprehension best occur during physical
activity. Auditory learners best learn by hearing instructions. Visual learners best learn by seeing instructions.
"Touch Learning" is not a correct term for a style of learning.
There are four types of training evaluations, according to Kirkpatrick's model: reaction, learning, behavior, and.
Explanation:
The following are the four types of training evaluation:
Reaction: the participant’s immediate thoughts and feelings following participation
Learning: measurement of knowledge/skills gained by participants via demonstration or test
Behavior: post training evaluation of how the participant preforms on the job or has changed behavior based on the training
Results: Any monetary or performance-based reward that occurred as a result of attendance and participation in the training.
Your company establishes a suggestion box where employees can anonymously submit ideas to executives and management. What is the best course of action for management to take in order for employees to recognize the program's value?
Explanation: >br> Suggestions must be acted on quickly for employees to see true value in the program. While it does provide value to discuss the suggestions, and sharing the suggestions would provide an opportunity for organizational input, employees need to see management making changes based on the suggestions. Answer a is the best answer.
What is the deadline for bringing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)?
Explanation:
Individuals must file a claim within 180 days of the alleged violation. In some cases, the limit may be extended to
300 days if the charge is covered by state or local anti-discrimination law.
Which of the following offers an informal setting for a group of employees to meet with their manager in order to learn more about the company?
Explanation:
It is important to offer a variety of opportunities for staff and management to meet. An informal setting like a brown
bag lunch can provide a more comfortable setting for employees to share more about themselves and what's going
on in the company.
In a hostile work environment, which of the following is true?
Explanation:
A hostile work environment may arise when an employee witnesses the continuous harassment of another employee.
A hostile work environment can be created by any person in the workplace including vendors, customers or visitors.
One occurrence of harassment does not meet the requirement for hostile work environment.
A panel of arbitrators appointed by the parties to a dispute for the sole purpose of resolving such dispute is known as:
Explanation:
An arbitrator tribunal or tripartite arbitration panel consist of three arbitrators who are chosen for the sole
purpose of handling a specific dispute.
Terrorism, war, and arson fall into what category of disaster when conducting a risk assessment?
Explanation:
When conducting a risk assessment, the first step is to identify the potential threats, which fall under specific categories:
Environmental (natural disaster),
Organized or deliberate disruption (terrorism, war, arson),
Loss of utiilites or services (electrical power failure, public utility failure, communication services breakdown),
Equipment or system failure (internal power failure, production line failure, equipment failure),
Security threat (leak of sensitive information, loss of records or data, cyber crime),
Supplementary emergency situations (workplace violence, public transportation disruption, health and safety hazard).
How is the negotiating unit determined during the union-building process?
Explanation:
The NLRB is an independent federal agency created to enforce the National Labor Relations Act. It is the
agency's responsibility to protect employee's rights to organize and to be represented by a labor union in
the collective bargaining process. A bargaining unit is a group of employees represented by a labor union
and protected by a collective bargaining agreement.
