HRCI- SPHR Exam Test Questions And Answers Verified
100% Correct
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Which of the following are formal systems designed to obtain employee feedback?
100% Correct
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Which of the following are formal systems designed to obtain employee feedback?
