Module 1 (HR Operations/HR Admin & Shared Services)

Question 1

Which is not a duty of HR shared service center?
1. HRIS
2.standardization of HR processes
3. Employees & managers self-services
4. Talent management

Answer 1

Talent management

Question 2

Which is the best description for organizational culture?
1. Direction & scope of an organization
2. The way employees do things here
3. The policies and procedures
4. The morale and perceptions of the organization and is quite subjective.

Answer 2

2. The way employees do things here

Question 3

Which of the following activities illustrates the advisory role assumed by a HR professional?

1. Filling out HR audit reports
2. Protecting whistleblowers from discharge.
3. Evaluating the bottom line contribution of HR programs.
4. Conducting an interviewing seminar for line managers.

Answer 3

4. Conducting an interviewing seminar of line managers.

Question 4

Which of the following describes the competitive strategies of an organization committed to differentiation?
1. Controlling cost
2. Exploiting economies of scale
3. Positioning unique product characteristics
4. Formalizing policies and procedures

Answer 4

3. Positioning unique product characteristics

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of strategy development?
1. Allocates resources to new market development.
2. Decides to market their products globally.
3. Motivates employees to increase sales.
4. Decides to cut personnel costs.

Answer 5

2. Decides to market their products globally.

Question 6

Which of the following positions is considered a HR specialist?
1. Group payroll director.
2. Human resource manager.
3. Personnel administrator.
4. Human resource team leader.

Answer 6

1. Group payroll director.

Question 7

Which type of organizational structure would be most effective for reinforcing local authority and accountability?
1. Functional
2. Divisional
3. Line and staff
4. Matrix

Answer 7

2. Divisional

The divisional structure is separated on the basis of product, market, or region. This approach is popular in larger organizations that need to reinforce local authority and accountability.

Question 8

A potential advantage of a small firm outsourcing its payroll functions is?

1. Increased continuity rather than having various staff members perform the function.
2. The outsourcing company’s employees will be paid only for time worked.
3. Less supervisory time on the part of the HR generalist.
4. The outsourcing company’s knowledge of payroll processing and administration.

Answer 8

4. The outsourcing company’s knowledge of payroll processing and administration.

Question 9

If the HR department was requested to outsource as a cost-saving measure, which task within HR would be most likely to be outsourced?

1. Organizational development
2. Domestic relocation
3. Employee development
4. Succession planning

Answer 9

2. Domestic relocation

Question 10

What should management build the new outsourced HR organization structure around?
1. Employee competencies and short-term inside relationships.
2. Job descriptions and long-term outside relationships.
3. Core competencies and long-term outside relationships.
4. Staffing plans and short-term internal relationships.

Answer 10

3. Core competencies and long-term outside relationships.

Question 11

Which of the following are the activities of onboarding?
1. Provide information about the organization.
2. Provide a “buddy” or “mentor” to help the new employee learn the workplace.
3. Conduct Realistic Job Previews (RJPs)
4. All of the above are correct.

Answer 11

4. All of the above

Question 12

An IC design company that hires a scientist to perform research should have which of the following included in the employment contract.
1. Protections for trade secrets and confidential information.
2. Collective bargaining agreement exceptions.
3. A ten-year non-compete agreement barring the employee from working for a a competitor.
4. Provisions for the company to buy the employees patents developed during employment.

Answer 12

1. Protections for trade secrets and confidential information.

Question 13

What is the first step in locating a third party contractor to handle an outplacement program?
1. Create an RFP
2. Conduct on-site visits
3. Identify the needs and goals
4. Approach potential vendors

Answer 13

3. Identify the needs and goals

Question 14

Your company terminated 705 employees during the quarter. The average headcount is 2,500 for the same time period, what is the separation rate?
1. 0.22
2. 0.282
3. 0.3928
4. 0.718

Answer 14

2. 0.282

Question 15

Re-assignment of work, related to job in another part of the organization at similar position is called?

1. Promotions
2. Transfers
3. Development
4. Separation

Answer 15

2. Transfers

Question 16

A corporation must significantly reduce its workforce because of increased costs resulting from changes in the regulatory environment. What should HR do to help the retained employees cope?

1. Survey retained employees
2. Disclose outplacement and severance terms.
3. Discount any rumors
4. Explain the regulatory changes.

Answer 16

4. Explain regulatory changes.

Question 17

A large bank needs to layoff 10% of its workforce for reengineering, but do not want to rush discriminating against any employee. In order from most to least weight, which of the following weightings will best met the needs of the bank?
1. Performance data appraisal, seniority, diversity goals.
2. Seniority, diversity goals, performance data appraisal.
3. Seniority, performance data appraisal, diversity goals.
4. Diversity goals, performance data appraisal, seniority.

Answer 17

1. Performance data appraisal, seniority, diversity goals.

Question 18

A manager terminates an employee who “does not fit in”. Rather than hurt the employees feelings, the manager does not give a reason for the termination. Which of the following is true in this situation?
1. It is better for the employee and the organization to avoid conflict.
2. The employer is guilty of of constructive discharge if reason is not given.
3. The employer may not legally terminate the employee for purely personality-related reasons.
4. The employer is not legally required to give a reason for discharge.

Answer 18

4. The employer is not legally required to give a reason for discharge.

Question 19

A turnover analysis is a technique that?
1. Tracks the rate of employee separation.
2. Utilizes information provided by Individuals associated with the industry to project future industry needs.
3. Predicts future employment trends based on market place data.
4. Determines if a relationship exists between two variables through the use of regression analysis and simulations.

Answer 19

1. Tracks the rate of employee separations.

Question 20

Despite progressive disciplinary actions, an employee has continued to violate company policy on attendance. The employee must now be terminated, but the employee’s manager has never terminated anyone. In this situation, HR should
1. Step into handling the termination.
2. Observe how the manager handles the termination.
3. Train the manager to handle terminations

Answer 20

3. Train the manager to handle terminations.

Question 21

During an exit interview, what type of questions should be asked besides “why is the employee leaving?”
1. Open-ended questions that are aligned with the organization’s business needs.
2. Survey questions that are focused on the career objectives of the employee.
3. Open-ended questions that help the employer understand the competition.
4. Survey questions that are aligned with the organization’s mission.

Answer 21

1. Open-ended questions that are aligned with the organization’s business needs.

Question 22

Linking staffing levels to organizational goals is best described by which of the following?

1. Outsourcing
2. Downsizing
3. Reengineering
4. Rightsizing

Answer 22

4. Rightsizing

Question 23

Outplacement is the process of ?
1. Assigning a salesperson to a region outside of the home office after initial training.
2. Placing employees in temporary positions within other companies during a period of downsizing
3. In-house assessment, training and placement of employees in positions in which they have previous experience
4. Providing a group of services to displaced employees to give assistance in employment career transition

Answer 23

4. Providing a group of services to displaced employees to give assistance in employment career transition.

Question 24

The employee requests that the information not be shared with anyone outside of HR in exit interview. The BEST solution to this situation requires HR to?
1. Honor the employee’s request and look for confirming evidence in prior and subsequent exit interviews
2. Share the information with the employee’s manager and ask that it be kept confidential.
3. Meet with other employees in the department and get feedback on their working relationships.
4. Ask the exiting employee what it would take to reverse the decision to leave.

Answer 24

1. Honor the employee’s request and look for confirming evidence in prior and subsequent exit interviews

Question 25

What should an employer do after an employee termination is complete?
1. Communicate with the rest of their workers about the firing.
2. Build a paper trail detailing reasons for the dismissal.
3. Tell the terminated employee that he is being terminated.
4. Tell the fired employee how many additional weeks of pay he will receive.

Answer 25

1. Communicate with the rest of their workers about the firing.

Question 26

When regression is used in research, a potential dependent variable may be:

1. Biological data
2. Personal goals
3. Test scores
4. Length of employment.

Answer 26

4. Length of employment

Question 27

Which of the following is not an example of an unavoidable employment separation?
1. Terminations of temporary employment
2. Failure to return after maternity leave
3. Dismissals
4. Retirement

Answer 27

3. Dismissals

Question 28

Which of the following is not an option for recruitment?

1. Attrition
2. Reduced workweeks
3. Early retirements
4. Workforce diversity

Answer 28

4. Workforce diversity

Attrition is the process by which an organization reduces its workforce. “Workforce diversity” describes the differences, similarities, and unique features that exist in an organization’s workforce due to the mixture of gender, ethnicity, race, national origin, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs and other factors.

Question 29

Which of the following is the BEST indicator to refer to when designing retention strategies?

1. Differences between Generation X and
   Generation Y
2. Advances in Technology
3. Turnover trends
4. Unemployment Rates

Answer 29

3. Turnover trends

Question 30

In order to reduce information overload, orientation programs should
Choose only ONE best answer.
1. Be modularized and spread out over a period of time
2. Be conducted only after an employee has served on the job for a specified period of time.
3. Include a detailed employee reference manual for later use.
4. Provide continuous feedback to participants.

Answer 30

1. Be modularized and spread out over a period of time

Question 31

An employee is on sick leave for a long time. HR should?
1. Conduct disciplinary action immediately
2. Develop a return to work policy
3. Keep communication and know when returning to work
4. Contact the doctor without permission

Answer 31

3. Keep communication and know when returning to work

Question 32

A disadvantage of flextime is that
- •
Choose only ONE best answer.
1. Utility costs may be higher because of longer operating hours.
2. It provides more flexibility in handling uneven workloads.
3. The total number of employees to compensate increases.
4. One- day absences are reduced

Answer 32

1. Utility costs may be higher because of longer operating hours.

Question 33

Moving work closer to an employee to overcome restraints in time and/or location
BEST describes which type of alternate work schedule?
1. Flex Time
2. Telecommuting
3. Job sharing
4. Compressed workweeks

Answer 33

2. Telecommuting

Question 34

Which of the following is an example of an alternate work schedule?
1. Job sharing
2. Self-directed work teams
3. Job rotation
4. Task forces

Answer 34

1. Job sharing

Question 35

Which of the following work schedules allows an employee to vary his/her arrival time on a daily basis without management approval, provided he/she arrives before the beginning of core hours?

1. Maxi flex work schedule
2. Variable day work schedule
3. Compressed work schedule
4. Flexible work schedule

Answer 35

4. Flexible work schedule

Question 36

Mandy starts work at 7:00 a.m. so she can leave by 4:00 p.m. to pick up his son by 4:15p.m. Mandy works a fixed schedule of 8 hour days, 5 days a week with these designated arrival and departure times. What type of work schedule does Mandy work?
1. Gliding
2. Flexi tour
3. Traditional
4. Variable day

Answer 36

2. Flexi tour

Question 37

Which one of the following terms is best described as a scheduling policy in which full-time employees may choose starting and ending times within guidelines specified by the organization?
Choose only ONE best answer.
1.
Telework
2.
Job sharing
3.
Flextime
4.
Ergonomics

Answer 37

3. Flextime

Question 38

____ allows workers to work part of the week from home?
1. Part-time
2. Flextime
3. Job sharing
4. Telecommuting

Answer 38

4. Telecommuting

Question 39

Splitting the duties and accountabilities of a job between two people is called?
1. Job sharing
2. Compressed workweeks
3. Remote working
4. Job rotation

Answer 39

1. Job sharing

Question 40

There are many benefits to teleworking except
1. Allows a worker greater freedom regarding his/her work hours and work location.
2. Gives the employee more flexibility to balance work and personal obligations.
3. Decreased risk to the security of the information.
4. Saves companies money in office expenses.

Answer 40

3. Decreased risk to the security of the information.

Question 41

When an employee is injured and takes time off work, it is recommended that contact with the injured employee:
1. be limited to legal representatives until the claim status (reject or accept) is decided by the insurance agent
2. be made by the supervisor and manager direct to the employee as soon as possible after the absence
3. resume between the manager and employee once the doctor provides a medical certificate and a return-to-work date.
4. should be mainly between the insurance agent and rehabilitation provider, to ensure the best treatment and full rest for the injured employee

Answer 41

2. Be made by the supervisor and manager direct to the employee as soon as possible after the absence.

Question 42

When an injured worker is going to return to work, HR should not?
1. Ensure that the worker is given appropriate and meaningful duties and assistance.
2. Make reasonable changes to the workplace or hours to help them return safely.
3. Ask the doctor whether a worker can do their job safely without permission.
4. Consider any restrictions or limitations to the role.

Answer 42

3. Ask the doctor whether a worker can do their job safely without permission.

Question 43

HR policies and procedures need to be fewer and less formal in organizations that exhibit a;
1. Weak culture
2. Strong culture
3. Flat structure
4. Hierarchical structure

Answer 43

2. Strong culture

Strong cultures are self-managing. They rely on consistency through the culture itself without extensive controls. The structure of the organization has little effect on the degree of formalization of the policies and procedures.

Question 44

It is a good idea to regularly update an employee handbook because?
1. Job specifications must be modified to accurately reflect the chain of command.
2. Related laws, regulations, and interpretive court decisions may change.
3. Discussions of job security legally needs to be translated for new minority employees.
4. Termination reasons need to be revised according to settlements reached in just-cause disputes.

Answer 44

2. Related laws, regulations, and interpretive court decisions may change.

Question 45

Progressive discipline is best described as a system that
1. Is based on feedback from peers.
2. Imposes increasingly severe penalties for each violation.
3. Is based on ADR process.
4. Improves two way communication between manager and subordinate.

Answer 45

2. Imposes increasingly severe penalties for each violation

Question 46

The employee expense reimbursement policy, procedures, and work rules have been developed and written. How should the information be dispersed to the employees?
1. Managers and employees should trained by HR.
2. Managers should be trained by HR and employees should be trained by managers.
3. Managers and employees should be trained by the accounting staff members.
4. Managers and employees should be trained through an e-learning process.

Answer 46

2. Managers should be trained by HR and employees should be trained by managers.

Question 47

The primary test to determine the reasonableness of a work rule is whether or not the,
1. Union has requested a change in the rule or it’s elimination.
2. Rule furthers a strict disciplinary approach to managing the workforce.
3. Employees agree that the rule is necessary if the plant is to operate efficiently.
4. Rule is reasonably related to a legitimate business reason.

Answer 47

4. Rule is reasonably related to a legitimate business reason.

Question 48

Which of the following best exemplifies a work rule?.
Choose only ONE best answer.
1.
Training employees to scan all e-mail attachments for viruses
2.
Terms of paid sick leave for nonexempt employees
3.
Method for authorizing departmental vacations
4. Prohibiting employees from drinking on the job.

Answer 48

4. Prohibiting employees from drinking on the job.

Question 49

Which of the following statements accurately describes the difference between an employee handbook and a company policy manual?
Choose only ONE best answer.
1.
An employer has a legal obligation to immediately investigate any violations of an employee handbook; violations of a policy manual do not have significant legal liability.
2.
Promises of severance are nonbinding when they are found in an employee handbook; they are legally defensible if they are found in a policy manual.

3.
A policy manual generally addresses decisions relating to workplace issues; an employee handbook is not as formal.
4.
Employees can speak with their managers about questions the policy manual does not address; the manager can refer to the employee handbook to find answers.

Answer 49

3.
A policy manual generally addresses decisions relating to workplace issues; an employee handbook is not as formal.

Question 50

Workplace dress code for casual days is generally an example of a
1. Policy
2. Procedure
3. Work rule
4. Collective bargaining item

Answer 50

1. Policy

Question 51

Many employers use electronic imaging to store and retrieve electronic records because of?
1. Lower initial cost lower initial cost
2. Limited storage space
3. Faster access and recovery
4. Legal requirement.

Answer 51

3. Faster access and recovery

An organizational policy manual generally provides a full set of formal policies relating to the workforce. A policy manual is usually written for the use of the management team to make decisions related to workplace issues. An employee handbook tends to be written in a much more informal style that is easy for employees to use. Handbooks may reference the policy manual. Employees often consult with their managers regarding issues the employee handbook may not address. In turn, managers use the policy manual as a reference to find answers. Any promises put into writing in either an employee handbook or a policy manual have the potential for legal liability.

Question 52

A company that emphasizes training to maintain workforce flexibility and improve productivity is in which phase of organizational development?
1. Start-up
2. Growth stage
3. Maturity
4. Decline

Answer 52

3. Maturity

Question 53

A company that increases recruitment efforts to hire new employees is in which phase of organizational development.
1. Introduction
2. Growth
3. Maturity
4. Decline

Answer 53

2. Growth

Question 54

A mission statement does not need to include.
1. State what the company does.
2. State the timeframe for completion
3. State where the company is headed
4. State who it’s customers are.

Answer 54

2. State the timeframe for completion

Question 55

A short-term objective is generally completed within?
1. Ten years
2. Six months to a year
3. One to two years
4. Three to five years.

Answer 55

2. Six months to a year

Question 56

All decisions are made at headquarters or according to the company’s policy and procedures. The PRIMARY advantage of this approach is?
1. Reduces staffing and operating costs
2. Leads to higher levels of employee satisfaction
3. Enables customer problems to be handled quickly
4. Makes it easy to recruit branch manager who can work within procedures.

Answer 56

1. Reduces staffing and operating costs

Question 57

An employee who implements HIS reports to both the CIO and the senior vice president of human resources. This is an example of what type of organizational structure?
1. Functional
2. Divisional
3. Matrix
4. Task

Answer 57

3. Matrix

Question 58

An organization has a large talent pool would consider this situation a?
1. Strength
2. Weakness
3. Opportunity
4. Threat

Answer 58

1. Strength

Question 59

An organization that places more emphasis on training and formalizes policies and procedures is in what phase of organizational evolution?
1. Growth
2. Introduction
3. Decline
4. Maturity

Answer 59

4. Maturity

Question 60

Staff can easily be made aware of a new policy by?
1. Training sessions
2. Email
3. HR Manual
4. Supervisor

Answer 60

2. Email

Question 61

An organization’s executive team meets to discuss the impact of developing a new business unit. An agenda is sent in advance of the meeting so the team will be able to prepare for it. What is the most important information that HR should bring to the meeting?
1. Sales and revenue projections for the new unit.
2. Analysis of pros and cons of the new unit.
3. Organization chart for the new unit.
4. Staffing analysis for the new unit.

Answer 61

2. Analysis of pros and cons of the new unit.

Question 62

By defining its organizational values, an organization?
1. Avoids ethical complications
2. Will be in compliance with employment laws
3. Demonstrates what employees must do to succeed in the company
4. Provide a guideline for employee behavior.

Answer 62

4. Provide a guideline for employee behavior.

Question 63

Collective rationalization, self-censorship, and illusion of invulnerability are all symptoms of?
1. A dysfunctional group
2. Defective decision making
3. Group think
4. A destructive conflict

Answer 63

3. Group think

Question 64

How does the matrix organizational structure work?
1. Employees are assigned three or more superiors
2. Two organization structures exist at the same time
3. There is a unity of command
4. Focus on the functional accountability

Answer 64

2. Two organization structures exist at the same time.

Question 65

HR can best prepare for a strategic role by
Choose only ONE best answer.
1. Enhancing its ability to demonstrate return on HR Capital investment
2. Expanding the size of the HR department
3. Focusing on ways to cut personnel costs throughout the organization
4. Centralizing HR functions for greater control

Answer 65

1. Enhancing its ability to demonstrate return on HR Capital investment

Question 66

The HR competency of credible activists is associated with?
1. the need to be proactive and advocate for their own position with top management of the company.
2. the need to be proactive and advocate for the employees with top management of the company.
3. the need to be proactive and advocate for business friendly government regulations.
4. providing strong support for management in the event of labor unrest or HR focused infraction

Answer 66

1. the need to be proactive and advocate for their own position with top management of the company.

Question 67

When a HR department screens a large amount of information to detect emerging trends that will affect the supply of labor, it is engaging in?
1. Intelligence
2. Industrial espionage
3. Bench- marking
4. Environmental scanning

Answer 67

4. Environmental scanning