PHR / SPHR Professional Exam: Workforce Planning and Employment | Practice Test / Quiz / MCQs

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PHR / SPHR Professional Exam: Workforce Planning and Employment

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Workforce Planning and Employment covers a wide swath of knowledge and responsibility. There are many laws that impact this area of expertise and a great deal of experience-based talent to be developed. It takes some time for HR professionals to acquire the skills needed to implement what they may know about this portion of the PHR and SPHR requirements. From sexual harassment to job descriptions, from illegal employment discrimination to leaves of absence and hiring practices, HR professionals have extensive responsibilities and knowledge requirements." Don’t forget that this functional area... Show more

Workforce Planning and Employment covers a wide swath of knowledge and responsibility. There are many laws that impact this area of expertise and a great deal of experience-based talent to be developed. It takes some time for HR professionals to acquire the skills needed to implement what they may know about this portion of the PHR and SPHR requirements. From sexual harassment to job descriptions, from illegal employment discrimination to leaves of absence and hiring practices, HR professionals have extensive responsibilities and knowledge requirements." Don’t forget that this functional area makes up from 17 to 24 percent of the exam depending on the test you will be taking. More emphasis is placed on this area in the PHR exam than in the SPHR exam.
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PHR / SPHR Professional Exam: Workforce Planning and Employment

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25 Questions

1. Stewart was working late when his boss approached him and asked if he would like to go get a drink. His boss then put his hand on Stewart’s backside and gave it a little squeeze. What is going on here?

It is only a problem if one of Stewart’s coworkers saw what happened.Whether or not it is a problem depends on Stewart’s reaction. If it is unwelcome, there might be a problem.If Stewart agrees, they can have a drink without anyone being the wiser.Nothing. It is simply his boss showing a little affection for Stewart. No problem.

2. Solomon is from an island off the coast of India and has always been told he is classified as Asian. Now Andrew, his HR Manager, is telling him something else. How should Solomon be classified?

People who originate in the Indian subcontinent should be classified as Asian.Solomon should identify himself as being two or more races.Always default to White when there is a question.Because he comes from an island off the coast of India, he really should be classified as a Pacific Islander.

3. When Gretta approached her supervisor and asked to review the contents of her personnel file, the supervisor told her she would check with HR about the request. As the HR Manager, what will you tell the supervisor?

Sure. No problem. Now we have to gather up the files from the supervisor, HR, and training so Gretta can see all of them because, under company policy and state laws, the personnel file comprises all of these files.Gretta is out of luck. We don’t allow that under any circumstance regardless of what anyone thinks.Sure. But only the official file maintained by HR should be provided for Gretta’s review even though we have no policy on the issue.Sure. We’ll get around to it at some point in the next few months. There are a lot of other more important priorities at the moment.

4. Jo is trying to standardize the selection system for instructors in her training group. Having one procedure to screen candidates should yield both consistency and accuracy. What she hasn’t decided is whether she should use an objective or subjective system. What would you tell her?

There is no way to quantify everything about an instructor’s job. Therefore, it is impossible to use a quantitative system for that job set. Go with the subjective.It is so hard to pin down clear delineations of skill using a numeric system. Jo should rely on a subjective process that gives her greater flexibility in grading candidates.Only objective systems are able to “slice and dice” candidates effectively. Jo should use numeric devices only.Both subjective and objective approaches can be used on instructor jobs as long as they both have been validated according to the Uniform Guidelines.

5. The local county’s workforce has been decimated in recent months because the pension plan is changing and folks wanted to get their higher level calculation before the changes cut that formula. The result, however, has been that a great deal of organizational intelligence walked out the door. The senior staff are suggesting you hire back some of the key personnel as temporary workers until you are able to get replacements trained. Is that a good idea?

Sometimes. If the temporary period is truly used to train a replacement, it could get the organization across the institutional knowledge gap, passing along that information to someone new.Maybe. If there is a limit of 6 months on the temporary assignment in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.Hardly ever. It gives the newly retired people a way to “double dip” and make more money than they would have if they had stayed on the job without retiring.Always. There is no downside to bringing back retirees as temporary workers. So what if they make a bit more? The work gets done without interruption.

6. Times are still hard for the AB Trucking Company. They are going to have to close one of their work locations. That will take 146 full-time people off the payroll who will have to look for other work with other employers. What should the company consider in their layoff planning?

Because they are in the transportation industry, the WARN Act doesn’t apply. They have carte blanche in how they handle the layoff.WARN kicks in and they must notify the local government as well as employees who will be affected at least 60 days before the layoff date.WARN kicks in and they have to notify employees 60 days in advance, but notifying the local government is a voluntary decision.WARN kicks in but they don’t have to notify anybody until a week before the layoff date.

7. Every month, Ali has to provide a report to the executives that details what employee complaints have been received. This month’s report shows complaints of harassment from two people. One was based on race and the other was based on religion. The executives are challenging those classifications, saying harassment can only be based on sexual conditions. What would you tell the executives if you were Ali?

It shouldn’t have been classified as harassment rather just plain discrimination. There really can’t be any harassment other than sexual harassment.Of course there can be harassment based on race, religion, age, national origin, or a number of other categories.We should really get our attorney to set the classifications for us. We’re not sure if there can be harassment based on anything other than sex.Executives should be encouraged to avoid getting into such details. It isn’t really important. In the end, we just have two complaints of discrimination.

8. Harriet has just taken over for the HR Manager in her group and her boss is asking for an update on the succession plan. He wants to see the employee skill inventory as soon as possible. Harriet didn’t even know there was a succession plan. What should Harriet be looking for in her files?

A list of only the top-rated people in the group who have computer skillsA list of people showing what individuals are capable of doing now, without regard for any future assignmentA list of everyone in the group identifying each person’s skills and whether or not they are currently ready for promotionA confidential record that lists each employee’s skills and abilities

9. Irene has a limp that she says is the result of a war wound. She was in the Canadian Army during the Gulf War and got hit in the leg by shrapnel. She is a decorated veteran of that war. She asks what category of veteran she should select on her self-identification form. What will you tell her?

When she was discharged, she should have been given a document that told her what category of veteran she should identify with.She has been out of the military for more than 6 months, so she would not qualify as a recently separated veteran.Irene is not able to claim veteran status on her self-identification form because her service was not in the U.S. military. She can identify herself as disabled, however, if the wound interferes with one of her major life activities.Irene can’t identify as a veteran because it applies only to veterans of the Vietnam War.

10. Lawana has just been given the job of preparing an EEO-1 for her employer group. She finds some gaps in the employee race and gender data she will need to use in reporting. How should she handle that problem?

Where data is missing, it is usually a good idea to default to White as a race and Male as a gender. Statistically, those are the most common entries.Talk with each employee and ask if they have been invited to self-identify. If they choose not to self-identify, speak with the supervisor and get a determination based on observation.Take the best guess possible and fill in the blanks.Ignore the missing data and just report what data she has. She should not guess about any of the race or gender identifications.

11. An employee in Cortez’s organization came to him and suggested that she and her coworker could consolidate their duties into one job and each work part-time, sharing the 40 hours each week so the work got done as always. What would you say if you were Cortez?

Unfortunately, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Unified Job Consolidation Act say that sharing jobs is not permitted because it would violate union agreements.There is no reason that it couldn’t work if Cortez believes the two people are capable and want to make it work.It’s not a good idea because it doubles the liability for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance.Having more than one person and one Social Security number on one job assignment won’t work. It makes tax reporting impossible.

12. Julia has been asked to identify her race and sex for her employer. She is uncomfortable doing that, thinking that she might be the target of some discrimination if she tells them. If you were Julia’s HR Manager, what would you tell her?

If you don’t tell us what you want recorded, we will just have to leave your information blank in the database.Julia should be sent to the HR department so they can tell her she has no choice. She must identify her race and sex for the company records.Don’t be concerned, Julia. Discrimination is something we don’t tolerate and it is also illegal. We are required by the government to keep the race and sex data.It’s okay. We can put down whatever we want to identify your race and sex.

13. When Pearl gets around to actually writing the job descriptions, should she include the physical and mental requirements of the job?

Perhaps. If there are some unusual physical or mental requirements in a certain job, she should put those things into the job descriptions. Otherwise, it isn’t necessary.Those are things that should be written into a separate document. They should not be in the job description because that would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.Yes, Pearl should include a list of physical and mental requirements for each job as part of the job description.No, Pearl would be exposing her employer to unnecessary risks of lawsuits if she put those things into the job descriptions.

14. Lydia finds that her job descriptions are all written and current. Now, she wants to use them to be sure each job is properly assigned to a compensation level. She doesn’t want to get caught in an OFCCP audit with the government telling her she needs to make large adjustments all at once. How should Lydia’s organization be evaluating their jobs for compensation levels?

Lydia should call one of the job evaluation consulting firms to have them review all the jobs in her organization.A point system is not necessary for determining what similarities exist between job content descriptions. She can assign compensation groups based on her assessment of those similarities and differences in the level of job responsibilities.Lydia should avoid any type of job evaluation program if it hasn’t been statistically proven to be 100 percent accurate.She can create her own point system and arbitrarily set compensation levels wherever she wants.

15. When Ophelia had her weekend automobile accident, everyone in the office rushed to show her support. Now that she is confined to a wheelchair, she is asking her employer to support her by giving her a job accommodation so she can still do her job as the scheduling clerk. What should her employer do?

Because Ophelia is a member of the union that represents office workers, the contract will contain a specification explaining whether anyone in the workplace will be given a job accommodation and under what conditions.They should listen politely and take her written request. They should investigate other possible accommodations and give her some suggestions if those might be better than what she requested.They should listen politely and take her written request. It is just a matter of time before they will have to approve the request because of the ADA requirements.They should listen politely and take her written request. There isn’t anything they really have to do about an accommodation because it doesn’t involve a workplace injury.

16. Charlene is the HR Manager for her company. She opens her mail one day and finds a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) saying one of the company’s employees has filed a charge of illegal discrimination. How seriously should Charlene take this letter?

This is not very serious. There isn’t much the EEOC can do even if the complaint has some merit. Charlene can set it aside and deal with it later when she gets time.This is not very serious. These things happen all the time. Charlene can talk it over with the complaining employee and try to get it resolved.This is a very serious issue. Charlene should investigate the charge without talking to the complaining employee. Then, she should write a response to the EEOC.This is a very serious issue. Charlene has 90 days in which to get her response together.

17. AB Trucking has had a policy that nobody will be hired unless they complete the company’s job application. Now, all of their job applications are being processed online, and some applicants want to submit their resumes instead of a job application form. What can AB Trucking do about the resume-versus-application controversy?

Resumes don’t have all of the information that can be gathered on a job application and people lie on resumes anyway. That alone is reason for the company to continue using its job application forms.It is entirely up to the company how it wants to handle the policy. Application forms are not a legal requirement, but using them is generally considered a best practice in the employment arena. Job candidates can be forced to go through the company’s process of completing an application form, online or offline.The government has set up regulations that say employers have to accept resumes if they are submitted in a job search. The company doesn’t really have any choice but to accept them.Job applications are old school. Almost no employer uses them these days. The company should change its policy and use only resumes in the future.

18. Abel has been having trouble selecting quality accounting people. Everyone claims to be able to use Excel spreadsheets but few actually can once they get on the job. In the end, he has had to terminate people because of poor performance. He is thinking he will use a test he saw at the local office supply warehouse. If you were the HR Manager in Abel’s organization, what advice would you give him about his plans for testing?

It sounds like a good idea. Will he be able to show that the test actually predicts success on the jobs he wishes to use it for? If not, he should find a different screening tool.It sounds like a good idea. It certainly could control the cost of turnover. We should try it.It doesn’t sound like a good idea. It is going to create more paperwork for HR and we can’t stand any workload increase.It doesn’t sound like a good idea. With everyone talking about the liability of written tests these days, we can’t take that risk for any job.

19. Pat has just discovered that her organization has signed a contract with the federal government to provide computer products and installation services. The contract value is $600,000. The organization just hired its 61st employee. Does Pat’s organization now need to prepare an affirmative action plan?

Yes. An AAP is needed for Minorities and Women, Disabled and Veterans.Yes. Only an AAP for Minorities and Women is necessary.No. When they get to 100 employees, they will need to develop an AAP.Because the contract value is less than $1,000,000 they are exempt from the AAP requirement.

20. Pearl will be writing a lot of job descriptions over the coming months. Her CEO has just given her the task because the organization doesn’t currently have job descriptions. What should Pearl be sure to include in the job descriptions?

She should be sure that all general duties are included and that “Other duties as assigned” is the last one.She should find a way to use generic descriptions from her job description library. It is important to be consistent with what has already been published in case she needs to defend those documents later on.She should include duties and responsibilities in every job description based on what she knows about the job content.She should plan to interview incumbents and their supervisors to identify the job duties and responsibilities.

21. Guillermo supervises a group of six women in the accounting department. They are responsible for all payments and receipts. On Friday, Eleanor invites Guillermo to her apartment for a home-cooked dinner. He accepts. Under the various U.S. Supreme Court opinions on the subject, is this classified as sexual harassment?

Probably not. The subordinate initiated the relationship, if indeed there actually is one. It is hard for a subordinate to harass a supervisor because in the end the supervisor is the one with the organizational power.Very likely. Anytime a supervisor has a relationship with a subordinate it is classified as sexual harassment.If they are having an affair, there is likely sexual harassment involved.It all depends on what happens after dinner. Guillermo is the one with the supervisory power. If he initiates anything, he can be in trouble.

22. Lebron serves his employer as the HR Director. It is a startup company and his bosses want him to hire people fast so they have given him some tests to use in the screening process. He was told to hire the applicants with the best scores. Are these tests something Lebron should use?

Tests are just fine. He should be sure the passing scores are set so they can get the best people.It is okay to use tests if they are job-specific in their measurement.No way. He should not use any tests that he hasn’t bought from a legitimate test publisher.If the boss says to use the tests, he has little choice. He just has to be sure to score them properly.

23. Affirmative action plans have a great deal to do with altering the demographics of an employer’s organization. They do this by:

Moving applicants with a certain race up to the top of the selection list.Creating placement rate goals and letting a nondiscriminatory selection process select the best qualified people.Creating “set asides” for job openings that are underrepresented in certain race categories.Providing preferential selection for the underrepresented race category.

24. Gerardo manages the HR function along with the accounting department. He is involved in an OFCCP audit of his affirmative action plans. The agency wants him to sign a conciliation agreement saying he will hire a certain number of women into one job title and give back pay to a group of Hispanics who weren’t hired. What would you advise Gerardo to do with the conciliation agreement?

Gerardo should read it and make sure there isn’t anything that talks about illegal discrimination. He should scratch out any references to discrimination and send it back to the OFCCP with his signature.Go ahead and sign the conciliation agreement. It’s just a promise and doesn’t really matter.Review it with his legal counsel and senior executives. Determine if the OFCCP claims are accurate and negotiate something else as a consequence if they are not.Whenever there is a document like this coming from the federal government, there should be a set of instructions that comes along with it telling the contractor what to do. Gerardo should look for that list.

25. Elton heads a company that contracts to build office buildings for the federal government. He isn’t sure if he has any affirmative action obligations because of his work. What would you tell him if you were his HR advisor?

Elton has to meet the same requirements as all other federal contractors who sell anything to the government.Don’t worry. Construction firms are not classified as providers of goods and services. There is no affirmative action plan obligation for Elton’s company.Elton may have to prepare a 16-point affirmative action plan that is required of all federal construction contractors if the contract value exceeds $10,000.Elton should revisit the question once his contracts exceed $1,000,000.

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25 Questions

❤ If you liked Fatskills, consider supporting us by checking out The Life Manuals You Never Got.

About | Explore | User Guide | Topics | Subjects | Doubt Solver | Career Aptitude Test | Answers | Free Tools | OSHA Basics Quiz | What Should We Know? Privacy | Terms |

Without work one finishes nothing. - Ralph Waldo Emerson© 2026 Fatskills.com

All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.

About | Explore | User Guide | Topics | Subjects | Doubt Solver | Career Aptitude Test | Answers | Free Tools | OSHA Basics Quiz | What Should We Know?
Privacy | Terms |

Without work one finishes nothing. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
© 2026 Fatskills.com