PHR Questions and Answers

To operate as a strategic business partner, HR must understand how other departments (finance, operations, marketing) function and contribute to business goals. This enables HR to align initiatives with the company’s broader strategy.

Official Extract:

"Strategic HR requires a deep understanding of operational areas and the ability to integrate human capital strategies into the overall business framework."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Business Acumen)

Under progressive discipline systems, an employee’s prior disciplinary history for similar misconduct is the most critical factor in determining the next step in the disciplinary process.

Official Extract:

"In progressive discipline systems, prior infractions and the severity of previous offenses determine the level of current disciplinary action."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Progressive Discipline Policies)

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster diversity and inclusion within an organization. They help support DEI strategies by building internal communities, offering peer support, hosting cultural events, and influencing inclusive business practices. HRCI’s guidelines on Business Management state the importance of cultivating diverse workplaces through internal engagement initiatives.

Official Extract:

"Promoting internal diversity efforts through voluntary groups, mentoring programs, and resource networks supports the organization's DEI strategy and enhances employee engagement."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Diversity and Inclusion Programs)

Multirater (360-degree) feedback is a comprehensive assessment technique gathering performance information from a variety of sources: supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes customers. It provides a holistic view of an employee’s skills, competencies, and behaviors critical for succession planning.

Official Extract:

"Succession planning relies on multiple feedback mechanisms to assess employee readiness, including 360-degree feedback, competency models, and individual development plans."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Succession Planning Strategies)

The most critical factor for successful employee engagement surveys is to take visible action based on the results. If employees see no follow-up after providing feedback, trust and participation decline sharply in future surveys.

Official Extract:

"Actioning survey results is critical to maintaining credibility, demonstrating responsiveness, and driving continuous improvement based on employee feedback."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Survey Feedback and Action Planning)

Engaging respectfully and honestly during termination helps minimize misunderstandings, shows good faith, and reduces the risk of litigation. Respectful treatment also preserves the employer’s reputation and reduces the emotional impact on the employee.

Official Extract:

"Respectful, honest communication during termination discussions can reduce employee anger, demonstrate fairness, and lower the risk of wrongful discharge claims."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Termination Procedures)

Under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), an employee must request reemployment within 14 days after release from active duty if the service was for more than 30 days but less than 181 days.

Official Extract:

"Employees returning from military leave must submit a timely application for reemployment, generally within 14 days if service lasted between 31 and 180 days."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Military Leave and Reemployment Rights)

The first and most critical step in offboarding to protect data is to disable the departing employee's access to all systems immediately, ensuring they cannot access confidential information after separation.

Official Extract:

"Disabling system access immediately upon termination is a crucial data security measure to prevent unauthorized access to company information."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Offboarding and Data Security)

Under USERRA, employees' vesting in pension plans, including 401(k), must continue during military service as if they had remained continuously employed. No break in service occurs for vesting purposes.

Official Extract:

"An employee’s military leave must not result in a loss of pension or retirement plan benefits, including vesting, as if continuously employed."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Pension and Retirement Protections under USERRA)

An HRIS system stores and analyzes HR data. One critical use is analyzing labor turnover — discovering patterns, root causes, and developing retention strategies.

Official Extract:

"HRIS tools enable organizations to identify turnover trends, predict future separations, and link turnover to strategic workforce planning."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, HR Metrics and Analytics)

Standard deviation measures the amount of variability or dispersion in a set of scores or ratings. In selection assessments, it helps determine how spread out the ratings are and identifies consistency issues.

Official Extract:

"Standard deviation measures the spread of data points from the mean, providing insight into the consistency of selection ratings and assessment scores."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Selection Metrics)

In mediation, the mediator acts as a neutral facilitator who helps the parties communicate and reach a voluntary, mutually agreeable solution. The mediator does not impose a decision but encourages open dialogue.

Official Extract:

"Mediation involves a neutral third party facilitating discussions between disputing parties to help them reach a mutually acceptable resolution without imposing a decision."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Cross-functional training and job rotation expose employees to different departments, enhancing collaboration. Additionally, encouraging innovation fosters problem-solving across teams. These two strategies drive a more collaborative, agile work culture.

Official Extract:

"Facilitating cross-functional exposure and encouraging innovation are key strategies to promote collaboration, creativity, and teamwork within organizations."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Building Collaborative Workplaces)

The EEOC limits compensatory and punitive damages under Title VII, ADA, and GINA based on the size of the employer — the larger the employer, the higher the maximum allowed damages.

Official Extract:

"Compensatory and punitive damage caps under federal anti-discrimination laws are scaled based on the employer’s number of employees."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Remedies and Penalties for Discrimination)

Training users and obtaining executive buy-in are essential for successful ERP system adoption. Without leadership commitment and adequate user preparation, implementations often fail.

Official Extract:

"Successful HR technology implementations rely on securing senior leadership support and ensuring thorough training to drive user adoption and operational integration."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, HR Technology Implementation)

Top management support is critical because leadership must champion DEI initiatives. Additionally, aligning DEI efforts with overall business objectives ensures sustainability and strategic relevance.

Official Extract:

"Successful DEI initiatives require visible leadership support and integration with organizational strategies and business objectives."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies)

Since the policy allows substitution of vacation days but restricts sick days to personal illness, only the 12 vacation days must be used concurrently with FMLA leave.

Official Extract:

"Employers may require the substitution of accrued paid leave (such as vacation days) for unpaid FMLA leave, provided it aligns with their leave policies."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, FMLA Leave Substitution Policies)

From your table:

Group

Passed

Total Applicants

Selection Rate

African Americans

30

80

30 ÷ 80 = 37.5%

Whites

15

30

15 ÷ 30 = 50%

Hispanics

5

25

5 ÷ 25 = 20%

Total

50

135

Highest selection rate: 50% (Whites)

Now apply the 4/5ths Rule:

80% × 50% = 40%

Minimum acceptable selection rate = 40%.

Now compare:

African Americans: 37.5% (below 40%) → Possible adverse impact

Hispanics: 20% ❌ (way below 40%) → Definite adverse impact

Whites: 50% → No issue.

Adverse impact is against Hispanics (not African Americans, not Whites, not Females).

The first proactive step in reducing cyber liability is to develop an acceptable use policy. This policy clearly outlines what constitutes acceptable and prohibited behavior regarding company networks, systems, and data, helping to prevent security breaches before they happen.

Official Extract:

"Implementing an acceptable use policy is essential to mitigate cyber risks by informing employees about appropriate use of company systems and safeguarding sensitive information."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Cybersecurity Risk Management)

A successful RIF (reduction in force) process prioritizes sustaining employee morale and ensuring the ongoing operation of the business. Without maintaining morale, productivity, and trust suffer badly.

Official Extract:

"Effective RIF management requires careful planning to ensure business continuity and address the morale and engagement of retained employees."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Workforce Reductions)

Effective goal setting in performance management ensures that individual objectives are directly aligned with the organization’s overall mission and strategic priorities. This ensures employees are contributing toward business success.

Official Extract:

"Performance management systems must link individual goals with broader organizational objectives to ensure alignment and engagement."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Goal Setting Techniques)

A hostile work environment exists when employees are subjected to unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic (like gender or sex) that is severe or pervasive enough to create an abusive workplace. Hearing sexually explicit conversations qualifies.

Official Extract:

"A hostile work environment arises when inappropriate behavior based on protected characteristics interferes with an employee’s ability to perform work duties and creates an intimidating or offensive environment."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Harassment and Workplace Conduct)

Under FMLA, eligible employees are entitled to take leave for bonding with a newly born, adopted, or foster child within one year of birth or placement. Care for a mother-in-law is typically not covered unless the individual qualifies as a parent under FMLA definitions.

Official Extract:

"Eligible employees may take FMLA leave for the birth of a child, adoption, foster care placement, or to care for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, FMLA Requirements)

Courts generally find non-compete agreements unreasonable if they are overly broad in duration (five years) or geography. Courts favor reasonable, narrowly tailored agreements protecting legitimate business interests.

Official Extract:

"Non-compete agreements must be reasonable in scope, duration, and geography; overly restrictive agreements are often deemed unenforceable."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Employment Agreements)

Yield ratio = (Number hired ÷ Number interviewed) × 100Given a 75% yield ratio:0.75 × 16 = 12 hiresOfficial Extract:"Yield ratios evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment efforts by calculating the percentage of candidates moving to the next stage, helping HR improve sourcing strategies."(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Recruitment Metrics)

Telling an employee that they would not benefit due to their level could discourage participation or retaliate against unionized workers, potentially violating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protections against coercive practices.

Official Extract:

"Employers must avoid actions or statements that interfere with employees' protected rights, including discouraging participation in development programs based on union affiliation or status."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Labor Relations and Training)

Inherent plausibility refers to whether the witness’s account of events makes logical sense based on the circumstances. It is one of the key factors investigators use to determine the reliability of testimony.

Official Extract:

"Credibility assessments during investigations should consider whether the witness’s story is inherently plausible, logically consistent, and aligned with known facts."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Conducting Internal Investigations)

The appropriate first step is to engage in an interactive process to evaluate the request under ADA standards, which includes investigating the necessity of the emotional support animal and reviewing documentation. Employers must balance accommodation requests with business needs.

Official Extract:

"Requests for accommodations, such as emotional support animals, require an individualized assessment and an interactive process to evaluate the need and reasonableness."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Disability Accommodation Procedures)

Self-insured employers take on the financial risk for providing health care benefits, and the main advantage is that they can share in any cost savings if claims are lower than expected, rather than paying fixed premiums to insurance companies.

Official Extract:

"Self-insurance enables employers to assume direct financial responsibility for health claims, allowing them to benefit from lower-than-expected claims costs."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Total Rewards Section, Health Benefits Funding Strategies)