SPHR Ultimate Senior Professional in Human Resources 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a Scanlon Plan gain-sharing program, bonuses are typically calculated based on:
- Individual performance ratings
- The ratio of labor costs to sales value of production (Correct answer)
- Profitability of the organization as a whole
- Reduction in overtime hours worked
Correct answer: The ratio of labor costs to sales value of production
The Scanlon Plan measures gains by comparing the historical ratio of labor costs to the sales value of production, sharing savings when the ratio improves.
Question 2: An HR leader is building a business case for a new HRIS. Which financial metric would be MOST persuasive to the CFO?
- Number of HR transactions the system can process per hour
- Net present value (NPV) of projected cost savings over 5 years (Correct answer)
- Employee satisfaction scores with current HR processes
- Benchmark data showing competitors use similar systems
Correct answer: Net present value (NPV) of projected cost savings over 5 years
NPV accounts for the time value of money and shows the long-term financial return on the investment, which is the language most CFOs prioritize.
Question 3: Under the FMLA, an employer may deny reinstatement to a 'key employee' if:
- The employee earns more than $100,000 annually
- Restoration would cause substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer (Correct answer)
- The employee's position was eliminated during the leave for legitimate business reasons
- The employee failed to provide 30 days' advance notice of the leave
Correct answer: Restoration would cause substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer
The FMLA key employee exception allows denial of reinstatement when restoring the employee would cause substantial and grievous economic injury to operations.
Question 4: Which HR metric directly measures the effectiveness of the recruiting process in terms of quality?
- Time-to-fill
- Cost-per-hire
- Hiring manager satisfaction with new hires at 90 days (Correct answer)
- Offer acceptance rate
Correct answer: Hiring manager satisfaction with new hires at 90 days
Hiring manager satisfaction with new hires at 90 days measures whether the candidates selected actually perform well in the role, reflecting sourcing and selection quality.
Question 5: A company operating in multiple states must comply with state wage and hour laws that exceed federal FLSA requirements. Which principle governs this situation?
- Federal preemption always supersedes state law
- The employer must follow whichever law provides greater employee protections (Correct answer)
- State laws apply only to state government employers
- The FLSA sets a ceiling that states cannot exceed
Correct answer: The employer must follow whichever law provides greater employee protections
The FLSA sets minimum standards; states may enact stronger protections, and employers must comply with whichever standard is more favorable to the employee.
Question 6: When an organization uses a forced distribution performance rating system, the PRIMARY risk is:
- Increased halo effect bias among raters
- Potential loss of high performers in strong teams where rankings are relative (Correct answer)
- Inability to differentiate pay among employees
- Reduced accuracy in identifying training needs
Correct answer: Potential loss of high performers in strong teams where rankings are relative
Forced distribution can harm morale and retention in high-performing teams where someone must receive a low rating even if all members perform well.
Question 7: Which change management model describes change as a three-phase process of Unfreezing, Changing, and Refreezing?
- Kotter's 8-Step Model
- ADKAR Model
- Lewin's Change Management Model (Correct answer)
- McKinsey 7-S Framework
Correct answer: Lewin's Change Management Model
Kurt Lewin's model describes change as unfreezing current behaviors, transitioning to new behaviors, and refreezing them as the new norm.
SPHR Ultimate Senior Professional in Human Resources 5
In a Scanlon Plan gain-sharing program, bonuses are typically calculated based on: