Column 1
A manager wants to hire their cousin for an open job—what should HR consider before approving this?
Answer choices:
A. Approve it right away because family members are always more trustworthy.
B. Deny it automatically because relatives are never allowed to work together.
C. Check the company’s policy on hiring relatives and ensure the cousin is fairly qualified.
D. Let the manager decide without HR involvement.
C. Check the company's policy on hiring relatives and ensure the cousin is fairly qualified.
Employee says they always get worst tasks
A. Tell them to stop complaining and just work.
B. Review task assignments, talk with both employee and supervisor, and look for unfair patterns.
C. Immediately punish the supervisor without asking questions.
D. Let the employee pick only the easiest tasks from now on.
B. Review task assignments, talk with both employee and supervisor, and look for unfair patterns.
A supervisor wants to promote someone without posting the job internally—what should HR consider?
A. Automatically improve because supervisors know best
B. Forbid promotions ever
C. Review internal policies and consider fairness before deciding
D. Hiding the promotion from the rest of the team
C. Review internal policies and consider fairness before deciding.
Two employees keep arguing loudly in front of customers—what should HR do first?
Answer choices:
A. Ignore it because it’s not HR’s problem if customers hear arguments.
B. Immediately fire both employees without asking what happened.
C. Speak to each employee separately to understand the conflict and stop it from affecting customers.
D. Ask customers to complain in writing before doing anything.
C. Speak to each employee separately to understand the conflict and stop it from affecting customers.
An employee requests a schedule change to take a class after school—how should HR approach this?
A. Say no immediately because personal life should not affect work
B. Forbid any promotion ever
C. Talk with the employee and supervisor about schedule changes to support business needs
D. Tell them to drop their classes for the job
C. Talk with the employee and supervisor about schedule changes to support business needs.
Worker refuses safety gear because it’s uncomfortable
A. Let them skip the gear if they sign a waiver.
B. Explain the safety policy, try to improve fit/comfort, but make it clear PPE is required.
C. Ignore it and hope they don’t get hurt.
D. Only require safety gear if the supervisor is watching.
B. Explain the safety policy, try to improve fit/comfort, but make it clear that PPE is required.
A coworker overhears inappropriate jokes being told in the breakroom, what should they do?
A. Laugh with everyone to keep the mood light
B. Investigate the report, talk to those involved
C. Ignore because the joke was “off the clock”
D. Punish everyone who was in the room, even if they weren’t involved
B. Investigate the report and talk to those involved.
An employee shares someone else’s performance review. An employee shares another worker’s private performance review comments—how should HR respond?
A. Ignore it because “everyone gossips.”
B. Investigate the breach, remind staff about confidentiality, and use discipline if needed.
C. Publicly share everyone’s review so it’s “fair.”
D. Blame the person whose review was shared for not hiding it better.
B. Investigate the breach, remind staff about confidentiality, and use discipline if needed.
An employee asks HR why their paycheck is less than they expected—what should HR check first?
A. Recheck hours worked, pay rate, deductions, and fix errors
B. Ask the supervisor to deal with it instead of HR
C. Say you will “look into it” and never follow up
D. Tell them they remembered the amount wrong
A. Recheck hours worked, pay rate, deductions, and fix errors.
New hire not following dress code
A. Call them out in front of everyone so others learn.
B. Speak privately, explain the dress code and the reason for it, and give them a chance to fix it.
C. Send them home without explanation.
D. Ignore it and hope they change clothes next time.
B. Speak privately, explain the dress code and the reason for it, and give them a chance to fix it.
An employee posts a rude comment about their supervisor on social media—how should HR handle it?
Answer choices:
A. Immediately fire the employee without asking any questions.
Review the company’s social media policy and talk with the employee to understand the situation.
Ignore it because anything on social media is always “personal.”
D. Ask coworkers to reply to the post and defend the supervisor.
B. Review the company's social media policy and talk with the employee to understand the situation.
Team member not doing their share
A. Yell at the entire team to “figure it out.”
B. Gather examples, clarify roles, and set clear expectations and accountability for each member.
C. Automatically blame the complainers for being dramatic.
D. Move the person to another team without explaining why.
B. Gather examples, clarify roles, and set clear expectations and accountability for each member.
An applicant arrives 20 minutes late to their interview without calling—how should HR respond?
Answer choices:
A. Cancel the interview immediately and ban the applicant from applying again.
B. Note the lateness, still conduct the interview, and consider punctuality in the hiring decision.
C. Ignore the lateness completely and pretend it didn’t happen.
D. Hire the applicant on the spot to avoid wasting more time.
B. Note the lateness, still conduct the interview, and consider punctuality in the hiring decision.
Paycheck consistently late
A. Tell employees to be patient because “these things happen.”
B. Investigate and fix payroll issues quickly, communicate clearly, and make sure pay is on time.
C. Offer gift cards instead of fixing the real problem.
D. Only pay on time for employees who complain.
B. Investigate and fix payroll issues quickly, communicate clearly, and make sure pay is on time.
A worker reports they feel unsafe using a broken ladder in the warehouse—what should HR do?
Answer choices:
A. Thank them, immediately take the ladder out of use, and report the safety issue to management.
B. Ignore the report unless someone actually gets hurt.
C. Ask the worker to fix the ladder themselves.
D. Tell the worker to use it anyway but “just be careful.”
A. Thank them, immediately take the ladder out of use, and report the safety issue to management.
Employee wants to see performance review notes
A. Refuse and say reviews are “top secret.”
B. Check policy/law, then allow access or a copy if permitted, and answer questions about the feedback.
C. Let them see the notes only if they promise not to disagree.
D. Give them someone else’s review by mistake.
B. Check policy/law, then allow access or a copy if permitted, and answer questions about the feedback.
A new hire says they never received training on how to clock in—what should HR’s next step be?
Answer choices:
A. Blame them for not paying attention
B. Have a private talk and set clear expectations
C. Take the employee’s phone permanently
D. Ignore it and hope they pay attention next time
B. Have a private talk and set clear expectations.
Applicant admits they were fired from last job
A. End the interview as soon as you hear “fired.”
B. Ask what happened, what they learned, and how they’ve changed since then.
C. Ignore the information and never ask follow-up questions.
D. Assume they will definitely be a problem if hired.
B. Ask what happened, what they learned, and how they've changed since then.
An employee often calls in "sick" on Mondays, how should HR respond?
A. Immediately accuse them of lying
B. Review attendance records and discuss attendance rules
C. Do nothing because they bring in doctor’s notes
D. Cut their hours without telling them why
B. Review attendance records and discuss attendance rules.
Long-time employee’s performance suddenly drops
A. Start formal discipline without talking to them.
B. Have a supportive conversation, share specific concerns, and explore causes and needed support.
C. Ignore it because they’ve been there a long time.
D. Cut their pay immediately with no explanation.
B. Have a supportive conversation, share specific concerns, and explore causes and needed support.
Scenario 2: Illegal Interview Questions
Your manager asks you to sit in on interviews. During the interview, your manager starts to ask an applicant:
“How old are you?”
“Do you plan to have kids soon?”
“What country were you born in?”
Question:
What should you do in this situation, and why might these questions be a problem from an HR/legal standpoint?
Discrimination based on personal characteristics.
Great resume, very short answers in interview. A team complains that one member never completes their share of a group project—how should HR or the supervisor respond?
A. Stop the interview early and reject them immediately.
B. Ask follow-up questions, give them time, and maybe use a second interview or skills test.
C. Hire them on the resume alone and ignore the interview.
D. Let them text their answers later instead of interviewing.
B. Ask follow-up questions, give them time, and maybe use a second interview or skills test.
An employee keeps checking their phone during meetings and missing important details—how should HR or their supervisor address this?
Answer choices:
A. Publicly embarrass the employee in the meeting to make them stop.
B. Quietly remove the employee’s phone without asking.
C. Have a private conversation explaining expectations for attention in meetings and the impact of phone use.
D. Do nothing, because everyone uses their phone sometimes.
C. Have a private conversation explaining expectations for attention in meetings and the impact of phone use.
Georgia student worker struggling with school hours
A. Tell them school is their problem, not HR’s.
B. Review their schedule, Georgia youth/student labor rules, and try to adjust hours to support school and work needs.
C. Tell them to quit school if they want more hours.
D. Reduce their pay but keep the same hours.
B. Review their schedule, Georgia youth/student labor rules, and try to adjust hours to support school and work needs.
Scenario 1: Job Application Review
You are an HR assistant at a small business in Atlanta. The company is hiring a part-time customer service worker. You receive two applications:
Applicant A: Has 2 years of experience in customer service, but their application has several spelling errors and missing information.
Applicant B: Has no direct customer service experience, but their application is neat, complete, and includes a detailed cover letter.
Question:
If you could only invite one person to interview, who would you choose and why? What additional information would you want to know before making your final decision?
Applicant B. Presents as neat and is detail oriented.