HR Operations
What the exam tests
HR operations is the administrative backbone: HRIS data integrity, records retention, compliance reporting, and HR metrics. Know who touches each record, how long it is kept, and how data becomes a decision.
Retention is a favorite trap because different laws set different clocks. FLSA payroll records: 3 years; time cards: 2 years. IRS employment tax records: 4 years. OSHA injury and illness records: 5 years. Form I-9: the later of 3 years after hire or 1 year after termination. ERISA: 6 years. ADEA: 1 year, or 2 years for willful violations. Do not memorize one number; memorize law, record, and clock.
HRIS controls include role-based access, audit trails, data validation, and separation of duties between payroll and HR. Metrics include turnover rate (separations divided by average headcount), cost per hire, time-to-fill, absence rate, and HR-to-employee ratio. A common trap is using ending headcount instead of average headcount, or counting internal transfers as separations.
Worked example: An employee is hired March 2, 2019, and terminated August 15, 2020. I-9 retention is the later of March 2, 2022 (3 years after hire) or August 15, 2021 (1 year after termination), so keep the form until March 2, 2022.
Rule of thumb: When retention periods conflict, keep the record until the longest applicable period expires, then destroy it according to policy.