Personnel and Human Resources Administration
Domain 2 tests whether you can support staffing, leave and timekeeping, performance management, and discipline within merit rules and privacy limits. The exam favors fair process and documentation over speed.
Staffing and onboarding
- Start from an approved position description and validated duties.
- Screen eligibility before referral; keep selection criteria job-related.
- Use an onboarding checklist: ID/oath, systems access, training, supervisor assignment, and probation dates.
Performance and conduct
- Set measurable standards at the start of the cycle; document counseling contemporaneously.
- Use progressive discipline unless the misconduct requires immediate action; coordinate with HR before acting.
- Protect personnel records; share only with need-to-know.
Leave and timekeeping
Verify leave balances and approval authority, reconcile timecards before pay cutoff, and keep medical information separate from the supervisor's working file.
Worked example: An employee misses two report deadlines. The supervisor should not wait for the appraisal. Reasoning: document dates, impact, and prior verbal guidance; hold a counseling session; set a written expectation with checkpoints; notify HR if formal action is contemplated. This creates a record and gives the employee a chance to correct.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating similar conduct differently across employees.
- Relying on memory instead of dated documentation.
- Disclosing medical or disciplinary information too broadly.
- Taking formal action without HR coordination.