Consultation

To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. The accounting firm's leadership team requests information on the reasons employees stay. What should the HR manager do to respond to the leadership team's request? A. Conduct a focus group with a random sample of employees to find out the reasons they stay with the organization. B. Ask supervisors to identify what they do to encourage the employees in their departments to stay. C. Contact HR directors in other accounting firms to learn the reasons their employees stay. D. Conduct an anonymous online survey that asks employees to identify the reasons they stay.

A. Conduct a focus group with a random sample of employees to find out the reasons they stay with the organization.

A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. How should the HR director address the managers' resistance to using a more structured hiring process? A. Conduct a management training session to explain the business needs driving the process changes. B. Create a hybrid approach between the old and new methods to show that HR is a partner to the business. C. Send an e-mail to the managers encouraging them to embrace the changes as they work with the HR business partner. D. Invite the managers to escalate any concerns regarding the new process to the head of HR.

A. Conduct a management training session to explain the business needs driving the process changes.

A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. Which action should the HR director take to best ensure that the company's compensation structures are competitive? A. Engage a third-party consulting firm to do a full analysis of job types and associated compensation structures. B. Use salary information available on the Internet to benchmark current job types to market data. C. Implement changes to the current compensation structures by working with the recruiting team to gather candidate compensation expectations. D. Encourage managers to send HR specific examples of compensation concerns, using these as input to update compensation structures.

A. Engage a third-party consulting firm to do a full analysis of job types and associated compensation structures.

A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. As the business continues to expand in support of the company's strategic direction, how should the HR director address longer-term hiring needs? A. Participate in strategic planning sessions to help align HR talent practices with the future business direction. B. Implement a workforce planning group that focuses on long-term talent management. C. Conduct information-gathering sessions with company leaders to understand future workforce needs. D. Implement an internal process to review talent needs annually during the strategic planning process.

A. Participate in strategic planning sessions to help align HR talent practices with the future business direction.

To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. Which action should the HR manager take to identify the reasons employees are leaving for the competition? A. Review exit interview feedback from employees who left to work for competitors. B. Contact competitor firms' HR directors to request information on their compensation and benefits. C. Purchase and analyze industry survey results to learn about compensation and benefits offered by competitor firms. D. Contact employees who left for competitor firms to gain information about the reasons they left.

A. Review exit interview feedback from employees who left to work for competitors.

A manager has discussed the need to increase team output, identified the needed performance levels, and planned to acquire necessary technology, develop new processes, and train HR staff. What else does the manager need to do? Build commitment within the team to the changes and reinforce it regularly. Develop a rationale for the change in early communications with senior management. Implement the plan and then monitor and control its implementation. Prepare an alternate course of action if there is resistance to the change.

Build commitment within the team to the changes and reinforce it regularly.

Sales has made an unrealistic commitment to a customer. In order to meet the commitment, the CEO suggests that all salaried employees work ten-hour days, six days a week, for a minimum of one year. How should HR respond? By implementing the schedule and rewarding those people who go the extra mile By finding another alternative that will not take advantage of employees but will meet sales and customer needs By supporting the CEO's decision but suggesting that sales not promise so much in the future By implementing the schedule but disassociating themselves from it

By finding another alternative that will not take advantage of employees but will meet sales and customer needs

To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. What should the HR manager do to get buy-in from the accounting firm's leadership team to implement employee retention initiatives? A. Explain to the leadership team that their full support is necessary to reduce turnover. B. Describe to leaders the expected return on investment associated with implementing the retention initiatives. C. Create a business case that supports how the retention initiatives will reduce turnover. D. Ask leaders to identify retention initiatives they would like to see implemented.

C. Create a business case that supports how the retention initiatives will reduce turnover.

The CEO of a sales company hires an HR consultant to assess the company's organizational structure, operating model, and culture due to declining sales, increasing expenses, and workforce environment challenges. The CEO asks the consultant to share the results with key stakeholders to gain support for the recommended changes. Because the company has little market competition, the CEO thinks the company's poor results stem from company-based issues and its inability to leverage its robust IT infrastructure. The HR consultant analyzes the company's financial statements and business processes and confidentially interviews every employee in the company to determine why the company is struggling. The consultant also works as an employee in every department in order to get a realistic understanding of how the company operates. The consultant's analysis reveals that the company has no mission statement, no company-wide or departmental goals, and no individual goals to hold employees accountable. Additionally, no formal recruitment, onboarding, or training procedures exist. The consultant thinks the poor results are caused by poorly trained sales representatives. Customer loyalty is strong; however, it is because of the low-cost products not easily found elsewhere. What course of action should the HR business consultant recommend that the CEO take when creating new goals for the company's employees? A. Develop general goals that aren't too specific or measurable so that the company does not put too much stress on the employees. B. Create difficult and challenging goals so employees can strive to be the best, even if the goals may not be realistic. C. Create detailed annual goals that are relevant to the company's mission and that can be aligned with the company's performance management system. D. Create amorphous goals that can be used as a method to decide whether employees should receive bonuses.

C. Create detailed annual goals that are relevant to the company's mission and that can be aligned with the company's performance management system.

An organization is considering restructuring its sales function to align its salespeople against key vertical markets. HR is charged with exploring this initiative. What should it do first? Schedule a meeting with salespeople. Communicate the change to customers. Complete an environmental scan. Communicate the change to the organization.

Complete an environmental scan.

The CEO of a sales company hires an HR consultant to assess the company's organizational structure, operating model, and culture due to declining sales, increasing expenses, and workforce environment challenges. The CEO asks the consultant to share the results with key stakeholders to gain support for the recommended changes. Because the company has little market competition, the CEO thinks the company's poor results stem from company-based issues and its inability to leverage its robust IT infrastructure. The HR consultant analyzes the company's financial statements and business processes and confidentially interviews every employee in the company to determine why the company is struggling. The consultant also works as an employee in every department in order to get a realistic understanding of how the company operates. The consultant's analysis reveals that the company has no mission statement, no company-wide or departmental goals, and no individual goals to hold employees accountable. Additionally, no formal recruitment, onboarding, or training procedures exist. The consultant thinks the poor results are caused by poorly trained sales representatives. Customer loyalty is strong; however, it is because of the low-cost products not easily found elsewhere. What is the critical first step the HR business consultant should do to determine the return on investment (ROI) of a new sales training program? A. Calculate the ROI by dividing the revenue gained minus the cost of these types of programs based on data from similar sales companies. B. Talk to the sales team about what new skills they need to learn. C. Talk to the IT department to determine what new skills the sales team needs to learn. D. Call several vendors to gather more information regarding training outcomes, price, and schedule.

D. Call several vendors to gather more information regarding training outcomes, price, and schedule.

HR meets with team leaders to analyze the pros and cons of a suggested change. As a group, they brainstorm on factors that could influence the outcome of the change in both positive and negative ways. The factors are assigned weights in order to quantify the pros and cons and assist the leaders in their decision making. What type of analysis is the group using in this situation? Cost-benefit analysis Force-field analysis Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) SWOT analysis

Force-field analysis

An HR consultant wants to recommend implementing a quality-oriented strategy that will increase revenue for the organization. Which would be the best first step to implementing the strategy? Develop a rewards system that is aligned with quality results. Implement quality assurance practices in all parts of the company. Train work units in new quality assurance procedures. Gain management commitment to necessary investments and changes.

Gain management commitment to necessary investments and changes.

Force-field analysis

Group decision-making tool designed to analyze the forces favoring and opposing a particular change. A factor is weighted, and the factors on each side are summed and compared.

Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)

Group decision-making tool in which the group defines the characteristics of a successful decision and then scores each alternative against those criteria.

A firm has just announced a major reorganization to its employees. Which is most likely to happen first after the initial shock of the news? Employees will suggest adaptive strategies. Individuals may deny the reality of the change. Employees will surrender to the change and try to define their own places. A major exodus of key employees will occur.

Individuals may deny the reality of the change.

Which should be the first step in solving an organization's problems with a sharp increase in back orders of shipments? Instituting a job rotation program Recruiting additional skilled employees Developing a soft-skills training program Performing a process analysis

Performing a process analysis

What do the final stages of Kurt Lewin's and John Kotter's models of change management primarily focus on? Sustaining the change in the organization Tools to implement the change Providing a clear sense of the future Emotional effects on stakeholders

Sustaining the change in the organization

In an effort to enrich jobs, management wants employees working at one of three assembly stations to complete the entire assembly job and put their names on the finished product. About half of the employees are resisting the change. Which is the best course of action that HR should recommend to address the resistance? Talking with those opposed to the change to understand their concerns Piloting the program for those who are supportive of the change Training everyone and making the change as soon as possible Instituting positive reinforcement policies for those who welcome the change

Talking with those opposed to the change to understand their concerns

How can HR best partner with managers to implement a newly developed performance management tool? Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions. Require managers to fill out their new evaluation forms and submit them to HR to be checked before reviewing them with employees. Offer to fill out the forms for managers the first time so that they can review HR's work and see how they should be completed. Have the CEO clarify to managers the consequences if they fail to complete employee evaluations in a timely manner.

Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions.

J curve

Visualization of the impact of change on productivity. When change is introduced, there is typically a decrease in productivity and then a gradual return to?Çöor, ideally, a surpassing of?Çöprevious levels of productivity.

The CEO of a sales company hires an HR consultant to assess the company's organizational structure, operating model, and culture due to declining sales, increasing expenses, and workforce environment challenges. The CEO asks the consultant to share the results with key stakeholders to gain support for the recommended changes. Because the company has little market competition, the CEO thinks the company's poor results stem from company-based issues and its inability to leverage its robust IT infrastructure. The HR consultant analyzes the company's financial statements and business processes and confidentially interviews every employee in the company to determine why the company is struggling. The consultant also works as an employee in every department in order to get a realistic understanding of how the company operates. The consultant's analysis reveals that the company has no mission statement, no company-wide or departmental goals, and no individual goals to hold employees accountable. Additionally, no formal recruitment, onboarding, or training procedures exist. The consultant thinks the poor results are caused by poorly trained sales representatives. Customer loyalty is strong; however, it is because of the low-cost products not easily found elsewhere. Which action should the HR business consultant take to gain the support of the key stakeholders in order to implement recommended changes? A. Build strong relationships with key stakeholders and transparently share the benefits and risks of the changes. B. Implement the changes needed and then ask the stakeholders for support during implementation. C. Propose the changes needed and aggressively defend the proposal to anyone who is against it. D. Present the benefits of the changes in a transparent and well-structured manner and deemphasize the risks.

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