SHRM CP Test Questions

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. What additional benefits could the company gain from successful implementation of the reading program? A. The company could use this initiative to improve its employee brand and corporate social responsibility. B. This could result in better communication between employees and management. C. With positive reactions to the training, the company could institute additional employee improvement programs. D. It could result in greater performance output per employee and higher levels of engagement.

A. The company could use this initiative to improve its employee brand and corporate social responsibility.

A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate human resources team with all HR functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the vice presidents of HR, who report to the senior vice president of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A human resources manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. How should the team best use the HR manager's experience with the organization? A. They should use the HR manager to provide balanced input into the structure and delivery approach. B. They should consider the HR manager's input only if they are talking about location issues. C. The experience of the HR manager isn't critical, because the team has other members. D. They should not consider the HR manager's input, as he does not have an understanding of corporate HR.

A. They should use the HR manager to provide balanced input into the structure and delivery approach.

A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. The HR team decides to implement a structured interview as part of the hiring phase. What should the HR director do to ensure that the interviews provide the same quality and quantity of information on each candidate? A. Train a group of HR team members and call center managers to conduct the interviews. B. Assign HR team members to conduct the interviews. C. Advise interviewers to adapt the interview questions based on how the applicants respond. D. Arrange for there to be at least two interviewers per applicant.

A. Train a group of HR team members and call center managers to conduct the interviews.

A new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints. Which is the best first step for the HR manager to take? A. Implement the HR strategy that was successful at the HR manager's previous company. B. Call for a committee to develop a plan for offshoring the work, as current wage levels are not sustainable at this location. C. Begin work on benchmarking the company's wage levels to build a business case for increasing wages as a means to reduce turnover. D. Step back and take in the big picture before deciding how HR activities can be aligned to support the organization's strategy.

D. Step back and take in the big picture before deciding how HR activities can be aligned to support the organization's strategy.

A hospital has recently seen a significant increase in the turnover of nurses. Many recent hires have left to work at a nearby privately run clinic. This is puzzling since there have been rumors about this clinic's financial outlook. The HR business partner for the hospital has been asked to design and oversee a recruitment campaign to attract ten new nurses and an additional five nurse trainees. One of the measures of success that has been given to the HR business partner is that these new hires need to remain with the hospital for a minimum of 18 months. The hospital is looking to have these individuals onboarded within six weeks. While trying to manage recruiting and hiring, the HR business partner keeps thinking about the hospital's retention issue. In reviewing exit interview information, the business partner has noticed a trend: Many of the nurses who have left indicated that the private clinic has a more modern location, better hours, and great employee facilities that include a gym. Hospital leadership has also been criticized, in particular, the hospital administrator, for her negative attitude and lack of recognition. Over lunch with an HR acquaintance who works at the private clinic, the business partner inquires about how the clinic has been so successful in attracting and retaining staff. To the HR business partner's surprise, the colleague shares that much of the feedback she hears as to why people leave the hospital is the hospital's wage and benefits structure. The business partner realizes that he has his hands full in addressing the many issues in order to achieve his hiring objectives, improve retention, and decrease turnover. The leadership team agrees with many of the HR business partner's recommendations on how to address the employee engagement issues. What is the best approach for the HR business partner to take as he begins to tackle this task? A. The HR business partner should let the leadership team determine the best course of action for the hospital and implement what they decide. B. The HR business partner should advise that the leadership team take a wait-and-see approach and suggest that they not do anything. C. The HR business partner should rely on the leadership team to develop and implement a strategy. D. The HR business partner should work with the leadership team to develop a complete strategy to improve and sustain employee engagement.

D. The HR business partner should work with the leadership team to develop a complete strategy to improve and sustain employee engagement.

How has the sustainability movement changed organizations' relations with their stakeholders? A) Organizations focus on fewer key stakeholders but give those few more input on strategic decisions. B) A broader range of stakeholders is now considered, allowing for a more active role in shaping policies and goals. C) Customers are now considered as stakeholders in addition to shareholders, and there is more focus on providing them value. D) The focus has shifted from internal to external stakeholders, and stakeholder value is defined more broadly.

B) A broader range of stakeholders is now considered, allowing for a more active role in shaping policies and goals.

Which best demonstrates the development phase of the employee life cycle? A) A high-potential employee is promoted to a leadership position and begins training her replacement. B) A manager and an employee are working together to develop objectives and goals for the employee to attain. C) The employer-employee relationship is initiated when the employee begins onboarding and orientation. D) The employee gains access to information and tools required for the job and settles into the position.

B) A manager and an employee are working together to develop objectives and goals for the employee to attain.

What would be an example of noise in the communication model? A) The listener disagrees with what is being said. B) A speaker uses technical abbreviations that the listener does not know. C) The speaker is deeply respected in the listener's culture. D) The listener fills in shared background that the speaker does not mention.

B) A speaker uses technical abbreviations that the listener does not know.

What two organizational functions most typically report to the chief financial officer? A) Finance and human resources B) Accounting and finance C) Finance and risk assessment D) HR and IT

B) Accounting and finance

In a conversation outside of work, an accounts payable supervisor shares with an HR professional secondhand reports about another employee's marital problems. Which approach should the HR professional take? A) Approach the employee in question independently and offer counseling. B) Advise the supervisor not to engage in gossip. C) Refrain from participating in or correcting the behavior. D) Ask if the employee is having performance issues.

B) Advise the supervisor not to engage in gossip.

A manager overhears two team members accusing each other of being rude and endangering getting the necessary work done on time. Rather than step into the middle of this, the manager asks each person separately about the status of the activity. What method of conflict resolution is the manager using? A) Accommodate B) Avoid C) Collaborate D) Compromise

B) Avoid

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? A) Implement the plan and then monitor and control its implementation. B) Build commitment within the team to the changes and reinforce it regularly. C) Prepare an alternate course of action if there is resistance to the change. D) Develop a rationale for the change in early communications with senior management.

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

An organization is sending salespeople into a new territory where bribery is common. How can HR support the code of ethics in this environment? A) By suspending the code of ethics, because bribery is part of the culture B) By reviewing current ethical guidelines and creating specific guidelines on bribery if necessary C) By requiring salespeople to report bribery income and factor it into compensation D) By instructing salespeople to refuse service and leave when bribery is attempted

B) By reviewing current ethical guidelines and creating specific guidelines on bribery if necessary

How does using a job evaluation to determine the relative worth of each job assist in an organization being successful? A) By identifying the minimal acceptable qualifications that a candidate must possess to successfully perform certain work tasks B) By serving as the basis for developing equitable salary structures, effective employee selection, and ongoing development C) By determining the various components of a position and the context and circumstances under which the work is done D) By recording the responsibilities, physical and emotional skills and accountabilities, and ability requirements of a specific job

B) By serving as the basis for developing equitable salary structures, effective employee selection, and ongoing development

What is the difference between career management and career planning? A) Career management is based on communication between managers and employees; career planning involves only the employee. B) Career management focuses on the organization's needs; career planning focuses on the individual's needs. C) Career management assesses career paths; career planning focuses on building a pool of qualified workers. D) Career management assumes that employees are responsible for their careers; career planning assumes that the company is responsible.

B) Career management focuses on the organization's needs; career planning focuses on the individual's needs.

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? A) Schedule a meeting with salespeople. B) Complete an environmental scan. C) Communicate the change to the organization. D) Communicate the change to customers.

B) Complete an environmental scan.

What are the key components of a business intelligence system? A) User interface, access to the Internet, integrated database B) Data gathering, data warehousing, query and reporting C) Input, processing, output D) Accuracy, currency, and completeness

B) Data gathering, data warehousing, query and reporting

Which HR metric provides an indication of the efficiency of the recruiting process? A) HR expense factor B) Days to fill C) Vacancy costs D) Turnover costs

B) Days to fill

When designing training for any new technology system, which activities will have the greatest impact on knowledge retention? A) Reading and a PowerPoint presentation B) Demonstration and structured exercises C) Reading and case study D) Group discussion and structured exercises

B) Demonstration and structured exercises

Which activity is part of the assessment and selection step of the global assignment process? A) Preparation of the assignment plan B) Development of data-gathering instruments C) Analysis of the costs versus the benefits D) Cross-cultural counseling

B) Development of data-gathering instruments

What emotional challenge can HR help retained employees confront after a mass reduction in workforce? A) Reduced self-esteem B) Diminished job security C) Increased job ambiguity D) Decreased workload

B) Diminished job security

Which type of career development mobility provides meaningful career paths for professional and technical workers whose preferences may be outside traditional management roles? A) Job enrichment B) Dual career ladders C) Job rotations and relocations D) Promotions

B) Dual career ladders

A group has formed to organize the annual company picnic. Because one member has experience planning a church fall festival, he volunteers to take the helm. The other employees choose to follow him. Which kind of leadership does this exemplify? A) Behavioral B) Emergent C) Contingency D) Situational

B) Emergent

Executives at a company have identified the need to promote diversity and develop a global mindset within the organization. According to Goleman, what leadership ability would best complement this initiative? A) Effective communication B) Emotional intelligence C) High intellectual capability D) Adaptability to change

B) Emotional intelligence

Which reward might actually create job dissatisfaction rather than job satisfaction? A) Employee B is rewarded if all of her team members pass a certification exam. B) Employee A can go to a training event, but only if Employee B succeeds in getting all of her people certified. C) Employee D gives Employee E a small cash reward for getting done early even though Employee E wasn't expecting a reward. D) Employee C, a trainer, is asked to come to a design team party.

B) Employee A can go to a training event, but only if Employee B succeeds in getting all of her people certified.

The creation of a global compensation and benefits strategy that ignores local differences in culture is most likely to occur in what approach to global management? A) Geocentric B) Ethnocentric C) Polycentric D) Regiocentric

B) Ethnocentric

An HR manager derives his authority from his extensive background in HRM. What type of power is this manager using? A) Legitimate B) Expert C) Affiliation D) Referent

B) Expert

HR meets with team leaders to analyze the pros and cons of a suggested change. As a group, they brainstorm about factors that could positively or negatively influence the outcome of the change. 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? A) Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) B) Force-field analysis C) Cost-benefit analysis D) SWOT analysis

B) Force-field analysis

Which statement best describes how HR can enhance its social media policies? A) Request social media account information from new hires. B) Gather information from throughout the organization about possible risks. C) Avoid publishing strict policies regarding employees' use of social media at work. D) Be assertive in responding to negative social media comments about the employer brand.

B) Gather information from throughout the organization about possible risks.

Which is the best example of indirect compensation? A) Awarding store gift cards to top performers in a sales contest B) Granting compensatory time off to a salaried employee for extra hours worked C) Paying non-management employees at a higher rate for overtime hours worked D) Paying individual bonuses to team members for meeting critical project deadlines

B) Granting compensatory time off to a salaried employee for extra hours worked

An organization has moved to larger facilities and doubled its workforce. However, it still experiences problems with back orders, which results in customer dissatisfaction. What phase of the organization/product life cycle is the organization probably in? A) Introduction B) Growth C) Maturity D) Decline

B) Growth

An analyst predicts a total number of voluntary and involuntary separations over the next year and gives the report a statistical rating of P50. What does this mean? A) The sample size was half of the total workforce size at the time of analysis. B) Half of the forecasts will be above the reported number and half will be below. C) The analyst is not very confident in the number's accuracy. D) The simulation was repeated 50 times to test its accuracy.

B) Half of the forecasts will be above the reported number and half will be below.

An organization has hired a new HR director. Which action should the director take first after meeting and getting to know the HR staff? A) Developing programs to submit to management for support B) Identifying and understanding internal and external stakeholders C) Gaining input about priorities and possible budget items D) Performing a risk assessment of the HR function

B) Identifying and understanding internal and external stakeholders

An HR professional receives an anonymous tip alleging unethical practices on the part of a top-performing sales professional. The organization takes ethical issues very seriously. Which action should the HR professional take with regard to the allegations? A) Immediately engage the sales professional regarding the allegations and see how she responds. B) Investigate and establish any available factual information related to the allegation. C) Attempt to discover the source of the anonymous tip so he can ask for additional information. D) Penalize the sales professional by garnishing her earned commissions, because some of those commissions were earned unethically.

B) Investigate and establish any available factual information related to the allegation.

An HR manager is new at an organization and wants to start networking. Which is the best way to get this process going? A) Informally discuss one need you have with each person you come into contact with. B) Listen to the needs of anyone you come into contact with and offer to help if you can. C) Make yourself likeable by smiling and praising each person in some way. D) Make a list of your needs and ask others to help you cross things off your list.

B) Listen to the needs of anyone you come into contact with and offer to help if you can.

A company has developed a new performance evaluation tool that it plans to roll out within the next couple of months. Which stakeholder group should HR recommend to explain the detailed change to the employees? A) Consulting firm, since there will most likely be resistance to this change B) Managers, since they will be implementing and sustaining the changes C) HR function, since they were instrumental in developing the new tool D) Organization's senior leaders, since this is a company-wide change

B) Managers, since they will be implementing and sustaining the changes

If an organization's competitive advantage is cost leadership, which practice is most likely? A) Designing a detailed market development plan B) Mass-producing product to meet general market needs C) Investing profits in research and product development D) Promoting a customer service mentality to foster customer rapport

B) Mass-producing product to meet general market needs

An organization is interested in beginning the process of creating an ethical environment. Who has the most impact on the success of this process? A) Local community B) Organization's leaders C) Organization's customers or constituents D) Organization's employees

B) Organization's leaders

To encourage a move away from identity groups to a more conceptual perspective of diversity, Gardenswartz and Rowe discuss which four dimensions of diversity? A) Society, community, family, and personality B) Organizational, external, internal, and personality C) Global, national, community, and family D) Gender, race, ethnicity, and religion

B) Organizational, external, internal, and personality

Which assessment approach would provide the deepest insight into the potential of a manager for a position of global leadership at corporate headquarters? A) Interviewing conducted by senior executives from the headquarters of the global corporation B) Panel interviewing conducted by senior managers from various locations, including host-country managers C) Interviewing conducted by senior managers from the manager's home country familiar with their work D) Standardized testing of cross-cultural readiness administered by a consultant independent of the organization

B) Panel interviewing conducted by senior managers from various locations, including host-country managers

What is the first step in evidence-based decision making (EBDM)? A) Looking for logical connections among the gathered data B) Phrasing the problem in the form of a question to be answered C) Identifying good, reliable sources of data D) Verifying the value of the activity to the organization

B) Phrasing the problem in the form of a question to be answered

An HR manager leads a three-person team that is designing new audit processes and tools. One member who is new to the organization argues forcefully for approaches that she used in her previous job. The other two team members complain off-line to the team leader, saying that the new member does not listen and just wants to do things in a familiar way. What should the team leader do? A) Counsel the two team members that they must show more patience and support for the new team member B) Promptly and privately meet with the new member and discuss project goals and team ground rules. C) Encourage the new member to continue bring new ideas into the discussion and improve the team process. D) Express understanding to the team members but allow the team members to correct the situation themselves.

B) Promptly and privately meet with the new member and discuss project goals and team ground rules.

An international organization is seeking to implement a wellness program to improve the health and well-being of its employees. Which is the best way to encourage employee participation? A) Mandate that all employees must participate in the program, regardless of their personal wellness goals. B) Provide discounts on gym memberships at gyms located near applicable organizational locations. C) Make eligibility for company-sponsored health insurance dependent on participation in the wellness program. D) Create individual employee "wellness scores" and share them within the company to foster competition among employees.

B) Provide discounts on gym memberships at gyms located near applicable organizational locations.

A stock brokerage firm incents in-house brokers with trips if they generate more than $500,000 worth of sales in a particular fund that the firm currently owns 20% in. Management asks HR to comment on the program. What should HR recommend? A) Suggest lowering the dollar amount to mitigate risks of unethical behavior or revenue loss. B) Recommend that this unethical practice stop and discuss alternative incentive plans. C) Allow this practice to continue without comment as long as it has a positive effect on revenue. D) Require that this illegal practice stop to avoid potential risks of noncompliance.

B) Recommend that this unethical practice stop and discuss alternative incentive plans.

According to the sender-receiver communication model (the basic communication model), what is appropriate feedback to a message from a stakeholder who expresses disagreement in a meeting with something you have said? A) Nod and continue the original discussion. B) Repeat back what the stakeholder has said to you in a different way. C) Restate your position on the same issue in a new way. D) Move on to the next point without giving too much weight to the person's opinion.

B) Repeat back what the stakeholder has said to you in a different way.

An American multinational corporation known for its big, premium-priced ultrasound scanners (designed for use in U.S. hospitals) introduces a cheaper and portable version in emerging markets. The portable scanner also creates new markets in the U.S., for example, in small hospitals and for immobile patients. What globalization force does this exemplify? A) The diaspora B) Reverse innovation C) The demographic dichotomy D) Hyperconnectivity

B) Reverse innovation

An organization developed a new code of conduct 18 months ago but recently discovered that employees are still not following its guidelines. What should the organization do to ensure that employees are following the guidelines? A) Rewrite the code of conduct to bring it into closer alignment with the actions and views of the employees, so they do not violate it as often. B) Review key points of the code of conduct and ensure that employees understand it, and incorporate code of conduct training into new employee orientation. C) Distribute written copies of the code of conduct to all employees and make them accessible in common areas such as break rooms. D) Begin strictly enforcing the code of conduct and punishing employees who refuse to take the time to understand and comply with it.

B) Review key points of the code of conduct and ensure that employees understand it, and incorporate code of conduct training into new employee orientation.

A company identifies a need for training on unlawful harassment for front-line supervisors as one aspect of an OED intervention. Which best describes the organizational impact of this activity? A) HR will no longer have to get involved in dealing with harassment allegations once front-line supervisors are trained. B) Risk will be mitigated because front-line supervisors will be equipped to recognize, correct, and report harassing behaviors. C) Supervisors will be able to conduct their own investigations of harassment allegations, for faster resolution of problems. D) Employees will be less likely to exhibit harassing behaviors once their supervisors have been properly trained.

B) Risk will be mitigated because front-line supervisors will be equipped to recognize, correct, and report harassing behaviors.

Which tool would be best for analyzing and presenting data about the relationship between years of education and amount of income? A) Control chart B) Scatter diagram C) Cause-and-effect diagram D) Histogram

B) Scatter diagram

A European employee travels to transfer company technology for a manufacturing process. The employee remains on home-country compensation and benefit plans while on assignment. Incentives include one trip home every 12 weeks to visit family that remained at home. What type of global assignee is this individual? A) Just-in-time expatriate B) Short-term assignee C) Globalist D) International assignee

B) Short-term assignee

Technology automates many HR tasks, shrinking the HR department. Yet, as HR evolves from transactional to transformational work, the workload may increase and become more complex. Staff may complain about being overloaded. Which is the best way to solve this problem? A) Reassign tasks according to the staff's technological proficiency levels. B) Support training to help HR staff make full use of available technology. C) Decrease additional spending on technology. D) Outsource customer service related to manager self-service systems to an outside vendor.

B) Support training to help HR staff make full use of available technology.

Which type of globalization is characterized by large numbers of emerging country populations moving abroad for better employment opportunities? A) Demographic dichotomy B) The diaspora C) International assignees D) Globalist immigration

B) The diaspora

What is meant by the sustainability sweet spot? A) The ability of an initiative to improve an organization's brand as an employer of choice B) The overlapping area of the triple bottom line perspectives C) The point at which a sustainable initiative's investment is surpassed by its economic benefits D) The point at which management, employees, and the community agree on goals

B) The overlapping area of the triple bottom line perspectives

Which is an advantage of having job descriptions in a global environment? A) They eliminate the need for career paths. B) They expedite forecasting of current and projected staffing. C) They reduce payroll costs because all salaries are set. D) They reduce cross-border transfers because in-country candidates are easier to find.

B) They expedite forecasting of current and projected staffing.

Which of the following is the primary reason to conduct stay interviews with employees? A) To allow HR to meet with employees individually to determine their level of engagement B) To address issues that affect engagement and retention C) To minimize costs of capturing data from a large population of employees D) To assess why employees are choosing to leave the organization

B) To address issues that affect engagement and retention

How should an HR professional use trend analysis? A) To align organizational and HR strategies B) To plan possible responses to changes in labor supply C) To assess the effectiveness of organizational development efforts D) To understand how the organization's policies can be adapted globally

B) To plan possible responses to changes in labor supply

How can HR best partner with managers to implement a newly developed performance management tool? A) Require managers to fill out their new evaluation forms and submit them to HR to be checked before reviewing them with employees. B) Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions. C) 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. D) Have the CEO clarify to managers the consequences if they fail to complete employee evaluations in a timely manner.

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

Top management recently agreed on major organizational changes. HR has been tasked with developing a plan for communicating the changes to the employees. Which is the most effective way to communicate the changes? A) Charge department heads with communicating the changes to demonstrate their support. B) Use multiple channels of communication so the changes are shared in many ways. C) Make one company-wide presentation so the changes are communicated consistently. D) Capitalize on social trends by using social media so everyone is aware of the changes.

B) Use multiple channels of communication so the changes are shared in many ways.

An operations manager wants to hire additional full-time employees. The HR business partner knows that the need for additional resources will probably be only temporary, based on historical data. What would be the best way to persuade the operations manager that using temporary workers would be a better tactic? A) Escalate the issue to the head of HR, who is responsible for these strategic decisions. B) Use the data. Show the manager the resource trend charts for the past several years. C) Point out the difficulty of having to lay off these workers when demand decreases. D) Let the operations manager own this decision and its outcomes

B) Use the data. Show the manager the resource trend charts for the past several years.

Which of the following terms describes the impact on an employer when an employee reports an incident of workplace harassment by a supervisor but the supervisor fails to act on it? A) Prima facie B) Vicarious liability C) Merit discrimination D) Glass ceiling

B) Vicarious liability

How does the Weingarten ruling apply to nonunion employees? A) Weingarten requires that nonunion employees be allowed union representation during investigatory interviews. B) Weingarten does not require that nonunion employees be allowed union representation during investigatory interviews. C) Weingarten allows nonunion members to participate in picket lines without fear of reprisal from their employer. D) Weingarten protects nonunion employees from being harmed by unfair labor practices during an organizing campaign.

B) Weingarten does not require that nonunion employees be allowed union representation during investigatory interviews.

Under which circumstances should ignoring conflict be used as a conflict management strategy? A) When failure in mediating and resolving the conflict would weaken the leader's position B) When the issue will resolve itself without damaging the team processes and relationships C) When the leader does not want to be associated with a negative outcome D) When the team needs to develop a win-win, mutual-gain resolution to the conflict

B) When the issue will resolve itself without damaging the team processes and relationships

A company is consistently having trouble hiring designers in its creative department, a critical team within marketing that produces all the graphic and visual art deliverables for clients. After several weeks, the recruiting team finds a strong candidate. The candidate requests working first as an independent contractor and then transitioning to permanent employment. After two weeks, things are going well, and the creative department manager is working with the HR manager to extend an employment offer. Company policy requires all new hire candidates to successfully pass a drug screen as a condition of employment, but the candidate tests positive for marijuana. The HR manager questions the candidate, who states that the drug was used only in a state where recreational use is legal. The creative manager asks the HR manager for help in recruiting designers since the department has had difficulty finding qualified applicants. How should the HR manager respond? A. Create a multi-year workforce plan to map out current and future skill set needs. B. Collaborate with the creative manager on a social media recruiting effort. C. Implement a company mentoring program for entry-level designers. D. Establish a compensation structure that pays bonuses to employees who obtain design specializations.

B. Collaborate with the creative manager on a social media recruiting effort.

A large clothing company has a bad reputation because of its hiring practices, its treatment of employees, and its lack of support to the communities it operates in. The CEO and senior managers are known to make decisions based solely on revenue potential, without regard for the impact it may have on society. In fact, the CEO has commented several times that investing money in anything other than operations is a bad business strategy and unethical in terms of the company's obligation to its investors. Recently, major suppliers for the company, located outside the company's home country, were accused of unethical labor practices, unsafe workplace conditions, and possible human rights violations. This has become a public relations nightmare. Several groups have called for boycotts against the company. At the last shareholders' phone conference, several institutional investors expressed their displeasure with management's failure to respond strongly to the problems with suppliers. The CEO expressed his belief that critics were being unrealistic about their expectations for the suppliers. In fact, they were themselves insensitive to business practices and local norms in these countries. Concerned with the negative publicity and lacking confidence in the CEO's response to it, the company's board of directors requests that the CHRO immediately be given the task of formulating a committee to audit the company's operating practices, its employer branding, and its attitude on social issues. This action would at least show that the company has heard the criticisms. While the company's leadership is struggling with this issue, the CHRO receives an urgent call from the global head of recruiting. Recruiters report that their appearance at job fairs has been met with what seems to be organized demonstrations. The fairs have produced very few prospective candidates. The recruiting head asks what the CHRO wants them to do. How should the CHRO respond? A. Have recruiting directors contact local law authorities and the security directors for the fair venues and demand better protection. B. Hold off on appearances at job fairs for now and focus on using recruiting firms. C. Tell the recruiters to persist and to project a professional demeanor at all times. D. Report this to the CEO as an example of what the company is doing wrong.

B. Hold off on appearances at job fairs for now and focus on using recruiting firms.

A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which would be the best way for HR to address the anonymous complaint? A. Identify the author who made the anonymous complaint, and then send an e-mail to the author with an update on the situation. B. Inform the employee and the manager that a complaint has been lodged and that there will be an internal investigation. C. Contact the training department to launch new training on the attendance policy for all employees to attend. D. Determine that the senior leader made the best decision due to the mitigating circumstances, and inform all staff via the employee intranet.

B. Inform the employee and the manager that a complaint has been lodged and that there will be an internal investigation.

The shared service centers of a multinational technology company are concentrated in one country. They provide back-office operational support for the finance and accounting, procurement, and HR functions of the company. The local talent market for the back-office operations skills is very competitive. To date, the company has been successful in recruiting experienced professionals from its competitors. The main draw has been the generous compensation and benefits package and the general perception of an amiable and cooperative management team. While competitors' workforces have unionized in this country, this company's workforce has remained union-free. The annual planning process has kicked off. The process requires the global HR and finance teams to recommend the payroll increase budget for each country based on key economic indicators, company performance, affordability, and compensation market survey data. The teams recommend a salary increase budget of 18% for the country with the shared service centers. The country HR director is concerned that the recommended budget is too low and believes that, in order to remain competitive and compensate for inflation, the increase should be 30%. The country director brings her concerns and recommendations to the global VP of HR. In a discussion with the global VP of finance and the global functional leaders, the global VP of HR learns that the 18% increase budget is a stretch and that going any higher will have a negative bottom-line impact. Which action should the country HR director recommend that country leaders take that would proactively support a union avoidance strategy? A. Tracking employee engagement scores, looking for and addressing the issues as they arise B. Instilling a culture of trust and teamwork between employees and management C. Ensuring that managers are trained to implicitly communicate the negative impact of unions D. Conducting a communication campaign to remind employees of the growth-stifling impact of unions

B. Instilling a culture of trust and teamwork between employees and management

A large metropolitan hospital acquires a small community hospital, resulting in a total employee population of 1,000. As a result of the acquisition, the accounts receivable department from the small hospital, which has only five employees, is handling all outstanding patient accounts. During a management workforce planning session, the HR director questions the accounts receivable manager about staffing requests for the following year. The manager informs the HR director that the department is adequately staffed and will not need more employees. Later the HR director learns that the manager has confessed to other managers that he hopes to be promoted to vice president by saving the hospital money from not hiring additional personnel. Two accounts receivable employees terminate their hospital employment abruptly. When cleaning out the desks of these employees, the accounts receivable manager finds over 100 accounts that have not been processed; monies are still outstanding on these overdue accounts. The manager distributes these overdue invoices to the other three remaining department employees and tells them not to mention this to the controller. These employees come to the HR director in confidence to complain about the additional work, and they confide that they were instructed not to tell the controller about the incomplete work. What should the HR director do about the accounts receivable that have not been processed? A. Action is not needed, as the controller will find out soon enough that the accounts are past due and the work was not completed. B. Investigate, evaluate, document, and respond to the reports of the unethical behavior with the controller and the manager. C. Inform the remaining employees that the open accounts need to be processed immediately. D. Tell the manager that if additional staff is not brought in, the manager will have to process all outstanding invoices.

B. Investigate, evaluate, document, and respond to the reports of the unethical behavior with the controller and the manager.

A construction company with 75 field employees determines that the best way to improve communication with employees and efficiency in tracking employees' working hours is to provide each field employee with a smartphone. Each employee has a company e-mail account that can be accessed through the smartphone, enabling the employee to receive e-mail in a timely fashion. Additionally, the employee uses the smartphone to track hours worked at each job location. A benefit to the employee is not having to complete and turn in time sheets at the end of the week, since time tracking is in real time. These phones should be used for business only and turned into the supervisor at the end of the workday. The company has made a significant financial investment in the smartphones. Some employees have personal smartphones and are very familiar with the phones. However, many employees have not used this type of technology and are not computer-literate. Even prior to the implementation of the phones, this small group is demonstrating negative and resistant behavior. The human resource director has been assigned the responsibility of distributing the smartphones to the employees and providing the necessary training and resources for the employees to be proficient in using the phones within 30 days. Which action should the human resource director take to create shared ownership and accountability with business leaders for the smartphone change's success? A. Develop and release to all business leaders the proposed corporate strategy for distributing the smartphones and training employees. B. Involve business leaders to get feedback on and finalize the strategy for distributing the smartphones and training employees. C. Request business leaders to develop a smartphone distribution and training strategy for their business units and give feedback. D. Send an e-mail requesting that business leaders share their top concerns about the smartphone change.

B. Involve business leaders to get feedback on and finalize the strategy for distributing the smartphones and training employees.

An HR manager began a new job at an international school in another country. On her first day, she went to the main office to introduce herself to the school's long-time principal and his recently hired executive assistant. The HR manager noticed flowers on the assistant's desk and complimented them. The assistant nervously dismissed the compliment, frowned, and said they were from the principal and that they were his way of flirting with her. The HR manager knows this is against the school's corporate gift-giving policy, which prohibits using school funds to purchase gifts for individual employees. Later, the HR manager met with the principal to discuss HR priorities. Concerned by the assistant's comments, the HR manager asked about the flowers. The principal dismissed the concerns, saying that giving gifts to recognize employees is common in that country, and angrily remarked that he is entitled to spend his discretionary budget how he wishes. After the meeting, the HR manager felt concerned about the principal making an exception to the gift-giving policy and planned to speak to the school director about the incident. That evening, the HR manager receives a voice mail from the assistant, who frantically asks her not to say anything about the flowers because she needs to keep her job. How should the HR manager give feedback to the principal to help him more appropriately recognize employee contributions? A. Give talking points to the school's director to deliver, since the principal doesn't see the HR manager as a credible coach. B. Maintain control of the conversation with the principal, ensuring that the message is delivered without misinterpretation. C. Send the principal weekly e-mails containing articles on how to appropriately motivate the school's staff. D. Issue the principal a documented verbal warning to stop his unwanted advances toward his executive assistant.

B. Maintain control of the conversation with the principal, ensuring that the message is delivered without misinterpretation.

During the yearly performance and sales review at an organization, an HR manager realizes that the sales goal and bonus structure could potentially incentivize individuals to move closings from one quarter to the next as needed to meet quarterly sales goals. Leadership, mid-level management, and the salespeople have different bonus structures-annually for leadership, quarterly for mid-level managers, and monthly for salespeople. This has created a disconnect between the different groups and created different motivations. The HR manager presents an analysis of the data to the CEO. The CEO determines that, while this bonus structure may have worked in the past, it needs to be changed and the bonus structure of the different groups needs to be aligned. She tasks the HR manager with crafting a new bonus structure and implementing it after she has approved it. Which would be the most effective way to communicate the new plan? A. Decide on a date that the new plan will go into effect and announce it by e-mail. B. Meet first with managers and then with individual teams to discuss the new plan and its benefits. C. Hold a company-wide town hall and announce the changes. D. Host small gatherings of employees in which the plan is reviewed.

B. Meet first with managers and then with individual teams to discuss the new plan and its benefits.

A manager at a large company e-mails the HR director asking for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and the employee plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. In the e-mail to the HR director, the manager indicates that other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition. In private discussions with the manager, some team members, including the consultant, have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice on how to handle the situation. What action should the HR director recommend to the manager regarding the employees who have expressed discomfort about the situation? A. Schedule a team meeting so that the transitioning employee can answer the questions of the other team members. B. Meet with each employee who expressed discomfort individually to review the company's policy on diversity and inclusion. C. Encourage the transitioning employee to set up private meetings with each team member to talk about their concerns. D. Provide training to the team members who have expressed discomfort on how to interact with the employee during the transition.

B. Meet with each employee who expressed discomfort individually to review the company's policy on diversity and inclusion.

A young learning and development specialist, having recently completed graduate studies in adult education and training, is hired into an HR department that has a strong history of management and employee training programs. For now, the specialist's assignment is to undertake scheduled revisions of specific elements in the learning and development system. The programs have been well-attended and well-received by the organization, so there has been little need to change the learning approach. The specialist soon realizes that, while the course content is well-designed, built on sound practices, and engaging for participants, it offers little support or direction for transferring learning to the job environment. It is missing a major opportunity for improving job performance. She also notes a lack of competency-based learning that can be used by participants and their managers as performance standards to make it easier to implement and assess learning and performance levels. The specialist would like to propose changes, but she is new to the company and the HR function. Her colleagues are older than she is and much more experienced. They have created or directed the curriculum that she wants to change. She notices that they smile condescendingly when she speaks at department meetings about her ideas. They seldom talk to her and have been rather harsh in their reviews of her initial projects. It is difficult for her to argue for change using actual data because the evaluation tools the department uses focus primarily on Kirkpatrick's Levels 1 and 2. How should the specialist deal with the scarcity of company-specific data to support her belief that the learning and development system should be improved? A. Bypass the department supervisor and go directly to senior leadership to request the needed information. B. Compare the results of alternative and current evaluation methods for an upcoming program. C. Weigh past scores by the assessment level used and present that information as more accurate. D. Present anecdotal data with examples about poor learning transfer from managers and supervisors.

B. Compare the results of alternative and current evaluation methods for an upcoming program.

The HR department in a musical instrument company is struggling to support the company's rapid growth. The company, which started as the home business of a casual musician, logged $17 million in sales last year. The HR department has hired additional team members over the years but hasn't changed its structure since start-up. All HR team members currently function as generalists, doing whatever it takes to support the company. The organization now consists of multiple store franchises. Each store has a sales department, a service and repair department, and a department offering music lessons. This initial product and service offering was followed by instrument rentals and later the acquisition of a publishing company that specializes in learning guides for new musicians and music teachers. The company's newest effort, the production of their own brand of mandolin, is recognized by most of the senior leaders as a high-risk effort but with the potential for a profitable high-margin instrument being added to their product line. With the rapid growth and expansion, the CEO is becoming increasingly concerned about quality and has made it clear that the entire corporation is to prioritize quality and efficiency while maintaining focus on the strategic plan. What is the most critical step the HR director should take to determine if outsourcing a non-core function is more efficient than the current process? A. Develop a project plan that outlines how to move from the current process to an outsourced model. B. Complete an analysis of current gaps in the process and evaluate this information in terms of the benefits of an outsourced model. C. Review recent survey results that capture employee impressions of the current recruiting process. D. Identify a list of the most reputable vendors with a track record of delivering efficient and quality service.

B. Complete an analysis of current gaps in the process and evaluate this information in terms of the benefits of an outsourced model.

A small company is in the start-up phase of the organizational life cycle. The owner has been hiring talent and compensating employees at high levels but not offering a benefits package. As the organization grows and more employees are hired, the owner is being pressured to implement a benefits package in addition to direct compensation. The owner is not knowledgeable about benefits and has made the decision to hire an HR generalist to handle benefits and other HR functions. The HR generalist's first priority is to make recommendations about a benefits package that will attract and retain top talent while being fiscally responsible. The growth plan for the organization is to grow globally and engage in a global recruitment, selection, and hiring strategy. The HR generalist needs to create a total compensation package that will be relevant in all locations globally. The benefits package was implemented 12 months ago, and the HR generalist has been asked by the owner to provide feedback regarding the success of the package. What is the first step in providing this feedback? A. Compare the rate of turnover this year to prior years. B. Conduct a gap analysis and a utilization review. C. Tell the owner that it is too soon to provide feedback. D. Conduct a survey of the employees to obtain feedback on the benefits package.

B. Conduct a gap analysis and a utilization review.

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. Based on the current turnover and lack of management training, what should the HR director do first as part of a needs analysis? A. Facilitate management focus groups to evaluate the company's compensation, rewards, and incentive programs. B. Conduct a job analysis for all management positions to ensure that job descriptions and specifications are appropriate. C. Analyze exit interviews from managers who have left recently to determine why they are leaving. D. Review customer satisfaction results and use these to guide the development of the training curriculum.

B. Conduct a job analysis for all management positions to ensure that job descriptions and specifications are appropriate.

A small company is in the start-up phase of the organizational life cycle. The owner has been hiring talent and compensating employees at high levels but not offering a benefits package. As the organization grows and more employees are hired, the owner is being pressured to implement a benefits package in addition to direct compensation. The owner is not knowledgeable about benefits and has made the decision to hire an HR generalist to handle benefits and other HR functions. The HR generalist's first priority is to make recommendations about a benefits package that will attract and retain top talent while being fiscally responsible. The growth plan for the organization is to grow globally and engage in a global recruitment, selection, and hiring strategy. The HR generalist needs to create a total compensation package that will be relevant in all locations globally. The HR generalist is charged with recommending a benefits package that will attract and retain talent. How should he begin the process? A. Contract with a third-party benefits administration company to identify and implement a benefits package. B. Gather data through a needs assessment to identify what benefits are needed and match them to the overall organizational strategy. C. Survey all employees in the company and, based on their responses, implement and secure benefits plans to meet majority needs. D. Set up employee task force groups to develop outlines of the employee benefit plans most desired by the workforce.

B. Gather data through a needs assessment to identify what benefits are needed and match them to the overall organizational strategy.

A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which is the appropriate outcome for the attendance policy violation? A. Immediately terminate both the manager and the employee for violating company policy to reinforce leadership's focus on consistency. B. The employee should be suspended without pay to take time to think about his behavior. C. HR should factor in the circumstances in this particular situation and recommend that the employee contact the company's employee assistance program for counseling. D. The employee should be terminated per the company policy, to reinforce a consistent focus on policies that have been adopted and put in place.

D. The employee should be terminated per the company policy, to reinforce a consistent focus on policies that have been adopted and put in place.

A VP of HR for a growing 1,500-employee high tech firm has received feedback regarding the lack of effectiveness of the HR team. The internal customers have not been pleased with the level of service and support that is being provided by HR. One of the biggest challenges cited is the recruiting process-specifically, opening a new requisition. The business leader is first required to contact a recruiter to open a requisition and then to contact the compensation and benefits team to determine the pay level for the role. Business leaders may have to contact a different recruiter each time a requisition must be opened. If the recruiter is unfamiliar with the business unit and the nuances of the culture as well as common skill sets, the business leader has to spend additional time to ensure that the recruiter has all the information needed. As a result, some business leaders have asked for one point of contact in HR for all recruiting needs. Which next step should the VP of HR take to send a clear message to business leaders that HR has heard the concerns and is working to improve the customer experience? A. Request a plan of action from the recruiting manager that outlines how recruiting will achieve the desired results. B. Outline a plan of action to address customer concerns and communicate with business leaders on an ongoing basis. C. Ensure that the recruiting team provides regular quarterly updates to the business leaders regarding recruiting performance and results. D. Provide a deadline to business leaders for change to be apparent that is in alignment with internal client expectations.

B. Outline a plan of action to address customer concerns and communicate with business leaders on an ongoing basis.

A company has been giving its employees automatic pay increases annually. Recently, however, production has decreased, resulting in less profit. The president tasks HR with implementing a new goal-oriented pay plan to incentivize employees to increase production. HR designs a pay-for-performance plan and trains supervisors. HR also sends an e-mail to all employees explaining the change, referring employees with questions to their supervisor. As part of the new program, goal development is handled by supervisors. However, some supervisors feel that the change in pay philosophy is unnecessary and tell employees that the new pay plan will not work. Twelve months pass, and, upon review of performance evaluations, HR finds that some appraisals lack goals and do not objectively measure employees' work performance. The results are recommended pay increases that are subjective and unsubstantiated by metrics. Rumors that pay increases will be provided to employees who are favorites begin to impact morale, and work production continues to decline. Leadership is disappointed with the results of using a pay-for-performance system. HR is instructed to temporarily revert to the original pay plan and complete a further analysis of its continued viability. Employees are satisfied; however, the reputation of the company and HR has suffered by this rollout, and production has not increased and profits are still low. HR still believes that the cause of decreased production is the absence of incentive pay. Which recommendation should the HR manager include in a business case for an incentive pay program that would convince leaders while rebuilding HR's credibility? A. Assess the organization's turnover rate along with supervisors' input and employee opinions on exit questionnaires. B. Gather data on the number of employees, profits for the preceding year, and the current pay structure. C. Analyze data related to the organization's mission, strategy, goals, size, industry, and location and on talent availability. D. Review the current payroll budget, the turnover rate, employee input on the pay philosophy, and leadership goals.

C. Analyze data related to the organization's mission, strategy, goals, size, industry, and location and on talent availability.

An HR manager receives a call from an employee who indicates that he feels harassed and needs to talk to someone immediately. The employee alleges that his supervisor treats him differently. He also accuses his supervisor of logging onto his computer and making program changes and sending inappropriate messages to others. When HR asks for proof, the employee indicates that all evidence has been deleted by the supervisor. The employee also shares his belief that other employees, including the marketing manager, are trying to discredit him. The employee further accuses the supervisor of making sexual advances toward him. HR's speaks with the supervisor, who reports that there have been problems with the employee for some time. There have been several warnings, and the employee's behavior is becoming more erratic. The supervisor wants to proceed with termination of the employee. She is concerned that if nothing happens she will see high-performing employees leave. The HR manager mentions the accusations of harassment. The supervisor angrily yells "This employee is crazy!" and storms out of the HR manager's office. The employee leaves work at the end of his shift, gets into a car accident, and sustains minor injuries that will cause several days of absence from work. As proof of temporary disability, he forwards the physician's notes. The notes, however, also refer to symptoms of mental illness. What approach should the HR manager take to address the supervisor's outburst during the initial conversation? A. Immediately send her home for the rest of the day because of the inappropriate actions. B. Follow the supervisor and confront her promptly about her outburst. C. Arrange to meet with the supervisor at a later time and in private to address her outburst. D. Ignore the supervisor's reaction, attributing it to stress from the situation.

C. Arrange to meet with the supervisor at a later time and in private to address her outburst.

The CEO of a fast-growing start-up company is worried that the company will not have the skilled workforce needed in the future to keep up with the dynamic needs of the business, and he asks the HR manager to anticipate and plan for the workforce gaps. The HR manager has been partnering with educational institutions, other businesses, and the local workforce development office to get more information about anticipated skill gaps and to develop an action plan. These resources have been supportive but are unsure of what skills might be needed and when these gaps will exist. The HR manager must navigate this uncertainty and provide a plan to the CEO. The HR manager has identified the most critical skills that will be needed. Which is the most effective approach to developing the workforce? A. Implement a bonus program that rewards employees for developing critical skills. B. Provide managers with the list of skills and ask them to mentor employees on them. C. Assess current employees on these critical skills to identify gaps that exist. D. Tell employees which skills are needed and ask them to refer people who have these skills.

C. Assess current employees on these critical skills to identify gaps that exist.

A VP of HR for a growing 1,500-employee high tech firm has received feedback regarding the lack of effectiveness of the HR team. The internal customers have not been pleased with the level of service and support that is being provided by HR. One of the biggest challenges cited is the recruiting process-specifically, opening a new requisition. The business leader is first required to contact a recruiter to open a requisition and then to contact the compensation and benefits team to determine the pay level for the role. Business leaders may have to contact a different recruiter each time a requisition must be opened. If the recruiter is unfamiliar with the business unit and the nuances of the culture as well as common skill sets, the business leader has to spend additional time to ensure that the recruiter has all the information needed. As a result, some business leaders have asked for one point of contact in HR for all recruiting needs. Once the work flow is amended, which is the best way for the VP of HR to identify the measures of success and the impact on the organization? A. Measure the time it takes from the opening of a position to the acceptance of an offer to determine if there is an actual decrease in time to fill. B. Partner with the business unit leaders to outline meaningful measures and outcomes that demonstrate alignment with strategy. C. Work with the HR leadership team to design an HR scorecard that will support the HR strategy and measures the results. D. Carefully monitor the next quarter's recruiting results to determine if the amended work flow added value to the business.

B. Partner with the business unit leaders to outline meaningful measures and outcomes that demonstrate alignment with strategy.

A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. Which stakeholders are the most critical for the HR director to include in the initial project planning process? A. Members from local sources for recruiting new employees B. Recruiting manager, talent development manager, and employee relations manager C. Law enforcement personnel who will conduct background screenings D. The 35 employees currently meeting contract requirements

B. Recruiting manager, talent development manager, and employee relations manager

An HR manager receives a call from an employee who indicates that he feels harassed and needs to talk to someone immediately. The employee alleges that his supervisor treats him differently. He also accuses his supervisor of logging onto his computer and making program changes and sending inappropriate messages to others. When HR asks for proof, the employee indicates that all evidence has been deleted by the supervisor. The employee also shares his belief that other employees, including the marketing manager, are trying to discredit him. The employee further accuses the supervisor of making sexual advances toward him. HR's speaks with the supervisor, who reports that there have been problems with the employee for some time. There have been several warnings, and the employee's behavior is becoming more erratic. The supervisor wants to proceed with termination of the employee. She is concerned that if nothing happens she will see high-performing employees leave. The HR manager mentions the accusations of harassment. The supervisor angrily yells "This employee is crazy!" and storms out of the HR manager's office. The employee leaves work at the end of his shift, gets into a car accident, and sustains minor injuries that will cause several days of absence from work. As proof of temporary disability, he forwards the physician's notes. The notes, however, also refer to symptoms of mental illness. What corrective action should the HR manager recommend be taken in reference to the patient information included by mistake in the physician's notes? A. Hold the information in a special file so it will be readily accessible if needed in the future. B. Report to the physician that health information was inappropriately disclosed and request an amended report. C. Include the information in the investigation, as it is critical to the investigation's outcome. D. Send a copy of the note to the physician's office and request that they be careful next time

B. Report to the physician that health information was inappropriately disclosed and request an amended report.

The IT director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that enables researchers around the world to conduct research more efficiently. The application has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT director about this because there is no contingency plan if the IT director were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, the IT director has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting-intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR manager learns that the IT director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR manager discovers that the IT director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which solution should the HR manager suggest to reinforce the organization's commitment to being a learning organization? A. Encourage the IT team to ignore the IT director and start sharing knowledge with the rest of the team. B. Request that the leadership hold a company-wide meeting to reiterate the mission of being a learning organization, and build performance metrics and incentives around the mission. C. Send out a company-wide e-mail acknowledging that the actions of the IT director are not indicative of the organization's mission. D. Terminate the IT director for creating an environment that is against the company's mission.

B. Request that the leadership hold a company-wide meeting to reiterate the mission of being a learning organization, and build performance metrics and incentives around the mission.

A small division of a company lacks a formal compensation structure for employees. Due to recent recruitment and retention challenges, the division recognizes the need to review newly hired and existing employees' pay rates to ensure market competitiveness and internal equity among staff. For a number of years, the division has lacked human resources support and relied upon the general managers to determine initial pay rates for new hires as well as promotional rates for internal staff based on the amount of hours worked and the employee's attendance record. No pay ranges currently exist, and leaders have the discretion to pay whatever fits within their budget. On occasion, a human resources representative from another division has offered general advice on pay practices to the division's leadership. However, they have their own divisional responsibilities, and therefore there has been very little oversight. The divisional president is considering whether or not to bring in a contract human resources leader to research, design, and implement an appropriate pay structure for all positions. How should the HR leader approach analyzing internal equity among the employee population as part of the compensation structure project? A. Keep the pay rates of the current employees the same and focus only on those hired going forward. B. Review employees' rates of pay to determine if they are appropriately positioned within the range. C. Recommend that newly hired employees be paid a minimum rate of pay when joining the organization. D. Focus only on nonmonetary items and other benefits to reward tenure and address internal equity issues.

B. Review employees' rates of pay to determine if they are appropriately positioned within the range.

What budgeting method is based on how much it costs to perform different enterprise activities and allocates funding according to the strategic significance of the activities? A) Formula B) Incremental C) Activity-based D) Zero-based

C) Activity-based

How should HR use the information contained in other organizations' annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability reports when first devising their organization's sustainability strategy? A) Ensure that the approach being devised doesn't too closely resemble those of key competitors. B) Borrow CSR tactics and practices that have succeeded for other organizations. C) Adapt general principles and guidelines to the organization's strategic focus. D) Gain competitive tactical advantage.

C) Adapt general principles and guidelines to the organization's strategic focus.

Which federal law or regulation has the largest jurisdiction as it relates to the number of employers required to follow its provisions? A) Rehabilitation Act B) Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act C) Age Discrimination in Employment Act D) Executive Order 11246

C) Age Discrimination in Employment Act

An HR staff person is negotiating fees with a number of meeting venues. The lowest bid is much lower than the average of the rest of the bids. What should the HR staff person do? A) Start the bidding process again with a different set of venues. B) Throw out the lowest bid and focus on the higher ones since they are more plausible. C) Be frank with the lowest bidder and ask a lot of questions. D) Take the lowest bid. It is the venue's responsibility to run its business.

C) Be frank with the lowest bidder and ask a lot of questions.

An employee is faced with an ethical dilemma dealing with a supplier. How should the code of ethics support the employee? A) By accommodating the norms of the countries in which the organization operates B) By reflecting the legal traditions of the home country C) By guiding decision making and behavior D) By managing risks to the organization's public image

C) By guiding decision making and behavior

A global corporation is engaging in negotiation with a partner organization in a country outside of headquarters. How should the HR manager prepare for negotiation discussions to create win-win outcomes? A) By defining and acting upon cues that signal a desire to avoid conflict B) By clarifying the position and adhering to the defined perspective C) By understanding the values and negotiation styles of the other country D) By identifying ways to reach a compromise quickly

C) By understanding the values and negotiation styles of the other country

Which initial step should an HR director recommend to best support a global pay-for-performance initiative? A) Individual year-end performance appraisals B) Formal 360-degree and multisource feedback C) Clear, meaningful, and challenging goal setting D) Periodic intervals of one-on-one coaching

C) Clear, meaningful, and challenging goal setting

What document is a formal statement describing a company's principles and the business practices that support those principles? A) Mission statement B) Strategic plan C) Code of conduct D) Employee handbook

C) Code of conduct

Which process clarifies performance expectations and demonstrates organizational support of individual performance improvement? A) Workplace retaliation B) Complaint policies C) Constructive discipline D) Conflict resolution

C) Constructive discipline

A manager uses his skill with people to smooth over problems and to make his employees feel secure in their positions. According to the Blake-Mouton theory, what leadership style is the manager using? A) Authoritarian manager B) Impoverished manager C) Country club manager D) Team leader

C) Country club manager

Which is an essential aspect of alternative dispute resolution (ADR)? A) Review by peers B) Use only in union environments C) Does not preclude litigation D) Requires external third party

C) Does not preclude litigation

Which occupation is considered nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act? A) Salaried executive B) Insurance adjustor C) Electrician D) Human resource manager

C) Electrician

Executives at a company have identified the need to promote diversity and develop a global mindset within the organization. According to Goleman, what leadership ability would best complement this initiative? A) Adaptability to change B) High intellectual capability C) Emotional intelligence D) Effective communication

C) Emotional intelligence

An organization has experienced significant turnover among its creative writers. During exit interviews, the writers have expressed dissatisfaction with rigid starting times, a lack of recognition for their work, and poor communication between managers and employees. How should the organization incorporate the social well-being aspect in its action plan to address the issue? A) Gauge the level of stress of the writers. B) Consider the overall health issues this has caused. C) Establish a work/life program that allows flexibility. D) Adjust the organizational culture to support these challenges.

C) Establish a work/life program that allows flexibility.

Marketing and IT are collaborating on a new system that will allow customer service representatives to access and change customer accounts directly (for example, to create sales credits). Which action should HR take to create value for this effort? A) Creating of project charter for the team B) Identifying at what points users need account access C) Facilitating process training for all users D) Performing quality control testing before release

C) Facilitating process training for all users

Which method is initially used to resolve disputes regarding interpretation of a clause in a current union contract? A) Collective bargaining B) Mediation C) Grievance procedures D) Fact finding

C) Grievance procedures

Which court case established the criteria for disparate impact? A) Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company B) Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp. C) Griggs v. Duke Power D) National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius

C) Griggs v. Duke Power

Which activity best illustrates HR's strategic role in managing organizational risk? A) HR conducts regular health and safety reviews and administers documentation required by regulatory agencies. B) HR analyzes past accident reports to detect common patterns and design appropriate supervisor and employee training. C) HR conducts a workshop with other functions to identify potential upside and downside risks under the workforce management plan. D) HR interfaces with the organization's insurer to determine what level of insurance is required throughout the organization.

C) HR conducts a workshop with other functions to identify potential upside and downside risks under the workforce management plan.

What are the basic steps in crisis management planning and readiness? A) Secure redundant and contingent services, train employees. B) Review policies, evacuate, relocate, and communicate. C) Identify risks, develop plan, test and drill, evaluate. D) Remove risks, train, and monitor for change.

C) Identify risks, develop plan, test and drill, evaluate.

What financial document lists the revenues, expenses, and profits of an organization for a designated period of time? A) Balance sheet B) Financial statement C) Income statement D) Accounting entries

C) Income statement

Which action best illustrates HR's strategic role in an organizational change initiative? A) Dealing with resistance to organizational change B) Instituting radical changes in the organization C) Influencing and affecting management's view of organizational change D) Monitoring and ensuring compliance with change

C) Influencing and affecting management's view of organizational change

An organization fears that it has become less competitive. Which should an OED assessment of this issue identify? A) Development needs at individual employee levels B) Job tasks to be evaluated and modified C) Internal and external factors that impact organizational success D) Needs that can be met by training

C) Internal and external factors that impact organizational success

Which organizational initiative should HR recommend to resolve glass ceiling issues for women? A) Team-building and communication enhancement training B) Flextime schedules and increased parenting leave C) Leadership development and mentoring programs D) Diversity awareness and conflict resolution training

C) Leadership development and mentoring programs

Which best describes how management differs from leadership? A) Management establishes the vision, while leadership establishes detailed steps and timetables. B) Management aligns people to the vision, while leadership establishes a structure. C) Management maintains order, while leadership produces and manages change. D) Management energizes people, while leadership organizes people to solve problems.

C) Management maintains order, while leadership produces and manages change.

Which part of the organization has primary responsibility for bringing in revenue? A) Research and development B) Operations C) Marketing and sales D) Information technology

C) Marketing and sales

Which motivation theory appeals to an employee's need for achievement? A) Attribution B) Vroom C) McClelland D) Theory X/Theory Y

C) McClelland

The HR department is calculating the average employee compensation for each position in the company. What measure of central tendency should be used to determine this? A) Midpoint B) Mode C) Mean D) Median

C) Mean

An HR business partner (BP) knows that HR is struggling to improve its relationship with the operations function. The BP receives an e-mail from an operations supervisor who refuses to implement a disciplinary action that the BP has recommended. What should the BP do? A) Let the supervisor take the lead on this in the interest of improving the relationship. B) Go to the head of HR and escalate the issue to the senior management team. C) Meet with the supervisor and explain the rationale for taking disciplinary action. D) Implement the corrective action on her own authority.

C) Meet with the supervisor and explain the rationale for taking disciplinary action.

The vice president of human resources wants to develop a strong organizational commitment to ethical standards. Which is the best way to communicate this commitment? A) Coaching individual employees whenever a question of ethics arises B) Delivering annual workshops on how to deal with ethical dilemmas C) Modeling of ethical behavior by leaders, managers, and supervisors D) Inserting a statement to this effect in employee handbooks

C) Modeling of ethical behavior by leaders, managers, and supervisors

Technology now encompasses most business activities. Which areas of HR practice can technology support? A) Primarily training B) Primarily legal compliance C) Nearly every HR functional area D) Just the administrative HR areas

C) Nearly every HR functional area

Which is a reason why an organization might be pushed into global expansion? A) Outward foreign investment potential B) Constant tariff fluctuations C) Need for new customers D) Need for greater strategic control

C) Need for new customers

A consulting company recently changed its vacation and leave policies and wants to know how employees feel about the changes. Its 500 employees are located in 40 locations throughout the U.S. and western Europe. What survey method is likely to yield the highest response rate and the best data? A) Telephone survey B) Mail survey C) Online survey D) Fax survey

C) Online survey

Which statement exemplifies Hersey-Blanchard's situational leadership theory? A) Leaders don't need personal relationships with mentors to learn from them. B) A team leader is one equally concerned with people and production (task) to the maximum degree. C) Over time individuals require a different type of direction and leadership. D) Leaders need to be charismatic because employees dislike rigid controls and inherently want to accomplish something.

C) Over time individuals require a different type of direction and leadership.

What pay system ties pay to the volume of the work performed by the individual? A) Person-based B) Performance-based C) Productivity-based D) Time-based step-rate

C) Productivity-based

An organization has experienced rapid growth, hampering its ability to respond quickly to competitive threats. Which form of restructuring will offer the best opportunity to minimize response times? A) Downsizing to save internal costs B) Using an extended organization approach C) Redistributing decision-making authority D) Merging or acquiring a key competitor

C) Redistributing decision-making authority

How does replacement planning differ from succession planning? A) Replacement planning is a systematic approach carried out across all lines of business; succession planning is more important to organizational continuity. B) Replacement planning is based on an ever-evolving organization; succession planning is focused on short-term organizational needs. C) Replacement planning ensures the continuity of business operations; succession planning provides deep bench strength throughout the organization. D) Replacement planning focuses primarily on lower-level positions; succession planning focuses on mission-critical positions and senior-level leaders only.

C) Replacement planning ensures the continuity of business operations; succession planning provides deep bench strength throughout the organization.

Which action best illustrates the use of evidence-based decision making in HR? A) A director bases promotion decisions on the recommendations of trusted staff. B) Staff participates in monthly lunches to discuss recent studies in journals on organizational performance. C) Staff performs a regression analysis to identify likely factors for success in candidate profiles. D) HR documents and educates all staff about standard operating procedures.

C) Staff performs a regression analysis to identify likely factors for success in candidate profiles.

Employees who are critical to an organization's success are the primary focus of which aspect of a talent management strategy? A) Employee engagement B) Career development C) Succession planning D) Total rewards

C) Succession planning

Two team members continually disagree about project decisions impacting work duties and tasks. The team leader meets with the employee relations director to seek advice on the best course of action to resolve this situation. Which is the best conflict management approach for the ER director to recommend? A) Schedule the employees to meet with the ER director, who will arbitrate a resolution for them. B) Have each employee document all disagreements in writing and submit them to the team leader for resolution. C) Suggest that the team leader meet with both employees and mediate a mutually acceptable solution. D) Advise the employees that these disagreements are disruptive to productivity and they must stop immediately.

C) Suggest that the team leader meet with both employees and mediate a mutually acceptable solution.

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

C) Sustaining the change in the organization

An employee who has been in the department for only a month asks his supervisor for feedback. The supervisor lists three ways in which the employee's performance is inadequate. How is the employee likely to react? A) The employee will work harder to correct his performance because of the specific feedback. B) The employee's performance will deteriorate further because of excessive negative feedback. C) The employee will be discouraged and ask someone else for an assessment of his performance. D) The employee will disregard the criticism because it was not delivered in a timely manner.

C) The employee will be discouraged and ask someone else for an assessment of his performance.

A new HR staff member wants to win support for her idea for a new employee benefit. The HR director has agreed to meet with her to discuss the idea briefly. How should the HR staff member prepare? A) Research the director's professional resume. B) Gather testimonial feedback from employees who want the new benefit added. C) Think about what might be motivating the HR director in his job. D) Complete a detailed business case in support of the idea

C) Think about what might be motivating the HR director in his job.

An HR director is creating a talent acquisition strategy. What should the director do first to incorporate risk management into the plan? A) Establish risk management objectives for the strategy. B) Evaluate the effectiveness of current risk controls. C) Understand the organization's risk appetite and tolerance. D) Create risk-monitoring mechanisms and key risk indicators (KRIs)

C) Understand the organization's risk appetite and tolerance.

How are the concepts of value and the value chain related to strategy? A) These concepts relate primarily to for-profit enterprises. B) Value points to economic metrics that can be used to measure strategic success. C) Value chain analysis identifies areas critical to strategic success. D) The value chain defines what is important for the organization's stakeholders.

C) Value chain analysis identifies areas critical to strategic success.

An HR manager is preparing a risk management plan for a manufacturing floor. The manager has reviewed accident records from the past five years and talked with an insurer. Which approach to obtain additional useful information is best? A) Distribute a supervisory questionnaire identifying workplace risks. B) Ask an HR colleague in a different type of manufacturing setting. C) Walk through the area and observe conditions during work operations. D) Consult with representatives of factory equipment manufacturers.

C) Walk through the area and observe conditions during work operations.

Which aspect of communication is a primary focus in low-context cultures? A) Relationships B) Nonverbal cues C) Words D) Cultural filters

C) Words

A manager at a large company e-mails the HR director asking for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and the employee plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. In the e-mail to the HR director, the manager indicates that other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition. In private discussions with the manager, some team members, including the consultant, have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice on how to handle the situation. Citing religious reasons, the consultant refuses to acknowledge the employee's new gender and continues to reference the employee's previous gender. This has offended the employee and impacted the progress of the project. What action should the HR director take? A. Meet with the employee and the consultant to help them work out their differences of opinion. B. Inform all team members that they have the right to practice their religion as they see fit. C. Meet with the consultant to discuss ways to observe religious beliefs without impacting the project. D. Assign an employee to serve as a liaison between the consultant and the transitioning employee.

C. Meet with the consultant to discuss ways to observe religious beliefs without impacting the project.

The performance of the head of the IT department has been eroding in the past few years. The employee is no longer capable of meeting the minimum expectations of this role as result of not keeping current in his professional development. Management is struggling to hold the employee accountable while also keeping employee morale positive. There is also a concern that, if placed on a performance improvement plan or a documented coaching program, the employee would respond negatively and retaliate by wreaking havoc on the organization's IT infrastructure. The length of employment has allowed the employee to be protected from accountability in the past. Management has decided that the current situation is no longer tenable, but they also realize the precarious place they have put the organization in by failing to have sufficient safeguards in place to protect company assets. Management approaches the new HR generalist and asks what steps they can take to either create an environment where the IT manager can succeed or effectively manage the IT manager out of the organization. Prior to this discussion, the HR generalist was not aware of either the previous protections afforded to the employee or of the failure of management to hold the employee accountable. The HR generalist is concerned that management has tolerated this behavior for so long and wonders if there are other employees in the organization who have been similarly protected from being held accountable or being disciplined. The HR generalist realizes that two issues need to be addressed. The HR generalist wants to ensure that all employees are aware that they are to be held to the same standards and that employees know what the standards are. Which approach is the most effective way to do this? A. Send out an e-mail to which everyone must reply with an e-mail acknowledgment that states "I understand." B. In order to demonstrate trust and empowerment for the managers, allow them to be responsible for informing their employees of the new standards. C. Partner with management to hold small group meetings in which the most up-to-date employee handbook is reviewed and employees sign an acknowledgment of receipt. D. Have managers review the employee handbook and then e-mail HR with a list of the team members they think need to review the handbook.

C. Partner with management to hold small group meetings in which the most up-to-date employee handbook is reviewed and employees sign an acknowledgment of receipt.

A new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints. Which communication approach should the HR manager apply to address the problem of turnover? A. Collect all of the organization's written HR policies into a binder that can form the core of the new employee handbook, adding introductions and appropriate disclaimers as needed. B. Encourage the president to hold all-employee meetings to explain the organization's strategic plan. C. Develop an employment brand that will carry consistent messages from job postings, through the application process and orientation, and continuing through employment. D. Speak to the president and suggest that everyone's compensation should be increased by at least 5%.

C. Develop an employment brand that will carry consistent messages from job postings, through the application process and orientation, and continuing through employment.

A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate human resources team with all HR functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the vice presidents of HR, who report to the senior vice president of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A human resources manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. Changes to the HR structure or delivery model can create frustration and anxiety among employees. What is the best approach the team should take to ensure a smooth adoption by employees? A. Do nothing, as it is too early to create a communication plan and it may cause confusion and concern among employees. B. Respond to employees when they start to provide feedback during the implementation of the new structure and delivery model. C. Develop an impactful communication plan outlining the team's purpose, the need for change, and a high-level overview of the upcoming changes. D. Begin talking with employees about changes that could occur and ideas that are being tossed around as potential solutions in HR delivery.

C. Develop an impactful communication plan outlining the team's purpose, the need for change, and a high-level overview of the upcoming changes.

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. An applicant from a local competitor has offered to give the HR director information on the previous employer's salary and benefits upon hire. What action should the HR director take in response to this offer? A. Use this information to help create a strategy to reduce turnover to other companies. B. Decline the candidate; however, offer compensation in exchange for the information. C. Do not hire the candidate, indicating that the company does not participate in unethical behavior. D. Ask for the information to create a more robust retention strategy once the person is hired.

C. Do not hire the candidate, indicating that the company does not participate in unethical behavior.

A large metropolitan hospital acquires a small community hospital, resulting in a total employee population of 1,000. As a result of the acquisition, the accounts receivable department from the small hospital, which has only five employees, is handling all outstanding patient accounts. During a management workforce planning session, the HR director questions the accounts receivable manager about staffing requests for the following year. The manager informs the HR director that the department is adequately staffed and will not need more employees. Later the HR director learns that the manager has confessed to other managers that he hopes to be promoted to vice president by saving the hospital money from not hiring additional personnel. Two accounts receivable employees terminate their hospital employment abruptly. When cleaning out the desks of these employees, the accounts receivable manager finds over 100 accounts that have not been processed; monies are still outstanding on these overdue accounts. The manager distributes these overdue invoices to the other three remaining department employees and tells them not to mention this to the controller. These employees come to the HR director in confidence to complain about the additional work, and they confide that they were instructed not to tell the controller about the incomplete work. Since the accounts receivable manager is resistant to adding staff, which workforce strategy should the HR director encourage the manager to take for developing the accounts receivable department? A. Suggest a plan to the accounts receivable manager for adding one new staff person to the accounts receivable department next year. B. Plan to completely re-staff the accounts receivable department each year. C. Encourage the manager to "buy or build" new workforce approaches to help the department meet the organizational demands in the immediate future. D. Report the manager to the hospital's leadership team and inform them of the manager's refusal to add new staff, which is clearly a business need.

C. Encourage the manager to "buy or build" new workforce approaches to help the department meet the organizational demands in the immediate future.

An HR consultant receives a phone call from the CFO of a mid-sized family-owned manufacturing company. She states that the company's turnover is nearing 100% in the operations department. Employees are staying an average of 60 to 90 days before leaving. Exit interviews indicate that turnover is due to lack of training. The CFO doesn't understand this data, because all new employees participate in a one-day orientation and an onboarding program. The consultant further learns that the manager of the operations department has a reputation for being aggressive and direct. The manager, who directly reports to the CEO, has been with the company for ten years and is a good friend of the owners' family. The CFO admits that the manager can be difficult to deal with but nobody says anything because of the manager's strong relationship with the family. She says that while morale is low in the department, the company hasn't conducted an employee survey in at least two years. The CFO asks the consultant for help in fixing the turnover problem. They discuss various options, including training, coaching, and an employee engagement survey. A minimal budget has been provided to determine which tasks are necessary and to complete them. The consultant is surprised at how brief the onboarding process is and how it appears to focus more on orientation activities. Which action should the consultant recommend to create a long-term onboarding program? A. Provide operations training on equipment to improve skills and enhance individual performance. B. Maintain the current orientation program, but assign a mentor for new hires' first two weeks. C. Evaluate and enhance the company's orientation and onboarding program to cover the first 90 days. D. Offer a management training program that emphasizes interpersonal skills and employee development responsibilities.

C. Evaluate and enhance the company's orientation and onboarding program to cover the first 90 days.

For the past several years, a company has experienced frequent turnover in the CFO position due to poor performance. After the first CFO was terminated, the VP of HR and the CEO reviewed the job description. A selection committee was formed to perform interviews with candidates, and a single interview was held with each candidate using knowledge-based questions. After three months a candidate was hired. One year later the candidate was released due to poor performance. The same recruiting process was used with a limited selection of candidates. A third CFO was hired three months later. The company is now preparing to terminate this CFO due to poor job performance and not meeting the expectations of the company. The VP of HR determines that a significant issue in selecting executive-level candidates lies in the interview process. Which actions should the VP of HR recommend the CEO take to enhance this process? A. Insist that HR take over the process, eliminate the committee, and forward final candidates to the CEO. B. Suggest that the entire process be outsourced in order to avoid any bias. C. Recommend a more dynamic and interactive process to include behavioral interviews, value assessments, and personality tests. D. Implement the use of behavioral interviews only, as this approach provides the best information about a candidate.

C. Recommend a more dynamic and interactive process to include behavioral interviews, value assessments, and personality tests.

A young learning and development specialist, having recently completed graduate studies in adult education and training, is hired into an HR department that has a strong history of management and employee training programs. For now, the specialist's assignment is to undertake scheduled revisions of specific elements in the learning and development system. The programs have been well-attended and well-received by the organization, so there has been little need to change the learning approach. The specialist soon realizes that, while the course content is well-designed, built on sound practices, and engaging for participants, it offers little support or direction for transferring learning to the job environment. It is missing a major opportunity for improving job performance. She also notes a lack of competency-based learning that can be used by participants and their managers as performance standards to make it easier to implement and assess learning and performance levels. The specialist would like to propose changes, but she is new to the company and the HR function. Her colleagues are older than she is and much more experienced. They have created or directed the curriculum that she wants to change. She notices that they smile condescendingly when she speaks at department meetings about her ideas. They seldom talk to her and have been rather harsh in their reviews of her initial projects. It is difficult for her to argue for change using actual data because the evaluation tools the department uses focus primarily on Kirkpatrick's Levels 1 and 2. What should the specialist do in this situation? A. Wait until her colleagues get to know her better and develop trust in her professional opinions. B. Disregard her colleagues' reactions and go straight to the HR head with her ideas. C. Focus on developing relationships with HR's internal customers in this area, the functional managers. D. Present a separate proposal to the head of HR for a pilot test of a different training design.

C. Focus on developing relationships with HR's internal customers in this area, the functional managers.

An organization has witnessed a steady decline in revenue for the past 9 months, and employee morale is low. Department managers are highly competitive with each other and tend to use an authoritarian management style with their teams. As a result, communication across departments is infrequent, employees are distrustful of their managers, and work teams are constantly experiencing delays. Product errors have been increasing as well. The CEO tasks an HR manager with investigating workplace problems and developing solutions. With the CEO's approval, the HR manager begins monthly training workshops with department managers to encourage more cooperation. The CEO asks the HR manager to determine the root cause of the competitive culture of the organization. How should the HR manager collect this information? A. Compile past exit interview comments. B. Conduct a focus group with employees from each department. C. Schedule individual interviews with each department manager. D. Review past employee complaints for common themes.

C. Schedule individual interviews with each department manager.

A recently promoted HR manager is transferred to a remote facility, due to several complaints of inappropriate behavior and favoritism between the plant manager and the former HR manager. The complaints range from allegations of an affair between the two to poor performance and stealing company property. The head office leaders are highly sensitive to creating an ethical culture and have asked that the new HR manager report back on any discovered issues with the plant manager. This makes the HR manager uncomfortable, because she is trying her best to balance developing a relationship with the plant manager with trying to complete the investigation. The new HR manager begins an investigation and learns that the plant manager believes two female employees in the accounting department reported the theft and the affair. When the HR manager speaks with these employees, they share the belief that they are being retaliated against. Although they were rated as above-average performers, they have been given only minimal wage increases. The investigation identified theft of a number of items by the plant manager. The items are not expensive, but their value is not minor. Additionally, it was learned that the plant manager is actively undermining the new HR manager's authority by telling all managers to ignore any HR recommendations. What steps should the HR manager take to address the direction by the plant manager to ignore HR's recommendations? A. Advise the head office that she is being retaliated against by the plant manager because of the investigation. B. Call corporate immediately, advising them of the situation; then follow the recommendations that they provide. C. Further investigate the statements to determine the full context of the situation before taking action. D. Document the conversation and file it in case it is needed in the future.

C. Further investigate the statements to determine the full context of the situation before taking action.

An employee files a complaint alleging discrimination based on other employees creating an intimidating work environment, primarily by making insensitive and inappropriate comments. The alleged actions have made the employee uncomfortable in the workplace. The HR generalist begins to review the information submitted by the employee and, as part of the review, discovers that this is not the first discrimination allegation the employee has filed. All the other complaints were closed following a determination that the allegations were unfounded. When prompted for further information, the employee eventually lists the names of everyone who is being accused in the complaint. To the surprise of the HR generalist, it is the majority of the company's senior leadership team. Based on the employee's history of complaints and who is being accused this time, the HR generalist determines that an investigation is not warranted and immediately dismisses the employee's concerns. However, several weeks later, the employee presents documented proof of comments made by a number of employees, including some from the senior leadership team. Upon review, the HR generalist determines that this additional information could add merit to the complaint. Which is the most effective first step the HR manager should take to create an environment of inclusiveness? A. Tell employees to contact the employee assistance program (EAP). B. Discuss the importance of inclusiveness during the onboarding process. C. Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year. D. Tell employees that they need to learn other languages to relate better to others.

C. Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year.

A construction company with 75 field employees determines that the best way to improve communication with employees and efficiency in tracking employees' working hours is to provide each field employee with a smartphone. Each employee has a company e-mail account that can be accessed through the smartphone, enabling the employee to receive e-mail in a timely fashion. Additionally, the employee uses the smartphone to track hours worked at each job location. A benefit to the employee is not having to complete and turn in time sheets at the end of the week, since time tracking is in real time. These phones should be used for business only and turned into the supervisor at the end of the workday. The company has made a significant financial investment in the smartphones. Some employees have personal smartphones and are very familiar with the phones. However, many employees have not used this type of technology and are not computer-literate. Even prior to the implementation of the phones, this small group is demonstrating negative and resistant behavior. The human resource director has been assigned the responsibility of distributing the smartphones to the employees and providing the necessary training and resources for the employees to be proficient in using the phones within 30 days. The human resource director is receiving feedback from several employees that other employees are playing games, texting, and using social media on their phones during working hours. How should the human resource director respond to the feedback? A. Share the feedback with supervisors and ask them to tell employees to not use smartphones for personal use during work hours. B. Request that supervisors keep the smartphones and give them to employees only at the beginning and end of shifts to clock in and out. C. Investigate the feedback to determine its validity; create a policy regarding smartphone use and meet with employees to review the policy. D. Locate, review, and distribute a generic phone use policy that prohibits using the smartphones for nonbusiness purposes during work hours.

C. Investigate the feedback to determine its validity; create a policy regarding smartphone use and meet with employees to review the policy.

A manager at a large company e-mails the HR director asking for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and the employee plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. In the e-mail to the HR director, the manager indicates that other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition. In private discussions with the manager, some team members, including the consultant, have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice on how to handle the situation. A group of employees approaches the HR director to present a detailed plan for a company-wide campaign focused on supporting employees who have undergone or would like to undergo a gender transition. What should the HR director do next? A. Conduct focus groups with a random sample of employees to discuss the details of the campaign. B. Conduct an anonymous survey to learn how other employees feel about such a campaign. C. Meet with senior executives to find out if they would be supportive of such a campaign. D. Contact HR directors at other companies to learn if they have ever engaged in such a campaign.

C. Meet with senior executives to find out if they would be supportive of such a campaign.

A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. Building integrity with the management team is going to be vital in implementing HR policies and procedures. Which action should the HR director take to build credibility with the managers? A. Discussing with the president her concerns that the supervisors are not embracing the HR function B. Waiting for each department head to approach her with questions or concerns C. Scheduling one-on-one meetings with each department head to understand his or her business priorities and obstacles D. Designing a new requisition form, mandating its use to begin the recruiting process

C. Scheduling one-on-one meetings with each department head to understand his or her business priorities and obstacles

A company has been giving its employees automatic pay increases annually. Recently, however, production has decreased, resulting in less profit. The president tasks HR with implementing a new goal-oriented pay plan to incentivize employees to increase production. HR designs a pay-for-performance plan and trains supervisors. HR also sends an e-mail to all employees explaining the change, referring employees with questions to their supervisor. As part of the new program, goal development is handled by supervisors. However, some supervisors feel that the change in pay philosophy is unnecessary and tell employees that the new pay plan will not work. Twelve months pass, and, upon review of performance evaluations, HR finds that some appraisals lack goals and do not objectively measure employees' work performance. The results are recommended pay increases that are subjective and unsubstantiated by metrics. Rumors that pay increases will be provided to employees who are favorites begin to impact morale, and work production continues to decline. Leadership is disappointed with the results of using a pay-for-performance system. HR is instructed to temporarily revert to the original pay plan and complete a further analysis of its continued viability. Employees are satisfied; however, the reputation of the company and HR has suffered by this rollout, and production has not increased and profits are still low. The president and the HR manager agree on a 90-day period to address the problems related to workforce morale and the new pay plan. Which is the best first step for the HR manager to identify the root cause of the morale issues in order to develop a plan to address them? A. Advise leadership to revert to the original pay plan and communicate to employees the way forward. B. Research morale at other businesses similar to this company and how they implement change initiatives. C. Talk with the employees to understand their concerns and how supervisors supported the change efforts. D. Eliminate the performance appraisals because they have been inaccurate and take time away from production.

C. Talk with the employees to understand their concerns and how supervisors supported the change efforts.

A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. The HR director understands the need to develop and implement an effective strategic plan. What should be her first step in developing the plan? A. Developing a recruiting plan, as that is the most pressing need as indicated by the president B. Developing HR measures and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the HR function and the recently implemented programs C. Talking to senior leaders, long-time managers, and other key stakeholders to get an overall understanding of the company D. Conducting a SWOT analysis of the current HR function and then understanding the organization's mission, culture, value, and ethics

C. Talking to senior leaders, long-time managers, and other key stakeholders to get an overall understanding of the company

The largest customer of a small consulting firm demands that the project manager terminate an employee for poor performance or the customer will terminate its contract immediately. The account project manager has documented the employee's performance as meeting expectations, there is no documentation to support a termination, and there is no place to transfer the employee to. The HR manager conducts a comprehensive investigation and learns that the employee and the customer had a verbal disagreement about how the employee had classified specific expenses and how it affects the customer's budget. The confrontation was significant but did not involve any unacceptable language. In addition, the employee's classification was technically correct; however, a reclassification was also acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles. The project manager was unaware of this conflict. The HR manager concludes that the employee did not follow the policy that requires an employee to advise the supervisor of a client issue. Because such a conflict could significantly harm the company's business, the policy states that an employee can be disciplined up to and including termination for this violation. What steps should the company take with the customer to improve communication and ensure that all employees are aligned with how information should be communicated going forward? A. The CEO of the company should contact the customer's CEO and blame his employee for the termination. B. The HR manager should conduct a problem-solving meeting with the project manager and the customer's counterpart to review the situation in total and develop a communications plan so conflicts are handled effectively. C. The HR manager and the project manager should meet with the customer to define what effective communication should be, and they then should share the new communication plan during an all-employee meeting. D. The company and the customer do not need to meet.

C. The HR manager and the project manager should meet with the customer to define what effective communication should be, and they then should share the new communication plan during an all-employee meeting.

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. How should the HR manager evaluate the effectiveness of the program? A. Ask participants if they are enjoying the program and if they are improving their reading skills. B. Ask colleagues if the employees in the program are still asking as many questions about instructions. C. Track the quarterly accident trends to see if they have decreased since the training began. D. Ask managers for their feedback as to whether their employees' morale has improved.

C. Track the quarterly accident trends to see if they have decreased since the training began.

In a midsummer strategy session, a company determines that it will close its West Coast manufacturing unit and move the entire manufacturing effort to the East Coast head office. To bring the East Coast office fully online, 100 new positions will have to be filled. The work is going to migrate to the East Coast over a 90-day period that will begin September 1. HR has been asked for advice and support. In the planning and implementation processes, what is the most important ethical concern for HR? A. Having an attractive relocation policy in place to support the initiative B. Avoiding all communications with employees affected by the changes in order to avoid any legal issues C. Understanding the business case for the initiative and minimizing impact on affected employees D. Reviewing job descriptions and updating them to relect the new location

C. Understanding the business case for the initiative and minimizing impact on affected employees

An HR manager began a new job at an international school in another country. On her first day, she went to the main office to introduce herself to the school's long-time principal and his recently hired executive assistant. The HR manager noticed flowers on the assistant's desk and complimented them. The assistant nervously dismissed the compliment, frowned, and said they were from the principal and that they were his way of flirting with her. The HR manager knows this is against the school's corporate gift-giving policy, which prohibits using school funds to purchase gifts for individual employees. Later, the HR manager met with the principal to discuss HR priorities. Concerned by the assistant's comments, the HR manager asked about the flowers. The principal dismissed the concerns, saying that giving gifts to recognize employees is common in that country, and angrily remarked that he is entitled to spend his discretionary budget how he wishes. After the meeting, the HR manager felt concerned about the principal making an exception to the gift-giving policy and planned to speak to the school director about the incident. That evening, the HR manager receives a voice mail from the assistant, who frantically asks her not to say anything about the flowers because she needs to keep her job. Which strategy should the HR manager use to reconcile the locally accepted practice of giving gifts to employees with the school's corporate gift-giving policy? A. Host webinar training sessions by the corporate legal department on the approved code of conduct. B. E-mail the staff information on the school's mission of being an international organization and need for consistency across all sites. C. Use existing staff meetings to review the policy while acknowledging comments about the local practice of giving employees gifts. D. Post a directive to the local staff prohibiting any gifts to employees while also expressing appreciation of the local culture.

C. Use existing staff meetings to review the policy while acknowledging comments about the local practice of giving employees gifts.

Which action would be most important in building trust with a colleague? A) Clarifying roles and authority B) Socializing outside work more frequently C) Developing one's professional expertise D) Acting consistently in line with shared values

D) Acting consistently in line with shared values

Third-party contractors are best used for what types of activities? A) Activities that require few resources B) Activities that do not require conformance C) Activities that require HR strategy D) Activities that are not strategic

D) Activities that are not strategic

A knowledge-based organization is highly decentralized, with many small offices and many employees who are highly task-oriented working remotely. Which would be the best way to measure employee attitudes in this organization? A) Implementing mandatory focus groups B) Encouraging an open-door policy C) Designing a 30-item mail-in survey D) Administering a brief online survey

D) Administering a brief online survey

Which solution would best resolve a growing problem with absenteeism? A) Focusing on results, not behaviors, of employees B) Using focus groups to determine root problems C) Using strong disciplinary procedures that result in termination D) Administering the organization's attendance policy consistently

D) Administering the organization's attendance policy consistently

Which situation illustrates Fisher and Ury's BATNA approach to negotiating? A) An HR manager identifies enough potential qualified vendors to ensure competitive bids. B) An HR manager and a vendor openly discuss their needs and expectations for a project. C) Both sides in a negotiation for outsourcing an HR project agree to act in each other's best interests. D) An HR manager determines internal costs to produce an orientation manual before speaking with a vendor.

D) An HR manager determines internal costs to produce an orientation manual before speaking with a vendor.

An HR specialist prepares a business case to support an initiative. The case includes descriptions of the project's goals, benefits, method, budget, and time line. Which information is required to complete the business case? A) Detailed description of the methodology that will be used B) Communication plan the project team will use C) Endorsements from organization stakeholders D) Analysis of the initiative's possible risks

D) Analysis of the initiative's possible risks

What cultural layer is exemplified by the pasta dishes that are unique to Italy? A) Basic assumptions B) Implicit culture C) Norms and values D) Artifacts and products

D) Artifacts and products

What is the outcome of the arbitration process? A) Mediated agreement B) Contract amendment C) Nonbinding decision D) Binding decision

D) Binding decision

An HR data analyst uses internal and external data and translates it into meaningful information to support an operations decision to relocate a distribution center to another state. What term best describes the data analyst's activity? A) Root cause analysis B) Regression analysis C) Delphi technique D) Business intelligence

D) Business intelligence

What characteristic describes an effective professional network? A) Focused on experts with formal organizational relationships to the network builder B) Respected members of the HR profession who can serve an immediate purpose C) Containing a limited number of internal and external contacts in the HR profession D) Composed of internal and external members at different levels and in different roles

D) Composed of internal and external members at different levels and in different roles

Which HR task is typically required by a multidomestic corporation? A) Facilitating knowledge exchange throughout the organization B) Building a common corporate culture across all operations C) Administering payroll and benefits D) Coordinating HR activities between headquarters and the international offices

D) Coordinating HR activities between headquarters and the international offices

Which recruitment metric can help to assess the economic value of filling an open position? A) Human capital return on investment B) Success ratio C) Key talent retention D) Cost per hire

D) Cost per hire

Which best describes the influence that training has on an organization's strategic diversity and inclusion process? A) Mandating compliance with governmental laws and regulations B) Ensuring that everyone in the organization understands diverse cultures C) Changing behaviors and attitudes in the organization D) Creating awareness and helping develop knowledge and skills

D) Creating awareness and helping develop knowledge and skills

Which type of HR structure allows organizations with different strategies in multiple units to apply HR expertise to each unit's specific strategic needs? A) Functional B) Decentralized C) Centralized D) Dedicated

D) Dedicated

Which approach describes the form of data gathering in which experts take turns presenting their assumptions and refining a composite answer but never meet face to face? A) Trend analysis B) Managerial estimates C) Nominal group technique D) Delphi technique

D) Delphi technique

What is the first step in preparing for an HR audit? A) Secure top management support for the audit. B) Develop the audit questionnaire. C) Determine the audit scope and budget. D) Determine the scope and type of audit.

D) Determine the scope and type of audit.

What is a practical way to develop the credibility of HR staff as data advocates? A) Send HR representatives to meetings of other functions to discuss HR's role. B) Hire HR staff with more advanced degrees. C) Subscribe to major HR and organizational psychology journals. D) Ensure that the results of all HR activities are measured.

D) Ensure that the results of all HR activities are measured.

Which best describes the relationship of the strategic planning process to the environmental scan? A) The environmental scan is optional if the organization does strategic planning. B) The environmental scan is completed in lieu of strategic planning. C) The environmental scan is performed by one group, and another group completes strategic planning. D) Environmental scanning is done as part of the strategic planning process.

D) Environmental scanning is done as part of the strategic planning process.

A new competitor entered the market and attracted many of a manufacturing organization's employees with higher hourly wages. The organization's HR team has revised the staffing plan. Which data could alert HR to the need for further revisions? A) Absenteeism reports B) Stay interviews C) Monthly turnover levels D) Exit interviews

D) Exit interviews

Which example illustrates strategic drift? A) Leaders slowly evolve the organization's mission and values to remain more competitive in targeted markets. B) Strategic focus changes in an evolving and organic process when a new strategic planning cycle begins. C) Because effects are not measured and corrected, strategies eventually lead organizations toward poor performance practices. D) Front-line managers continue to perpetuate old ways of doing things and fail to address changing external forces.

D) Front-line managers continue to perpetuate old ways of doing things and fail to address changing external forces.

What do judgmental forecasting, trend and ratio analysis projections, and turnover analysis all assist an HR professional in predicting? A) Learning and development costs B) Marketplace conditions C) Cost-benefit analyses D) Future staffing needs

D) Future staffing needs

What best describes the appearance of a distribution curve in a data set with a low standard deviation? A) Wide and bell-shaped B) Short and tapered C) Flat and long D) High and narrow

D) High and narrow

Which factor contributes to the economic cost of diversity and inclusion efforts? A) Government regulation B) Increased wages C) Potential for employee backlash D) Increased training

D) Increased training

The HR director learns that an employee who has already met the sales goal for the month is keeping extra sales secret. She is moving the extra sales to the next month in order to ensure that future goals are met. Which should the HR director do first? A) Send out a general e-mail reminder to the sales team about the ethics policy. B) Inform the CEO and begin monitoring the employee's work. C) Privately meet with the employee to explain that this practice is unethical and request that she refrain from continuing it. D) Inform the employee's manager and coach him on how to address the issue with the employee.

D) Inform the employee's manager and coach him on how to address the issue with the employee.

While training a new staff member, an HR manager emphasizes that the staff member should always confirm with a line manager by phone call or email when a request has been resolved. Why is this especially important? A) The request is not officially closed until this notification. B) It provides a second check that the request was successfully handled. C) It documents that the matter has been handled successfully. D) It reinforces HR's service and value to its internal business partners.

D) It reinforces HR's service and value to its internal business partners.

After a series of meetings with different departments dealing with downsizing, the HR professional authors a document identifying affected individuals based on departmental recommendations. A longtime friend of the HR professional will be impacted. How should the HR professional handle this situation? A) Inform the friend of the company's plans. B) Encourage the friend's manager to inform the friend. C) Attempt to change the company's decision. D) Keep the workforce reduction information confidential.

D) Keep the workforce reduction information confidential.

What type of learners acquire knowledge most effectively through a hands-on approach? A) Visual learners B) Synthesis learners C) Auditory learners D) Kinesthetic learners

D) Kinesthetic learners

When designing a training program, which should a global HR professional consider first? A) Budget and ethical considerations B) Local regulations and formal agreements C) Standardization and translation considerations D) Local differentiation and stakeholder support

D) Local differentiation and stakeholder support

What skill could most improve an HR function's ability to manage change? A) Knowledge of current job descriptions B) Evaluation C) Understanding of strategic implications D) Mastery of complex communication means

D) Mastery of complex communication means

An organization has struggled to launch a new HR management system with higher integration and more functionality. The new user requirements are very different, and the beta test was problematic. The vendor fixed the problems, but the staff's nervousness about having to learn a new system has combined with the poor beta test experience to create resistance to bringing the final product online. Which actions should the HR manager take now to help to implement this initiative? A) Arrange a pre-launch celebration and invite all employees. B) Revise the project schedule to delay implementation until the issues are resolved. C) Request that the vendor simplify the system and user requirements. D) Meet with the staff and the vendor to discuss issues.

D) Meet with the staff and the vendor to discuss issues.

A Taiwanese manufacturer of electronic components for major global brands has production locations in several countries, including Vietnam, Turkey, Mexico, and the United States. What offshoring trend does this exemplify? A) Shift in offshoring from low-tech products such as textiles to high-tech products such as electronics B) First use of offshoring by by multinational companies C) Demise of offshoring by firms based in developed countries D) Multidirectional shift in the flow of offshoring jobs to and from developed and emerging economies

D) Multidirectional shift in the flow of offshoring jobs to and from developed and emerging economies

A recruiter made an offer to a candidate of an annual salary that was below the candidate's minimum desired compensation. After discussing additional benefits (for example, an extra week of paid vacation), both parties came to an agreement. What is this process called? A) Arbitration B) Intercession C) Conflict resolution D) Negotiation

D) Negotiation

What data-gathering method requires a face-to-face meeting? A) Trend and ratio analysis B) Delphi technique C) Regression analysis D) Nominal group technique

D) Nominal group technique

An organization with unionized and non-unionized workers negotiates a union contract that includes early retirement benefits and a 10% reduction in starting wages for new employees. Which should the organization likely expect as a result? A) Worker output will likely decrease. B) Contract terms apply to non-unionized workers. C) Worker output will likely increase. D) Non-unionized workers will expect similar terms.

D) Non-unionized workers will expect similar terms.

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

D) Performing a process analysis

What is the first step in the negotiation process? A) Relationship building B) Persuasion C) Agreement D) Preparation

D) Preparation

What technique will help you become a more active listener? A) Engage in the conversation and avoid paraphrasing what you just heard. B) Ask follow-up questions as you think of them, especially if the speaker seems to be changing subjects in mid-speech. C) Maintain hard eye contact, which is not looking away any more than you can help. D) Prepare for the possibility of thinking differently about a situation after a conversation you are about to have.

D) Prepare for the possibility of thinking differently about a situation after a conversation you are about to have.

A security-conscious organization requires all new hires to complete training on security policies and conducts annual armed intruder drills for all employees. What risk management strategies is this company using? A) Sharing and optimizing B) Detection and prevention C) Avoidance and enhancement D) Prevention and mitigation

D) Prevention and mitigation

Performance improvement involves accurately identifying sources of unacceptable outcomes and intervening to create effective practices. Impractical or outdated procedures are an example of which type of performance problem? A) Cognitive B) Technological C) Cultural D) Process-related

D) Process-related

Which is the purpose of a works council? A) Representing workers in labor negotiations and, when necessary, authorizing strikes B) Supervising elections for union representation of workers in the organization C) Ensuring that workers are aware of promotional opportunities within the company D) Promoting communication between management and employees on issues that affect workers' interests

D) Promoting communication between management and employees on issues that affect workers' interests

An HR manager observes that a staff member spends considerable time following up on compliance questions from line managers and supervisors. How should the manager respond? A) Ask line managers to submit questions to HR in e-mail form. B) Say nothing now but document the amount of time spent in this manner. C) Address the issue in a staff meeting without mentioning names. D) Provide positive feedback to motivate this type of behavior.

D) Provide positive feedback to motivate this type of behavior.

Which approach to offsetting a downturn is often used by companies in the decline phase of their life cycle? A) Emphasizing training B) Building teams C) Introducing product extensions D) Reducing costs

D) Reducing costs

Which characteristic typically distinguishes a job function as essential? A) Specifications elements that can be performed infrequently B) Requirements qualifications that can be completed quickly C) Specifications that can be performed by many different employees D) Requirements for highly specialized skills

D) Requirements for highly specialized skills

What legal principle is followed by national policies requiring affirmative action to prevent discrimination? A) Positive action B) Workforce nationalization C) Equal opportunity D) Reservation

D) Reservation

What data analysis tool should be used to show the relationship between employees' formal education and job performance ratings? A) Pareto chart B) Trend analysis C) Pie chart D) Scatter diagram

D) Scatter diagram

An HR strategic planning team wants to see what the effects on payroll will be if management realigns production capacity in different ways. Which analytical tool should HR use? A) Root cause analysis B) Trend analysis C) Variance analysis D) Scenario analysis

D) Scenario analysis

What is the first step in the selection process to minimize the possibility of a bad hire? A) Posting the job internally B) Reviewing exit interview forms C) Advertising in social media D) Screening all candidates

D) Screening all candidates

Which motivational theory emphasizes the importance of autonomy, competency, and purpose? A) Motivation-hygiene theory B) Behavioral reinforcement C) Theory Z D) Self-determination

D) Self-determination

Negotiations between an executive at a company and a prospective new international partner have stalled. How can the organization's global HR expert contribute to a better negotiation outcome for this executive? A) Negotiate with finance on behalf of the executive to secure additional funding. B) Offer to take the place of the executive at the negotiating table. C) Coach the executive on hard negotiating tactics committed to winning. D) Share the cultural perspective of the other side with the executive.

D) Share the cultural perspective of the other side with the executive.

What is the key benefit of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system over function-based stand-alone systems? A) Greater analytical power and capabilities B) Forecasting capabilities to run planning scenarios C) User-customized data interfaces for greater security D) Shared, current database for all departments

D) Shared, current database for all departments

What communications medium has a high risk of becoming a source of noise for some function team members because many communications seem urgent even when they are not important? A) E-mails B) Videoconferencing C) Worksheets D) Short messaging

D) Short messaging

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? A) Piloting the program for those who are supportive of the change B) Instituting positive reinforcement policies for those who welcome the change C) Training everyone and making the change as soon as possible D) Talking with those opposed to the change to understand their concerns

D) Talking with those opposed to the change to understand their concerns

What is a global mindset? A) The ability to encourage others with diverse backgrounds to see one's own perspective as the correct one B) The belief that all other cultures and identity groups are really no different from one's own C) The ability to learn other languages D) The ability to take an international, multidimensional perspective that is inclusive of other cultures, perspectives, and views

D) The ability to take an international, multidimensional perspective that is inclusive of other cultures, perspectives, and views

A manager instructs a staff member how to perform the task. The staff member nods to indicate agreement. The task is performed incorrectly. How could active listening have helped prevent this? A) The manager should have positioned the task as being important to the HR function. B) The manager could have followed up with an e-mail or other written version of the instruction. C) The manager should have used more nonverbals to engage the staff member's attention. D) The manager could have made this a real conversation by asking the staff member an open question.

D) The manager could have made this a real conversation by asking the staff member an open question.

What is the primary function of an HR audit? A) To increase job satisfaction of the HR team B) To determine the need for additional staff in the HR department C) To increase the skills of the HR team D) To enhance or eliminate HR programs

D) To enhance or eliminate HR programs

What is the primary reason for developing workforce diversity programs? A) To develop language capabilities B) To improve basic skills C) To avoid lawsuits D) To enhance productivity

D) To enhance productivity

Which item would be considered an input in the input-process-output (IPO) model? A) New policy on flexible scheduling and processes for implementing it B) Cross-functional meetings to brainstorm causes for turnover C) Exit and stay interview guides used to obtain feedback from employees D) Turnover data showing a steady increase in voluntary resignations in the last year

D) Turnover data showing a steady increase in voluntary resignations in the last year

Which should organizations ensure when considering the use of international translation services? A) Determining whether they can handle translation services internally B) Focusing on the lower echelon of employees at international sites C) Reflecting the language being translated appropriately to local languages D) Understanding and capability beyond just the translation of words

D) Understanding and capability beyond just the translation of words

Which of the four branches of emotional intelligence is described as the ability to capitalize on feelings to promote and inform decision making, problem solving, and other cognitive activities? A) Regulating emotion B) Understanding emotion C) Perceiving emotion D) Using emotion to facilitate thought

D) Using emotion to facilitate thought

An organization has decided to use a random drug testing program for all current employees. What should the organization do prior to implementing the program and testing employees? A) Have all employees sign arbitration agreements to settle disputes over failed drug tests. B) Collect legal documentation from all employees verifying their willingness to participate in the program. C) Create standard documentation forms to use when dismissing employees following failed tests. D) Verify that the proposed program complies with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

D) Verify that the proposed program complies with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

A new HR manager is eager to win support for her idea for a new employee benefit. Which type of colleague would be a good ally in this situation? A) Head of HR, who is also new and wants to make a strong impression on senior leadership B) HR manager known for a number of successful initiatives and marked for promotion C) HR staff member who is expert in the organization's benefits program D) Veteran HR manager familiar with how decisions are made and with connections in other areas

D) Veteran HR manager familiar with how decisions are made and with connections in other areas

An HR specialist is analyzing salary survey data for the same position across multiple, similarly sized locations to produce an average salary. Which measure will be most useful? A) Unweighted mean B) Mode C) Median D) Weighted mean

D) Weighted mean

When would a return on investment (ROI) analysis be an effective metric? A) When an investor is seeking information about a company's financial health B) When an HR function wants to confirm that it is complying with legal and regulatory requirements C) When an organization wants to compare its productivity with that of similar competitors D) When a function is seeking budget to hire new staff

D) When a function is seeking budget to hire new staff

Under which circumstances would it be important for an HR manager to age data? A) When determining a solution for market rates having outpaced organizational pay structures B) When comparing the organization's internal job descriptions in order to position them in appropriate job families C) When recognizing the need for a globally consistent and efficient job evaluation system D) When trying to understand the organization's current pay competitiveness and where it needs to be

D) When trying to understand the organization's current pay competitiveness and where it needs to be

A small company is in the start-up phase of the organizational life cycle. The owner has been hiring talent and compensating employees at high levels but not offering a benefits package. As the organization grows and more employees are hired, the owner is being pressured to implement a benefits package in addition to direct compensation. The owner is not knowledgeable about benefits and has made the decision to hire an HR generalist to handle benefits and other HR functions. The HR generalist's first priority is to make recommendations about a benefits package that will attract and retain top talent while being fiscally responsible. The growth plan for the organization is to grow globally and engage in a global recruitment, selection, and hiring strategy. The HR generalist needs to create a total compensation package that will be relevant in all locations globally. The HR generalist has conducted an employee survey asking questions about the types of benefits employees want. The survey results indicate that employees are seeking ways to balance their work life with their home life. How should the HR generalist handle this feedback? A. Review external surveys to determine the types of work/life benefits other organizations offer. B. Because this is an internal survey, no one is expecting any action to be taken, but it is good for the company to solicit input. C. Recognize that these types of benefits are appreciated by employees, but a growing organization cannot afford them. D. Align offered benefits with the organizational strategy, culture, and employee desires.

D. Align offered benefits with the organizational strategy, culture, and employee desires.

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. What action should the HR director take first to create a robust workforce plan that addresses the expected organizational growth? A. Ensure that all recruiters are well trained in sourcing and selecting qualified applicants for a retail sales organization. B. Review environmental conditions in regard to expected tourists and expected sales growth, and calculate the number of employees needed. C. Review internal turnover, promotions, and transfer data to calculate the number of employees needed to meet future staffing needs. D. Analyze current labor trends along with internal staffing metrics to ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet expected organizational growth.

D. Analyze current labor trends along with internal staffing metrics to ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet expected organizational growth.

A young learning and development specialist, having recently completed graduate studies in adult education and training, is hired into an HR department that has a strong history of management and employee training programs. For now, the specialist's assignment is to undertake scheduled revisions of specific elements in the learning and development system. The programs have been well-attended and well-received by the organization, so there has been little need to change the learning approach. The specialist soon realizes that, while the course content is well-designed, built on sound practices, and engaging for participants, it offers little support or direction for transferring learning to the job environment. It is missing a major opportunity for improving job performance. She also notes a lack of competency-based learning that can be used by participants and their managers as performance standards to make it easier to implement and assess learning and performance levels. The specialist would like to propose changes, but she is new to the company and the HR function. Her colleagues are older than she is and much more experienced. They have created or directed the curriculum that she wants to change. She notices that they smile condescendingly when she speaks at department meetings about her ideas. They seldom talk to her and have been rather harsh in their reviews of her initial projects. It is difficult for her to argue for change using actual data because the evaluation tools the department uses focus primarily on Kirkpatrick's Levels 1 and 2. How can the specialist improve her relationship with her colleagues? A. Ask the department manager to intervene with the unfair, harsh criticisms of the specialist's work. B. Be as critical of her colleagues as they are of her; this way they will respect her more. C. Find more opportunities to demonstrate her learning and accomplishments to her colleagues. D. Ask a well-liked and respected colleague in the department to mentor her for the next year.

D. Ask a well-liked and respected colleague in the department to mentor her for the next year.

The IT director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that enables researchers around the world to conduct research more efficiently. The application has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT director about this because there is no contingency plan if the IT director were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, the IT director has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting-intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR manager learns that the IT director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR manager discovers that the IT director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which key problems affecting the IT department should the HR manager present to the organization's leadership? A. Lack of innovation within the IT department B. Deficiencies in knowledge, skills, and abilities of the employees in the IT department C. Process-related problems because of inefficient systems D. Behavioral and cultural problems, specifically related to communication, leader-employee relationships, workplace atmosphere, and collaboration

D. Behavioral and cultural problems, specifically related to communication, leader-employee relationships, workplace atmosphere, and collaboration

A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. The HR director wants to determine if the current recruitment efforts are effective. Which action should she take first to best make this determination? A. Computing the compa-ratio for both individuals and business units B. Analyzing the promotion pattern and key talent retention C. Evaluating the absence rate and vacancy costs D. Calculating the cost per hire and average time to fill

D. Calculating the cost per hire and average time to fill

An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter? I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. After a discussion with the manager, which recommendation should the HR generalist provide? A. Nothing; the employee has been allowed to do this for years. B. Immediately document the behavior and issue a final warning. C. Send an e-mail to the entire team that reaffirms attendance expectations. D. Advise the manager to individually reset expectations with the employee in person.

D. Advise the manager to individually reset expectations with the employee in person.

An HR vice president briefly reviews the company's employee performance scores and relevant compensation increases over the past four years. The data reveals a .7 correlation between performance scores and salary increases and a significance level of less than .05. Additionally, the HR VP finds that the use of personal days increases by 30% around the annual performance review time and production falls by 5%. Over the past three years, there has been a steady decline in profits and employee morale. Employees seem less engaged, and both the voluntary and involuntary turnover rates are currently 15 percentage points over the industry average. The senior team asks HR if there is any correlation between the performance scores, decreased production, and employee engagement. As the HR VP is conducting a cursory review of the current performance management system and analyzing the data to make recommendations, the CEO asks the HR VP to increase all salaries by 4%, citing the correlation between salaries and performance as a rationale. The next week, at the weekly management team meeting, one of the senior leaders states that at her previous company the employees were 80% engaged, and she suggests using the same number as an engagement benchmark. The CEO likes this number and asks the HR VP to put a plan in place to meet this engagement number. Another senior leader suggests to the HR VP that the company should prohibit the use of personal leave before, during, and after the review period. How should the HR VP respond to the CEO's request to increase all salaries by 4%? A. Agree, since the data reveals causation. B. Agree with the CEO to implement salary increases, since it is believed that employee engagement and salary increases are correlated with performance. C. Inform the CEO that while increasing salaries may have a short-term impact on employee performance, the HR VP cannot guarantee longer performance improvements with a salary increase. D. Agree with the CEO in regard to the strong correlation; however, since the data does not reveal causation, more research and discussion would be needed prior to increasing everybody's salary.

D. Agree with the CEO in regard to the strong correlation; however, since the data does not reveal causation, more research and discussion would be needed prior to increasing everybody's salary.

What best describes an employee resource group? A) Affinity group that can serve as a social and professional network for employees B) Management task force to promote diversity and inclusion in the organization C) Group that determines the best use of training funds for diversity and inclusion D) Labor-management committee to promote diversity and inclusion in the organization

A) Affinity group that can serve as a social and professional network for employees

An HR team has mined the ERP database for data related to implementation of the performance management system. What step must they complete before proceeding to analysis of the data? A) Aggregation B) Application C) Assessment D) Acquisition

A) Aggregation

Which should be the first step in creating an organization's philanthropic strategy as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy? A) Aligning philanthropic activities with strategy and values B) Establishing contacts with local agencies to provide support to C) Creating a policy for employee involvement resulting in employee satisfaction D) Identifying worthy social programs for employees to participate in

A) Aligning philanthropic activities with strategy and values

Which is a primary reason that causes organizations to not excel at performance management? A) Alignment of systems, strategies, and philosophies has not happened. B) Implementation of the process does not happen consistently. C) Interpretation of the performance appraisal varies based on the manager. D) There are varying degrees of expectations of the performance process.

A) Alignment of systems, strategies, and philosophies has not happened.

Which best demonstrates the outcome of zero-based budgeting in regard to HR's budget? A) All expenditures will need to be justified when building the budget. B) The budget will have no growth. C) All new projects will be postponed immediately. D) Balances for ongoing projects from previous periods will be carried over.

A) All expenditures will need to be justified when building the budget.

An HR manager is concerned about work interruption during the upcoming flu season. How can the HR manager best deal with this risk? A) Arrange for on-site flu shot clinics. B) Alert staffing agencies about possible needs. C) Hire additional temporary workers now. D) Monitor reports on the CDC website.

A) Arrange for on-site flu shot clinics.

How is a written code of conduct used in today's work environment? A) As a decision-making tool to guide employees and their actions B) To eliminate the need for performance standards C) To highlight cultural differences that need to be addressed D) To protect an organization against lawsuits from shareholders

A) As a decision-making tool to guide employees and their actions

Which is the proper role of a mediator in resolving an impasse in collective bargaining? A) Bringing the parties together to find common ground B) Preparing a recommendation for a labor court C) Making a decision that is binding on both parties D) Ordering the parties back to the bargaining table

A) Bringing the parties together to find common ground

What document is a formal statement describing a company's principles and the business practices that support those principles? A) Code of conduct B) Strategic plan C) Mission statement D) Employee handbook

A) Code of conduct

Which task is vital when assessing strategic objectives? A) Comparing the outcome of strategic initiatives to outlined metrics B) Ensuring that there is control of drift in each business unit's strategy C) Communicating the intent and purpose of the strategic initiatives D) Obtaining stakeholder feedback to determine strategy success

A) Comparing the outcome of strategic initiatives to outlined metrics

Which action would an organization take during the strategy formulation phase? A) Deciding on the organization's mission B) Preparing budgets for forecasted projects C) Creating an effective organizational structure D) Conducting feedback focus groups

A) Deciding on the organization's mission

The determination that 20 new employees are needed to achieve the organizational strategy for growth in global markets is included in which phase of the workforce analysis process? A) Demand analysis B) Supply analysis C) Solution analysis D) Gap analysis

A) Demand analysis

An HR director has been assigned to develop a program to support the opening of new retail stores. Which step in the ADDIE process identifies the behavioral results of the program? A) Design B) Evaluation C) Assessment D) Development

A) Design

A salesperson takes a personal phone call while a customer needs help. Which is the best approach the supervisor should take when providing feedback to the salesperson? A) Discuss the incident with the salesperson immediately and in private, reminding them of policy on personal phone calls. B) Gather the salespeople together, and explain the incident in detail and why the behavior was wrong. C) Wait for a few days and then discuss the behavior with the salesperson so as to not infuriate him or her and cause dissatisfaction. D) Document the incident and discuss it during the performance review, providing an overall lower rating due to this incident.

A) Discuss the incident with the salesperson immediately and in private, reminding them of policy on personal phone calls.

Which approach should help the change process go more smoothly? A) Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives B) Having representatives from senior management announce the change C) Telling employees that change is critical to the organization's survival D) Assigning HR lead responsibility for the change initiative

A) Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives

Your organization needs to integrate functions and data for customer relationship management, manufacturing resource planning, finance, supply chain, and human resources. Which would be the best type of technology to implement? A) Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system B) Application service providers (ASPs) C) Human resource information system (HRIS) D) Ad hoc reporting system

A) Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system

When administered in the same way in different countries, which assessment approach would provide the most consistent results in collecting information on job candidates? A) Evaluation of work samples B) One-on-one interviewing C) Standardized measures of psychological traits D) Panel interviewing

A) Evaluation of work samples

What is a good way to signal acknowledgment but not necessarily comprehension or agreement in a face-to-face conversation? A) Eye contact B) Repeating back what was said C) Encoding thoughts D) Written summary

A) Eye contact

Which is the best approach that HR should recommend leaders undertake after the results of an annual employee engagement survey show a significant decline? A) Facilitate focus groups to gather more qualitative data. B) Choose one important issue and respond to it immediately. C) Share the results with members of management only. D) Analyze data using a different method from that used for previous surveys.

A) Facilitate focus groups to gather more qualitative data

Which is a potential advantage of using Internet recruiting? A) Fast and effective distribution of listings B) Immediate response expected of the employer C) Dispensation from any claim of negligent hiring D) Minimizing liability to governmental discrimination regulations

A) Fast and effective distribution of listings

A manager has been assigned to lead a team of employees in organizing corporate-wide participation for a community event next month. The manager knows that in order to meet the goals of the effort, she must make sure that the tasks and expectations are clear and that she provides plenty of direction. What leadership theory is the manager following? A) Fiedler's contingency theory B) Transformational leadership theory C) Blake-Mouton's managerial theory D) Trait theory

A) Fiedler's contingency theory

Which is the difference between the formal and informal characteristics of an organization? A) Formal characteristics are documented and change less frequently than informal characteristics. B) Formal characteristics are better indicators of an organization's efficiency and effectiveness. C) Formal characteristics can be felt, and informal characteristics can be seen. D) Formal characteristics focus on the role of the leader, informal characteristics on work teams.

A) Formal characteristics are documented and change less frequently than informal characteristics.

Which organizational structure is best described as being divided according to a linear process? A) Functional organization B) Product organization C) Hybrid organization D) Geographic organization

A) Functional organization

How are perquisites generally characterized? A) Goods or services provided on an individualized basis B) Remuneration approach that is used to attract and retain workers C) Tangible payments provided to a broad group of employees D) Payments for the achievement of a specific goal or objective

A) Goods or services provided on an individualized basis

A business partner is leading an employee committee tasked with developing a program of employee appreciation events. Two of the committee members are embroiled in what has become personal antagonism. They interrupt each other during meetings and are rude in front of the others. How could the business partner have best avoided this situation? A) Ground rules for behavior in meetings should have been established at the first meeting. B) The business partner should ask the employees' managers to replace them with other more reasonable representatives. C) The business partner should take the two members aside in a private conversation and try resolve their differences. D) The situation could not have been avoided. The business partner does not have the required authority.

A) Ground rules for behavior in meetings should have been established at the first meeting.

HR issues a great deal of communications during the year. A new HR manager wants to assess whether these messages have been effective. What metric would be useful? A) High levels of engagement throughout the organization B) Calls into HR's help desk seeking further information or offering feedback C) Number of hours allocated to creating messages for employees D) Number and volume of messages delivered to employees

A) High levels of engagement throughout the organization

A successful beverage production company controls key activities in its value chain so that they can maintain uninterrupted production; this is the key to their profitability. Which actions should HR recommend managers focus on to assist in the organization creating value? A) Implementing cross-training and job rotation strategies B) Creating a strong research and development department C) Implementing a product knowledge training program D) Decentralizing decision making for greater efficiency

A) Implementing cross-training and job rotation strategies

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? A) Individuals may deny the reality of the change. B) Employees will surrender to the change and try to define their own places C) A major exodus of key employees will occur. D) Employees will suggest adaptive strategies.

A) Individuals may deny the reality of the change.

Which recommendation should HR provide to assist an organization that wants a benefit plan that manages increased costs without sacrificing employee morale? A) Initiate several representative focus groups to determine preferences. B) Interview employees who have ten or more years' tenure. C) Perform a benchmarking survey of comparable industry organizations. D) Request a third-party-administered survey of all employees.

A) Initiate several representative focus groups to determine preferences.

Which is an accurate statement about employment at-will? A) It is uncommon in most parts of the world. B) Verbal contracts are generally sufficient. C) Most union contracts contain employment at-will clauses. D) Most contracts contain employment at-will clauses.

A) It is uncommon in most parts of the world.

A large multinational organization is implementing an organization-wide diversity and inclusion initiative. Which practice will help the initiative succeed? A) Leave implementation to managers at the local and national levels, so the policy can be adjusted for local laws, norms, and traditions. B) Write the initiative in the most commonly used language, thereby avoiding errors in translation. C) Research newest trends in diversity and inclusion, adopting them so the initiative does not need to change for an extended period of time. D) Implement the policy uniformally across the organization, ensuring that all employees are treated equally.

A) Leave implementation to managers at the local and national levels, so the policy can be adjusted for local laws, norms, and traditions.

In addition to information technology, which other business function should HR work with when developing a "bring your own device" (BYOD) policy? A) Legal counsel B) Operations C) Finance D) Executives

A) Legal counsel

What term describes a culture that prefers training activities that spell out details and use direct and logical communication? A) Low-context B) Large power distance C) High-context D) Small power distance

A) Low-context

A company has reached a point of stability in its internal processes and ways of doing business. What stage of the life cycle characterizes this company? A) Maturity B) Introduction C) Growth D) Decline

A) Maturity

In terms of risk management, what is a risk control? A) Measure taken to reduce the probability or severity of a threat B) Contingency plan to be implemented in the event of a crisis C) System to prevent the occurrence of a risk D) Mechanism to collect data for reporting to management

A) Measure taken to reduce the probability or severity of a threat

Which is the best way to demonstrate the impact of an organizational effectiveness and development initiative? A) Measuring change over the course of the initiative B) Monitoring social media activity related to the initiative C) Surveying employee attitudes toward the initiative D) Tying the initiative to employee turnover

A) Measuring change over the course of the initiative

The employee relations manager has been tasked with hosting a company event so employees can meet coworkers in other parts of the company. How should the HR manager approach this task? A) Meet with functional managers throughout the company to gather ideas. B) Prepare a cost-benefit analysis and present it to the chief human resources officer. C) Send a company-wide communication outlining the event details. D) Schedule a meeting with the CEO to discuss event ideas.

A) Meet with functional managers throughout the company to gather ideas.

Management has requested that HR conduct a focus group to better understand the results of a recent compensation survey. Which is the most important factor HR will want to consider when forming the focus groups? A) Members should be a representative sample of the employee population. B) The focus group facilitator should be well known to participants, preferably one of their managers. C) Focus group objectives should be kept general to encourage the group to move in its own direction. D) Participants should include only subject matter experts to ensure that the time is well spent.

A) Members should be a representative sample of the employee population.

What is the process where two or more parties work together to reach an agreement on a matter? A) Negotiation B) Strategic planning C) Meeting of the minds D) Performance evaluation

A) Negotiation

A scientist is hired to perform research for a new product at a pharmaceutical company. Which clause is most critical to include in the employment contract? A) Non-disclosure of trade secrets and other confidential information B) Severance provisions for involuntary resignation and disability C) Commitment to drug-free workplace and employee assistant programs D) Benefits provided by the company and date of eligibility

A) Non-disclosure of trade secrets and other confidential information

How can factors like PESTLE analysis data have a greater impact on successful employee engagement and retention? A) PESTLE data helps in adapting to environmental realities. B) Foreign governments are not threatened by PESTLE analysis. C) The PESTLE analysis process adheres to local customs. D) PESTLE analysis makes the best use of HRIS.

A) PESTLE data helps in adapting to environmental realities.

How should an HR manager address an employee's concern about pay equity between his job and the job of another employee with a similar role? A) Perform a job evaluation of the employee's position. B) Provide a pay increase to eliminate the inequity. C) Make the duties different to justify the difference in pay. D) Punish the employee for discussing pay with another employee.

A) Perform a job evaluation of the employee's position.

How can HR support an organization's technological challenges during an acquisition? A) Perform due diligence on HR information systems used in the acquired company. B) Do a comparative analysis of the two organization's positions and titles. C) Thoroughly train staff in the acquired company on the purchaser's technology-related policies. D) Create a strategy to align compensation structures across the purchasing and purchased companies.

A) Perform due diligence on HR information systems used in the acquired company.

Which is the best way for an HR professional to persuade a function to embrace changes in work processes that are part of an organizational effectiveness intervention? A) Presenting the changes as necessary to maintaining competitiveness B) Showing how these are standard procedures at other organizations C) Presenting evidence that the disruption will be only temporary D) Explaining that credibility is jeopardized if the changes are not accepted

A) Presenting the changes as necessary to maintaining competitiveness

A candidate rejects a job offer due to the salary, but the company does not want to go higher. The recruiter adds relocation and education reimbursement funds to the offer and asks the candidate to reconsider. Which negotiation tactic is the recruiter using? A) Principled B) Soft C) Hard D) Brinksmanship

A) Principled

Which action would best support an international assignee returning home after being away for more than ten years? A) Provide repatriation support services such as counseling and logistical support. B) Provide only the required notice of the return to reduce anxiety. C) Allow the assignee to choose the timeline for returning. D) Give the assignee full new-hire orientation. Previous Question

A) Provide repatriation support services such as counseling and logistical support.

HR has been approached by a manager in a host country stating that activities being conducted by an employee are different than those in the home country and must be unethical. What should HR advise as the first step for this manager? A) Remind the manager that just because the activities are being conducted differently does not mean that they are unethical. B) Advise the manager to inform the employee that the activities must stop immediately. C) Advise the manager to conduct an investigation to determine if the activities are unethical. D) Advise the manager that since he believes the activities are unethical the employee should be fired immediately.

A) Remind the manager that just because the activities are being conducted differently does not mean that they are unethical.

Which of the following employment practices would an HR director recommend to increase employees' behavioral engagement levels? A) Select applicants with an interest in solving problems and ensure challenging work. B) Implement an employee recognition program to reinforce faster completion of tasks. C) Have final candidates complete an assessment measuring self-initiative. D) Implement delegation training for managers.

A) Select applicants with an interest in solving problems and ensure challenging work.

An HR manager is negotiating a new contract with a recruiter. The HR manager has a specific budget and is responsible to management for the use of this budget and for meeting organizational diversity goals. The HR manager also has demanding internal clients who do not understand it when an open position is not filled promptly. In the past, HR has always worked with a designated liaison, but the recruiter does not want to commit to that. In this scenario, what would be considered a "want" rather than a "need"? A) Single liaison B) Proven capacity C) Performance data D) Diverse candidates

A) Single liaison

What leadership theory is characterized by the belief that managers must use different leadership styles depending on the circumstances? A) Situational leadership theory B) Motivational theory C) Trait theory D) Behavioral theory

A) Situational leadership theory

What action would best support a group creativity session? A) Start thinking of responses only after listening to what each person has to say. B) Generate a conscious idea of what the various contributors will likely say. C) Think of possible responses to facilitate smooth transitions as others speak. D) Make a list of rebuttals for concerns that will likely be raised.

A) Start thinking of responses only after listening to what each person has to say.

Which is a good practice for implementing a code of conduct? A) Talk with members of the organization to better understand ethical challenges and compliance requirements. B) Consider the code of conduct to be a living document, and revise it frequently, as needed. C) Use the organization's statement of values as the basis for the components of the code of conduct. D) Consult the codes of conduct of organizations of similar size as guides in content for the code.

A) Talk with members of the organization to better understand ethical challenges and compliance requirements.

What important action takes place at the end of Lewin's change management model? A) The change is made a lasting part of the organization's policies or processes. B) Employee input on change is sought. C) Employees are motivated to accept the change. D) A vision of the future is communicated.

A) The change is made a lasting part of the organization's policies or processes.

Which is the most advantageous outcome of employers treating employees with care and respect during termination of employment? A) The employees may return to the organization, and they will require little training. B) The employees will focus on their recruiting experience and base their response on that experience. C) The employees will not say anything negative about the organization. D) The employees will be less inclined to file an unemployment claim.

A) The employees may return to the organization, and they will require little training.

What is the impact that a service level agreement has when an organization moves from licensing software to software as a service (SaaS)? A) The organization will not need to implement or customize software. B) It does not define concerns over users' pay-per-use. C) The organization will need to provide real-time monitoring only after the installation. D) It eliminates the need for clarification on who is the customer and who is the client.

A) The organization will not need to implement or customize software.

How does an organization's adoption of the Global Reporting Initiative Standards for reporting corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance benefit HR? A) The standards enable comparison of different organizations' CSR performance. B) The primary focus of the standards is on the social (or HR-related) aspects of the triple bottom line. C) The standards' general nature allows for them to be customized to organizational needs. D) The standards lay out a step-by-step pathway to achieve sustainability.

A) The standards enable comparison of different organizations' CSR performance.

How has the talent acquisition process been affected by social media? A) There is an increased ability to find and connect with passive candidates. B) The large volume of unsuitable candidates complicates recruiting efforts. C) Recruiters can anonymously access private candidate information. D) Privacy concerns related to online information are not an issue.

A) There is an increased ability to find and connect with passive candidates.

Which is the most appropriate reason for an HR professional to create a business case? A) To secure budget and resources for a proposed project B) To report on the success of a strategic HR initiative C) To train the organization's managers and supervisors in applying ethical guidelines D) To help senior management choose a competitive strategy

A) To secure budget and resources for a proposed project

How is Porter's "Five Forces" framework used in developing strategies? A) To understand competitive factors that influence the strategy B) To assess the strength of various competitors C) To identify internal strengths and weaknesses D) To determine the cost-effectiveness of strategic initiatives

A) To understand competitive factors that influence the strategy

How is a growth-share matrix used in a large organization? A) To understand the competitive position and value of each sector of the business B) To analyze the concept of systems thinking across the organization C) To monitor growth in each business line to develop a year-over-year comparison D) To provide an overview of internal strengths and opportunities

A) To understand the competitive position and value of each sector of the business

Which classification of employee engagement is demonstrated by working long hours and responding positively to engagement surveys but not feeling engaged? A) Transactional B) State C) Behavioral D) Trait

A) Transactional

An HR professional is new to his organization and wants to understand better how to gain credibility in the organization. What activity would help the most? A) Watching how people react to other team members in team discussions B) Talking to HR peers at professional meetings about what works in their organizations C) Studying the organization's published statement of values D) Interviewing people in HR management positions

A) Watching how people react to other team members in team discussions

An HR professional has just joined an organization and wants to better understand its informal characteristics. What should she pay attention to? A) Who people interact with and the nature of their interactions B) Kinds of business decisions the organization has made in the past C) Mission statement on the organization's website D) Reporting structure in the organization and number of management levels

A) Who people interact with and the nature of their interactions

A large clothing company has a bad reputation because of its hiring practices, its treatment of employees, and its lack of support to the communities it operates in. The CEO and senior managers are known to make decisions based solely on revenue potential, without regard for the impact it may have on society. In fact, the CEO has commented several times that investing money in anything other than operations is a bad business strategy and unethical in terms of the company's obligation to its investors. Recently, major suppliers for the company, located outside the company's home country, were accused of unethical labor practices, unsafe workplace conditions, and possible human rights violations. This has become a public relations nightmare. Several groups have called for boycotts against the company. At the last shareholders' phone conference, several institutional investors expressed their displeasure with management's failure to respond strongly to the problems with suppliers. The CEO expressed his belief that critics were being unrealistic about their expectations for the suppliers. In fact, they were themselves insensitive to business practices and local norms in these countries. Concerned with the negative publicity and lacking confidence in the CEO's response to it, the company's board of directors requests that the CHRO immediately be given the task of formulating a committee to audit the company's operating practices, its employer branding, and its attitude on social issues. This action would at least show that the company has heard the criticisms. The CEO immediately goes to the CHRO's office and angrily says that the CHRO will be showing disloyalty if the CHRO conducts this audit. The CHRO had been one of the CEO's first hires. How should the CHRO respond to this situation? A. Accept the board's assignment, explaining to the CEO the board's power to order this. B. Explain the difficult position and promise to get the board to agree to a third-party audit. C. Tell the board that there is a conflict of interest that prevents the CHRO from complying with the board's request. D. Persuade the CEO to accept the situation by promising the CEO a major role in the audit committee.

A. Accept the board's assignment, explaining to the CEO the board's power to order this.

An HR manager receives a call from an employee who indicates that he feels harassed and needs to talk to someone immediately. The employee alleges that his supervisor treats him differently. He also accuses his supervisor of logging onto his computer and making program changes and sending inappropriate messages to others. When HR asks for proof, the employee indicates that all evidence has been deleted by the supervisor. The employee also shares his belief that other employees, including the marketing manager, are trying to discredit him. The employee further accuses the supervisor of making sexual advances toward him. HR's speaks with the supervisor, who reports that there have been problems with the employee for some time. There have been several warnings, and the employee's behavior is becoming more erratic. The supervisor wants to proceed with termination of the employee. She is concerned that if nothing happens she will see high-performing employees leave. The HR manager mentions the accusations of harassment. The supervisor angrily yells "This employee is crazy!" and storms out of the HR manager's office. The employee leaves work at the end of his shift, gets into a car accident, and sustains minor injuries that will cause several days of absence from work. As proof of temporary disability, he forwards the physician's notes. The notes, however, also refer to symptoms of mental illness. Three employees have now come forward indicating that if they are forced to work with the employee making the accusations, they will quit. What is the best first step the HR manager should take to prevent this from happening? A. Ask specific questions of the three employees to determine if investigating their concerns is warranted. B. Send the employees back to work, as the employees have no right to threaten that they will resign. C. Agree with the employees and advise them that the employee making the accusations will be soon be terminated. D. Tell the employees about the issues going on and suggest that the concerns are due to the employee's medical condition

A. Ask specific questions of the three employees to determine if investigating their concerns is warranted.

A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. Which strategy should the HR director use to decrease turnover of the multilingual new-hire population? A. Assign the 35 qualified current employees to serve as peer mentors for the new hires. B. Implement weekly training for the new hires on job content and requirements. C. Ask new hires and current employees who speak the same language to form special interest groups. D. Designate new hires to language-specific teams with a manager who speaks the same language.

A. Assign the 35 qualified current employees to serve as peer mentors for the new hires.

A VP of HR for a growing 1,500-employee high tech firm has received feedback regarding the lack of effectiveness of the HR team. The internal customers have not been pleased with the level of service and support that is being provided by HR. One of the biggest challenges cited is the recruiting process-specifically, opening a new requisition. The business leader is first required to contact a recruiter to open a requisition and then to contact the compensation and benefits team to determine the pay level for the role. Business leaders may have to contact a different recruiter each time a requisition must be opened. If the recruiter is unfamiliar with the business unit and the nuances of the culture as well as common skill sets, the business leader has to spend additional time to ensure that the recruiter has all the information needed. As a result, some business leaders have asked for one point of contact in HR for all recruiting needs. Given the feedback and the request for one point of contact, which action is best for the VP of HR to take? A. Ask the recruiting team what their issues have been and share the information with the business leaders to begin a discussion. B. Add a point of contact for each business leader and have this person serve as a relationship manager for the team. C. Wait to see what the recruiting results are over the next 12 months and continue to monitor the recruiting work flow. D. Coordinate in-person discussions with business leaders to better understand their experience and expectations.

D. Coordinate in-person discussions with business leaders to better understand their experience and expectations.

An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter? I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. How can the HR generalist effectively assess whether to update the policy? A. Review when the policy was last updated and gather all relevant employment law changes in effect. B. Compare the current policy with those of other companies in the industry. C. It is too soon to update the policy because there could be other items that need to be changed. It is better to wait. D. Determine when the last update was, and, if over a year ago, partner with the HR manager to begin the process of updating.

D. Determine when the last update was, and, if over a year ago, partner with the HR manager to begin the process of updating.

A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. Which should be the first step the HR director includes in the project plan to meet hiring needs and contract requirements? A. Offer the 35 qualified employees incentives for referring additional qualified applicants. B. Determine the format and evaluation method for the interviews. C. Prepare an onboarding process to introduce new employees to the contract. D. Develop a recruiting strategy to reach as many potential applicants as possible.

D. Develop a recruiting strategy to reach as many potential applicants as possible.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. In developing the business case for the CEO in collaboration with the external consultant, which is the best action for the HR director to take? A. Execute a formal contract specifying the consultant's relationship and expectations of engagement during the entire assignment. B. Support the consultant in designing the engagement survey, providing appropriate guidance and feedback throughout the process. C. Lead the engagement survey design, seeking coaching, support, and feedback from the consultant in managing obstacles. D. Develop and present the business case, with the consultant's collaborative input during the development and presentation processes.

D. Develop and present the business case, with the consultant's collaborative input during the development and presentation processes.

A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which next step should HR take to address the allegations that a member of senior leadership advised against following a company policy? A. Send an e-mail to the manager and the employee informing them that they violated the policy so they are not surprised by a potential investigation. B. Meet jointly with the manager and the employee, and terminate both for policy violations. C. As a member of the leadership team, HR should seek counsel from another leadership team member and ask that person to have the conversation. D. Discuss the claim directly with the president and provide an overview of the incident, with a recommendation for holding both the manager and the senior leader accountable.

D. Discuss the claim directly with the president and provide an overview of the incident, with a recommendation for holding both the manager and the senior leader accountable.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. The CEO moves forward with the engagement survey. What is the first step the HR director should take with the food service workers' union? A. Form a union and non-union employee participation committee to discuss conducting the engagement survey and seek their input in managing the project. B. Initiate formal discussions with the labor union representatives about including food service workers in the survey and then seek labor council input. C. Do not engage the union in the engagement survey discussion because to do so could be in violation of applicable labor laws. D. Engage the union, with hospital's labor counsel, in an exploratory discussion to discuss the possible participation of bargaining unit employees in the survey.

D. Engage the union, with hospital's labor counsel, in an exploratory discussion to discuss the possible participation of bargaining unit employees in the survey.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. What is the best course of action for the HR director in proactively addressing employee concerns with the engagement survey? A. Meet with the union representative and legal counsel to share insights and get their perspectives. B. Analyze new employee complaints to determine recurring trends and patterns indicating the need for the survey. C. Advise the CEO about employee insights gained from complaints that support or negate the need for the survey. D. Explore employees' interest in participating in stay interviews to give insight to the organization.

D. Explore employees' interest in participating in stay interviews to give insight to the organization.

The performance of the head of the IT department has been eroding in the past few years. The employee is no longer capable of meeting the minimum expectations of this role as result of not keeping current in his professional development. Management is struggling to hold the employee accountable while also keeping employee morale positive. There is also a concern that, if placed on a performance improvement plan or a documented coaching program, the employee would respond negatively and retaliate by wreaking havoc on the organization's IT infrastructure. The length of employment has allowed the employee to be protected from accountability in the past. Management has decided that the current situation is no longer tenable, but they also realize the precarious place they have put the organization in by failing to have sufficient safeguards in place to protect company assets. Management approaches the new HR generalist and asks what steps they can take to either create an environment where the IT manager can succeed or effectively manage the IT manager out of the organization. Prior to this discussion, the HR generalist was not aware of either the previous protections afforded to the employee or of the failure of management to hold the employee accountable. The HR generalist is concerned that management has tolerated this behavior for so long and wonders if there are other employees in the organization who have been similarly protected from being held accountable or being disciplined. The HR generalist realizes that two issues need to be addressed. The HR generalist realizes that there is the potential for other employees to have been shielded from accountability. Which action should the HR generalist take to ensure that all employees are being treated equally? A. Have a company-wide meeting for all managers to review that they need to hold employees accountable. B. Review with management that all employees need to be held to the same standard and that managers cannot shield employees from accountability. C. Send a formal e-mail to all staff informing them of the new accountability policy. D. Meet with managers of the most tenured employees first to ensure that shielding of tenured employees from accountability is not an ongoing practice.

D. Meet with managers of the most tenured employees first to ensure that shielding of tenured employees from accountability is not an ongoing practice.

The CEO of a fast-growing start-up company is worried that the company will not have the skilled workforce needed in the future to keep up with the dynamic needs of the business, and he asks the HR manager to anticipate and plan for the workforce gaps. The HR manager has been partnering with educational institutions, other businesses, and the local workforce development office to get more information about anticipated skill gaps and to develop an action plan. These resources have been supportive but are unsure of what skills might be needed and when these gaps will exist. The HR manager must navigate this uncertainty and provide a plan to the CEO. What action should the HR manager take to define the scope of the workforce needs? A. Request a report from the local workforce development office on in-demand occupations. B. Ask current employees what training they feel is most needed for their jobs. C. Ask educational institutions to identify the skills they feel are most critical for the future. D. Meet with the CEO to discuss the company's goals for the future.

D. Meet with the CEO to discuss the company's goals for the future.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager take to influence the CEO about the difficulty in meeting the timeline? A. Wait until closer to the end of the time line to see if there are any issues with meeting it. B. Complete as much as possible to show a good effort, and then renegotiate the time line. C. Implement a rewards and incentive approach to motivate the team to get the project done on time. D. Meet with the CEO to review essential portions of the project and the time line challenges.

D. Meet with the CEO to review essential portions of the project and the time line challenges.

A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity. One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility. The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session. The following day, members of the HR team separately contact the HR VP with concerns about the incident. Which action should the VP take to address the concerns of the HR team? A. Ask the HR team to document their concerns to share with the site general manager. B. Bring the HR team together and ask the site HR manager to apologize to the team. C. Request that they schedule time to discuss their concerns directly, one-on-one, with the HR manager. D. Meet with the HR team as a group, discussing what happened and listening to concerns they have.

D. Meet with the HR team as a group, discussing what happened and listening to concerns they have.

A small company is in the start-up phase of the organizational life cycle. The owner has been hiring talent and compensating employees at high levels but not offering a benefits package. As the organization grows and more employees are hired, the owner is being pressured to implement a benefits package in addition to direct compensation. The owner is not knowledgeable about benefits and has made the decision to hire an HR generalist to handle benefits and other HR functions. The HR generalist's first priority is to make recommendations about a benefits package that will attract and retain top talent while being fiscally responsible. The growth plan for the organization is to grow globally and engage in a global recruitment, selection, and hiring strategy. The HR generalist needs to create a total compensation package that will be relevant in all locations globally. A new employee is hired who is not married but who has a domestic partner. Currently, the organization's health insurance covers spouses but not domestic partners. The new employee has requested that the partner be covered through the organization's health insurance. How should the HR generalist handle the request? A. Audit the current policy for fairness and present a business case to the owner to change the rule. B. Allow the employee to add the domestic partner to the health insurance; enroll the partner as a spouse. C. Contact the insurance company and change the policy to allow domestic partners to be covered. D. Tell the employee to contact the insurance company since HR can't do anything about it.

A. Audit the current policy for fairness and present a business case to the owner to change the rule.

A company has experienced a high degree of turnover during the past year. Senior leadership is concerned about the amount of turnover and worried that HR is not moving fast enough to fill these positions. The hiring managers say that the applicant pools have been weak lately and they have had trouble finding qualified applicants to hire from within the pools HR provides. HR has relied heavily on recruiting by word of mouth, which in the past has generated applicants that fit the company's culture. The award for referrals that result in hiring has also been popular with employees. What would be the most effective step to avoid unwanted turnover in the future? A. Develop and administer an employee satisfaction survey that solicits candid feedback about employee perceptions. B. Schedule meetings with senior leaders to discuss the impact turnover has on their business. C. Implement team-building activities to foster a collaborative work environment. D. Conduct interviews with senior leaders about why they think turnover at the organization is so high.

A. Develop and administer an employee satisfaction survey that solicits candid feedback about employee perceptions.

An HR vice president briefly reviews the company's employee performance scores and relevant compensation increases over the past four years. The data reveals a .7 correlation between performance scores and salary increases and a significance level of less than .05. Additionally, the HR VP finds that the use of personal days increases by 30% around the annual performance review time and production falls by 5%. Over the past three years, there has been a steady decline in profits and employee morale. Employees seem less engaged, and both the voluntary and involuntary turnover rates are currently 15 percentage points over the industry average. The senior team asks HR if there is any correlation between the performance scores, decreased production, and employee engagement. As the HR VP is conducting a cursory review of the current performance management system and analyzing the data to make recommendations, the CEO asks the HR VP to increase all salaries by 4%, citing the correlation between salaries and performance as a rationale. The next week, at the weekly management team meeting, one of the senior leaders states that at her previous company the employees were 80% engaged, and she suggests using the same number as an engagement benchmark. The CEO likes this number and asks the HR VP to put a plan in place to meet this engagement number. Another senior leader suggests to the HR VP that the company should prohibit the use of personal leave before, during, and after the review period. How should the HR VP respond to the CEO's request to use a benchmark figure of 80%? A. Explain that all engagement surveys and organizations are not equal and additional research is needed before launching an engagement survey and establishing a benchmark. B. Have the HR department launch an engagement survey to all employees asking for their level of engagement so that an engagement benchmark can be established. C. Agree with the CEO's assessment that it is a good benchmark since there is external evidence to support it. D. Ask the managers for their perceptions as to why they believe employee engagement is low.

A. Explain that all engagement surveys and organizations are not equal and additional research is needed before launching an engagement survey and establishing a benchmark.

A company is consistently having trouble hiring designers in its creative department, a critical team within marketing that produces all the graphic and visual art deliverables for clients. After several weeks, the recruiting team finds a strong candidate. The candidate requests working first as an independent contractor and then transitioning to permanent employment. After two weeks, things are going well, and the creative department manager is working with the HR manager to extend an employment offer. Company policy requires all new hire candidates to successfully pass a drug screen as a condition of employment, but the candidate tests positive for marijuana. The HR manager questions the candidate, who states that the drug was used only in a state where recreational use is legal. The creative manager requests that the HR manager make an exception to the company policy and allow the hiring process to continue. How should the HR manager address the request? A. Explain to the creative manager that this is a long-standing employment requirement. B. Confidentially inquire if the candidate has a medical condition that covers the drug for medicinal purposes. C. Offer to retest the candidate at the same screening agency. D. State that the candidate can continue working as an independent contractor.

A. Explain to the creative manager that this is a long-standing employment requirement.

A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which is the first course of action HR should take? A. HR should inform the president of the issue and partner with her on the next steps for corrective action. B. HR should immediately suspend the employee without pay due to the violation of the company's attendance policy. C. HR should review the employee's performance records and use the ratings to determine the outcome. D. HR should immediately terminate the employee due to the violation of the company's attendance policy.

A. HR should inform the president of the issue and partner with her on the next steps for corrective action

The leadership of a medium-sized technology company has determined that the most viable option to expand their product line is to merge with an existing, larger company. HR is part of the team conducting due diligence for the merger. One item that concerns HR is the different approaches the companies have to work/life balance. The employees of the old company feel that they are treated unfairly because pay, benefits, and working conditions are different within work groups. HR believes that the new company should have a blend of the cultures and the benefits of the two companies. HR is responsible for communicating the decision to the current employees and developing a timetable for the integration. Employees are excited to join the larger company, based on rumors of better pay and benefits with the new organization. The new company is ready to reduce redundancy in key leadership positions and develops a work group to identify positions for elimination. After identifying duplicate positions, managers must recommend individual employees for termination. The merger of the two companies is underway, and HR has been asked to develop organizational effectiveness measures to improve performance and productivity. HR has undertaken the OED process. One group has declined in performance, productivity, and profits. The leadership team has asked HR to review the situation and provide a recommendation. The manager of this group has a reputation of having an abrasive management style. What is the first step HR should take to ensure that all employees are treated fairly in regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions? A. Hold focus groups to understand the issues and recommend any changes to the leadership team. B. Educate employees on the internal complaint procedure. C. Tell the employees that the company will address their concerns once the merger is completed. D. Provide training on new jobs and processes.

A. Hold focus groups to understand the issues and recommend any changes to the leadership team.

The CEO of a manufacturing organization with multiple domestic locations wants to expand the organization's operations to a new country to gain access to new markets. The organization has no experience with manufacturing internationally or dealing with expatriate issues. The CEO decides to acquire a small manufacturing company in another country. The acquired company has grown significantly in recent years and is struggling to deal with its growing pains, with many of the management staff having only a few years of management experience. Cost savings are anticipated from acquisition, as it would allow for restructuring and resizing the workforce. However, employees fear that these changes will cost many of them their jobs, including transitioning domestic jobs to the location in the new country. The VP of HR believes that a fully integrated workforce strategy, including the design of leadership training, is needed. The HR manager in the new location has just resigned. In keeping with an ethnocentric approach, the VP of HR wants the position filled from the corporate office so as to retain as much control and consistency as possible between the home country and the new location. What action should HR take to improve morale after the implementation of efficiencies occur and the resulting reductions in force take place? A. Implementing team building that focuses on communication and redesigning the group structure and process for the remaining employees B. Providing employees with specific examples of behaviors that are appreciated as well as those that will not be tolerated C. Tracking annual employee survey results for significant changes in employee attitudes over the course of the next two years D. Ensuring that the company's wages and benefits are internally equitable at all locations, increasing them as necessary

A. Implementing team building that focuses on communication and redesigning the group structure and process for the remaining employees

The company president comes to the HR director and expresses considerable concern about customer complaints of poor service. Although the customer service manager has been with the company for five years, she is new to supervising and leading staff. The president has heard rumors that the department is in total chaos and asks the HR director to visit the manager and find out what is happening in the department. The HR director visits the customer service department and speaks with the manager. The manager confesses to being overwhelmed with the employee relations issues in the department and admits to being intimidated by the nepotism that exists within the company. Employees answer an average of two calls per hour, but the industry standard is six per hour. The manager welcomes any assistance the HR director can provide. The department is not fully staffed. There is a vacant position, and the job has been posted for two weeks. Other company employees do not want to apply because of the employee relations issues in the department. How should the HR director respond regarding the low number of calls per employee? A. Listen to calls, analyze the nature of the calls, and estimate the time needed to resolve the issue during each call. B. Contact a local staffing agency and hire additional customer service representatives to fill gaps. C. Set a standard for the number of calls the representatives must answer in an hour based on industry standards. D. Encourage customer service representatives to take more calls per day and increase their productivity.

A. Listen to calls, analyze the nature of the calls, and estimate the time needed to resolve the issue during each call.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. What risks should the HR director share when recommending an employee engagement survey to the hospital's CEO? A. Low senior leadership commitment poses significant risks when there is no credible action plan to address identified employee concerns. B. The survey could raise unmanageable employee expectations that senior leadership neither can nor wants to fully meet in the future. C. Inherent risks associated with an engagement survey, such as obtaining potential negative repeated feedback, cannot be fully mitigated. D. Employees can challenge the validity of the survey through either individual or group legal actions.

A. Low senior leadership commitment poses significant risks when there is no credible action plan to address identified employee concerns.

A company is consistently having trouble hiring designers in its creative department, a critical team within marketing that produces all the graphic and visual art deliverables for clients. After several weeks, the recruiting team finds a strong candidate. The candidate requests working first as an independent contractor and then transitioning to permanent employment. After two weeks, things are going well, and the creative department manager is working with the HR manager to extend an employment offer. Company policy requires all new hire candidates to successfully pass a drug screen as a condition of employment, but the candidate tests positive for marijuana. The HR manager questions the candidate, who states that the drug was used only in a state where recreational use is legal. The CEO requests that the HR manager research industry trends regarding hiring policies and drug use that takes place during personal time. How should the HR manager gather the information? A. Meet with the executive board to determine their specific goals for this research regarding drug use during personal time. B. Ask an intern to Google industry policies regarding drug use during personal time. C. Form a committee whose sole purpose is to examine trends in employment practices. D. Review competitors' hiring practices in open job descriptions.

A. Meet with the executive board to determine their specific goals for this research regarding drug use during personal time.

A global consulting firm hires a director of business development from outside the organization, much to the disappointment of one of the managers in the department, who also applied for the position. This manager complains bitterly about the decision to go outside of the firm, and he continues to exhibit disruptive and angry behavior. He feels that he has been unfairly treated, since he believes that he has more experience than the newly hired director. Two months later, the new director of business development has made changes that most of her team are quite excited about. Unfortunately, this does not include the disappointed manager. He openly criticizes the director's ideas, even escalating this criticism to the CEO. He comes to HR to discuss his options in the company. The new director has also come separately to HR regarding the continued hostility from this manager and also about a new employee on the global sales team, who tends to stay to herself and does not interact with the rest of the team. The new sales employee has no problems with attaining her sales goals, but the director does not see her as a "team player" and asks the HR manager for assistance with how best to deal with both of these situations. What should the HR manager recommend the director of business development do to build the relationship with the disappointed manager? A. Meet with the manager to understand his concerns, explain that bypassing her authority is not acceptable, and encourage him to share his ideas for the benefit of the department. B. Discipline the manager for going over her head to the CEO and work to promote her ideas even more vigorously with the manager and the rest of the team. C. Since it is important for the director to have the full trust of her department, she should seek consensus and implement only changes that are fully supported by all team members. D. In order to avoid conflict, the director should not respond to the criticism but should ask the CEO to deal with the manager on her behalf.

A. Meet with the manager to understand his concerns, explain that bypassing her authority is not acceptable, and encourage him to share his ideas for the benefit of the department.

The IT director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that enables researchers around the world to conduct research more efficiently. The application has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT director about this because there is no contingency plan if the IT director were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, the IT director has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting-intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR manager learns that the IT director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR manager discovers that the IT director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which approach should the HR manager recommend to the organization's leadership to address the IT director's behavior? A. Provide both verbal and written feedback to the IT director, hold consistent meetings, stress the importance of accountability, and ensure that the IT director's job description is aligned with the organization's mission. B. Terminate the IT director to avoid any escalation of complaints, as there is no chance of correcting his behavior. C. Suggest that someone from the HR team hold a weekly coaching session with the IT director to offer negative feedback. D. Suggest that someone from the HR team directly manage the performance of the IT director.

A. Provide both verbal and written feedback to the IT director, hold consistent meetings, stress the importance of accountability, and ensure that the IT director's job description is aligned with the organization's mission.

A construction company with 75 field employees determines that the best way to improve communication with employees and efficiency in tracking employees' working hours is to provide each field employee with a smartphone. Each employee has a company e-mail account that can be accessed through the smartphone, enabling the employee to receive e-mail in a timely fashion. Additionally, the employee uses the smartphone to track hours worked at each job location. A benefit to the employee is not having to complete and turn in time sheets at the end of the week, since time tracking is in real time. These phones should be used for business only and turned into the supervisor at the end of the workday. The company has made a significant financial investment in the smartphones. Some employees have personal smartphones and are very familiar with the phones. However, many employees have not used this type of technology and are not computer-literate. Even prior to the implementation of the phones, this small group is demonstrating negative and resistant behavior. The human resource director has been assigned the responsibility of distributing the smartphones to the employees and providing the necessary training and resources for the employees to be proficient in using the phones within 30 days. Given the varying technology proficiency of the employees, which is the most effective training method the human resource director should use to facilitate the change? A. Provide instructor-led, hands-on training sessions for employees based on their knowledge levels revealed during the needs assessment. B. Rely on the supervisors to conduct a learning needs assessment and then train their employees on gaps. C. Conduct a needs assessment and provide prerecorded videos on how to use the phones for employees to watch. D. Distribute the phones and instruction manuals to the employees and then gather information to determine learning needs.

A. Provide instructor-led, hands-on training sessions for employees based on their knowledge levels revealed during the needs assessment.

An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further. What is the best route for the HR manager to take to decrease the current level of anxiety for the employee and the spouse? A. Set the employee's expectation as to what the immediate next steps will be and provide a preliminary idea of the timing of the process. B. Coordinate a better time to speak with the employee in person and in a private setting to eliminate the involvement of the spouse. C. Offer to include the spouse in the discussion to ensure that both are clear about what is being done to investigate the concern. D. Request to resume the conversation after the employee calms down, as they are too upset to effectively communicate.

A. Set the employee's expectation as to what the immediate next steps will be and provide a preliminary idea of the timing of the process.

A young learning and development specialist, having recently completed graduate studies in adult education and training, is hired into an HR department that has a strong history of management and employee training programs. For now, the specialist's assignment is to undertake scheduled revisions of specific elements in the learning and development system. The programs have been well-attended and well-received by the organization, so there has been little need to change the learning approach. The specialist soon realizes that, while the course content is well-designed, built on sound practices, and engaging for participants, it offers little support or direction for transferring learning to the job environment. It is missing a major opportunity for improving job performance. She also notes a lack of competency-based learning that can be used by participants and their managers as performance standards to make it easier to implement and assess learning and performance levels. The specialist would like to propose changes, but she is new to the company and the HR function. Her colleagues are older than she is and much more experienced. They have created or directed the curriculum that she wants to change. She notices that they smile condescendingly when she speaks at department meetings about her ideas. They seldom talk to her and have been rather harsh in their reviews of her initial projects. It is difficult for her to argue for change using actual data because the evaluation tools the department uses focus primarily on Kirkpatrick's Levels 1 and 2. Which is the most persuasive approach the learning and development specialist should use to influence design changes with her new colleagues? A. Provide research about strategically based competencies and, for a to-be-revised course, compare objectives with business competencies. B. Provide anecdotal evidence based on feedback, blogs, industry forums, and associations from the specialist's network. C. Map the evaluation tools used throughout the learning and development system against Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation for variance. D. Distribute articles to her colleagues about competency-based learning and the strategic effects of higher transfer of learning.

A. Provide research about strategically based competencies and, for a to-be-revised course, compare objectives with business competencies.

A downturn in the economy has resulted in reduced funding. Recently other nonprofits have entered the field and are vying for the same financial resources, resulting in employees working longer hours in a fierce competition to earn grants. Key areas in the most recent employee engagement survey dropped significantly, citing the long hours and pay inequities. In contrast, however, employees were quite pleased with the benefits that are offered, the positive work environment, and recognition for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. How should the HR director manage the threat of key employees being recruited by the competition? A. Recommend that the CEO meet with mission-critical employees individually to reiterate their value and commitment to organizational and individual success. B. Recommend that the organization offer pay increases through performance bonuses to all key/mission-critical employees. C. Ask the CEO to wait to see if anyone else leaves. It is too soon to be concerned, since only a few employees have left. D. Recommend that the CEO send out an e-mail communication to all employees thanking them for their dedication and hard work.

A. Recommend that the CEO meet with mission-critical employees individually to reiterate their value and commitment to organizational and individual success.

A recently promoted HR manager is transferred to a remote facility, due to several complaints of inappropriate behavior and favoritism between the plant manager and the former HR manager. The complaints range from allegations of an affair between the two to poor performance and stealing company property. The head office leaders are highly sensitive to creating an ethical culture and have asked that the new HR manager report back on any discovered issues with the plant manager. This makes the HR manager uncomfortable, because she is trying her best to balance developing a relationship with the plant manager with trying to complete the investigation. The new HR manager begins an investigation and learns that the plant manager believes two female employees in the accounting department reported the theft and the affair. When the HR manager speaks with these employees, they share the belief that they are being retaliated against. Although they were rated as above-average performers, they have been given only minimal wage increases. The investigation identified theft of a number of items by the plant manager. The items are not expensive, but their value is not minor. Additionally, it was learned that the plant manager is actively undermining the new HR manager's authority by telling all managers to ignore any HR recommendations. What action should the HR manager take in regard to the theft of the items by the plant manager? A. Report this offense to head office leaders. B. Ask the plant manager to return the items. C. Immediately terminate the plant manager. D. Ignore the incident given the low value of the stolen items.

A. Report this offense to head office leaders.

The leadership of a medium-sized technology company has determined that the most viable option to expand their product line is to merge with an existing, larger company. HR is part of the team conducting due diligence for the merger. One item that concerns HR is the different approaches the companies have to work/life balance. The employees of the old company feel that they are treated unfairly because pay, benefits, and working conditions are different within work groups. HR believes that the new company should have a blend of the cultures and the benefits of the two companies. HR is responsible for communicating the decision to the current employees and developing a timetable for the integration. Employees are excited to join the larger company, based on rumors of better pay and benefits with the new organization. The new company is ready to reduce redundancy in key leadership positions and develops a work group to identify positions for elimination. After identifying duplicate positions, managers must recommend individual employees for termination. The merger of the two companies is underway, and HR has been asked to develop organizational effectiveness measures to improve performance and productivity. HR has undertaken the OED process. One group has declined in performance, productivity, and profits. The leadership team has asked HR to review the situation and provide a recommendation. The manager of this group has a reputation of having an abrasive management style. Which is the best and most objective way for HR to support the company's position of blending both cultures and convince leadership to move forward with the recommendation? A. Research evidence-based practices that support the recommendation from HR. B. Provide leadership with pie charts, PowerPoint presentations, and reports to support HR's recommendation. C. Conduct surveys with employees from both companies to gather input on what works well and what doesn't work well within their respective cultures. D. Research winners from the recent "Best Places to Work" list for recommendations on merging cultures.

A. Research evidence-based practices that support the recommendation from HR.

The HR director and the CEO of a mid-sized company each receive an identical letter in the mail. The letter is from an anonymous disgruntled employee, and it accuses a company executive of several negative actions, including bullying, misrepresenting funds, and openly criticizing other executives during conversations with lower-level employees. The letter states that the employee has chosen to remain anonymous because the employee mistrusts the HR department and fears retaliation. Which step should the HR director take first to address the accusations in this letter? A. Review the executive's personnel file for information that suggests that a pattern of behavior exists. B. Call together this executive's direct reports to ask for opinions regarding the issues outlined in the letter. C. Place the executive on paid leave to prevent further issues while the accusations are being investigated. D. Ask the CEO to conduct an investigation because of the conflict of interest if the HR director handles it.

A. Review the executive's personnel file for information that suggests that a pattern of behavior exists.

An organization has witnessed a steady decline in revenue for the past 9 months, and employee morale is low. Department managers are highly competitive with each other and tend to use an authoritarian management style with their teams. As a result, communication across departments is infrequent, employees are distrustful of their managers, and work teams are constantly experiencing delays. Product errors have been increasing as well. The CEO tasks an HR manager with investigating workplace problems and developing solutions. With the CEO's approval, the HR manager begins monthly training workshops with department managers to encourage more cooperation. The HR manager believes that department managers do not understand the responsibilities of other departments, which isolates them from each other. What should the HR manager do? A. Schedule weekly cross-departmental manager meetings to discuss department functions and challenges. B. Conduct a communication workshop training session for department managers. C. Temporarily transfer department managers across departments to gain experience working with different groups. D. Host a workday retreat for department managers to learn about the different departments.

A. Schedule weekly cross-departmental manager meetings to discuss department functions and challenges.

In a midsummer strategy session, a company determines that it will close its West Coast manufacturing unit and move the entire manufacturing effort to the East Coast head office. To bring the East Coast office fully online, 100 new positions will have to be filled. The work is going to migrate to the East Coast over a 90-day period that will begin September 1. HR has been asked for advice and support. In trying to ensure strategic alignment of human capital activities, what would be most beneficial to HR? A. Scheduling a meeting with the business leaders to understand business needs and goals for the future B. Networking with colleagues to determine which activities they may have used in similar situations C. Reviewing and assessing past activities of this type and then building an appropriate process for this initiative D. Interviewing all managers in the affected unit to determine what support they would need for the move, but only when it is really necessary

A. Scheduling a meeting with the business leaders to understand business needs and goals for the future

The performance of the head of the IT department has been eroding in the past few years. The employee is no longer capable of meeting the minimum expectations of this role as result of not keeping current in his professional development. Management is struggling to hold the employee accountable while also keeping employee morale positive. There is also a concern that, if placed on a performance improvement plan or a documented coaching program, the employee would respond negatively and retaliate by wreaking havoc on the organization's IT infrastructure. The length of employment has allowed the employee to be protected from accountability in the past. Management has decided that the current situation is no longer tenable, but they also realize the precarious place they have put the organization in by failing to have sufficient safeguards in place to protect company assets. Management approaches the new HR generalist and asks what steps they can take to either create an environment where the IT manager can succeed or effectively manage the IT manager out of the organization. Prior to this discussion, the HR generalist was not aware of either the previous protections afforded to the employee or of the failure of management to hold the employee accountable. The HR generalist is concerned that management has tolerated this behavior for so long and wonders if there are other employees in the organization who have been similarly protected from being held accountable or being disciplined. The HR generalist realizes that two issues need to be addressed. The HR generalist wants to ensure that employees are held accountable but also that they are set up for success. How can the HR generalist help make certain this happens? A. The success of the employees shouldn't be a major concern. Since accountably has been such a major issue, that should be the singular focus of HR. B. Ask managers if they feel that job descriptions are accurate or if they need to be reviewed and revised. C. Review with management the importance of job descriptions and how they set the expectations for performance. D. Partner with management to make certain that employees are aware of additional training resources available.

D. Partner with management to make certain that employees are aware of additional training resources available.

An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter? I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. How should the HR generalist advise the manager if she insists on documenting the employee behavior? A. The manager can compile whatever documentation she feels is appropriate in this particular situation. B. Advise that it would be a bad decision to take this fight on, as the manager is new to the company and it would not look good in front of all the employees. C. Terminate the employee, despite the fact that the behavior is not documented, and hope the next hire adheres to the policy. D. Partner with the manager and her supervisor to gain effective buy-in that expectations must be reset before documentation can commence.

D. Partner with the manager and her supervisor to gain effective buy-in that expectations must be reset before documentation can commence.

The administrative assistant to the vice president of operations confides in the HR manager that the VP has been making inappropriate advances that have been getting progressively more forward and aggressive. This has made the administrative assistant uncomfortable, and now she wants to find a new position in the organization. The administrative assistant and the HR manager are long-time personal friends, and this information is shared with the HR manager outside of the work environment, on personal time. While the HR manager informs the administrative assistant that she should bring a formal complaint, the administrative assistant is very clear that she is sharing this information as a friend. She does not want to file a formal complaint out of fear of retaliation. Instead, she asks the HR manager to help her find a new role so that she can quietly leave her current position without creating trouble for the VP, the organization, or herself. What action should the HR manager take in response to hearing about this harassment? A. Confront the VP of operations directly with the allegations and demand an explanation as to why he has behaved inappropriately. B. Respect the friendship with the administrative assistant, honor the request for privacy on the issue, and not take any action in response to the complaint. C. Have a follow-up discussion with the administrative assistant reassuring her of protection against retaliation and urging her to formally complain of the behavior. D. Notify the VP of HR of the allegations so that a formal investigation can begin of these allegations of harassment.

D. Notify the VP of HR of the allegations so that a formal investigation can begin of these allegations of harassment.

A large clothing company has a bad reputation because of its hiring practices, its treatment of employees, and its lack of support to the communities it operates in. The CEO and senior managers are known to make decisions based solely on revenue potential, without regard for the impact it may have on society. In fact, the CEO has commented several times that investing money in anything other than operations is a bad business strategy and unethical in terms of the company's obligation to its investors. Recently, major suppliers for the company, located outside the company's home country, were accused of unethical labor practices, unsafe workplace conditions, and possible human rights violations. This has become a public relations nightmare. Several groups have called for boycotts against the company. At the last shareholders' phone conference, several institutional investors expressed their displeasure with management's failure to respond strongly to the problems with suppliers. The CEO expressed his belief that critics were being unrealistic about their expectations for the suppliers. In fact, they were themselves insensitive to business practices and local norms in these countries. Concerned with the negative publicity and lacking confidence in the CEO's response to it, the company's board of directors requests that the CHRO immediately be given the task of formulating a committee to audit the company's operating practices, its employer branding, and its attitude on social issues. This action would at least show that the company has heard the criticisms. What would be the most effective tactic in persuading the CEO to accept the audit? A. Give specific examples of the impact that the publicity has had on hiring. B. Assure the CEO that all recommendations will be reviewed by the organization's legal representatives. C. Ask the CEO to remember their joint commitment to doing what is in the organization's best interest. D. Refer to examples of competitors who have met both financial and corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives.

D. Refer to examples of competitors who have met both financial and corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives.

An employee files a complaint alleging discrimination based on other employees creating an intimidating work environment, primarily by making insensitive and inappropriate comments. The alleged actions have made the employee uncomfortable in the workplace. The HR generalist begins to review the information submitted by the employee and, as part of the review, discovers that this is not the first discrimination allegation the employee has filed. All the other complaints were closed following a determination that the allegations were unfounded. When prompted for further information, the employee eventually lists the names of everyone who is being accused in the complaint. To the surprise of the HR generalist, it is the majority of the company's senior leadership team. Based on the employee's history of complaints and who is being accused this time, the HR generalist determines that an investigation is not warranted and immediately dismisses the employee's concerns. However, several weeks later, the employee presents documented proof of comments made by a number of employees, including some from the senior leadership team. Upon review, the HR generalist determines that this additional information could add merit to the complaint. What is the best course of action the HR generalist could take at this point? A. Request that a meeting be held with the employee and the individuals who are being accused to publicly address the situation. B. Request that the employee raise the issue with a supervisor and then escalate it to the HR manager if they feel an investigation is still warranted. C. Confront the members of the senior leadership team and demand that they immediately stop all inappropriate actions. D. Set up a formal meeting with the employee to gather additional details, assess whether an investigation is needed, and propose a plan to the HR manager.

D. Set up a formal meeting with the employee to gather additional details, assess whether an investigation is needed, and propose a plan to the HR manager.

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.

A. Build strong relationships with key stakeholders and transparently share the benefits and risks of the changes.

A small division of a company lacks a formal compensation structure for employees. Due to recent recruitment and retention challenges, the division recognizes the need to review newly hired and existing employees' pay rates to ensure market competitiveness and internal equity among staff. For a number of years, the division has lacked human resources support and relied upon the general managers to determine initial pay rates for new hires as well as promotional rates for internal staff based on the amount of hours worked and the employee's attendance record. No pay ranges currently exist, and leaders have the discretion to pay whatever fits within their budget. On occasion, a human resources representative from another division has offered general advice on pay practices to the division's leadership. However, they have their own divisional responsibilities, and therefore there has been very little oversight. The divisional president is considering whether or not to bring in a contract human resources leader to research, design, and implement an appropriate pay structure for all positions. What should the human resources leader do to establish new pay ranges? A. Compare, contrast, and analyze multiple different benchmark data sources to design a new wage structure that is best for the division. B. Apply cost-of-living adjustments to one data source, favoring that source over any others. C. Use the source data to identify compliance issues that have existed for many years. D. Focus on judgmental forecasting, using the general managers as a primary source to develop pay ranges.

A. Compare, contrast, and analyze multiple different benchmark data sources to design a new wage structure that is best for the division.

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. Which criteria should the HR manager use to justify the proposed reading improvement program? A. Comparison of on-the-job injury rates for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the rates for employees at or above the national average B. Comparison of cost-per-accident rate for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the rate for employees at or above the national average C. Comparison of average age of employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the age of employees at or above the national average D. Comparison of annual performance evaluation data for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to those at or above the national average

A. Comparison of on-the-job injury rates for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the rates for employees at or above the national average

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.

The HR director and the CEO of a mid-sized company each receive an identical letter in the mail. The letter is from an anonymous disgruntled employee, and it accuses a company executive of several negative actions, including bullying, misrepresenting funds, and openly criticizing other executives during conversations with lower-level employees. The letter states that the employee has chosen to remain anonymous because the employee mistrusts the HR department and fears retaliation. Which action should the HR director take to best ensure that executives understand and comply with the company's expectations of leaders? A. Develop a yearly training series that emphasizes behavioral expectations for all employees, including executives. B. Ask the company's compliance officer to meet with executives on a regular basis to discuss compliance issues. C. Ask the CEO to write an e-mail encouraging all employees to take an active role in escalating concerns in a timely manner. D. Examine open-ended feedback received through the annual employee survey to determine the main areas of concern.

A. Develop a yearly training series that emphasizes behavioral expectations for all employees, including executives.

After the merger of two business entities, the new vice president (VP) of HR holds a staff meeting and tells the group that the organization now has six active vacation policies. This was identified during due diligence, but the leaders determined that it did not affect the ultimate decision to merge and that the matter should be addressed post-merger. That time has come, and the VP of HR would like the benefits managers to develop a plan with recommendations. Each policy has slightly different criteria and provisions. As a result of post-merger restructuring, it is possible for all six policies to be in effect in a single department or location. Harmonizing the policies will invariably benefit some employees and hurt others. The benefits managers need to decide if the organization should try to harmonize the policies from the merged entities or let them continue to coexist. The VP of HR adds another complication. The leadership of the two entities has been merged "on paper," but there is still a lot of struggling behind the scenes to establish or increase power and influence. The VP of HR would like it if the team could avoid making this issue an opportunity for a proxy power struggle. The team decides to hold focus groups with employees currently covered by the different policies. What should the team do to ensure that this is a productive tactic? A. Conduct mixed but balanced focus groups with a trained facilitator. B. Conduct separate focus groups for employees covered by the existing policies, asking for comments on their own current policies. C. Limit the amount of unstructured discussion so as not to encourage conflict. D. Share the plan that will most likely be implemented.

A. Conduct mixed but balanced focus groups with a trained facilitator.

In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. The HR director wants to address his team's concerns soon. He also recognizes that the rest of the organization will need to be convinced to change. Which is the best immediate course of action he could take? A. Create a structured interview process that standardizes the questions asked and the criteria for grading. B. Maintain the current process but have HR participate in all of the interviews going forward. C. Solicit feedback from organizational stakeholders about the key qualities they are looking for in talent. D. Analyze turnover, performance, and exit interview data over the past two years to present to leaders.

A. Create a structured interview process that standardizes the questions asked and the criteria for grading.

An organization with multiple locations across the United States and parts of western Europe wants to increase the diversity of its sales force to better reflect its customer base, which is quite diverse in terms of its racial, gender, and ethnic demographics. Their goal of promoting diversity has been moderately successful so far. However, senior leaders and the board of directors are becoming increasingly concerned about whether they are in the best position to compete for top talent. The organization also wants to better understand employee satisfaction from a diversity perspective and is analyzing its employee engagement survey results. The VP of HR considers engaging an external diversity consultant to assist in devising a new diversity strategy that will be different from the organization's traditional approach to diversity. The primary goal is to integrate this diversity and inclusion strategy with the human resources component of the organization's strategic plan in order to better position the organization as an employer of choice. The secondary goal is to clearly articulate the role of the employees and managers and how they assist in implementing the strategy. Which action should the VP of HR take to begin advancing the diversity and inclusion strategy for the organization? A. Develop a comprehensive business case to elicit support from senior leadership and other key stakeholders. B. Seek advice from legal counsel to advance the strategy from a compliance perspective. C. Advance a diversity and inclusion strategy by eliciting only board support for the proposed strategy. D. Delegate the responsibility for developing the diversity and inclusion strategy to the HR director.

A. Develop a comprehensive business case to elicit support from senior leadership and other key stakeholders.

A new HR manager joins a manufacturing organization that is experiencing an increase in workplace safety incidents. These incidents are resulting in higher insurance costs, increased absences, reduced productivity, and lower-quality products. A review of compliance functions and key performance indicators shows an excessive increase in the last 12 months. This timeline coincides with the retirement of the compliance manager and the transfer of the duties related to managing workplace safety to the HR department. The manager also compares the number of incidents in the organization with industry standards and determines that the organization's incident rates are 50% greater than the industry average. The HR manager recognizes that changes need to be made immediately in the HR department to improve safety and protect employees from future incidents and injuries. The CEO tasks the HR manager with finding solutions to increase safety knowledge and decrease incidents in the organization. Several department managers approach the HR manager and state their concerns over the amount of safety incidents. What should the HR manager do to address their concerns? A. Develop a joint management-employee committee that discusses safety concerns. B. Engage an independent consultant to provide recommendations. C. Send an e-mail with safety tips to all employees on a monthly basis. D. Conduct safety checks in all departments weekly to hold employees accountable.

A. Develop a joint management-employee committee that discusses safety concerns.

An HR consultant receives a phone call from the CFO of a mid-sized family-owned manufacturing company. She states that the company's turnover is nearing 100% in the operations department. Employees are staying an average of 60 to 90 days before leaving. Exit interviews indicate that turnover is due to lack of training. The CFO doesn't understand this data, because all new employees participate in a one-day orientation and an onboarding program. The consultant further learns that the manager of the operations department has a reputation for being aggressive and direct. The manager, who directly reports to the CEO, has been with the company for ten years and is a good friend of the owners' family. The CFO admits that the manager can be difficult to deal with but nobody says anything because of the manager's strong relationship with the family. She says that while morale is low in the department, the company hasn't conducted an employee survey in at least two years. The CFO asks the consultant for help in fixing the turnover problem. They discuss various options, including training, coaching, and an employee engagement survey. A minimal budget has been provided to determine which tasks are necessary and to complete them. The CEO supports the consultant's recommendation to further develop the manager through executive coaching. Which step should the consultant take to gain the manager's support for coaching? A. Develop talking points with the CEO to use to discuss the benefits of coaching with the manager. B. Ask the manager's direct reports to demonstrate their support of coaching by providing positive feedback. C. Independently advise the manager about the issues and recommend coaching as a way to address them. D. Talk to the manager's peers to identify situations where he could have behaved in a more effective manner.

A. Develop talking points with the CEO to use to discuss the benefits of coaching with the manager.

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 new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints. Senior management was accustomed to an HR department that completed transactional processes and was seen as representing employees when discussions of benefits or compensation were held. Which of the following should the new HR manager do to get buy-in for organizational change in the way it manages its employees? A. Ensure alignment between the HR strategies and the organizational business strategy. B. Develop KPIs for the HR department that measure employee satisfaction. C. Provide a balanced scorecard for HR activities that demonstrates the contribution HR is making to the organization. D. Design a benefits and compensation survey to benchmark current practices.

A. Ensure alignment between the HR strategies and the organizational business strategy.

The IT director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that enables researchers around the world to conduct research more efficiently. The application has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT director about this because there is no contingency plan if the IT director were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, the IT director has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting-intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR manager learns that the IT director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR manager discovers that the IT director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which strategy would help assess and correct the collaboration issues the IT department is facing? A. Evaluate work relationships between employees and departments, clarify work expectations and reporting relationships, and assess the gap in operating expectations. B. Analyze existing resources, job descriptions, and salaries. C. Design and develop a performance management plan for each employee. D. Hold a team meeting with the IT department and ask for strategy proposals.

A. Evaluate work relationships between employees and departments, clarify work expectations and reporting relationships, and assess the gap in operating expectations.

The HR department in a musical instrument company is struggling to support the company's rapid growth. The company, which started as the home business of a casual musician, logged $17 million in sales last year. The HR department has hired additional team members over the years but hasn't changed its structure since start-up. All HR team members currently function as generalists, doing whatever it takes to support the company. The organization now consists of multiple store franchises. Each store has a sales department, a service and repair department, and a department offering music lessons. This initial product and service offering was followed by instrument rentals and later the acquisition of a publishing company that specializes in learning guides for new musicians and music teachers. The company's newest effort, the production of their own brand of mandolin, is recognized by most of the senior leaders as a high-risk effort but with the potential for a profitable high-margin instrument being added to their product line. With the rapid growth and expansion, the CEO is becoming increasingly concerned about quality and has made it clear that the entire corporation is to prioritize quality and efficiency while maintaining focus on the strategic plan. What is the best course of action the HR leader should take to determine how to structure the HR department to support the needs of the growing business? A. Initiate an assessment of the HR function to include internal and external considerations. B. Complete a survey of managers to solicit recommendations for the best structure. C. Consult with other HR professionals in the area to benchmark against similar companies. D. Pilot a new structure for six months and evaluate the pros and cons of the new structure.

A. Initiate an assessment of the HR function to include internal and external considerations.

The CEO of a fast-growing start-up company is worried that the company will not have the skilled workforce needed in the future to keep up with the dynamic needs of the business, and he asks the HR manager to anticipate and plan for the workforce gaps. The HR manager has been partnering with educational institutions, other businesses, and the local workforce development office to get more information about anticipated skill gaps and to develop an action plan. These resources have been supportive but are unsure of what skills might be needed and when these gaps will exist. The HR manager must navigate this uncertainty and provide a plan to the CEO. The HR manager learns that other businesses in the same industry are sourcing candidates who have a rare, highly technical skill set because it was recently promoted in the press. What step should the HR manager take first after learning this? A. Interview managers at the company to obtain their perceptions about the need for this skill set. B. Ask local schools if their curriculum is focused on developing this skill set among students. C. Suggest to the CEO that obtaining this skill set could make the company more competitive. D. Ask the local workforce development office if they agree with the assessment of this skill set as critical.

A. Interview managers at the company to obtain their perceptions about the need for this skill set.

An organization has witnessed a steady decline in revenue for the past 9 months, and employee morale is low. Department managers are highly competitive with each other and tend to use an authoritarian management style with their teams. As a result, communication across departments is infrequent, employees are distrustful of their managers, and work teams are constantly experiencing delays. Product errors have been increasing as well. The CEO tasks an HR manager with investigating workplace problems and developing solutions. With the CEO's approval, the HR manager begins monthly training workshops with department managers to encourage more cooperation. A department employee submits a complaint to the HR manager stating that a lack of trust prevents the employee from approaching the department manager when problems arise. How should the HR manager respond? A. Invite the employee to a meeting to discuss the complaint in greater detail. B. Role-play with the employee on how to talk through problems with the manager. C. Facilitate a meeting between the employee and the department manager. D. Conduct employee-only focus groups to identify the causes of distrust in the department.

A. Invite the employee to a meeting to discuss the complaint in greater detail.

A publicly owned company has acquired a small privately owned company. The small company had grown too big for the former owners to manage. Prior to the acquisition, the owners were both heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making of the company, but they are not adept in effective management practices. Both former owners have signed contracts to remain with the company for two years post-acquisition to be a resource as the integration is completed. Policies and controls in the small company were nonexistent. The treatment of employees was not consistent, and employee morale is low, primarily due to the uncertainty in the acquisition and the fear of favoritism. The HR manager assigned to perform due diligence on merging the small company has found additional issues. There is a substantiated allegation that one of the owners of the small company was involved in a romantic affair with a female subordinate, and the HR/finance clerk was demoted for inappropriately allocating funds from the company to his personal bank account. Both of these issues were addressed and the matters closed without any further disciplinary action being taken with either of the individuals. The CEO of the acquiring company asks the HR manager to make the needed changes to ensure compliance with laws and policies, as soon as possible, without upsetting the former owners. What is the best first step the HR manager should take to create a positive working relationship with the former owners? A. Involve the former owners along with representatives of the acquiring company in developing a plan for implementing policy changes. B. Implement all needed changes immediately using the CEO's directive to address any employee or former owner reluctance to change. C. Make any changes slowly so as not to upset the workforce; then share them with all stakeholders after the fact. D. Share the policy changes and a time line as to when they will be changed with the former owners.

A. Involve the former owners along with representatives of the acquiring company in developing a plan for implementing policy changes.

An HR manager began a new job at an international school in another country. On her first day, she went to the main office to introduce herself to the school's long-time principal and his recently hired executive assistant. The HR manager noticed flowers on the assistant's desk and complimented them. The assistant nervously dismissed the compliment, frowned, and said they were from the principal and that they were his way of flirting with her. The HR manager knows this is against the school's corporate gift-giving policy, which prohibits using school funds to purchase gifts for individual employees. Later, the HR manager met with the principal to discuss HR priorities. Concerned by the assistant's comments, the HR manager asked about the flowers. The principal dismissed the concerns, saying that giving gifts to recognize employees is common in that country, and angrily remarked that he is entitled to spend his discretionary budget how he wishes. After the meeting, the HR manager felt concerned about the principal making an exception to the gift-giving policy and planned to speak to the school director about the incident. That evening, the HR manager receives a voice mail from the assistant, who frantically asks her not to say anything about the flowers because she needs to keep her job. The HR manager wants to demonstrate genuine interest in learning about the principal's approach to recognizing his employees. What should the HR manager do to most effectively demonstrate this? A. Listen actively to the principal as he describes his approach and rationale in person. B. Ask the principal to outline his approach in an e-mail to capture all relevant details. C. Use behavior-based interview techniques to accurately capture the principal's practice of recognizing employees. D. Invite the school's director to facilitate a conversation with the principal to ensure that he participates.

A. Listen actively to the principal as he describes his approach and rationale in person.

An HR manager began a new job at an international school in another country. On her first day, she went to the main office to introduce herself to the school's long-time principal and his recently hired executive assistant. The HR manager noticed flowers on the assistant's desk and complimented them. The assistant nervously dismissed the compliment, frowned, and said they were from the principal and that they were his way of flirting with her. The HR manager knows this is against the school's corporate gift-giving policy, which prohibits using school funds to purchase gifts for individual employees. Later, the HR manager met with the principal to discuss HR priorities. Concerned by the assistant's comments, the HR manager asked about the flowers. The principal dismissed the concerns, saying that giving gifts to recognize employees is common in that country, and angrily remarked that he is entitled to spend his discretionary budget how he wishes. After the meeting, the HR manager felt concerned about the principal making an exception to the gift-giving policy and planned to speak to the school director about the incident. That evening, the HR manager receives a voice mail from the assistant, who frantically asks her not to say anything about the flowers because she needs to keep her job. What should be the HR manager's first step to ensure the local adoption of the school's gift-giving policy? A. Meet with the principal to go over the school's gift-giving policy in detail. B. Research the local culture to determine if the principal is telling the truth about local cultural norms. C. Prepare a business case highlighting the risks of the principal's behavior. D. Recommend the principal for disciplinary action for his violation of the policy.

A. Meet with the principal to go over the school's gift-giving policy in detail.

A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. In order for the HR director to effectively develop relationships, which action should she take first? A. Meeting colleagues by proactively walking around to introduce herself and her role B. Getting accustomed to the work environment by sitting back and observing C. Asking the president for detailed guidance D. Creating an onboarding plan to use for the next new hire

A. Meeting colleagues by proactively walking around to introduce herself and her role

The shared service centers of a multinational technology company are concentrated in one country. They provide back-office operational support for the finance and accounting, procurement, and HR functions of the company. The local talent market for the back-office operations skills is very competitive. To date, the company has been successful in recruiting experienced professionals from its competitors. The main draw has been the generous compensation and benefits package and the general perception of an amiable and cooperative management team. While competitors' workforces have unionized in this country, this company's workforce has remained union-free. The annual planning process has kicked off. The process requires the global HR and finance teams to recommend the payroll increase budget for each country based on key economic indicators, company performance, affordability, and compensation market survey data. The teams recommend a salary increase budget of 18% for the country with the shared service centers. The country HR director is concerned that the recommended budget is too low and believes that, in order to remain competitive and compensate for inflation, the increase should be 30%. The country director brings her concerns and recommendations to the global VP of HR. In a discussion with the global VP of finance and the global functional leaders, the global VP of HR learns that the 18% increase budget is a stretch and that going any higher will have a negative bottom-line impact. The VP of HR has completed the analysis and developed recommendations for resolving the short- and long-term workforce cost issues in this country. Which is the best step that the VP of HR should take at this point in time? A. Meeting with key stakeholders individually, before the group meeting, to familiarize them with the recommendations and gather support B. Sharing with the COO the analysis and recommendations to garner support before the rest of the leadership team hears them C. Having the country HR director review and provide input on the recommendations before presenting them to the rest of the leadership team D. Implementing the best recommendation immediately before employees hear about the increases and begin the process of unionization

A. Meeting with key stakeholders individually, before the group meeting, to familiarize them with the recommendations and gather support

The administrative assistant to the vice president of operations confides in the HR manager that the VP has been making inappropriate advances that have been getting progressively more forward and aggressive. This has made the administrative assistant uncomfortable, and now she wants to find a new position in the organization. The administrative assistant and the HR manager are long-time personal friends, and this information is shared with the HR manager outside of the work environment, on personal time. While the HR manager informs the administrative assistant that she should bring a formal complaint, the administrative assistant is very clear that she is sharing this information as a friend. She does not want to file a formal complaint out of fear of retaliation. Instead, she asks the HR manager to help her find a new role so that she can quietly leave her current position without creating trouble for the VP, the organization, or herself. The VP of operations has been identified as one of the top two possibilities to succeed the current CEO. The VP of HR receives a letter from the attorney of a different employee that charges the VP of operations and the organization with unlawful harassment. Which is the best first course of action the HR VP should take? A. Notify the CEO and the organization's attorney, asking to meet to determine appropriate next steps. B. Initiate the investigation by gathering all the facts about the unlawful harassment claim. C. Independently speak to the VP of operations and ask if there is any merit to the claim of unlawful harassment. D. Terminate the VP of operations' employment immediately in order to mitigate any further risks.

A. Notify the CEO and the organization's attorney, asking to meet to determine appropriate next steps.

The recruiting department is overwhelmed with requests to hire more employees for a 24-hour company call center. Recently, several recruiters and a number of long-time, high-level performers resigned to work for competitors for better pay. The remaining workforce feels that the work is tedious, the pay is low, the space is noisy, and there are no opportunities for advancement. A high-volume contract recruiter from a local search firm has been brought in to assist in hiring for the call center vacancies. The contract recruiter sets up a private office and is given system access to all online search engines paid for by the company. The office doubles as an interview room, and the company is charged a finder's fee for each candidate that the call center manager interviews. The HR manager is alerted in casual conversation with the call center employees that the contract recruiter is the spouse of the call center manager and that several nonqualified candidates have been sent through the interview process at the company's expense. What can the HR manager do to ensure that only qualified candidates are being selected for the interview process? A. Outline detailed job descriptions for each vacancy to include minimum qualifications and requirements and review each candidate's background prior to interview selection. B. Explain the job requirements and environment and ask whether the candidate can work within those parameters. C. Explain that there are no promotional possibilities; the job is very boring and the turnover is high. D. Ask for examples of different call centers the candidate has contacted on a personal basis to get a better understanding of his or her experience.

A. Outline detailed job descriptions for each vacancy to include minimum qualifications and requirements and review each candidate's background prior to interview selection.

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.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager take first to begin creating a culture that embraces CSR? A. Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR. B. Send an e-mail to the company asking for input and then form committees to discuss this. C. Spend time visiting other companies with an integrated CSR culture, using this as the basis for the plan. D. Since there is very little time, independently change the culture so that it embraces CSR.

A. Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR.

A company has experienced a high degree of turnover during the past year. Senior leadership is concerned about the amount of turnover and worried that HR is not moving fast enough to fill these positions. The hiring managers say that the applicant pools have been weak lately and they have had trouble finding qualified applicants to hire from within the pools HR provides. HR has relied heavily on recruiting by word of mouth, which in the past has generated applicants that fit the company's culture. The award for referrals that result in hiring has also been popular with employees. What would be the best way for HR to bring in more qualified applicants? A. Post job openings on Internet job sites and examine the effect on the applicant pool. B. Talk to senior leaders to figure out which types of jobs are most difficult to fill. C. Investigate how other organizations are identifying quality applicants. D. Interview hiring managers to determine the specific gaps in knowledge and skill that need to be addressed.

A. Post job openings on Internet job sites and examine the effect on the applicant pool.

An HR business partner for a mid-sized company has been asked to investigate root causes of high employee turnover. The CEO thinks that the turnover is the result of HR failing to set clear expectations for managers and has stated that there is a disparity in how managers lead their employees versus what employees think their managers should be doing. The CEO believes that this inconsistency in expectations is the reason for attrition. HR currently conducts annual employee engagement and morale surveys and presents the results to management. However, most of the management team has been with the company for many years and are resistant to change. Past efforts to guide the management team have been unsuccessful due to limited participation. For example, leadership skills training has been held in the past, but most of the management team have declined to attend. The CEO has requested that the HR manager provide a detailed plan to address the turnover by next quarter. Which step should the HR manager take to ensure buy-in from the managers when implementing an initiative to address the turnover? A. Present data to managers that shows how the high turnover has affected the company's profit. B. Create a policy that links participation in leadership training with incentives and bonuses for managers. C. Ask employees about their managers' capabilities and provide managers with this feedback. D. Purchase off-the-shelf business competency models to use as a management tool.

A. Present data to managers that shows how the high turnover has affected the company's profit.

A global consulting firm hires a director of business development from outside the organization, much to the disappointment of one of the managers in the department, who also applied for the position. This manager complains bitterly about the decision to go outside of the firm, and he continues to exhibit disruptive and angry behavior. He feels that he has been unfairly treated, since he believes that he has more experience than the newly hired director. Two months later, the new director of business development has made changes that most of her team are quite excited about. Unfortunately, this does not include the disappointed manager. He openly criticizes the director's ideas, even escalating this criticism to the CEO. He comes to HR to discuss his options in the company. The new director has also come separately to HR regarding the continued hostility from this manager and also about a new employee on the global sales team, who tends to stay to herself and does not interact with the rest of the team. The new sales employee has no problems with attaining her sales goals, but the director does not see her as a "team player" and asks the HR manager for assistance with how best to deal with both of these situations. What should HR recommend as the best approach for the director to take in regard to the sales employee keeping to herself? A. Spend time with the sales employee, interacting the same way she does with all the other team members. B. Hold an optional off-site team-building activity inviting the entire team to get to know the sales employee better. C. Isolate the sales employee to prevent any distractions, so she can concentrate on contacting new and existing clients. D. HR should talk privately and candidly with the sales employee and explain how her behaviors are impacting the department.

A. Spend time with the sales employee, interacting the same way she does with all the other team members.

An HR manager is the liaison for the sales department at an organization with roughly 600 employees. Recently the organization had a slight downturn in revenue and profit. To save money, over the past year, the sales department's senior management has laid off several administrative assistants and assigned their work tasks, such as photocopying and processing sales orders, to the sales staff. Additionally, the department has modified its compensation system by reducing base pay but increasing sales commissions. The HR manager believes that the additional work duties and new compensation system have put substantial stress on employees. It's been observed that employees seem dissatisfied with their jobs and are leaving the organization or thinking of leaving. One recently departed employee told the HR manager that he had looked for a new job because the increased workload caused him to make fewer sales, thereby significantly reducing his salary. The HR manager brings their concerns to the vice president (VP) of sales. The manager tells the VP that he is worried about the effects of these changes on the department, such as high turnover and the loss of institutional knowledge. The VP disagrees with the manager; he believes that turnover is good for the department because poorly performing employees are leaving. The VP notes that one employee comes in late, leaves early, and takes a long lunch break every day. The VP believes that the recent changes to compensation save the company money by not employing administrative assistants and motivate sales employees to work harder by focusing on sales commissions. The VP tells the HR manager to ignore employees' complaints and focus on hiring new employees who are willing to take on the additional tasks and work harder. Which approach is most effective for the HR manager to use to resolve his disagreement with the vice president of sales? A. Suggest that HR conduct several focus groups and exit interviews to find out why employees are leaving the company and if they are dissatisfied with their jobs. B. Elevate his concerns about the extra job duties and modified compensation system to the senior vice president of the division and the vice president of HR. C. Suggest that the department hire several low-cost interns to carry out basic job duties (e.g., photocopying), thereby removing some of the workload from the sales team and allowing them to focus on sales. D. Suggest to the employees that they visit the VP's office as a group and share their concerns.

A. Suggest that HR conduct several focus groups and exit interviews to find out why employees are leaving the company and if they are dissatisfied with their jobs.

The largest customer of a small consulting firm demands that the project manager terminate an employee for poor performance or the customer will terminate its contract immediately. The account project manager has documented the employee's performance as meeting expectations, there is no documentation to support a termination, and there is no place to transfer the employee to. The HR manager conducts a comprehensive investigation and learns that the employee and the customer had a verbal disagreement about how the employee had classified specific expenses and how it affects the customer's budget. The confrontation was significant but did not involve any unacceptable language. In addition, the employee's classification was technically correct; however, a reclassification was also acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles. The project manager was unaware of this conflict. The HR manager concludes that the employee did not follow the policy that requires an employee to advise the supervisor of a client issue. Because such a conflict could significantly harm the company's business, the policy states that an employee can be disciplined up to and including termination for this violation. The HR manager and the project manager prepare to meet with the employee. They consider their options. Which is the most effective option that will honor the company's policy, yet maintain the relationship with the company's customer? A. Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy. B. Tell the employee to apologize to the customer. C. Tell the employee to do nothing; it will blow over. D. The employee's behavior toward the customer was wrong, and the employee will be written up.

A. Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy.

A large metropolitan hospital acquires a small community hospital, resulting in a total employee population of 1,000. As a result of the acquisition, the accounts receivable department from the small hospital, which has only five employees, is handling all outstanding patient accounts. During a management workforce planning session, the HR director questions the accounts receivable manager about staffing requests for the following year. The manager informs the HR director that the department is adequately staffed and will not need more employees. Later the HR director learns that the manager has confessed to other managers that he hopes to be promoted to vice president by saving the hospital money from not hiring additional personnel. Two accounts receivable employees terminate their hospital employment abruptly. When cleaning out the desks of these employees, the accounts receivable manager finds over 100 accounts that have not been processed; monies are still outstanding on these overdue accounts. The manager distributes these overdue invoices to the other three remaining department employees and tells them not to mention this to the controller. These employees come to the HR director in confidence to complain about the additional work, and they confide that they were instructed not to tell the controller about the incomplete work. Which information should the director of HR present to the controller and the accounts receivable manager during the next discussion of workforce planning? A. The HR director should present critical information about the exit interviews of accounts receivable staff and benchmark data on the staffing plans of large hospitals. B. The HR director should have the remaining accounts receivable employees join the meeting and share their complaints directly with the controller and the accounts receivable manager. C. The HR director should present the concerns voiced by the departing employees and the fact that there was incomplete work hidden in their desks. D. The HR director should present information on the need to hire more staff to meet demand without revealing the work that was hidden in the departing employees' desks.

A. The HR director should present critical information about the exit interviews of accounts receivable staff and benchmark data on the staffing plans of large hospitals.

A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity. One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility. The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session. What steps should the VP of HR take to address the condition of the HR office? A. Work with the second shift HR generalist to clean up the damage and destruction of the HR office. B. Leave the office as is so everyone can see it when they arrive the next day. C. Demand that the HR manager return and clean up the HR area. D. Request employees from the site and ask for their help with cleaning up the office.

A. Work with the second shift HR generalist to clean up the damage and destruction of the HR office.

A small division of a company lacks a formal compensation structure for employees. Due to recent recruitment and retention challenges, the division recognizes the need to review newly hired and existing employees' pay rates to ensure market competitiveness and internal equity among staff. For a number of years, the division has lacked human resources support and relied upon the general managers to determine initial pay rates for new hires as well as promotional rates for internal staff based on the amount of hours worked and the employee's attendance record. No pay ranges currently exist, and leaders have the discretion to pay whatever fits within their budget. On occasion, a human resources representative from another division has offered general advice on pay practices to the division's leadership. However, they have their own divisional responsibilities, and therefore there has been very little oversight. The divisional president is considering whether or not to bring in a contract human resources leader to research, design, and implement an appropriate pay structure for all positions. Why should the division president be concerned about having a compensation structure? A. A compensation structure will enhance the strategic business partnership between human resources and finance. B. A compensation structure can help to reduce turnover by offering competitive salaries to attract new talent while promoting fair pay practices to retain tenured staff. C. The president shouldn't be concerned, since the organization has survived so long without having a formal compensation structure in place. D. A compensation structure will educate leaders how to budget for new hires in the future

B. A compensation structure can help to reduce turnover by offering competitive salaries to attract new talent while promoting fair pay practices to retain tenured staff.

An organization with multiple locations across the United States and parts of western Europe wants to increase the diversity of its sales force to better reflect its customer base, which is quite diverse in terms of its racial, gender, and ethnic demographics. Their goal of promoting diversity has been moderately successful so far. However, senior leaders and the board of directors are becoming increasingly concerned about whether they are in the best position to compete for top talent. The organization also wants to better understand employee satisfaction from a diversity perspective and is analyzing its employee engagement survey results. The VP of HR considers engaging an external diversity consultant to assist in devising a new diversity strategy that will be different from the organization's traditional approach to diversity. The primary goal is to integrate this diversity and inclusion strategy with the human resources component of the organization's strategic plan in order to better position the organization as an employer of choice. The secondary goal is to clearly articulate the role of the employees and managers and how they assist in implementing the strategy. Which is the best rationale the VP of HR should share with organizational leaders to encourage them to support the creation of a diversity council? A. A diversity council plays a strategic role, since it's a voluntary group of employees who share a particular diversity dimension. B. A diversity council ensures alignment with the organization's core business strategies, identifies obstacles, enhances communication, and recommends actions. C. A diversity council complies with legislated mandates; otherwise, it has no real strategic role. D. A diversity council's only responsibility is to set priorities for a diversity and inclusion initiative.

B. A diversity council ensures alignment with the organization's core business strategies, identifies obstacles, enhances communication, and recommends actions.

After the merger of two business entities, the new vice president (VP) of HR holds a staff meeting and tells the group that the organization now has six active vacation policies. This was identified during due diligence, but the leaders determined that it did not affect the ultimate decision to merge and that the matter should be addressed post-merger. That time has come, and the VP of HR would like the benefits managers to develop a plan with recommendations. Each policy has slightly different criteria and provisions. As a result of post-merger restructuring, it is possible for all six policies to be in effect in a single department or location. Harmonizing the policies will invariably benefit some employees and hurt others. The benefits managers need to decide if the organization should try to harmonize the policies from the merged entities or let them continue to coexist. The VP of HR adds another complication. The leadership of the two entities has been merged "on paper," but there is still a lot of struggling behind the scenes to establish or increase power and influence. The VP of HR would like it if the team could avoid making this issue an opportunity for a proxy power struggle. Given the sensitive nature of the issue and the recent nature of the merger, what approach does the HR team need to implement to communicate changes to the vacation policy? A. Communicate the decision to the business leaders and request that they only e-mail the information to their employees. B. After leadership approval, directly communicate to all stakeholders the decision and the impact on them and the business. C. Include the decision and the new policy in the newsletter under the heading of ongoing merger and acquisition activity. D. Include the information about the policy in the employee handbook and on the intranet.

B. After leadership approval, directly communicate to all stakeholders the decision and the impact on them and the business.

The recruiting department is overwhelmed with requests to hire more employees for a 24-hour company call center. Recently, several recruiters and a number of long-time, high-level performers resigned to work for competitors for better pay. The remaining workforce feels that the work is tedious, the pay is low, the space is noisy, and there are no opportunities for advancement. A high-volume contract recruiter from a local search firm has been brought in to assist in hiring for the call center vacancies. The contract recruiter sets up a private office and is given system access to all online search engines paid for by the company. The office doubles as an interview room, and the company is charged a finder's fee for each candidate that the call center manager interviews. The HR manager is alerted in casual conversation with the call center employees that the contract recruiter is the spouse of the call center manager and that several nonqualified candidates have been sent through the interview process at the company's expense. How might the HR manager quickly address compensation to assist with retention? A. Increase the opportunity for telecommuting for all employees at all times. B. Based on local regulations, award premium pay for evening, holiday, and long hours. C. Outsource the entire call center to save costs to the business. D. Hire temporary workers to fill the gap in the short term.

B. Based on local regulations, award premium pay for evening, holiday, and long hours.

A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity. One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility. The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session. What is the first step the VP should take before proceeding to the factory? A. Call the HR manager to discuss the incident, conveying concern that this behavior is inconsistent with the organization's values and policies. B. Call security to notify them of her pending arrival and request to meet to review the surveillance coverage. C. Call the local police to request their presence at the site to bring forward charges of property destruction against the manager. D. Call the site general manager to inform him of the situation, advising that the HR manager will be terminated.

B. Call security to notify them of her pending arrival and request to meet to review the surveillance coverage.

The company president comes to the HR director and expresses considerable concern about customer complaints of poor service. Although the customer service manager has been with the company for five years, she is new to supervising and leading staff. The president has heard rumors that the department is in total chaos and asks the HR director to visit the manager and find out what is happening in the department. The HR director visits the customer service department and speaks with the manager. The manager confesses to being overwhelmed with the employee relations issues in the department and admits to being intimidated by the nepotism that exists within the company. Employees answer an average of two calls per hour, but the industry standard is six per hour. The manager welcomes any assistance the HR director can provide. The department is not fully staffed. There is a vacant position, and the job has been posted for two weeks. Other company employees do not want to apply because of the employee relations issues in the department. The HR director is advised that a customer service representative has been seen consuming alcohol on company property. This was witnessed by three other employees. How should the HR director handle this situation? A. Contact the supervisor and advise her that the company is immediately terminating the employee. B. Conduct an investigation after notifying the supervisor and sending the employee home on paid administrative leave. C. Encourage the employee to resign in order to avoid the embarrassment of an investigation. D. Ask the supervisor to counsel the employee on the consumption of drugs and alcohol in the workplace

B. Conduct an investigation after notifying the supervisor and sending the employee home on paid administrative leave.

For the past several years, a company has experienced frequent turnover in the CFO position due to poor performance. After the first CFO was terminated, the VP of HR and the CEO reviewed the job description. A selection committee was formed to perform interviews with candidates, and a single interview was held with each candidate using knowledge-based questions. After three months a candidate was hired. One year later the candidate was released due to poor performance. The same recruiting process was used with a limited selection of candidates. A third CFO was hired three months later. The company is now preparing to terminate this CFO due to poor job performance and not meeting the expectations of the company. Which metrics should the VP of HR use to best support the changes in the hiring process for the CFO? A. Training cost B. Cost of hire and cost of turnover C. Regression analysis D. Compa-ratio

B. Cost of hire and cost of turnover

The recruiting department is overwhelmed with requests to hire more employees for a 24-hour company call center. Recently, several recruiters and a number of long-time, high-level performers resigned to work for competitors for better pay. The remaining workforce feels that the work is tedious, the pay is low, the space is noisy, and there are no opportunities for advancement. A high-volume contract recruiter from a local search firm has been brought in to assist in hiring for the call center vacancies. The contract recruiter sets up a private office and is given system access to all online search engines paid for by the company. The office doubles as an interview room, and the company is charged a finder's fee for each candidate that the call center manager interviews. The HR manager is alerted in casual conversation with the call center employees that the contract recruiter is the spouse of the call center manager and that several nonqualified candidates have been sent through the interview process at the company's expense. What is the best solution the HR manager can suggest to address turnover? A. Survey the employees to determine if on-site day care is of interest to permit working parents to bring their children to work. B. Create a new career path within the organizational structure that will give the employees opportunities for promotion and develop them into future supervisors. C. Rotate employees on different shifts so they will be able to work with other team members and will not become bored. D. The HR manager really can't offer creative solutions that will reduce turnover; therefore, the manager should focus on recruiting new talent.

B. Create a new career path within the organizational structure that will give the employees opportunities for promotion and develop them into future supervisors.

A downturn in the economy has resulted in reduced funding. Recently other nonprofits have entered the field and are vying for the same financial resources, resulting in employees working longer hours in a fierce competition to earn grants. Key areas in the most recent employee engagement survey dropped significantly, citing the long hours and pay inequities. In contrast, however, employees were quite pleased with the benefits that are offered, the positive work environment, and recognition for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. How should the HR director respond to the negative feedback from employees? A. Wait until the organization's funding stabilizes, and then see if the negative feedback subsides. B. Create an employee engagement strategy and business case to present to the CEO and the board. C. Withhold further action, since the good comments from the survey far outweigh the negative comments. D. Continue to research the issues to understand if there are more negative things that are wrong.

B. Create an employee engagement strategy and business case to present to the CEO and the board.

An organization with multiple locations across the United States and parts of western Europe wants to increase the diversity of its sales force to better reflect its customer base, which is quite diverse in terms of its racial, gender, and ethnic demographics. Their goal of promoting diversity has been moderately successful so far. However, senior leaders and the board of directors are becoming increasingly concerned about whether they are in the best position to compete for top talent. The organization also wants to better understand employee satisfaction from a diversity perspective and is analyzing its employee engagement survey results. The VP of HR considers engaging an external diversity consultant to assist in devising a new diversity strategy that will be different from the organization's traditional approach to diversity. The primary goal is to integrate this diversity and inclusion strategy with the human resources component of the organization's strategic plan in order to better position the organization as an employer of choice. The secondary goal is to clearly articulate the role of the employees and managers and how they assist in implementing the strategy. Which action should the VP of HR take to develop performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of the diversity and inclusion strategy? A. Present a proposal to the organization's board of directors, as there is no need for in-depth research. B. Create performance metrics based on internal company data and external benchmarks. C. Research what the general standards are in order to avoid any negative attention. D. Analyze internal data and metrics that were previously used by the company.

B. Create performance metrics based on internal company data and external benchmarks.

The CEO of a manufacturing organization with multiple domestic locations wants to expand the organization's operations to a new country to gain access to new markets. The organization has no experience with manufacturing internationally or dealing with expatriate issues. The CEO decides to acquire a small manufacturing company in another country. The acquired company has grown significantly in recent years and is struggling to deal with its growing pains, with many of the management staff having only a few years of management experience. Cost savings are anticipated from acquisition, as it would allow for restructuring and resizing the workforce. However, employees fear that these changes will cost many of them their jobs, including transitioning domestic jobs to the location in the new country. The VP of HR believes that a fully integrated workforce strategy, including the design of leadership training, is needed. The HR manager in the new location has just resigned. In keeping with an ethnocentric approach, the VP of HR wants the position filled from the corporate office so as to retain as much control and consistency as possible between the home country and the new location. Which is the best first step for the VP of HR to take to assist in preparing a new workforce strategy? A. Researching the local and country labor laws and customs in order to prepare a workforce strategy and making all decisions by himself B. Engaging a consultant with expertise in local and country laws and customs to help in preparing a workforce strategy C. Contacting the organization's local sales representative for advice on the local labor force and how best to approach integrating the organizations D. Using the organization's current workforce strategy as a guide to developing a workforce strategy for the new location

B. Engaging a consultant with expertise in local and country laws and customs to help in preparing a workforce strategy

After the merger of two business entities, the new vice president (VP) of HR holds a staff meeting and tells the group that the organization now has six active vacation policies. This was identified during due diligence, but the leaders determined that it did not affect the ultimate decision to merge and that the matter should be addressed post-merger. That time has come, and the VP of HR would like the benefits managers to develop a plan with recommendations. Each policy has slightly different criteria and provisions. As a result of post-merger restructuring, it is possible for all six policies to be in effect in a single department or location. Harmonizing the policies will invariably benefit some employees and hurt others. The benefits managers need to decide if the organization should try to harmonize the policies from the merged entities or let them continue to coexist. The VP of HR adds another complication. The leadership of the two entities has been merged "on paper," but there is still a lot of struggling behind the scenes to establish or increase power and influence. The VP of HR would like it if the team could avoid making this issue an opportunity for a proxy power struggle. A member of the HR team tells her colleagues that she has been approached by one of the business heads and pressured to support a solution that would leave the vacation policies of one of the merged entities intact. She asks advice about responding. What is the best piece of advice to give in this situation? A. Suggest she tell the VP of HR about this incident and ask that they manage this behavior. B. Explain that she has to support the best interests of the organization; however, she should work to understand the reason for the request. C. Recommend that she proactively contact the business head and request that this not happen again. D. Encourage her to transition the request to the CEO and the VP of HR because this is beyond her responsibility.

B. Explain that she has to support the best interests of the organization; however, she should work to understand the reason for the request.

In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. The HR director confirms that absence of diversity is an issue in certain departments. Given the organization's lack of recognition, what is the next step he should take? A. Discipline the interviewers for engaging in discriminatory hiring practices that have occurred. B. Explain to interviewers and managers why diversity among employees is good for business. C. Encourage interviewers to read a copy of the company's diversity policy. D. Develop a company-wide diversity hiring program to help reverse this identified trend.

B. Explain to interviewers and managers why diversity among employees is good for business.

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. After consideration and budget approval from the CEO and the CFO, what is the first step the HR manager should take to introduce the reading program to company employees? A. Send an e-mail to all supervisors requesting that all of their employees plan to attend the company reading improvement program. B. Form a small pilot group of employees, including employees with a reading level below the national average, and test the program. C. Post an announcement in the breakroom that a reading improvement program is available to any employee who cannot read. D. Send an e-mail to all employees announcing that a reading improvement program is available for any employee who cannot read.

B. Form a small pilot group of employees, including employees with a reading level below the national average, and test the program.

The company president comes to the HR director and expresses considerable concern about customer complaints of poor service. Although the customer service manager has been with the company for five years, she is new to supervising and leading staff. The president has heard rumors that the department is in total chaos and asks the HR director to visit the manager and find out what is happening in the department. The HR director visits the customer service department and speaks with the manager. The manager confesses to being overwhelmed with the employee relations issues in the department and admits to being intimidated by the nepotism that exists within the company. Employees answer an average of two calls per hour, but the industry standard is six per hour. The manager welcomes any assistance the HR director can provide. The department is not fully staffed. There is a vacant position, and the job has been posted for two weeks. Other company employees do not want to apply because of the employee relations issues in the department. An HR staff member who has been assigned to monitor social media for references to the company reports to the HR director that an employee has posted a story about poor customer service at the company on a popular social media site. The employee says that this story is typical of the company's attitude toward its customers and its employees. The HR staff member thinks the employee is publicizing proprietary information. The director is not sure about that. How should the HR director handle this situation? A. Fire the employee immediately, as breach of confidentiality is grounds for immediate termination. B. See if the employee is willing to discuss the situation in private. C. Send the matter to outside legal counsel. D. Document the breach in the employee's file.

B. See if the employee is willing to discuss the situation in private.

A global consulting firm hires a director of business development from outside the organization, much to the disappointment of one of the managers in the department, who also applied for the position. This manager complains bitterly about the decision to go outside of the firm, and he continues to exhibit disruptive and angry behavior. He feels that he has been unfairly treated, since he believes that he has more experience than the newly hired director. Two months later, the new director of business development has made changes that most of her team are quite excited about. Unfortunately, this does not include the disappointed manager. He openly criticizes the director's ideas, even escalating this criticism to the CEO. He comes to HR to discuss his options in the company. The new director has also come separately to HR regarding the continued hostility from this manager and also about a new employee on the global sales team, who tends to stay to herself and does not interact with the rest of the team. The new sales employee has no problems with attaining her sales goals, but the director does not see her as a "team player" and asks the HR manager for assistance with how best to deal with both of these situations. What response should the HR manager provide to the disappointed and angry manager? A. Acknowledge his viewpoint, and let him vent as much as he needs so that it does not impact his work or damage his credibility. B. Show empathy for his disappointment, confirm that the process was objective, and provide specific deficiencies from his interview for the job. C. Indicate that his approach is not acceptable and that this is an example of the type of attitude that led to his not getting the job. D. Tell him that the process was fair and that if he isn't happy he should consider resigning and going to another organization.

B. Show empathy for his disappointment, confirm that the process was objective, and provide specific deficiencies from his interview for the job.

An HR vice president briefly reviews the company's employee performance scores and relevant compensation increases over the past four years. The data reveals a .7 correlation between performance scores and salary increases and a significance level of less than .05. Additionally, the HR VP finds that the use of personal days increases by 30% around the annual performance review time and production falls by 5%. Over the past three years, there has been a steady decline in profits and employee morale. Employees seem less engaged, and both the voluntary and involuntary turnover rates are currently 15 percentage points over the industry average. The senior team asks HR if there is any correlation between the performance scores, decreased production, and employee engagement. As the HR VP is conducting a cursory review of the current performance management system and analyzing the data to make recommendations, the CEO asks the HR VP to increase all salaries by 4%, citing the correlation between salaries and performance as a rationale. The next week, at the weekly management team meeting, one of the senior leaders states that at her previous company the employees were 80% engaged, and she suggests using the same number as an engagement benchmark. The CEO likes this number and asks the HR VP to put a plan in place to meet this engagement number. Another senior leader suggests to the HR VP that the company should prohibit the use of personal leave before, during, and after the review period. Which recommendation should the HR VP make after conducting the review and analysis of the current performance management system? A. Do nothing, since correlation does not imply causation. Recommend leaving the performance management system the way it is. B. Suggest a complete review of the performance management system due to perceived central tendency errors. C. Wait six months and then review the performance management system again to see if the data remains consistent. D. Eliminate the current performance appraisal process, since there is no correlation between performance scores and salary increases.

B. Suggest a complete review of the performance management system due to perceived central tendency errors.

A company has experienced a high degree of turnover during the past year. Senior leadership is concerned about the amount of turnover and worried that HR is not moving fast enough to fill these positions. The hiring managers say that the applicant pools have been weak lately and they have had trouble finding qualified applicants to hire from within the pools HR provides. HR has relied heavily on recruiting by word of mouth, which in the past has generated applicants that fit the company's culture. The award for referrals that result in hiring has also been popular with employees. What would be the best way for HR to address the senior leaders' concerns about turnover? A. Tell senior management that HR will ask the hiring managers why so many positions are open in order to determine the cause of the turnover. B. Tell senior management that HR will do an analysis of the current turnover rate across fiscal years to determine if the turnover rate has changed drastically. C. Tell senior management that HR will meet with hiring managers about projecting hiring needs more effectively. D. Tell senior management that HR will benchmark the company's experiences against those of similar companies to determine if the organization's situation represents an industry-wide trend or is an isolated occurrence.

B. Tell senior management that HR will do an analysis of the current turnover rate across fiscal years to determine if the turnover rate has changed drastically.

A hospital has recently seen a significant increase in the turnover of nurses. Many recent hires have left to work at a nearby privately run clinic. This is puzzling since there have been rumors about this clinic's financial outlook. The HR business partner for the hospital has been asked to design and oversee a recruitment campaign to attract ten new nurses and an additional five nurse trainees. One of the measures of success that has been given to the HR business partner is that these new hires need to remain with the hospital for a minimum of 18 months. The hospital is looking to have these individuals onboarded within six weeks. While trying to manage recruiting and hiring, the HR business partner keeps thinking about the hospital's retention issue. In reviewing exit interview information, the business partner has noticed a trend: Many of the nurses who have left indicated that the private clinic has a more modern location, better hours, and great employee facilities that include a gym. Hospital leadership has also been criticized, in particular, the hospital administrator, for her negative attitude and lack of recognition. Over lunch with an HR acquaintance who works at the private clinic, the business partner inquires about how the clinic has been so successful in attracting and retaining staff. To the HR business partner's surprise, the colleague shares that much of the feedback she hears as to why people leave the hospital is the hospital's wage and benefits structure. The business partner realizes that he has his hands full in addressing the many issues in order to achieve his hiring objectives, improve retention, and decrease turnover. What is the first step the HR business partner needs to take to attract and hire for the vacant positions? A. The HR business partner should engage a recruitment agency that specializes in contingent workers. B. The HR business partner needs to establish a time line for meeting the six-week due date that includes when and how he will advertise the positions and create an advertisement to attract individuals whose values align with those of the hospital. C. The HR business partner should engage a local recruiting agency for advice on creating an advertisement that will attract people who are less likely to leave the hospital. D. The HR business partner should ask his colleagues in the hospital HR group what the historical recruiting process is and follow that approach to save time and increase the chances of success.

B. The HR business partner needs to establish a time line for meeting the six-week due date that includes when and how he will advertise the positions and create an advertisement to attract individuals whose values align with those of the hospital.

A hospital has recently seen a significant increase in the turnover of nurses. Many recent hires have left to work at a nearby privately run clinic. This is puzzling since there have been rumors about this clinic's financial outlook. The HR business partner for the hospital has been asked to design and oversee a recruitment campaign to attract ten new nurses and an additional five nurse trainees. One of the measures of success that has been given to the HR business partner is that these new hires need to remain with the hospital for a minimum of 18 months. The hospital is looking to have these individuals onboarded within six weeks. While trying to manage recruiting and hiring, the HR business partner keeps thinking about the hospital's retention issue. In reviewing exit interview information, the business partner has noticed a trend: Many of the nurses who have left indicated that the private clinic has a more modern location, better hours, and great employee facilities that include a gym. Hospital leadership has also been criticized, in particular, the hospital administrator, for her negative attitude and lack of recognition. Over lunch with an HR acquaintance who works at the private clinic, the business partner inquires about how the clinic has been so successful in attracting and retaining staff. To the HR business partner's surprise, the colleague shares that much of the feedback she hears as to why people leave the hospital is the hospital's wage and benefits structure. The business partner realizes that he has his hands full in addressing the many issues in order to achieve his hiring objectives, improve retention, and decrease turnover. As the deadline approaches, the HR business partner has not met the hiring goal. What should the HR business partner do next? A. The HR business partner should attempt to recruit the clinic's employees by sharing the rumors about the clinic's questionable future. B. The HR business partner should take a proactive approach and meet with the hospital administrator to review success to date, renegotiate the deadline, and propose a strategy to fill the last few positions. C. The HR business partner should still try to meet the deadline. However, if the goal is not accomplished, then the HR business partner should inform the administrator on the day of the deadline. D. The HR business partner should tell the administrator that the hiring is complete and, on the date of orientation, explain that three of the nurses have declined the offer.

B. The HR business partner should take a proactive approach and meet with the hospital administrator to review success to date, renegotiate the deadline, and propose a strategy to fill the last few positions.

The largest customer of a small consulting firm demands that the project manager terminate an employee for poor performance or the customer will terminate its contract immediately. The account project manager has documented the employee's performance as meeting expectations, there is no documentation to support a termination, and there is no place to transfer the employee to. The HR manager conducts a comprehensive investigation and learns that the employee and the customer had a verbal disagreement about how the employee had classified specific expenses and how it affects the customer's budget. The confrontation was significant but did not involve any unacceptable language. In addition, the employee's classification was technically correct; however, a reclassification was also acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles. The project manager was unaware of this conflict. The HR manager concludes that the employee did not follow the policy that requires an employee to advise the supervisor of a client issue. Because such a conflict could significantly harm the company's business, the policy states that an employee can be disciplined up to and including termination for this violation. What can management do to improve the communication between the project manager and the project manager's employees so that this type of event does not recur? A. Since the manager feels bad about what has happened, the company should take the "lessons learned" approach. No other action is necessary. B. The manager's supervisor should meet with the project manager for coaching on the responsibilities of day-to-day supervision and communication with employees and the customer. C. Management should tell the project manager to work more closely with the customer. D. The project manager should be written up.

B. The manager's supervisor should meet with the project manager for coaching on the responsibilities of day-to-day supervision and communication with employees and the customer.

A new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints. What priority should the HR manager give to the unused HRIS? A. This should be a lower priority than a SWOT analysis, as the results from that analysis will help determine if it is necessary to have an HRIS. B. This should be a priority after maintaining services to the other departments. C. This should be the top HR priority, as the data available from the system will help in making better decisions on a variety of HR initiatives and cost-saving measures. D. This should be a low priority due to the time required to implement the system. With more urgent issues to be addressed, it will take several months before useful information will be available from the system.

B. This should be a priority after maintaining services to the other departments.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager recommend to measure the acceptance of the new culture after it's announced and implemented? A. Have spontaneous conversations with employees to see how they feel about the recent changes. B. Use both process and outcomes evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the program. C. Measure employee attrition rates and see if there is an increase in employee departures after the changes. D. Solely rely on feedback from the heads of each department to determine the effectiveness of the change.

B. Use both process and outcomes evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the program.

An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further. What practices could the HR manager implement to protect the organization's reputation at this point in time? A. Speak with the spouse directly, sharing the process that will be taken to ensure safe working conditions for all employees. B. Suspend the employee until the spouse's comments are removed, and, if they are not, terminate employment. C. Begin the investigation of the safety concern, monitor future postings, and make no further requests to remove the comments. D. Accept the spouse's request for a meeting to discuss the concerns and to ensure that it is clear that the firm is in compliance.

C. Begin the investigation of the safety concern, monitor future postings, and make no further requests to remove the comments.

A small division of a company lacks a formal compensation structure for employees. Due to recent recruitment and retention challenges, the division recognizes the need to review newly hired and existing employees' pay rates to ensure market competitiveness and internal equity among staff. For a number of years, the division has lacked human resources support and relied upon the general managers to determine initial pay rates for new hires as well as promotional rates for internal staff based on the amount of hours worked and the employee's attendance record. No pay ranges currently exist, and leaders have the discretion to pay whatever fits within their budget. On occasion, a human resources representative from another division has offered general advice on pay practices to the division's leadership. However, they have their own divisional responsibilities, and therefore there has been very little oversight. The divisional president is considering whether or not to bring in a contract human resources leader to research, design, and implement an appropriate pay structure for all positions. How should the HR leader address the information uncovered in relation to promotional pay practices? A. Implement a wage structure program considering employees' insights and suggestions. B. Be transparent and share the information with all employees during a company meeting. C. Benchmark multiple data sources and recommend a comprehensive structure for all positions. D. The HR leader should not worry about the practice, as it has worked for the organization for years.

C. Benchmark multiple data sources and recommend a comprehensive structure for all positions.

A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate human resources team with all HR functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the vice presidents of HR, who report to the senior vice president of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A human resources manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. How should the team start the process of determining the appropriate HR servicing model? A. By reviewing financial results and productivity measures for the company B. By researching and implementing trends and best practices of other organizations C. By determining a structure that will align with the company's strategic plan and objectives D. By talking with employees to gain insight about what outcomes they are looking for

C. By determining a structure that will align with the company's strategic plan and objectives

An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further. What approach can the HR manager take to address the request for a meeting with the leadership team? A. Acknowledge the request from the spouse, telling them to have the employee contact HR with details. B. Meet with the employee, the spouse, and the supervisor to discuss the concern and to collaborate on next steps. C. Clearly explain to the employee why a meeting with the spouse will not be necessary to resolve the concern submitted. D. Inform the employee that a meeting will be scheduled once the comments are removed from the social media site.

C. Clearly explain to the employee why a meeting with the spouse will not be necessary to resolve the concern submitted

The CEO of a manufacturing organization with multiple domestic locations wants to expand the organization's operations to a new country to gain access to new markets. The organization has no experience with manufacturing internationally or dealing with expatriate issues. The CEO decides to acquire a small manufacturing company in another country. The acquired company has grown significantly in recent years and is struggling to deal with its growing pains, with many of the management staff having only a few years of management experience. Cost savings are anticipated from acquisition, as it would allow for restructuring and resizing the workforce. However, employees fear that these changes will cost many of them their jobs, including transitioning domestic jobs to the location in the new country. The VP of HR believes that a fully integrated workforce strategy, including the design of leadership training, is needed. The HR manager in the new location has just resigned. In keeping with an ethnocentric approach, the VP of HR wants the position filled from the corporate office so as to retain as much control and consistency as possible between the home country and the new location. What action should HR take first that would allow for retention of the greatest number of employees? A. Increasing all employees' compensation so the organization will be a market leader in all locations B. Researching Hofstede's value dimensions to appeal to the dimension of uncertainty avoidance C. Collaborating with leaders to develop a customized approach to retention for each key employee D. Offering employees seniority-based incentives to remain until the acquisition is complete

C. Collaborating with leaders to develop a customized approach to retention for each key employee

In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. Which action should the HR director take to encourage department heads to use a new hiring process? A. Conduct an audit of company-wide hiring practices to demonstrate internal discrepancies. B. Present anecdotal evidence from similar companies that show the benefits of a centralized hiring processes. C. Conduct a benchmarking study to compare the organization's hiring outcomes (diversity, etc.) to those of similar organizations. D. Ask department heads what data they would need from a new hiring process.

C. Conduct a benchmarking study to compare the organization's hiring outcomes (diversity, etc.) to those of similar organizations.

A publicly owned company has acquired a small privately owned company. The small company had grown too big for the former owners to manage. Prior to the acquisition, the owners were both heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making of the company, but they are not adept in effective management practices. Both former owners have signed contracts to remain with the company for two years post-acquisition to be a resource as the integration is completed. Policies and controls in the small company were nonexistent. The treatment of employees was not consistent, and employee morale is low, primarily due to the uncertainty in the acquisition and the fear of favoritism. The HR manager assigned to perform due diligence on merging the small company has found additional issues. There is a substantiated allegation that one of the owners of the small company was involved in a romantic affair with a female subordinate, and the HR/finance clerk was demoted for inappropriately allocating funds from the company to his personal bank account. Both of these issues were addressed and the matters closed without any further disciplinary action being taken with either of the individuals. The CEO of the acquiring company asks the HR manager to make the needed changes to ensure compliance with laws and policies, as soon as possible, without upsetting the former owners. The HR manager believes that the new company needs an HR manager on site. The former owners disagree and believe that the finance/HR clerk is sufficient. What is the first step the HR manager should take to resolve the difference of opinion? A. Disregard the former owners' opinion and recommend hiring an HR manager to address compliance in this part of the organization. B. Inform the organization's legal counsel of the lack of compliance and advise them to prepare for defending against any future claims. C. Conduct an audit of the HR department to determine effectiveness, capability, and historic compliance with organizational policies, laws, and regulations. D. To build a solid relationship with the former owners, hold off on making any recommendations or changes for at least three months.

C. Conduct an audit of the HR department to determine effectiveness, capability, and historic compliance with organizational policies, laws, and regulations.

The CEO of a manufacturing organization with multiple domestic locations wants to expand the organization's operations to a new country to gain access to new markets. The organization has no experience with manufacturing internationally or dealing with expatriate issues. The CEO decides to acquire a small manufacturing company in another country. The acquired company has grown significantly in recent years and is struggling to deal with its growing pains, with many of the management staff having only a few years of management experience. Cost savings are anticipated from acquisition, as it would allow for restructuring and resizing the workforce. However, employees fear that these changes will cost many of them their jobs, including transitioning domestic jobs to the location in the new country. The VP of HR believes that a fully integrated workforce strategy, including the design of leadership training, is needed. The HR manager in the new location has just resigned. In keeping with an ethnocentric approach, the VP of HR wants the position filled from the corporate office so as to retain as much control and consistency as possible between the home country and the new location. Which action should HR take first when designing a leadership training and development plan for the newly acquired facility? A. Implementing the domestic leadership development plan as a model, as this is now one company and everyone should develop the same skill sets B. Interviewing the former president of the newly acquired facility for an assessment of staff leadership needs and, based on that, implementing the plan C. Conducting a full gap analysis between current and future leadership needs of the new facility and then designing a plan to meet those needs D. Asking the newly acquired employees what type of training they feel they need in order to best integrate with the rest of the organization

C. Conducting a full gap analysis between current and future leadership needs of the new facility and then designing a plan to meet those needs

The leadership of a medium-sized technology company has determined that the most viable option to expand their product line is to merge with an existing, larger company. HR is part of the team conducting due diligence for the merger. One item that concerns HR is the different approaches the companies have to work/life balance. The employees of the old company feel that they are treated unfairly because pay, benefits, and working conditions are different within work groups. HR believes that the new company should have a blend of the cultures and the benefits of the two companies. HR is responsible for communicating the decision to the current employees and developing a timetable for the integration. Employees are excited to join the larger company, based on rumors of better pay and benefits with the new organization. The new company is ready to reduce redundancy in key leadership positions and develops a work group to identify positions for elimination. After identifying duplicate positions, managers must recommend individual employees for termination. The merger of the two companies is underway, and HR has been asked to develop organizational effectiveness measures to improve performance and productivity. HR has undertaken the OED process. One group has declined in performance, productivity, and profits. The leadership team has asked HR to review the situation and provide a recommendation. The manager of this group has a reputation of having an abrasive management style. Leadership has tasked HR with outlining an effective change management plan. What is the first thing HR should do to help manage the change in the organization? A. Communicate the change management plan to all of the employees. B. Measure the effectiveness of the change. C. Consult with the organization's leaders to identify potential gaps in culture and processes. D. Conduct a survey of the industry, asking specific questions about merger activity successes.

C. Consult with the organization's leaders to identify potential gaps in culture and processes.

An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further. What action can the HR manager take to demonstrate that the employee's concerns are being taken seriously? A. Remind the employee that safety is a core value in the firm, and therefore, if necessary, the equipment will be replaced after inspection. B. Due to the unprofessional behavior of the employee and the employee's spouse, HR should dismiss the concerns. C. Coordinate an inspection of the equipment and inform the employee that any immediate safety issues will be addressed. D. Thoroughly document the employee's concerns and send them to the supervisor and the employee with recommended next steps.

C. Coordinate an inspection of the equipment and inform the employee that any immediate safety issues will be addressed.

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.

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. What steps should the HR director take to develop a short list of possible training vendors? A. Conduct an online search of the best training companies and send the resulting list to the CEO. B. Rank the companies in regard to their prices and present the five lowest bids, as cost is an issue. C. Determine, with the CEO, key criteria that should be considered, using this information to narrow the search. D. Ask for input on the short list from another employee who has done this type of training before.

C. Determine, with the CEO, key criteria that should be considered, using this information to narrow the search

The HR department in a musical instrument company is struggling to support the company's rapid growth. The company, which started as the home business of a casual musician, logged $17 million in sales last year. The HR department has hired additional team members over the years but hasn't changed its structure since start-up. All HR team members currently function as generalists, doing whatever it takes to support the company. The organization now consists of multiple store franchises. Each store has a sales department, a service and repair department, and a department offering music lessons. This initial product and service offering was followed by instrument rentals and later the acquisition of a publishing company that specializes in learning guides for new musicians and music teachers. The company's newest effort, the production of their own brand of mandolin, is recognized by most of the senior leaders as a high-risk effort but with the potential for a profitable high-margin instrument being added to their product line. With the rapid growth and expansion, the CEO is becoming increasingly concerned about quality and has made it clear that the entire corporation is to prioritize quality and efficiency while maintaining focus on the strategic plan. After careful research, the HR director learns that many similar organizations have successfully implemented a shared services model with focused HR business partners, centers of excellence, and a centralized HR service center. Which approach is best for the HR director to take to determine the viability of this option? A. Define new roles based upon a shared services model and present the information to the leadership team. B. Partner with an external consultant to develop and implement a pilot of the shared services model. C. Develop a business case for the shared services model, including cost implications, and present it to the CEO. D. Send out an announcement about the intent to move to a shared services model and request feedback.

C. Develop a business case for the shared services model, including cost implications, and present it to the CEO.

The largest customer of a small consulting firm demands that the project manager terminate an employee for poor performance or the customer will terminate its contract immediately. The account project manager has documented the employee's performance as meeting expectations, there is no documentation to support a termination, and there is no place to transfer the employee to. The HR manager conducts a comprehensive investigation and learns that the employee and the customer had a verbal disagreement about how the employee had classified specific expenses and how it affects the customer's budget. The confrontation was significant but did not involve any unacceptable language. In addition, the employee's classification was technically correct; however, a reclassification was also acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles. The project manager was unaware of this conflict. The HR manager concludes that the employee did not follow the policy that requires an employee to advise the supervisor of a client issue. Because such a conflict could significantly harm the company's business, the policy states that an employee can be disciplined up to and including termination for this violation. What steps can HR implement to ensure that this type of event does not recur with the company's current employees? A. Implement a "buddy system" so employees always have a fellow employee to seek advice from. B. Review the onboarding agenda to make sure that employees are aware of workplace policies that are related to customer interface and that they are clearly understood. C. Meet with the entire project manager group to review policies, their job descriptions, and how to handle issues faced in day-to-day supervision. D. Send a company-wide e-mail with the policies attached.

C. Meet with the entire project manager group to review policies, their job descriptions, and how to handle issues faced in day-to-day supervision.

An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter? I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. If the employee agrees to follow the policy, which recommended action should the HR generalist suggest to the manager? A. Reiterate to the employee that if the employee does not follow the policy going forward, there will be documentation. B. Nothing. The employee has stated that he knows the policy and will follow it. C. Note the date and time the employee agrees to the policy and send a recap e-mail to the employee regarding his acknowledgment and the expectations. D. Inform the three employees that have been complaining about this particular employee that the issue is resolved and that they don't have to worry about it.

C. Note the date and time the employee agrees to the policy and send a recap e-mail to the employee regarding his acknowledgment and the expectations.

For the past several years, a company has experienced frequent turnover in the CFO position due to poor performance. After the first CFO was terminated, the VP of HR and the CEO reviewed the job description. A selection committee was formed to perform interviews with candidates, and a single interview was held with each candidate using knowledge-based questions. After three months a candidate was hired. One year later the candidate was released due to poor performance. The same recruiting process was used with a limited selection of candidates. A third CFO was hired three months later. The company is now preparing to terminate this CFO due to poor job performance and not meeting the expectations of the company. Which should the VP of HR include in a recommendation to best help the CEO understand why a new executive onboarding process is critical? A. Onboarding is something that all companies do. B. Onboarding offers a soft start to any employee's position. C. Onboarding establishes a thorough understanding of the organization. D. Onboarding yields a satisfactory employee experience

C. Onboarding establishes a thorough understanding of the organization.

A downturn in the economy has resulted in reduced funding. Recently other nonprofits have entered the field and are vying for the same financial resources, resulting in employees working longer hours in a fierce competition to earn grants. Key areas in the most recent employee engagement survey dropped significantly, citing the long hours and pay inequities. In contrast, however, employees were quite pleased with the benefits that are offered, the positive work environment, and recognition for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. How should the director build upon the organization's strengths in employee engagement? A. Do nothing, as the results are good. B. Coordinate a celebration of the results. C. Outline a strategy to capitalize on them. D. Offer bonuses to all employees.

C. Outline a strategy to capitalize on them.

The performance of the head of the IT department has been eroding in the past few years. The employee is no longer capable of meeting the minimum expectations of this role as result of not keeping current in his professional development. Management is struggling to hold the employee accountable while also keeping employee morale positive. There is also a concern that, if placed on a performance improvement plan or a documented coaching program, the employee would respond negatively and retaliate by wreaking havoc on the organization's IT infrastructure. The length of employment has allowed the employee to be protected from accountability in the past. Management has decided that the current situation is no longer tenable, but they also realize the precarious place they have put the organization in by failing to have sufficient safeguards in place to protect company assets. Management approaches the new HR generalist and asks what steps they can take to either create an environment where the IT manager can succeed or effectively manage the IT manager out of the organization. Prior to this discussion, the HR generalist was not aware of either the previous protections afforded to the employee or of the failure of management to hold the employee accountable. The HR generalist is concerned that management has tolerated this behavior for so long and wonders if there are other employees in the organization who have been similarly protected from being held accountable or being disciplined. The HR generalist realizes that two issues need to be addressed. What should the HR generalist recommend to address the more pressing concern regarding the individual employee performance? A. In order to prevent conflict, privately confront the employee directly and state that accountability will be consistent for all employees going forward. B. Review with management the issues that have been ongoing and what the expectations for the employee will be in the future. C. Partner with management to create a performance improvement plan that addresses current shortcomings, including a time line in which to resolve them. D. Meet with both management and the employee to gather additional information to make a more informed recommendation.

C. Partner with management to create a performance improvement plan that addresses current shortcomings, including a time line in which to resolve them.

An organization with multiple locations across the United States and parts of western Europe wants to increase the diversity of its sales force to better reflect its customer base, which is quite diverse in terms of its racial, gender, and ethnic demographics. Their goal of promoting diversity has been moderately successful so far. However, senior leaders and the board of directors are becoming increasingly concerned about whether they are in the best position to compete for top talent. The organization also wants to better understand employee satisfaction from a diversity perspective and is analyzing its employee engagement survey results. The VP of HR considers engaging an external diversity consultant to assist in devising a new diversity strategy that will be different from the organization's traditional approach to diversity. The primary goal is to integrate this diversity and inclusion strategy with the human resources component of the organization's strategic plan in order to better position the organization as an employer of choice. The secondary goal is to clearly articulate the role of the employees and managers and how they assist in implementing the strategy. Which action should the diversity consultant take to help the VP of HR with the creation and implementation of a successful diversity and inclusion strategy? A. Advise the VP on how to manage the six layers of diversity and avoid issues stemming from covering. B. Propose to the board that the strategy be implemented to avoid negative public perceptions. C. Partner with the VP to ensure that stakeholders actively support the diversity and inclusion strategy. D. Tell the VP of HR to predominantly focus on assimilation and not inclusion.

C. Partner with the VP to ensure that stakeholders actively support the diversity and inclusion strategy.

After the merger of two business entities, the new vice president (VP) of HR holds a staff meeting and tells the group that the organization now has six active vacation policies. This was identified during due diligence, but the leaders determined that it did not affect the ultimate decision to merge and that the matter should be addressed post-merger. That time has come, and the VP of HR would like the benefits managers to develop a plan with recommendations. Each policy has slightly different criteria and provisions. As a result of post-merger restructuring, it is possible for all six policies to be in effect in a single department or location. Harmonizing the policies will invariably benefit some employees and hurt others. The benefits managers need to decide if the organization should try to harmonize the policies from the merged entities or let them continue to coexist. The VP of HR adds another complication. The leadership of the two entities has been merged "on paper," but there is still a lot of struggling behind the scenes to establish or increase power and influence. The VP of HR would like it if the team could avoid making this issue an opportunity for a proxy power struggle. What critical first step should the benefits managers take to begin the harmonization process? A. Send an e-mail to leadership advising them of the situation. B. Independently implement a policy that seems the most reasonable. C. Perform a risk assessment of the two options: harmonize or coexist. D. Determine if the differences generate employee relations issues.

C. Perform a risk assessment of the two options: harmonize or coexist.

The company president comes to the HR director and expresses considerable concern about customer complaints of poor service. Although the customer service manager has been with the company for five years, she is new to supervising and leading staff. The president has heard rumors that the department is in total chaos and asks the HR director to visit the manager and find out what is happening in the department. The HR director visits the customer service department and speaks with the manager. The manager confesses to being overwhelmed with the employee relations issues in the department and admits to being intimidated by the nepotism that exists within the company. Employees answer an average of two calls per hour, but the industry standard is six per hour. The manager welcomes any assistance the HR director can provide. The department is not fully staffed. There is a vacant position, and the job has been posted for two weeks. Other company employees do not want to apply because of the employee relations issues in the department. How can the HR director help the manager handle the current issues? A. Write a new policy on expected customer service. B. Conduct a workshop on key customer service skills. C. Provide the manager with employee relations coaching. D. Recruit new employees to replace the current employees.

C. Provide the manager with employee relations coaching.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager take to encourage employees to embrace this cultural change? A. Have a company-wide meeting explaining why the changes are necessary. B. Meet with managers and instruct them to meet with their reports. C. Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees. D. Change the terminology being used to reflect the cultural shift.

C. Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees.

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.

A company has been giving its employees automatic pay increases annually. Recently, however, production has decreased, resulting in less profit. The president tasks HR with implementing a new goal-oriented pay plan to incentivize employees to increase production. HR designs a pay-for-performance plan and trains supervisors. HR also sends an e-mail to all employees explaining the change, referring employees with questions to their supervisor. As part of the new program, goal development is handled by supervisors. However, some supervisors feel that the change in pay philosophy is unnecessary and tell employees that the new pay plan will not work. Twelve months pass, and, upon review of performance evaluations, HR finds that some appraisals lack goals and do not objectively measure employees' work performance. The results are recommended pay increases that are subjective and unsubstantiated by metrics. Rumors that pay increases will be provided to employees who are favorites begin to impact morale, and work production continues to decline. Leadership is disappointed with the results of using a pay-for-performance system. HR is instructed to temporarily revert to the original pay plan and complete a further analysis of its continued viability. Employees are satisfied; however, the reputation of the company and HR has suffered by this rollout, and production has not increased and profits are still low. Which first step should the HR manager take to change the current perceptions of HR with the company's managers? A. Recommend reinstatement of the prior pay plan with minimal communication. B. Notify all employees about the retraction of the new pay plan to avoid employee complaints and supervisor dissatisfaction. C. Publish HR's mission, vision, and values statements, HR services, and the names of HR staff and their availability. D. Communicate the organization's mission, vision, and strategy and HR's role in support of the organization's and employees' success.

D. Communicate the organization's mission, vision, and strategy and HR's role in support of the organization's and employees' success.

For the past several years, a company has experienced frequent turnover in the CFO position due to poor performance. After the first CFO was terminated, the VP of HR and the CEO reviewed the job description. A selection committee was formed to perform interviews with candidates, and a single interview was held with each candidate using knowledge-based questions. After three months a candidate was hired. One year later the candidate was released due to poor performance. The same recruiting process was used with a limited selection of candidates. A third CFO was hired three months later. The company is now preparing to terminate this CFO due to poor job performance and not meeting the expectations of the company. What should the VP of HR do first to assist the organization in hiring the next CFO? A. Propose that the company not hire another CFO. B. Retrieve the current job description for use in CFO recruitment. C. Conduct a salary survey to determine if the position is competitive. D. Conduct a job analysis prior to conducting an executive search.

D. Conduct a job analysis prior to conducting an executive search.

A publicly owned company has acquired a small privately owned company. The small company had grown too big for the former owners to manage. Prior to the acquisition, the owners were both heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making of the company, but they are not adept in effective management practices. Both former owners have signed contracts to remain with the company for two years post-acquisition to be a resource as the integration is completed. Policies and controls in the small company were nonexistent. The treatment of employees was not consistent, and employee morale is low, primarily due to the uncertainty in the acquisition and the fear of favoritism. The HR manager assigned to perform due diligence on merging the small company has found additional issues. There is a substantiated allegation that one of the owners of the small company was involved in a romantic affair with a female subordinate, and the HR/finance clerk was demoted for inappropriately allocating funds from the company to his personal bank account. Both of these issues were addressed and the matters closed without any further disciplinary action being taken with either of the individuals. The CEO of the acquiring company asks the HR manager to make the needed changes to ensure compliance with laws and policies, as soon as possible, without upsetting the former owners. In assessing the workplace culture of the smaller company, HR uncovers a significant degree of pro-union sentiment among its employees. What should the HR manager do with this knowledge? A. Inform all employees that there could be negative consequences for them if they consider creating or joining a union. B. Wait to see if there are any more rumors about union activity and then take action at that point. C. Conduct employee meetings to inform the employees of the new, free benefits that will be in effect following the acquisition. D. Conduct employee meetings. Acknowledge that there have been shortcomings, and ask employees for an opportunity to make things better.

D. Conduct employee meetings. Acknowledge that there have been shortcomings, and ask employees for an opportunity to make things better.

A construction company with 75 field employees determines that the best way to improve communication with employees and efficiency in tracking employees' working hours is to provide each field employee with a smartphone. Each employee has a company e-mail account that can be accessed through the smartphone, enabling the employee to receive e-mail in a timely fashion. Additionally, the employee uses the smartphone to track hours worked at each job location. A benefit to the employee is not having to complete and turn in time sheets at the end of the week, since time tracking is in real time. These phones should be used for business only and turned into the supervisor at the end of the workday. The company has made a significant financial investment in the smartphones. Some employees have personal smartphones and are very familiar with the phones. However, many employees have not used this type of technology and are not computer-literate. Even prior to the implementation of the phones, this small group is demonstrating negative and resistant behavior. The human resource director has been assigned the responsibility of distributing the smartphones to the employees and providing the necessary training and resources for the employees to be proficient in using the phones within 30 days. An employee refuses to use the smartphone and continues to submit paper time sheets. Which action should the human resource director take to bring about the desired change in the employee's behaviors? A. Send an e-mail to the employee stating that this is a violation that could result in immediate employment termination. B. Allow the employee to continue submitting the paper time sheets for now, and give him a new target date by which to make the change. C. Contact the employee's supervisor to determine why the employee is not using the phone and how the supervisor has addressed the issue. D. Contact the employee to understand why the employee is not using the phone; identify solutions to overcome the obstacles.

D. Contact the employee to understand why the employee is not using the phone; identify solutions to overcome the obstacles.

An HR consultant receives a phone call from the CFO of a mid-sized family-owned manufacturing company. She states that the company's turnover is nearing 100% in the operations department. Employees are staying an average of 60 to 90 days before leaving. Exit interviews indicate that turnover is due to lack of training. The CFO doesn't understand this data, because all new employees participate in a one-day orientation and an onboarding program. The consultant further learns that the manager of the operations department has a reputation for being aggressive and direct. The manager, who directly reports to the CEO, has been with the company for ten years and is a good friend of the owners' family. The CFO admits that the manager can be difficult to deal with but nobody says anything because of the manager's strong relationship with the family. She says that while morale is low in the department, the company hasn't conducted an employee survey in at least two years. The CFO asks the consultant for help in fixing the turnover problem. They discuss various options, including training, coaching, and an employee engagement survey. A minimal budget has been provided to determine which tasks are necessary and to complete them. The consultant agrees that turnover needs to be addressed quickly. Which are the initial actions they should take to determine the root cause? A. Continue discussions with the CFO to further clarify comments about the manager's behaviors. B. Privately speak to the family owners about their knowledge of the issues. C. Interview executive staff about operations department results and the manager's performance. D. Further analyze exit interview information for details about training deficiencies.

D. Further analyze exit interview information for details about training deficiencies.

During the yearly performance and sales review at an organization, an HR manager realizes that the sales goal and bonus structure could potentially incentivize individuals to move closings from one quarter to the next as needed to meet quarterly sales goals. Leadership, mid-level management, and the salespeople have different bonus structures-annually for leadership, quarterly for mid-level managers, and monthly for salespeople. This has created a disconnect between the different groups and created different motivations. The HR manager presents an analysis of the data to the CEO. The CEO determines that, while this bonus structure may have worked in the past, it needs to be changed and the bonus structure of the different groups needs to be aligned. She tasks the HR manager with crafting a new bonus structure and implementing it after she has approved it. What should the HR manager do first to create a bonus structure that is compatible with organizational goals and drives employee performance? A. Determine if salaries lead, lag, or match the market in order to determine if a bonus plan is still needed. B. Conduct interviews with employees to determine what changes they would like to see. C. Determine the average time required to close a sale, and use that to create a new plan. D. Hire an outside organization to conduct a remuneration survey of competitors and their bonus structure.

D. Hire an outside organization to conduct a remuneration survey of competitors and their bonus structure.

A company has been giving its employees automatic pay increases annually. Recently, however, production has decreased, resulting in less profit. The president tasks HR with implementing a new goal-oriented pay plan to incentivize employees to increase production. HR designs a pay-for-performance plan and trains supervisors. HR also sends an e-mail to all employees explaining the change, referring employees with questions to their supervisor. As part of the new program, goal development is handled by supervisors. However, some supervisors feel that the change in pay philosophy is unnecessary and tell employees that the new pay plan will not work. Twelve months pass, and, upon review of performance evaluations, HR finds that some appraisals lack goals and do not objectively measure employees' work performance. The results are recommended pay increases that are subjective and unsubstantiated by metrics. Rumors that pay increases will be provided to employees who are favorites begin to impact morale, and work production continues to decline. Leadership is disappointed with the results of using a pay-for-performance system. HR is instructed to temporarily revert to the original pay plan and complete a further analysis of its continued viability. Employees are satisfied; however, the reputation of the company and HR has suffered by this rollout, and production has not increased and profits are still low. Which approach should HR take first to encourage better alignment between the organization and the employees in order for them to accept and sustain the new pay system? A. Train supervisors on how to provide feedback and respond to employee dissatisfaction in regard to ratings. B. Communicate the desired outcomes and company-wide production goals and include the immediate supervisors' input. C. Publish the compensation philosophy and pay increase matrix to increase understanding of the plan. D. Identify organizational and departmental goals, specific employee performance and behaviors, and meaningful metrics.

D. Identify organizational and departmental goals, specific employee performance and behaviors, and meaningful metrics

A downturn in the economy has resulted in reduced funding. Recently other nonprofits have entered the field and are vying for the same financial resources, resulting in employees working longer hours in a fierce competition to earn grants. Key areas in the most recent employee engagement survey dropped significantly, citing the long hours and pay inequities. In contrast, however, employees were quite pleased with the benefits that are offered, the positive work environment, and recognition for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. How can the director leverage employees' commitment to their work and the recognition of that work by outside agencies? A. Do not take external action, as the industry is small and any interested stakeholders will already be aware of awards. B. Include this information in the organization's newsletter. C. Encourage employees to use the organization's awards as part of the employee referral program. D. Include this information in all employee branding and employee value proposition information and activities.

D. Include this information in all employee branding and employee value proposition information and activities.

An HR vice president briefly reviews the company's employee performance scores and relevant compensation increases over the past four years. The data reveals a .7 correlation between performance scores and salary increases and a significance level of less than .05. Additionally, the HR VP finds that the use of personal days increases by 30% around the annual performance review time and production falls by 5%. Over the past three years, there has been a steady decline in profits and employee morale. Employees seem less engaged, and both the voluntary and involuntary turnover rates are currently 15 percentage points over the industry average. The senior team asks HR if there is any correlation between the performance scores, decreased production, and employee engagement. As the HR VP is conducting a cursory review of the current performance management system and analyzing the data to make recommendations, the CEO asks the HR VP to increase all salaries by 4%, citing the correlation between salaries and performance as a rationale. The next week, at the weekly management team meeting, one of the senior leaders states that at her previous company the employees were 80% engaged, and she suggests using the same number as an engagement benchmark. The CEO likes this number and asks the HR VP to put a plan in place to meet this engagement number. Another senior leader suggests to the HR VP that the company should prohibit the use of personal leave before, during, and after the review period. How should the HR VP respond to the request to prohibit personal leave near the performance review time? A. Agree that production is important and suggest an additional approval level to use leave before or after the review. B. Since production is important to the bottom line, agree and implement this as a policy. C. Agree, since the data indicates that eliminating personal days will solve the company's problem. D. Inform the leader that current turnover and production decreases are likely a systemic issue from low engagement and recommend not decreasing personal days.

D. Inform the leader that current turnover and production decreases are likely a systemic issue from low engagement and recommend not decreasing personal days.

An HR consultant receives a phone call from the CFO of a mid-sized family-owned manufacturing company. She states that the company's turnover is nearing 100% in the operations department. Employees are staying an average of 60 to 90 days before leaving. Exit interviews indicate that turnover is due to lack of training. The CFO doesn't understand this data, because all new employees participate in a one-day orientation and an onboarding program. The consultant further learns that the manager of the operations department has a reputation for being aggressive and direct. The manager, who directly reports to the CEO, has been with the company for ten years and is a good friend of the owners' family. The CFO admits that the manager can be difficult to deal with but nobody says anything because of the manager's strong relationship with the family. She says that while morale is low in the department, the company hasn't conducted an employee survey in at least two years. The CFO asks the consultant for help in fixing the turnover problem. They discuss various options, including training, coaching, and an employee engagement survey. A minimal budget has been provided to determine which tasks are necessary and to complete them. The CFO has requested that the consultant administer an employee survey. Which action should the consultant take to determine if a survey would, in fact, be the best step to take at this point? A. Use questions from a standard survey. B. Review past surveys from the organization to benchmark results. C. Outsource the survey to a firm that is well-known for employee surveys. D. Request assurance from the entire executive team that action will be taken based on the results of the survey.

D. Request assurance from the entire executive team that action will be taken based on the results of the survey.

In a midsummer strategy session, a company determines that it will close its West Coast manufacturing unit and move the entire manufacturing effort to the East Coast head office. To bring the East Coast office fully online, 100 new positions will have to be filled. The work is going to migrate to the East Coast over a 90-day period that will begin September 1. HR has been asked for advice and support. What is the first action for HR to take to begin to support this business initiative? A. Initiate the layoff process for the employees located on the West Coast. B. Ask business partners for their ideas about what might be needed to support this initiative. C. Talk to West Coast employees to determine their interest in the positions on the East Coast. D. Review all of the job descriptions, current salaries and benefits, and existing policies to support the initiative.

D. Review all of the job descriptions, current salaries and benefits, and existing policies to support the initiative.

An HR manager is the liaison for the sales department at an organization with roughly 600 employees. Recently the organization had a slight downturn in revenue and profit. To save money, over the past year, the sales department's senior management has laid off several administrative assistants and assigned their work tasks, such as photocopying and processing sales orders, to the sales staff. Additionally, the department has modified its compensation system by reducing base pay but increasing sales commissions. The HR manager believes that the additional work duties and new compensation system have put substantial stress on employees. It's been observed that employees seem dissatisfied with their jobs and are leaving the organization or thinking of leaving. One recently departed employee told the HR manager that he had looked for a new job because the increased workload caused him to make fewer sales, thereby significantly reducing his salary. The HR manager brings their concerns to the vice president (VP) of sales. The manager tells the VP that he is worried about the effects of these changes on the department, such as high turnover and the loss of institutional knowledge. The VP disagrees with the manager; he believes that turnover is good for the department because poorly performing employees are leaving. The VP notes that one employee comes in late, leaves early, and takes a long lunch break every day. The VP believes that the recent changes to compensation save the company money by not employing administrative assistants and motivate sales employees to work harder by focusing on sales commissions. The VP tells the HR manager to ignore employees' complaints and focus on hiring new employees who are willing to take on the additional tasks and work harder. What is the best way for the HR manager to evaluate the effectiveness of the new compensation system to increase sales? A. Conduct a survey that asks about employees' satisfaction with the new compensation system and whether or not they believe it is effective for increasing sales. B. Conduct a benchmark comparison of compensation systems against those of marketplace competitors. C. Recommend that they delay measuring effectiveness for at least one sales cycle to determine whether sales have increased. D. Review existing research and literature on best practices to see if similar changes in other organizations have been effective.

D. Review existing research and literature on best practices to see if similar changes in other organizations have been effective.

The HR director and the CEO of a mid-sized company each receive an identical letter in the mail. The letter is from an anonymous disgruntled employee, and it accuses a company executive of several negative actions, including bullying, misrepresenting funds, and openly criticizing other executives during conversations with lower-level employees. The letter states that the employee has chosen to remain anonymous because the employee mistrusts the HR department and fears retaliation. Which action should the HR director take to most effectively address the employee's reason for reporting the issue anonymously? A. Send an e-mail to all employees that encourages them to take advantage of the HR director's open-door policy. B. Ask the CEO to discuss the importance of submitting ethical concerns at the next company-wide meeting. C. Send an e-mail to all employees with success stories of anonymous feedback that was received and acted on by executives. D. Review the company's policies and procedures to protect employees who report issues at the next all-employee meeting.

D. Review the company's policies and procedures to protect employees who report issues at the next all-employee meeting.

A recently promoted HR manager is transferred to a remote facility, due to several complaints of inappropriate behavior and favoritism between the plant manager and the former HR manager. The complaints range from allegations of an affair between the two to poor performance and stealing company property. The head office leaders are highly sensitive to creating an ethical culture and have asked that the new HR manager report back on any discovered issues with the plant manager. This makes the HR manager uncomfortable, because she is trying her best to balance developing a relationship with the plant manager with trying to complete the investigation. The new HR manager begins an investigation and learns that the plant manager believes two female employees in the accounting department reported the theft and the affair. When the HR manager speaks with these employees, they share the belief that they are being retaliated against. Although they were rated as above-average performers, they have been given only minimal wage increases. The investigation identified theft of a number of items by the plant manager. The items are not expensive, but their value is not minor. Additionally, it was learned that the plant manager is actively undermining the new HR manager's authority by telling all managers to ignore any HR recommendations. The HR manager studies the performance reviews and wage increases for all employees and finds inconsistencies that support the accounting employees' claims of retaliation. Given the HR manager's knowledge of the plant manager's behavior, what is the appropriate next step for the HR manager to take? A. Talk to the plant manager and recommend an immediate adjustment to the wages of the two people affected to avoid further problems. B. Given the more serious issues with the plant manager, choose to treat the complaint as a lower priority and not deal with it immediately. C. Inform the plant manager of the allegations and ask him to meet with HR and the employees to respond their statements D. Review the process for setting wage increases for the accounting department with the company's controller.

D. Review the process for setting wage increases for the accounting department with the company's controller.

The recruiting department is overwhelmed with requests to hire more employees for a 24-hour company call center. Recently, several recruiters and a number of long-time, high-level performers resigned to work for competitors for better pay. The remaining workforce feels that the work is tedious, the pay is low, the space is noisy, and there are no opportunities for advancement. A high-volume contract recruiter from a local search firm has been brought in to assist in hiring for the call center vacancies. The contract recruiter sets up a private office and is given system access to all online search engines paid for by the company. The office doubles as an interview room, and the company is charged a finder's fee for each candidate that the call center manager interviews. The HR manager is alerted in casual conversation with the call center employees that the contract recruiter is the spouse of the call center manager and that several nonqualified candidates have been sent through the interview process at the company's expense. How should the HR manager respond to the report about the contract recruiter's relationship with the call center manager? A. Ask the contract recruiter what information is being shared at home. B. Do a follow-up exit interview with all employees who left during the past year asking how they found their new positions. C. Have the IT department monitor the contract recruiter's computer to audit the recruiter's work activity and confirm that it's not for another organization. D. Talk with the contract recruiter and share that the company is aware of the personal relationship that creates a conflict of interest.

D. Talk with the contract recruiter and share that the company is aware of the personal relationship that creates a conflict of interest.

An HR manager receives a call from an employee who indicates that he feels harassed and needs to talk to someone immediately. The employee alleges that his supervisor treats him differently. He also accuses his supervisor of logging onto his computer and making program changes and sending inappropriate messages to others. When HR asks for proof, the employee indicates that all evidence has been deleted by the supervisor. The employee also shares his belief that other employees, including the marketing manager, are trying to discredit him. The employee further accuses the supervisor of making sexual advances toward him. HR's speaks with the supervisor, who reports that there have been problems with the employee for some time. There have been several warnings, and the employee's behavior is becoming more erratic. The supervisor wants to proceed with termination of the employee. She is concerned that if nothing happens she will see high-performing employees leave. The HR manager mentions the accusations of harassment. The supervisor angrily yells "This employee is crazy!" and storms out of the HR manager's office. The employee leaves work at the end of his shift, gets into a car accident, and sustains minor injuries that will cause several days of absence from work. As proof of temporary disability, he forwards the physician's notes. The notes, however, also refer to symptoms of mental illness. What is the best response the HR manager should provide to the supervisor's request to terminate the employee? A. Proceed with the next step in the disciplinary process, termination, but do not share the employee's allegations. B. Explain to the supervisor that she is busy this week but will help her with the request next week. C. Meet the supervisor halfway in her request and suspend the employee until more information is obtained. D. Tell the supervisor that allegations have been made by the employee and HR must wait for the outcome of the investigation.

D. Tell the supervisor that allegations have been made by the employee and HR must wait for the outcome of the investigation.

A manager at a large company e-mails the HR director asking for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and the employee plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. In the e-mail to the HR director, the manager indicates that other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition. In private discussions with the manager, some team members, including the consultant, have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice on how to handle the situation. Several employees approach the HR director to express concerns about which bathroom the transitioning employee should use. Which action should the HR director take? A. Assign the transitioning employee to a gender-neutral bathroom during and after the transition. B. Identify a private bathroom on site that the transitioning employee can use during the transition. C. Tell all employees that they are able to use any available bathroom regardless of posted signage. D. Tell the transitioning employee to use whichever bathroom is preferable to the employee.

D. Tell the transitioning employee to use whichever bathroom is preferable to the employee.

A hospital has recently seen a significant increase in the turnover of nurses. Many recent hires have left to work at a nearby privately run clinic. This is puzzling since there have been rumors about this clinic's financial outlook. The HR business partner for the hospital has been asked to design and oversee a recruitment campaign to attract ten new nurses and an additional five nurse trainees. One of the measures of success that has been given to the HR business partner is that these new hires need to remain with the hospital for a minimum of 18 months. The hospital is looking to have these individuals onboarded within six weeks. While trying to manage recruiting and hiring, the HR business partner keeps thinking about the hospital's retention issue. In reviewing exit interview information, the business partner has noticed a trend: Many of the nurses who have left indicated that the private clinic has a more modern location, better hours, and great employee facilities that include a gym. Hospital leadership has also been criticized, in particular, the hospital administrator, for her negative attitude and lack of recognition. Over lunch with an HR acquaintance who works at the private clinic, the business partner inquires about how the clinic has been so successful in attracting and retaining staff. To the HR business partner's surprise, the colleague shares that much of the feedback she hears as to why people leave the hospital is the hospital's wage and benefits structure. The business partner realizes that he has his hands full in addressing the many issues in order to achieve his hiring objectives, improve retention, and decrease turnover. How might the HR business partner go about addressing the broader trends uncovered in the exit interviews and from his colleague? A. The HR business partner should communicate the results to all managers individually and seek their input and feedback. B. The HR business partner should not give credence to the feedback received during exit interviews. C. The HR business partner should view this as an opportunity to look for a new job, as he will not be successful in changing the culture of the organization. D. The HR business partner should recap the trends for the hospital's leadership team and recommend specific changes in programs and practices.

D. The HR business partner should recap the trends for the hospital's leadership team and recommend specific changes in programs and practices.

A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate human resources team with all HR functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the vice presidents of HR, who report to the senior vice president of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A human resources manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. What should the team do to gain buy-in for its recommendations? A. Getting buy-in isn't practical due to the decentralized nature of the organization. B. The organization is sponsoring this team; therefore, there is no need to get buy-in on the changes. C. The team should wait until the leadership asks for its recommendations; then it should provide them. D. The team should develop a business case outlining its recommendations to present to the leadership team.

D. The team should develop a business case outlining its recommendations to present to the leadership team.