Communication
An employee who holds a critical position in the company sustains a back injury on the job and is temporarily unable to continue working. To avoid a loss of income, the employee uses all available personal leave, adding up to 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks of leave, the employee has only been cleared by a doctor to work with physical restrictions and will not be assessed again for three months. The employee makes an appointment with the HR manager to discuss options for returning to work. Which step should the HR manager take first to help the employee?
Advise company leadership that the employee will need to be granted additional personal leave. Convene a meeting with the employee and the employee's supervisor to discuss the employee's job requirements. CORRECT Review the employee's current job description to identify potential accommodations. Ask supervisors about their staffing needs to identify positions that will meet the employee's physical restrictions.
Scenario An employee who holds a critical position in the company sustains a back injury on the job and is temporarily unable to continue working. To avoid a loss of income, the employee uses all available personal leave, adding up to 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks of leave, the employee has only been cleared by a doctor to work with physical restrictions and will not be assessed again for three months. The employee makes an appointment with the HR manager to discuss options for returning to work. The employee's supervisor is desperate to fill the vacancy left by the injured employee but cannot hire a replacement while the injured employee is still employed by the company. Which should the HR manager do?
Advise the supervisor that it is the supervisor's duty to find coverage until the employee can return to work. CORRECT Meet with the supervisor to explain the company's policy regarding injured employees returning to work to identify viable options. Notify the supervisor that the employee's injury is temporary and the employee will eventually return to work. Advise the supervisor to create and hire for a new position that is identical to the one held by the injured employee.
Scenario In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears several concerns relating to the organization's talent acquisition process including inconsistent questions, different decision-making criteria, and a lack of diversity across departments. The HR director believes these concerns, as he experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people, but each department believes its hiring approach is effective and show no interest in trying a new approach. Which action should the HR director take to encourage department heads to use a new hiring process?
Ask department heads what data they would need from a new hiring process. Conduct an audit of company-wide hiring practices to demonstrate internal discrepancies. CORRECT Conduct a benchmarking study to compare the organization's hiring outcomes (diversity, etc.) to those of similar organizations. Present anecdotal evidence from similar companies that show the benefits of a centralized hiring processes
An employee who holds a critical position in the company sustains a back injury on the job and is temporarily unable to continue working. To avoid a loss of income, the employee uses all available personal leave, adding up to 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks of leave, the employee has only been cleared by a doctor to work with physical restrictions and will not be assessed again for three months. The employee makes an appointment with the HR manager to discuss options for returning to work. The employee expresses concern about running out of personal leave and how this will impact the employee's income. How should the HR manager respond?
Ask the employee to describe how the employee's life will be impacted by the loss of income. Explain to the employee how leave accrual works at the company. Explore an independent medical examination to determine if the employee may be able to return to work sooner. CORRECT Discuss other available positions the employee could apply for with physical restrictions.
In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears several concerns relating to the organization's talent acquisition process including inconsistent questions, different decision-making criteria, and a lack of diversity across departments. The HR director believes these concerns, as he experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people, but each department believes its hiring approach is effective and show no interest in trying a new approach. Which is the best immediate course of action the HR director could take to address organizations talent acquisition issues?
CORRECT Create a structured interview process that standardizes the questions asked and the criteria for grading. Solicit feedback from organizational stakeholders about the key qualities they are looking for in talent. Analyze turnover, performance, and exit interview data over the past two years to present to leaders. Maintain the current process, but have HR participate in all of the interviews going forward.
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?
CORRECT Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year. Discuss the importance of inclusiveness during the onboarding process. Tell employees that they need to learn other languages to relate better to others. Tell employees to contact the employee assistance program (EAP).
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?
CORRECT Meet with the entire project manager group to review policies, their job descriptions, and how to handle issues faced in day-to-day supervision. Send a company-wide e-mail with the policies attached. Implement a "buddy system" so employees always have a fellow employee to seek advice from. 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.
An HR manager works at a manufacturing company that is hiring new assembly-line employees. The HR manager helped to design and implement the selection system that is used to make these hires. The system includes a physical abilities test, a structured interview, and a personality assessment. The company has evidence demonstrating that each part of the system is a valid predictor of performance. Passing the physical abilities test is the first hurdle in the hiring process. Any applicant who passes this hurdle is interviewed by a plant manager, who then rates the applicant on several competencies. Applicants are not given any information about the competencies or questions prior to the interview. Interview scores and personality assessment scores are combined to rank the applicants. Many plant managers have complained to HR that the test does not assess the level of physical abilities required on the job, and recent hires have not performed well as a result. The HR manager's supervisor meets with the HR manager to discuss these concerns. The HR manager's supervisor mentions that a relative is planning on applying for an assembly-line position at the company. The supervisor is concerned that the relative will not perform well in the interview and asks the HR manager for help. What should the HR manager do?
CORRECT Tell the supervisor that all applicants must be treated the same. Give the supervisor a few generalized interview questions for the relative. Call the relative to discuss the interview process. Advise the supervisor to share the job description with the relative.
An HR manager works at a manufacturing company that is hiring new assembly-line employees. The HR manager helped to design and implement the selection system that is used to make these hires. The system includes a physical abilities test, a structured interview, and a personality assessment. The company has evidence demonstrating that each part of the system is a valid predictor of performance. Passing the physical abilities test is the first hurdle in the hiring process. Any applicant who passes this hurdle is interviewed by a plant manager, who then rates the applicant on several competencies. Applicants are not given any information about the competencies or questions prior to the interview. Interview scores and personality assessment scores are combined to rank the applicants. Many plant managers have complained to HR that the test does not assess the level of physical abilities required on the job, and recent hires have not performed well as a result. The HR manager's supervisor meets with the HR manager to discuss these concerns. A plant manager is accused of behaving in a culturally insensitive manner toward an applicant during an interview. This is the first time the plant manager has been accused of this behavior, and the HR manager's supervisor asks the HR manager for advice. What should the HR manager recommend?
Contact the applicant to offer an interview with a different manager. Contact the applicant to apologize for the interview experience. Discipline the plant manager if the behavior occurs again. CORRECT Send the plant manager to a diversity training session.
Scenario In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears several concerns relating to the organization's talent acquisition process including inconsistent questions, different decision-making criteria, and a lack of diversity across departments. The HR director believes these concerns, as he experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people, but each department believes its hiring approach is effective and show no interest in trying a new approach. After confirming that an absence of diversity is an issue in certain departments, which next step should the HR director take?
Encourage interviewers to read a copy of the company's diversity policy. Develop a company-wide diversity hiring program to help reverse this identified trend. CORRECT Explain to interviewers and managers why diversity among employees is good for business. Discipline the interviewers for engaging in discriminatory hiring practices that have occurred.
Scenario An employee who holds a critical position in the company sustains a back injury on the job and is temporarily unable to continue working. To avoid a loss of income, the employee uses all available personal leave, adding up to 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks of leave, the employee has only been cleared by a doctor to work with physical restrictions and will not be assessed again for three months. The employee makes an appointment with the HR manager to discuss options for returning to work. The HR manager receives an email from the employee's supervisor stating concern that the employee is not being honest about the extent of the injury. Which action should the HR manager take?
Inform the supervisor that the employee should not be treated any differently and no punitive action should be taken. Advise the supervisor to provide proof or additional details that support the accusation of the employee's dishonesty. Advise the supervisor to maintain confidentiality about the employee's work-related injury. CORRECT Ask the employee to provide a doctor's note to confirm the requirement for physical restrictions.
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?
Management should tell the project manager to work more closely with the customer. CORRECT 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. Since the manager feels bad about what has happened, the company should take the "lessons learned" approach. No other action is necessary. The project manager should be written up.
Which is the best reason to use social media channels for corporate communication?
Rationale Although social media may make communication more complex and challenging, they also make it easier to assess reaction to the communication. Social media channels are widely accepted and used by employees. Social media usage confers more credibility to the corporate message. CORRECT Social media channels provide instantaneous feedback to leaders through employee responses. Social media channels provide more control over the corporate image.
Which feedback message will be most useful to the feedback receiver?
Rationale Effective feedback should be clear about what behavior needs to be changed, and the feedback should be delivered in a timely manner. The best feedback statement is "Please make sure to always follow up...." It is specific about what should be done (follow up). It is timely, unlike the feedback based on an observation made a month ago. It is not a generalization, like "you never check back." CORRECT "That was a good call. Please make sure to always follow up with our HR customers to explain the status of an issue." "I got an e-mail last month from one of our HR customers who wanted to know the status of a compensation dispute. Not good." "You need to improve your customer service delivery. We scored low on that in the last quality survey." "I notice that you never check back in with our HR customers. That's the last step in our process. Why do you skip that?"
What is a good way to demonstrate active listening in a face-to-face conversation?
Rationale Eye contact can be a form of acknowledgment, which is a signal that a message was received. It is a sign that a person is paying attention. Encoding thoughts Written summary CORRECT Eye contact Repeating back what was said
During a team meeting, one member is dominating the discussion while others are quietly listening. What should the manager leading the meeting do?
Rationale Managers support and control discussion during their meetings. This may involve asking quieter participants for their reactions or protecting participants from difficult or abusive group members. Asserting that the manager is in charge is a poor way of providing support and control. Summarize what the talkative team member has said and then move to the next agenda item. Tell the talkative team member that they manager is in charge of the meeting. Allow the meeting to flow without interruption. CORRECT Encourage participation from less active team members by asking questions of those team members.
When presenting a business case to senior management for HRIS technology, which type of presentation would be most effective?
Rationale Presentations to high-level decision-makers need to be dynamic and focused on key points. Technical partners, such as IT, may need a more detailed presentation. CORRECT Dynamic presentation that focuses only on key points Bold presentation that glosses over negative points Detailed presentation that shows proofs for all points Glossy presentation that states only what the customer wants to hear
An HR business partner is conducting a focus group to examine possible causes for recent low engagement survey scores. What is the business partner's primary role in this meeting?
Rationale The business partner is a facilitator in the meeting, and the facilitator's role is to encourage an active and open discussion, asking follow-up questions and ensuring participation by all focus group participants. To convey management's concern about the scores and commitment to action To present HR's theories about the possible causes To identify candidates for individual interviews CORRECT To encourage full discussion and participation
Recently, a visibly upset employee came to the employee relations (ER) manager. The manager invited the employee to sit down and waited patiently while the employee calmed down and explained what was wrong. The ER manager then explained what action would be taken to remedy the situation. How could the ER manager's response have been improved?
Rationale The employee relations manager failed to confirm his/her understanding of the problem and failed to use empathy by inviting the employee to participate in developing a response. The manager did well in meeting promptly with the employee and showed empathy by not demanding that the employee calm down. Empathy does not require mirroring the other person's emotional state. The ER manager could have mirrored the employee's emotional state. The meeting could have been postponed until the employee was calmer. A second meeting could have been scheduled to discuss solutions. CORRECT The ER manager could have included the employee in problem-solving.
An HR manager works at a manufacturing company that is hiring new assembly-line employees. The HR manager helped to design and implement the selection system that is used to make these hires. The system includes a physical abilities test, a structured interview, and a personality assessment. The company has evidence demonstrating that each part of the system is a valid predictor of performance. Passing the physical abilities test is the first hurdle in the hiring process. Any applicant who passes this hurdle is interviewed by a plant manager, who then rates the applicant on several competencies. Applicants are not given any information about the competencies or questions prior to the interview. Interview scores and personality assessment scores are combined to rank the applicants. Many plant managers have complained to HR that the test does not assess the level of physical abilities required on the job, and recent hires have not performed well as a result. The HR manager's supervisor meets with the HR manager to discuss these concerns. A plant manager admits to not following the structured interview protocol when interviewing recent applicants, and the HR manager's supervisor asks the HR manager to talk to the plant manager about the issue. What should the HR manager do?
Remind the plant manager of the interviewer's responsibility to use the protocol. Remind the plant manager that using the protocol results in better hires. Prohibit the plant manager from interviewing future applicants. CORRECT Tell the plant manager that inconsistent use of the protocol is unfair to applicants.
Refer to the following scenario for the next 2 questions. 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?
Request that a meeting be held with the employee and the individuals who are being accused to publicly address the situation. Confront the members of the senior leadership team and demand that they immediately stop all inappropriate actions. CORRECT 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. 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.
An HR manager works at a manufacturing company that is hiring new assembly-line employees. The HR manager helped to design and implement the selection system that is used to make these hires. The system includes a physical abilities test, a structured interview, and a personality assessment. The company has evidence demonstrating that each part of the system is a valid predictor of performance. Passing the physical abilities test is the first hurdle in the hiring process. Any applicant who passes this hurdle is interviewed by a plant manager, who then rates the applicant on several competencies. Applicants are not given any information about the competencies or questions prior to the interview. Interview scores and personality assessment scores are combined to rank the applicants. Many plant managers have complained to HR that the test does not assess the level of physical abilities required on the job, and recent hires have not performed well as a result. The HR manager's supervisor meets with the HR manager to discuss these concerns. The HR manager's supervisor wants the HR manager to review the physical abilities test to determine if it can be made more realistic. What should the HR manager do?
Search online for physical abilities tests used by other manufacturing companies. Ask all current employees to take the physical abilities test. CORRECT Ask plant managers to specify what physical abilities are required. Examine the documentation regarding the development of the current physical abilities test.
Refer to the following scenario for the next 4 questions. 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?
Tell the employee to apologize to the customer. The employee's behavior toward the customer was wrong, and the employee will be written up. CORRECT Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy. Tell the employee to do nothing; it will blow over.
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?
The company and the customer do not need to meet. The CEO of the company should contact the customer's CEO and blame his employee for the termination. CORRECT 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. 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.
