Certification Post Exam

What are the typical goals that drive the operations part of an organization?

Efficiency and quality

An organization that has decided to sell a long-held subsidiary is considering potential buyers. What information should the HR leader provide to leadership in this phase?

Employee census for the subsidiary that includes current roles and total current compensation

The CEO selects a company to which HR functions will be outsourced. The CHRO learns that the chosen company is run by a friend of the CEO. The CHRO suggests that they review other companies that are cheaper, but the CEO insists on this one. What should the CHRO do?

Explain to the CEO that there is a conflict of interest and that independent parties should be consulted.

An organization is embarking on the creation of a new strategic plan for the next five years. Just before the process starts, the HR VP becomes aware of widespread discussions between lower-level managers on how to use the strategic planning process to advance pet projects. How should the HR VP ensure that the strategic planning process is successful without it being abused for personal gain by those involved in the process?

Focus on organizational core competencies to drive the process.

A recent employee survey reveals inefficiencies in production processes. Which structured activities should be recommended to correct the inefficiencies?

Focusing on process requirements

The current HR structural model in a high-growth organization with multiple business units has resulted in HR talent management processes that are inconsistent, strain budgets, and produce poor-quality data. What is the most significant benefit the organization can expect from using a shared services model with a designated center that specializes in talent management?

Integrated processes across the organization

A U.S. engineering firm has recently merged with an international company. With the change in leadership, management is worried that employees will begin leaving the organization. As HR prepares managers for their new international roles, what should HR recommend management focus on to have the greatest impact on employee retention?

Manager-employee relationships by working with each employee to understand his or her role

Which action should the CHRO take first to address the executive team's request? Answers

Meet with senior leaders in the IT company to discuss their concerns about the current situation.

The CEO tells the CHRO of a heated argument he had with the president of the IT company. The CHRO is concerned that the president of the IT company may resign, which would likely lead to many other employees leaving. What should the CHRO do?

Meet with the CEO to explain her concerns and brainstorm possible paths forward.

After the acquisitions take place, the CEO points out to the HR director specific aspects of the company culture that the CEO wants to be part of the culture of the acquired companies. What should the HR director do first to facilitate this?

Meet with the HR departments in the acquired companies to gain a better understanding of the companies' respective cultures.

An organization is extremely risk-averse, and its technology policies aim at retaining the greatest degree of physical and legal control. Which option for acquiring software offers the most control to the organization?

Proprietary software hosted on the organization's on-site servers

s part of an organization's strategy to highlight the full value of what it offers to employees, which is the best tactic a total rewards manager should consider? Answers

Provide an individualized total compensation statement to employees.

What should the HR director do to gather information to create the policies and guidelines for the employee handbook?

Research the labor laws and other relevant rules and regulations in all three countries.

The CEO wants to ensure that, after the acquisitions, the employees from all three companies feel united as one company. What should the HR director suggest to facilitate this?

The CEO should visit the acquired companies soon after acquisition to meet with employees and answer questions.

A staff member regularly stays late in the office and indicates in performance review meetings a commitment to the employer. Yet, the staff member's network inside and outside the HR department is small. When the HR team lists its members, they often forget to include her. What might this signify to the HR leader?

Transactional engagement

Knowing that the leadership team doesn't see the value in employee surveys, how should the HR director handle the next employee survey cycle?

prepare the survey, outline each section's benefits to the organization, and ask the leadership team for feedback before sending the survey to employees.

A new director has arrived to manage an HR department that became dysfunctional under the previous director. What should the new director do first?

talk to members of the department separately to try to understand what the department needs now.

An organization's IT and HR functions both report a gender imbalance. How should the HR director approach this situation?

By analyzing representation, hiring, and retention as well as labor market data for these functions to benchmark gaps

Which issue identified during an environmental scan for a small, family-owned grocery store represents a threat to its competitive strategy?

A gas station on the next block has expanded to include a new convenience store. n the SWOT analysis, threats are an indication of possible danger, harm, or menace. When considering competitive strategy, a similar business nearby that offers additional and differentiated value to customers is a direct threat that must considered in strategic planning. Even though it is close, the ethnic foods grocery store is appealing to different customers or customer needs. The fee and rate increases appliy to all similar competitors,

Why might an employer choose to accept a union?

A union is a useful way to organize complex bodies of employees. In some workplaces, unions can help employers communicate more quickly and clearly and implement actions in a more coordinated manner.

The leader of an HR function is committed to developing a strong pipeline of future HR leaders. One employee with leadership potential is a mid-level manager. What type of development opportunity would prepare this employee to become a senior-level manager?

Acting as HR liaison to the finance function

How should HR advise senior management about policy criteria for making employee layoff decisions?

Advise senior management that employee performance should be the predominant layoff criterion, using seniority only as a tiebreaker.

How would Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner label a culture in which individuals express their emotions freely?

Affective In an affective culture, people feel free to express their emotions; the opposite of an affective culture is a neutral culture. A particular culture is flexible and pragmatic, comfortable with ambiguity. A synchronic culture believes that the past and the present are as important as the future—possibly more important. Schedules can be subordinated to tending to a relationship or participating in a ritual. An external culture is fatalistic. People can adapt to nature; they cannot dominate it.

Which is the best strategy a compensation director should use when there has been movement in the market rates of key positions that need to be filled quickly?

Age the salary data. Aging data addresses movement in market rates by adjusting outdated data.

Which organization has evolved farthest on the CSR maturity curve? Answers

An organization aligns its value with CSR principles, promoting this identification to stakeholders. The most evolved organizations on the CSR curve have been transformed: they have redefined the value they create through their products or services to align with CSR principles, and they use this as a way to compete. More evolved organizations on the CSR maturity curve have integrated CSR principles into their policies, systems, and processes--for example, into performance management systems. The least evolved organizations adopt CSR for reactive reasons (to comply with regulations or other requirements).

How should human resources work collaboratively with internal legal counsel in developing the RIF plan?

Analyze legal issues and concerns associated with the layoffs and incorporate legal recommendations into the workforce reduction plan.

HR wants to ensure that the integration team has the right talent to achieve the team's assigned goals. Which step should HR take to staff the team with the appropriate skills and experience?

Ask each of the global heads of business to identify talent for assignment to the team.

Two years ago, a growing 250-person IT company was acquired by a global 10,000-person consulting firm. Prior to being acquired, the IT company had a strong, clearly identified culture that the employees were very invested in. The company consistently won "Best Place to Work" awards, and employee turnover was very low. In the first two years after the acquisition, the IT company continued operating fairly autonomously and kept its identity, with the company's founder serving as its president. However, recently the consulting firm has begun integrating the IT company into its operating functions, which has included major policy changes, financial controls, and staffing reductions for the IT company. This has created a very adversarial relationship between the two groups. Employee morale at the IT company has plummeted, and turnover has increased significantly. Furthermore, employees from the IT company feel that the information sharing from the consulting firm is very poor. The consulting firm's executive management is becoming frustrated with the staff from the IT company and views them as complainers. The executive team in the consulting firm asks its chief human resources officer (CHRO) to address these issues. Specifically, the CHRO has been asked to find ways to improve employee morale, sharply reduce turnover, and integrate the IT company staff into the larger company. What action should the CHRO take to help with integrating the IT company employees into the consulting firm?

Ask executives from the consulting firm to hold listening sessions with the staff from the IT company.

An organization in a mature industry has not been meeting its revenue objectives and is losing market share to competitors. What adjustment can an organization make to gain a competitive advantage?

Assess the current strategic fit in the organization to identify needed core competencies.

How can HR minimize the risk of possible discrimination complaints or lawsuits filed against the company by laid-off employees?

Assess the impact of the layoff decisions on protected class groups and evaluate the extent of the company's possible exposure in this area.

A new CEO is hired at a large financial services company that is struggling to turn a profit. The company has strong employee loyalty. Decades ago, in the early days of the company, the founder felt that the company should treat employees like family, which included paying the health insurance premium for all employees. The company continues to do so. However, upon entering the position, one of the first tasks the CEO undertakes is to review all of the company's fixed costs to see what can be cut. In noticing how much the company is paying on employee health insurance, the CEO insists that the company change its policy and only partially subsidize the health insurance premiums. Furthermore, the CEO insists that the company outsource many of its HR functions to reduce costs and create efficiencies. The chief human resources officer (CHRO) has been placed in charge of overseeing the implementation of these changes. The CHRO is concerned that the CEO is not fully taking the culture of the company into account regarding the health insurance decision. The CHRO worries that cutting back on benefits so suddenly will hurt the culture, and the company's culture is part of its competitive advantage. How should the CHRO proceed?

Conduct a full ROI analysis to determine the overall impact on outcomes such as turnover and hiring.

What should the HR director do about the pay equity within the company?

Conduct a pay equity study and compare internal and external data. Recommend any changes to the leadership team for approval.

An HR manager outsources temporary packaging work to a youth group at her church. How would you characterize her actions?

Conflict of interest, as other groups were not considered The action is a conflict of interest, since it benefits an organization with whom the manager is connected. The manager could have avoided a conflict by involving other HR staff in the decision and considering other participants besides the church group.

Which is a characteristic of activity-based budgeting?

Considering the cost and strategic significance of key tasks

The CEO of a mid-sized company envisions becoming a global leader in the industry. The CEO's vision includes acquiring two companies, both in other countries that are culturally very different from the country in which the CEO's company is located. These acquisitions would triple the company's current size. In order to make the transition as smooth and effective as possible, the CEO has asked the HR director to develop an employee handbook that includes policies and guidelines for employees across all three countries where the company will be operating. The CEO wants the new handbook drafted as quickly as possible. In addition, for the two companies the CEO intends to acquire, the CEO would like the HR director to make a plan for the due diligence auditing of the HR functions. A due diligence audit checklist needs to be developed, also as soon as possible. What is the first step that should be taken to develop the due diligence audit checklist?

Contact an international organization of auditors for a due diligence checklist that covers all areas of the acquisitions.

If the global assignment takes place for the employee only, how can the organization best keep the employee connected to his home and family during the assignment?

Coordinate leaves and visits home for the employee.

In a casual conversation, an operations manager expresses concern to an HR manager about operations' ability to argue persuasively for funding to develop a new order fulfillment system in the upcoming budgeting cycle. Which approach should HR recommend to best demonstrate collaboration toward an effective solution?

Cost-benefit analysis of the new system's strategic impact

The HR consultant is responsible for making sure that news of the acquisition is communicated effectively to the employees at the new plant. How should the HR consultant handle this task?

Create a communication plan that includes a face-to-face message from the CEO welcoming the new employees.

What action should HR take to validate that recruiting goals support the overall strategy?

Create a value driver tree to determine if there is a sight line to the strategy.

An organization with a non-tech workforce is looking to create a more efficient way to handle technology questions. Currently, the IT department reports that 40% of help desk calls are seeking direction on common tasks, such as archiving an e-mail or accessing the organization's parts ordering system. Which option is the best way to address repeated questions like these and free up time for the IT department to complete other crucial projects?

Create an FAQ web page, accessible from the intranet home page, with step-by-step instructions for performing common tasks.

An organization is struggling to attract and retain top talent. The organization has raised compensation to levels that are above average compared to the market but has not noticed an appreciable increase in hiring success. Which action should the organization take next to address the issue?

Create an employee value proposition to attract top-level candidates.

A multinational organization identifies a lack of global perspective in its leadership ranks. Current leadership has typically been cultivated from within, working up through positions at the main corporate office. Which action will best serve the organizational goal of developing strong global leaders?

Create positions that involve managing operations abroad for leaders to rotate through on two-year assignments.

Which benefit is most advantageous when considering a best-of-breed solution compared to an integrated solution?

Creates customized solutions for different functional areas

A small organization has recently doubled the size of its workforce to 150 employees. The HR director has received approval to purchase an HRIS to help deal with the increase in reporting requirements. There is an IT expert in-house. What is the best course of action for this HR director in regard to the purchase and implementation of the HRIS?

Customize an off-the-shelf HRIS software package. Smaller organizations need only the basic information typically associated with employee status and payroll records. Purchasing a relatively inexpensive off-the-shelf software package can provide what is needed for effective HR applications that are easy to install and use.

Which is an example of a risk management strategy of mitigation?

Department leaders are directed to train at least two employees to perform critical leadership tasks.

An HR director is hired at an airline. On the first day, the HR director calls to get directions to the location and the receptionist answers the phone in an unprofessional manner. When the HR director arrives, everyone is in a panic because the last flight team had a "hard landing." No one is physically injured in the incident, but the airplane is beyond repair. When arriving at the landing site, the HR director overhears the crew saying something about the junior pilot's substance abuse problems. The pilot in charge tells the HR director to report the incident as a "hard landing" and not a crash and to report that the junior pilot is not at fault. The HR director looks at the junior pilot's employee file to discover three other recent similar events, all noting substance abuse as a possible cause. The HR director also learns that the junior pilot had a pre-existing relationship with the pilot in charge, outside of work. Protocol requires all pilots to submit to drug tests immediately following an incident. The junior pilot does not do so until the next day. Which piece of information should the HR director collect first to investigate the incident?

Description of what happened from all involved in the incident

After acquisitions are announced, HR hears concerns from employees of the acquired companies that relate to job loss, benefits changes, and loss of key working relationships. Which actions should HR take first to address these concerns while moving forward with integration activities?

Design an orientation program for staff and leadership that incorporates employee feedback and new organization cultural goals.

The new vice president of HR is tasked with developing a total rewards strategy in her organization. How should the VP begin the process?

Develop a compensation philosophy.

What action should the HR director take regarding the receptionist's lack of professionalism?

Discuss the service experience with the receptionist's supervisor.

What is a critical requirement of a business intelligence portal?

Ease in accessing data with interest and usefulness

Which action is characteristic of constructive discipline?

Employees are given multiple opportunities to modify their behavior.

The leadership team is concerned about employees leaving when they learn of the acquisition. What should the HR consultant recommend the organization do to retain top talent?

Encourage frequent and open communication between leadership and the employees so the employees feel like part of the team.

How can HR best implement a preventive labor relations strategy addressing the threat of possible union organizing during the reduction-in-force process?

Engage an external consultant specializing in union avoidance to develop a preventive labor relations strategy.

A new knowledge management effort has lost traction. Senior employees are not motivated to train their replacements, and the younger employees resent not getting the training. Which potential solution should HR recommend to help both groups gain better understanding and demonstrate empathy with one other?

Establishing intergenerational mentoring programs throughout the organization

The HR director has just seen the data from the function's first internal customer satisfaction survey in ten years. Customers complain about hiring times they consider unreasonable. At an HR meeting, staff defends itself by arguing that they address every opening quickly, offer the hiring managers a good pool of candidates, and have a high rate of employee success in positions. How should the leader of the HR function approach this customer service problem?

Examine the recruiting and hiring process for inefficiencies.

Which should an HR leader do after learning that some HR team members question the necessity for the project?

Explain the benefits of the initiative to the team. If team members are unclear about the necessity for an initiative, they will not be as motivated to accept the change the initiative will require. It will be critical for the HR leader to clarify the reason for the initiative by explaining its objectives and benefits to the organization.

An organization previously competed on the basis of innovation. Its employees were rewarded for independent decision making and risk taking. As the market has matured, however, competition has forced leaders to shift to a strategy that increases management control over decisions and relies on processes to resolve the minor but embarrassing quality problems that have always been associated with its products. The leaders look to HR to help support this strategy. What first step should HR suggest?

Explain to the leaders that the new strategy will require changes in structure, policies, processes, and culture.

How should the HR director respond to the account of the incident provided by the pilot in charge?

Explain to the pilot in charge that the HR director will conduct an independent investigation.

An HR manager uses interactive meeting software to allow a team to review and change a document during a virtual meeting. Changes are shown as markups to all other meeting participants. Participants are then asked to comment on the changes and their implications. What do these comments create?

Feedback loop

HR works with the executive leadership team to redesign the company's operational structure. HR brings on an external consultant to determine next steps. What should be the consultant's initial recommendation to HR?

Gain agreement on the initiative's objectives.

A board of directors is engaged in very tough contract negotiations with the organization's current CEO. The board's head comes to the VP of HR and asks for help. What would be the best support HR could provide?

Give the board an accurate picture of the costs and opportunities associated with replacing the CEO.

An organization implements employee self-service through an HR portal for employees to check their personal data, update information, and handle expense reporting. What will likely be the most important impact of this initiative?

HR head count may be reduced due to time savings.

A global organization that was recently criticized for subcontracting to manufacturers who employ children is experiencing plummeting sales. This results in reductions in force (RIFs) that many global employees will view as unfair and inequitable. Which risk management tactic is most appropriate for the HR manager to take?

Have the legal department review the RIF plan and external laws to avoid litigation. Rsk management aims at controlling the effects of uncertainty. In this case, securing legal review helps avoid costly legal compliance issues. Communicating the plan may affected employees manage their futures, but it does not affect the employer's risk; its image as an employer has already been damaged. Similarly, offering compensation packages does not protect against risks of non-compliance, and is probably beyond the employer's financial capabilities. Conducting the RIF without legal review and without a communications plan would be choosing to ignore the potential for risk.

What is the value of a balanced scorecard?

Helps support a clear line of sight from strategic goals to strategic performance

Which is the best course of action to incorporate concerns raised by works councils about a proposed staffing plan for multiple countries across Europe?

Holding ongoing discussions with works council leaders

A high-tech U.S. employee from California is on the organization's leadership fast track. He is in the final stages of consideration for a significant promotion that would involve a transfer to Hong Kong. This would be the employee's first-ever expatriate assignment. He has never lived or worked abroad, but he has successfully participated in several of the organization's global leadership programs, including several extended international business trips. He has worked for the organization for almost four years and is married with three young children. The organization's director of global mobility (GM) is the final due diligence assessor for expatriate assignments. Creating the short list that is now in front of the GM is a very careful process, fully defined in several of the organization's standard operating procedures. A few notable questions remain about the California employee: His mother-in-law is a widow, and she is seriously ill. The employee's wife is her only child. The employee's daughter is in a junior Olympic figure skating program. The employee's wife also works in the high-tech sector and is unlikely to find a comparable job in Hong Kong. How should the GM head proceed to resolve the remaining concerns about this employee's assignment?

Host an information session with the employee's wife to determine the family's perspective on the assignment.

An organization has had difficulty sustaining its diversity and inclusion effort during economic downturns and has experienced resistance from managers and employees alike. What might be recommended to help this organization?

Increased alignment between business strategy and diversity initiatives

An organization has announced that no salary increases above 1.5% will be allowed and budgets should be set accordingly. What would be a likely impact on HR's budget?

Increased budget for additional benefit programs

Which is the most significant reason that information technology departments are seen as strategic partners in an organization?

Information technology provides a competitive advantage for an employer.

A top performer routinely arrives late to work. When questioned, rather than providing an explanation, she just says that she'll take a shorter lunch hour. Because of her performance, her manager allows this behavior to continue. Which risk does the manager take by failing to apply policy consistently? Answers

It may provide grounds for a legal finding of unjust dismissal by people who are fired for tardiness. Failure to apply rules consistently to all employees may be grounds for a legal finding of unjust dismissal and trigger financial penalties. Chronic tardiness can damage the work environment, harm the employer brand, and reduce productivity.

A small organization does not have the time or resources to administer benefits, payroll, or personnel records programs. Which flexible staffing alternative is an option for them?

Leasing employees from a professional employer organization

Why would HR direct an organization to be involved in philanthropy efforts at the local level instead of global?

Local government officials may be influenced by organizational efforts.

A manager has to leave work in the middle of the day because of a sick child. The employer does not have a paid time off policy. The manager notes a deduction equivalent to a half-day of salary in his nest paycheck. What is a possible outcome?

Loss of the overtime exemption

A manufacturing organization with locations in several countries is in the process of acquiring a production plant in a new country. The employees at the newly acquired plant will all be retained and will be made aware of the acquisition once it is finalized. The organization's leadership team hires an HR consultant to assist with the HR functions during the acquisition. The HR consultant is working confidentially to ensure that the HR department of the production plant has a smooth transition through the acquisition and will be fully prepared to communicate information to the plant employees. Members of the leadership team are relying on the expertise of the HR consultant to ensure that the new plant's HR department complies with local laws and procedures, but they are struggling to fully trust the HR consultant. What should the HR consultant do to most effectively gain the leadership team's trust?

Meet with the leadership team to listen to their concerns.

After careful research, a company decides to expand its services into a new, growing market. What is most likely to occur as result of this expansion?

New organizational structure

The global HR director at a multinational manufacturing company receives a complaint from an employee working in an overseas operations center. The complaint alleges that the employee was unfairly denied a promotion for an open team lead position and was treated inappropriately by the on-site HR manager. According to the complaint, the employee reported the promotion issue to the on-site HR manager, who responded by inviting the employee to meet over lunch. Instead of resolving the issue, the HR manager forced the employee to pay for their lunch bill and to buy the manager a new pair of expensive shoes. A few days later, the employee's supervisor placed the employee on a performance improvement plan based solely on the HR manager's recommendation. After reviewing the complaint, the HR director reviews the employee's personnel file but does not find any record of performance issues in the past. In addition, there are no prior reports from other employees in the operations center indicating that the on-site HR manager has a history of inappropriate behavior. What should the HR director do to establish credibility with the employee on behalf of the global HR team?

Notify the employee that HR will take all appropriate actions to resolve the complaint quickly.

An organization has identified several areas in which productivity is not meeting goals. The HR director is charged with finding a way to help increase productivity in the identified areas. After examining employee surveys from the underperforming areas, the HR director concludes that management is performing adequately but teams are still not working together as well as needed. The HR director also examines compensation in the area to see if below-average base pay is causing employees to lack motivation, but she finds that base salaries are competitive in the area. Which is the best option for the HR director to use to increase productivity?

Offer group incentive pay based on group performance targets.

How should the GM director proceed once all final selection assessments have been completed?

Offer the assignment to the employee asking for consideration, and include time to determine if the assignment should proceed.

The HR director suspects that substance abuse may have been the cause of the incident. Which action should the HR director take?

Place the junior pilot on probation for not following the drug testing protocol after the incident.

HR must create training so employees know where to find information and guidance on how to respond to compliance and ethical dilemmas. Which training approach will be most effective?

Present challenging ethical situations and enable employees to work together to analyze their responses.

A 40-year-old company is acquired by a 100-year-old company. Both companies have strong cultures. The acquiring company's chief people officer establishes a team of business and HR professionals from both companies to assess their respective cultures and develop and enact an integration strategy. The HR director from the acquired company is asked to serve as that company's lead representative on the integration team. A few weeks into the integration team's work, the HR director notices significant differences between the companies' cultures. While some aspects of the companies' cultures seem to be merging, many of the acquiring company's cultural norms are taking precedence as the united culture is being solidified. This situation is being fueled by the fact that a majority of the newly selected executive team members are leaders from the acquiring company. Which approach should the HR director have taken when joining the cross-functional team to maximize the chances that the team will be successful?

Recommend establishing a team purpose and charter to foster alignment across the team members.

A multinational organization with businesses in the U.K., Australia, and the U.S. decides to expand its presence into Southeast Asia and Africa through acquisition. Its strategy for each location is to acquire a faltering domestic company with local brand value and combine it with its existing businesses to create a new business entity. The organization identifies multiple companies for acquisition, performs due diligence on each, and is currently awaiting government approval before proceeding to acquire each entity. As a member of the acquisition strategy team, HR represents the people perspective. It has two main assignments: 1) create an integration plan that will retain talent and build capacity for new business development to meet first-year profit goals and beyond and 2) integrate the new business acquisition strategy into the organization's ongoing employee engagement strategy. To help meet its objectives, HR convenes a team of representatives from its existing business units that provides expertise and additional perspectives. It also begins to prepare new materials to describe and introduce the organization's culture and identify the competencies and skills needed to be successful in the organization. Which is the best first step HR should take to prepare an integration plan?

Review due diligence materials to learn more about the businesses, management teams, key employees, and culture.

Many of the direct costs that the new CEO chooses to cut directly affect employees, and morale in the company drops. Employees claim that the company has lost its identity. What should the CHRO suggest to the CEO?

Tell the CEO to hold question-and-answer sessions with teams within the company to hear and respond to employees' concerns.

Which action would ensure global assignment success?

Send assignees on international assignments to manage a specific project. For an initial foray into overseas assignments, assignees in organizations with a multidomestic or international strategy should be sent on short-term projects or to complete a specific job.

Which step is most critical for the HR director to take when assisting the executive team with integration and realignment?

Speak openly with the team on the integration process and what to expect.

What are the four areas that need to be examined during a workforce analysis?

Supply analysis, demand analysis, gap analysis, solution analysis

A newly hired HR director has been assigned to lead a company's transition to a total rewards environment. The company CEO expresses full support for the HR director but expects results. The HR director has identified significant challenges to be overcome: Within HR, there is personal and professional conflict between the benefits manager and the compensation manager. Each believes that the former HR director favored the other in allocating resources. Senior leaders are dissatisfied with the benefits and the HR department as a whole. They believe that HR used employee survey data to make them and their departments look bad. They doubt that HR can successfully implement any change initiatives. The company's hourly workforce has not had a raise in the last three years, although virtually all salaried workers have received at least a 2% annual adjustment with an additional 2% to 3% merit award based on individual performance against goals. What should the HR director do about the benefits manager and the compensation manager who do not get along?

Talk with both managers and define acceptable behavior. Ask for feedback until everyone agrees on a way to work together.

An HR director has joined a technology company that has a flat structure and relies on highly focused project teams with highly competent members who work in a collaborative and supportive way. The HR department reflects this structure and culture. The HR director came from a manufacturing business known for its ability to standardize processes for greater efficiency. The HR director was very successful in his previous organization but is struggling to connect with and lead his new HR team. What might explain his difficulty?

The director has always used legitimate power to lead his teams, and this team doesn't see leadership in this way.

Why would an HR manager recommend using an external firm to conduct an organization's first employee engagement survey?

This allows the organization to benchmark its results against those of comparable organizations.

Managers of a major restaurant chain are seeking ways to reward employees' contributions in conjunction with the restaurant's success. How should the HR leader guide managers toward creating an effective rewards system?

Tie the rewards to strategic activities. Without regard to individual cultures, effective rewards systems are strategically aligned. The other choices focus on features that may vary among cultures.

What is the primary purpose of a social audit?

To serve as a self-evaluation focused on understanding, measuring, and improving the organization's social performance A social audit is a formal review of an organization's social and environmental policies and procedures that is primarily a tool for self-evaluation. It has been described by a UN agency as "a technique to understand, measure, verify, report on and to improve the social performance of the organization."

An HR director is leading a team through a project management process under an unusually tight deadline. In order to successfully complete the project in time, which action should the HR director take?

Use critical path analysis to develop a project schedule that fits the time constraints.

A project leader asks HR for help with managing the team aspects of a challenging project. The team was tasked with prototyping a new consumer electronics product. Due to various supplier problems, the team has missed several milestones. To meet the deadline, another team has been diverted from its less critical project and added to the delayed project. The project leader needs things to go as smoothly as possible with this new merged team so that no more time is lost. What should HR focus on?

Using a RACI matrix to define new team roles and responsibilities

A main goal of the team is to assist HR to develop and reinforce a vision and culture for the new entity. Which action should HR encourage to accomplish this?

Verify the third-company vision and organizational culture.

When is an authoritative approach to leadership most likely to be effective?

When the team is willing to work toward a goal but is not yet sure of how to get there

How should the HR director go about preparing employees of the acquired company for the forthcoming cultural changes?

Work with company executives and senior leaders to establish a common understanding of the change efforts needed.

A business supply company of 700 employees has to reduce its workforce by 15% due to declining sales. The impacted employees represent a broad cross section of the company's workforce. The average length of service ranges from five to 15 years. There is no specific human resource policy addressing criteria for making layoff decisions, and most employees feel that seniority should be the predominant criterion rather than performance. Historically, the company has experienced a relatively positive and stable employee relations environment, with minimal turnover and well-trained supervisors who have managed their employees fairly and effectively. Senior management has been productive and successful and is perceived by most employees as credible and engaged with the workforce. Leadership is concerned that a local union may try to capitalize on the impending layoffs by telling employees that they can provide them with greater job security and protection if they agree to form a union. Since this is the first time in the company's history that they have had a layoff or a reduction in force (RIF), the company is naturally concerned about its effect on employees and the most effective and responsible way to manage this change. Senior management has tasked the director of human resources with developing a comprehensive RIF plan to address key issues such as management's role in the layoff process, communications, conducting a risk assessment, and interpretation and application of current HR policies in making layoff decisions. HR has also been asked to design a separation package with competitive severance. How should human resources advise senior management about their role in communicating any layoff decisions to affected employees?

Work with senior management to communicate the strategic rationale and business necessity for the layoff, using managers for communication to staff.

cross-functional team analyzes the customer experience in comparison to upcoming product development initiatives. One set of recommendations from this team identifies several changes to manufacturing and shipping processes that could reduce the overall delivery cycle time by 10%. If the organization decides to act on this team's recommendations, which action should HR take that would best promote implementation of this process change?

identifying possible skill gaps created by the new processes

An organization has typically allowed individual unit managers to handle all interviews, granting the managers a large degree of autonomy to select candidates. However, the new HR director has identified that this policy has caused a large variance in the actual quality of candidates that are hired, impacting the organizaiton's overal performance. The HR director wants to bring all interviews under the direction of HR, but she receives significant pushback from managers, who fear losing control over who they hire. Which is the best option the HR director can select to increase the quality of new hires while respecting the desires of managers to have final say over who they hire?

continue to allow unit managers to conduct interviews but require that they employ structured interviews for consistency.

Which principle of employment at-will affects employers in countries that recognize this employment right?

he employee is not legally bound to any financial liability incurred for abandoning the job. When the principle of employment at-will applies, primarily in the U.S., both the employee and the employer are free to terminate the relationship with no consequences, assuming that no other contracts or agreements have been made and the termination was legal (in other words, not a case of wrongful discharge).