Employee Engagement & Retention
A sales manufacturing company has traditionally used paper versions of its employee engagement survey. With a recent expansion to other states, the company has found the paper survey process to be difficult to manage. Which survey method would be most effective for the company in the future? Answers Focused surveys Online surveys Mail-in surveys Phone surveys
Online surveys
A consulting company knows that its primary advantage lies in the expertise and commitment of its people. Which practice should HR recommend that leaders focus on? Answers Retention Recruitment Formal processes Improved benefits
Retention A company that sells its employees' expertise will most likely focus on employee retention. In this situation, experienced employees who have developed strong relationships with customers cannot be easily replaced.
Which of the following actions is most likely to reduce job burnout? Answers Offering stress reduction classes Giving employees control over their work Raising wages Providing employees with more sick days
Giving employees control over their work Burnout occurs when work is no longer meaningful to a person. Giving employees more say about how the work is done reduces burnout and makes employees more committed and engaged in their work.
In 2015, Company X's turnover rate was 74%. The HR director would like to know if a new CSR program has impacted the retention rates for 2016 and 2018. Which formula should the HR director use? Answers (Number of separations/Average number of employees during that same time period) x 100 (Employed employees for the entire measurement period/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 100 (Employed employees for the entire measurement period of the prior year/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 50% (Employed employees for the entire measurement period/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 12 months
(Employed employees for the entire measurement period/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 100 The retention rate is calculated as(Employed employees for the entire measurement period/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 100. It tracks the retention of those working on day one of the measurement period. The other equations include other factors not needed for the review period.
What is the correct formula to calculate the monthly voluntary turnover rate? Answers (Total number of separations during the year/Average number of employees during the year) x 100 (Number of voluntary separations during the month/Number of employees at the beginning of the month) x 100 (Number of separations during the month/Average number of employees during the month) x 100 (Number of voluntary separations during the month/Average number of employees during the month) x 100
(Number of voluntary separations during the month/Average number of employees during the month) x 100
How will using a revenue-per-employee metric allow HR to demonstrate the impact of turnover on employee engagement? Answers A decrease in revenue per employee may indicate higher employee engagement. A decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with lower employee engagement. The revenue-per-employee metric is not associated with employee engagement. The revenue-per-employee metric is the best indicator of employee engagement.
A decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with lower employee engagement. A decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with a decrease in employee engagement. This is especially important when evaluating the cost of a lost employee due to turnover. Although there is no single calculation for measuring engagement, HR can measure specific outcomes of engagement action plans.
A manager of a new restaurant is having difficulty with her chef's interaction with servers as well as the quality of food he is preparing. After consulting with her HR partner, they plan to develop a performance management system. What is most critical to the effectiveness of the performance management system? Answers Equitable reward system that encourages desired behaviors Evaluation forms that clearly state management's expectations Timeliness of reviews that address poor performance immediately Aligned individual contributions that drive organizational results
Aligned individual contributions that drive organizational results Clear communication of performance standards that are aligned to organizational goals and objectives is the basis of an effective performance management process. Behavior that is expected and evaluated must be communicated clearly.
Senior management has determined that a reduction in force (RIF) is the only way it can address financial difficulties. Which action would best minimize the impact of the downsizing on the organization and employee morale? Answers Encourage voluntary separations and treat them as terminations. Constructively discharge the least productive employees. Suggest that terminated employees might be called back. Allow employees to volunteer to be separated.
Allow employees to volunteer to be separated. A reduction in force in which employees in selected task areas are allowed to volunteer for layoff has the potential to benefit both the organization and the employees. For the organization, a voluntary RIF creates opportunities for restructuring and assists in meeting the organization's fiscal responsibilities. For employees, it may facilitate a transition to retirement. Also, in some countries, an early "at will" separation can provide the employee with access to federal or local financial assistance for the pursuit of other career opportunities.
During the employee selection process, how can HR identify an employee who is more likely to become engaged in the organization? Answers By hiring only those who have the most experience and education By assessing how well the candidate will fit with the organization's culture By questioning potential employees to determine how engaged they were at their last job By selecting those interested in working with a mentor within the company
By assessing how well the candidate will fit with the organization's culture When selecting employees, find candidates who are likely to perform duties well, who contribute voluntary behaviors, and who already fit the organizational culture and values. Then connect them with others in the company as part of their onboarding experience to support their optimum performance engagement.
How can HR best engage employees in developing the performance standards for a new performance management system? Answers By rewarding equally regardless of the task performed By evaluating performance annually rather than on a continuous basis By communicating performance expectations By providing praise and recognition rather than monetary rewards
By communicating performance expectations The organization must communicate what it wants employees to do, and these behaviors have to be translated into performance standards. When performance standards are communicated, they must be defined so all employees understand the expected behavior. For example, if innovation counts, it must be identified and measured, and employees must be given clear examples of what represents innovation.
How should HR improve an organization's onboarding program to reduce voluntary turnover during the first 90 days of employment? Answers By offering bonuses to new hires if they exceed 90 days By conducting in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause of turnover By providing the opportunity for job sharing after 60 days By implementing basic activities on the first day of work
By conducting in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause of turnover The HR professional should evaluate the organization's onboarding strategies using a variety of metrics. In this situation, in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause(s) of voluntary turnover could determine any areas of dissatisfaction with the onboarding process and/or other negative organizational issues the new hire may have encountered.
Some managers in an organization rate their employees' performance as uniformly high. An HR audit reveals that business outcomes do not support these higher employee assessments. Recommendations include changing the appraisal method to the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS). Which method's shortfalls are mitigated by using BARS? Answers Narrative Category rating Management by objectives Comparative
Category rating Category rating methods, the least complex means of appraising performance, require managers to simply mark an employee's level of performance on a designated scale or checklist. The BARS method was designed to overcome the problems of category rating by describing examples of desirable and undesirable behavior. Examples are then measured against a scale of performance levels.
How should an HR director advise a supervisor to engage a typically high-performing employee whose performance has declined the past two quarters? Answers Explore transferring the employee to another department with a new manager to determine if job fit is an issue. Implement a written warning to convey to the employee how serious his performance decline has become. Discuss with the employee his overall goals and objectives as they relate to the particular role the employee occupies. Authorize the supervisor to implement a spot bonus if the employee attains the next quarter's performance target.
Discuss with the employee his overall goals and objectives as they relate to the particular role the employee occupies. Rationale When an employee's performance has declined, the manager should work to identify what may be driving that decline. Feedback about current performance can be used to help identify developmental needs and long-term career goals.
Which question would be most appropriate in an employee opinion survey? Answers Are the organization's values accurately presented in your community? Is your current pay level adequate for you to remain with the organization? Does your supervisor administer the overtime policy in a consistent manner? Does the organization maintain high morale among employees?
Does your supervisor administer the overtime policy in a consistent manner? Opinion survey questions are designed to elicit employee views related to specific issues, such as how work policies or practices are administered. Employee attitude surveys seek data on employee perceptions of the organization's culture and image. Engagement surveys examine employees' levels of job satisfaction, commitment, and morale.
A new HR leader would like to assess the level of employee engagement in the organization. His focus will be on behavioral engagement. Which of the following characteristics should the HR leader look for? Answers Workplace conditions that are improved by management Characteristics that support transactional tasks Effort employees put into their jobs Only characteristics found in trait engagement
Effort employees put into their jobs Rationale Behavioral engagement is evident in the effort employees put into their jobs, which leads to greater value, creating higher performance than from less engaged employees. It can occur when both trait and state engagement are present. The less desirable of the traits is transactional engagement.
Exit data reveals a higher-than-normal rate of voluntary turnover. To investigate further, HR plans to survey the employees. Which type of survey should HR conduct? Answers Engagement survey Opinion survey Performance survey Attitude survey
Engagement survey Engagement surveys focus on employee satisfaction, commitment, and morale, thus providing greater insights into employees' desire to stay with the company. Opinion surveys seek to gain opinions on certain processes, and attitude surveys attempt to determine employees' perceptions of their working environment.
A recent employee satisfaction survey indicated that 83% of respondents were satisfied with their jobs. The CEO believes that employee engagement initiatives have met expectations and that money budgeted for additional employee engagement efforts should be shifted to other projects. Which is the best way to respond? Answers Thank the CEO for his faith in the survey results and assist in allocating the budget dollars elsewhere. Explain that employee engagement is about performance outcomes not always reflected in survey results, so initiatives should continue. Negotiate with the CEO to assess employee vigor, dedication, and absorption before ending the engagement effort. Recommend that a second survey be administered before shifting to other projects to ensure that the satisfaction scores are truly valid.
Explain that employee engagement is about performance outcomes not always reflected in survey results, so initiatives should continue Employee engagement is a broader concept than employee satisfaction, commitment, and morale. It is an outcome-driven concept about behaviors that can positively influence individual- and business-level performance. As such, engagement initiatives should continue. However, efforts will most likely shift to acknowledge progress made in some areas and gaps that remain in others.
An engineering company aspires to have a culture that supports a family-friendly environment. What work/life program would support such a culture? Answers Financial planning Family assistance program Family movie night Wellness program
Family assistance program Work/life programs help employees balance the demands of their work and home lives. Family assistance programs provide a variety of family resources and support, including child-care and elder-care assistance.
A benefits manager notices that several senior-level employees in her department are disengaged. The manager meets with the employees and discovers that they feel confined to the office and have actually become bored with their jobs. Which activity should best assist with this low-level trait engagement? Answers Relocate employees to another area in HR to increase engagement. Have the employees create and present a new wellness series. Encourage the employees to take on more data entry tasks. Allow the employees to leave early on Fridays.
Have the employees create and present a new wellness series. Trait engagement describes the inherent personality-based elements that predispose an individual to being engaged: a natural curiosity, a desire to be involved, an interest in problem solving. These traits may figure into recruiting and hiring efforts.
Which is an example of a change that could positively impact both career development opportunities and employee engagement? Answers Flattening of the organizational structure Job enrichment or job rotation Theory X management More-detailed supervisory work direction
Job enrichment or job rotation Job enrichment increases the depth of a job by adding responsibilities, while job rotation involves movement between different jobs. These changes can give employees more autonomy and decision-making authority or help them learn new skills so they can become qualified for more positions.
Which factor is critical for HR to consider before conducting an employee engagement survey? Answers Clear idea of issues important to employees Leadership buy-in and commitment to act on survey results Choosing a sample of all employees to participate in the survey Plans to follow the survey with employee focus groups
Leadership buy-in and commitment to act on survey results Leaders and managers must demonstrate a commitment to responding to survey results. Surveys that are administered and not followed up on can signal a lack of respect and commitment to the employees and can erode the trust employees have in their leaders
An organization's restructuring caused numerous positions to be eliminated. The HR team met with senior leaders and devised a plan where all impacted employees interview for existing openings. An e-mail communication went out to department managers, and everyone agreed with the plan. How would this organization's culture be defined? Answers Market-oriented Authoritarian Organic Participative
Participative Rationale In participative organizational cultures, the organization's members embrace collaborative problem solving and decision making. Organic cultures have fewer job boundaries, decision-making levels, and rules; this does not describe this organization, which appears to have a decision-making structure and processes. A market-oriented culture might pay less attention to the people aspects of the change and more attention to operational and financial results. In an authoritarian culture, only the top leaders are involved in decision making.
A plant manager informs the HR manager that employees are leaving due to limited advancement opportunities. What is the first step the HR manager should take? Answers Review recruiting practices emphasizing expectations around growth and development. Review exit interview data to see if it reflects limited promotional opportunities leading to employees leaving the organization. Review current promotional practices to encourage faster advancement for qualified employees. Review base pay programs to move employees more quickly through the pay ranges.
Review exit interview data to see if it reflects limited promotional opportunities leading to employees leaving the organization. The first step for the HR manager is to see if data supports this assumption. Exit interview data can help in this regard, as individuals are more apt to be honest about reasons for leaving an organization as they leave.
Which is a primary reason that organizations may not excel at performance management? Answers The concept of performance appraisal is interpreted in many ways. The process is not implemented consistently. The organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies are not aligned. There are multiple expectations of the process.
The organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies are not aligned. While all of these options can explain the failure of a performance management system, a primary reason for failure is the lack of alignment of organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies. This is the foundation of effective performance management, and this process affects all others.
Which metric should an organization look to when evaluating an employee engagement strategy that is focused on safety?
Workers' compensation incident rate While each of the metrics may assist in assessing employee engagement, the workers' compensation incident rate is the metric most closely tied to safety initiatives.