Employee Engagement & Retention Quiz
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? A. Review exit interview data to see if it reflects limited promotional opportunities leading to employees leaving the organization. B. Review base pay programs to move employees more quickly through the pay ranges. C. Review current promotional practices to encourage faster advancement for qualified employees. D. Review recruiting practices emphasizing expectations around growth and development.
A.
An HR professional is compiling the questions for an upcoming institutional engagement survey. How best can she determine the most effective survey questions? A. By linking the questions to business objectives B. By determining employee attitudes toward the employer C. By exploring employee satisfaction D. By uncovering opinions and ideas to improve work processes
A.
What does an employee suggestion mechanism need in order for it to be effective in increasing employee engagement? A. Transparency in how suggestions are reviewed and implemented B. A cash reward for suggestions that save the organization money C. A system to tie number and quality of suggestions to performance reviews D. A method of submitting all suggestions anonymously
A.
What first step should HR take when assessing a recent trend that shows an increase in telecommuting in the industry? A. Develop a business case to support the option to telecommute and create a pilot program. B. Review current functions to determine which are conducive to a flexible work arrangement. C. Determine the percentage of organizations that currently offer a telecommuting option. D. Identify a potential executive sponsor to work with on the research and implementation.
B.
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? A. Comparative B. Management by objectives C. Category rating D. Narrative
C.
Which is a critical consideration to address before proceeding with an online survey? A. Publicizing the survey in employee newsletters B. Ensuring that employees can take the survey only once C. Ensuring the confidentiality of participants' responses D. Verifying that employees have computer access
C.
Which is a primary reason that organizations may not excel at performance management? A. There are multiple expectations of the process. B. The process is not implemented consistently. C. The organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies are not aligned. D. The concept of performance appraisal is interpreted in many ways.
C.
Which performance management method or tool would be most likely to increase employee engagement? A. Customizing dashboards to focus on the employee's circle of influence B. Emphasizing the use of the halo effect C. Providing access to the HR dashboard to all employees D. Using the ranking comparative method for a set of high-performing employees
A.
HR is asked to evaluate the organization's overall retention. Which would be the best information for HR to assess first? A. Management's opinion on retention issues B. Only the current year's turnover rate C. Various perceptions of key competitors D. How the current turnover rate compares to the industry average
D.
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? A. Have the employees create and present a new wellness series. B. Allow the employees to leave early on Fridays. C. Encourage the employees to take on more data entry tasks. D. Relocate employees to another area in HR to increase engagement.
A.
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? A. Retention B. Recruitment C. Formal processes D. Improved benefits
A.
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? A. Aligned individual contributions that drive organizational results B. Timeliness of reviews that address poor performance immediately C. Evaluation forms that clearly state management's expectations D. Equitable reward system that encourages desired behaviors
A.
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? A. Effort employees put into their jobs B. Workplace conditions that are improved by management C. Characteristics that support transactional tasks D. Only characteristics found in trait engagement
A.
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? A. Explain that employee engagement is about performance outcomes not always reflected in survey results, so initiatives should continue. B. Negotiate with the CEO to assess employee vigor, dedication, and absorption before ending the engagement effort. C. Thank the CEO for his faith in the survey results and assist in allocating the budget dollars elsewhere. D. Recommend that a second survey be administered before shifting to other projects to ensure that the satisfaction scores are truly valid.
A.
A sales organization's leadership team has just announced a very aggressive five-year sales plan. Which performance management method should HR suggest to support the plan's achievement? A. Management by objectives method to measure goals and objectives B. Critical incidents method to measure sales for each manager C. Comparative method to rate managers against each other D. Behaviorally anchored rating scale method to define the sales behavior of management
A.
An advertising firm has experienced significant turnover among its creative writers. During exit interviews, the writers have expressed dissatisfaction with rigid starting times, a lack of recognition for their work, and poor communication between managers and employees. Which actions should HR recommend managers implement to improve employee engagement? A. Requesting and valuing employee input on important organizational issues B. Including employees and their families in social gatherings C. Defining tasks and responsibilities and hold employees accountable D. Meeting with employees to discuss projects and plans for completion
A.
An organization has become dysfunctional: Morale is low, reports of discipline-worthy offenses and conflicts with supervisors are increasing, and productivity is down. Which initial step would HR take to gain more information about possible causes? A. Third-party-administered survey B. Online survey C. Department focus groups D. Individual interviews
A.
Fulfilling which psychological needs would be most likely to result in better employee engagement and wellness? A. Competence, autonomy, and relatedness B. Transparency, speed, and appreciation C. Clear job context, job content, and job specifications D. Knowledge, skills, and attributes
A.
How should an HR director advise a supervisor to engage a typically high-performing employee whose performance has declined the past two quarters? A. Discuss with the employee his overall goals and objectives as they relate to the particular role the employee occupies. B. Explore transferring the employee to another department with a new manager to determine if job fit is an issue. C. Authorize the supervisor to implement a spot bonus if the employee attains the next quarter's performance target. D. Implement a written warning to convey to the employee how serious his performance decline has become.
A.
What is the correct formula to calculate the monthly voluntary turnover rate? A. (Number of voluntary separations during the month/Average number of employees during the month) x 100 B. (Number of separations during the month/Average number of employees during the month) x 100 C. (Number of voluntary separations during the month/Number of employees at the beginning of the month) x 100 D. (Total number of separations during the year/Average number of employees during the year) x 100
A.
Which practice should have the best potential to decrease talent acquisition costs and increase an organization's ability to compete for skilled employees? A. Staying current with labor market and economic trends B. Creating a flexible work environment for Millennials C. Instituting phased retirement for older workers D. Promoting job enlargement and job enrichment practices
A.
Which work relationships are most closely tied to creating and sustaining employee engagement? A. Manager-employee relationships B. Leadership-manager relationships C. Coworker relationships D. Leadership-employee relationships
A.
A new employee is experiencing performance problems. What should HR do as a first step in determining the root cause of the employee's performance challenges? A. Support the supervisor's request to terminate the employee. B. Guide the supervisor to discuss the performance issues with the employee. C. Recommend that the employee be placed on probation. D. Place a written warning in the employee's personnel file.
B.
HR has noticed a higher-than-normal rate of voluntary terminations and determined that this warrants investigation. Plans are made to survey the employees. Which type of survey would best determine reasons for the employee departures? A. Performance survey B. Engagement survey C. Opinion survey D. Attitude survey
B.
How will using a revenue-per-employee metric allow HR to demonstrate the impact of turnover on employee engagement? A. The revenue-per-employee metric is the best indicator of employee engagement. B. A decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with lower employee engagement. C. The revenue-per-employee metric is not associated with employee engagement. D. A decrease in revenue per employee may indicate higher employee engagement.
B.
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? A. (Employed employees for the entire measurement period/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 12 months B. (Employed employees for the entire measurement period/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 100 C. (Employed employees for the entire measurement period of the prior year/Number of employees at the start of the period) x 50% D. (Number of separations/Average number of employees during that same time period) x 100
B.
What is often a desired outcome of programs that provide workplace exercise opportunities, healthier cafeteria options, mental health support, and so on? A. Ability to reduce sick day benefit to fewer days B. Increase in engagement metrics on surveys C. Diversity in the wellness dimension D. Higher voluntary turnover rates
B.
Which is an example of a change that could positively impact both career development opportunities and employee engagement? A. Theory X management B. Job enrichment or job rotation C. More-detailed supervisory work direction D. Flattening of the organizational structure
B.
Which managerial competency would best support the relationship between the well-being and engagement of employees? A. Managing with a task orientation style to reinforce organization and structure B. Demonstrating interest in employees as individuals and contributors C. Treating all employees the same with respect to work to minimize the perception of favoritism among staff D. Offering feedback in a manner that focuses on an employee's work performance and does not intrude on the employee's life outside of work
B.
Which metric should an organization look to when evaluating an employee engagement strategy that is focused on safety? A. Revenue per employee B. Workers' compensation incident rate C. Employee absence rate D. Monthly voluntary turnover rate
B.
An organization recently changed its employee benefits package and has decided to measure employee satisfaction in response to this change by administering a survey. To ensure that the survey delivers its promised benefits, which action should the employer take before administering the survey? A. Ensure confidentiality and anonymity. B. Benchmark results against those of other organizations. C. Share the purpose of the survey. D. Determine how to analyze the results.
C.
During the employee selection process, how can HR identify an employee who is more likely to become engaged in the organization? A. By hiring only those who have the most experience and education B. By selecting those interested in working with a mentor within the company C. By assessing how well the candidate will fit with the organization's culture D. By questioning potential employees to determine how engaged they were at their last job
C.
How can HR best engage employees in developing the performance standards for a new performance management system? A. By rewarding equally regardless of the task performed B. By providing praise and recognition rather than monetary rewards C. By evaluating performance annually rather than on a continuous basis D. By communicating performance expectations
D.
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? A. Suggest that terminated employees might be called back. B. Encourage voluntary separations and treat them as terminations. C. Constructively discharge the least productive employees. D. Allow employees to volunteer to be separated.
D.
Which factor is critical for HR to consider before conducting an employee engagement survey? A. Plans to follow the survey with employee focus groups B. Clear idea of issues important to employees C. Choosing a sample of all employees to participate in the survey D. Leadership buy-in and commitment to act on survey results
D.
Which is the most advantageous outcome of employers treating employees with care and respect during termination of employment? A. The employees will focus on their recruiting experience and base their response on that experience. B. The employees will not say anything negative about the organization. C. The employees will be less inclined to file an unemployment claim. D. The employees may return to the organization, and they will require little training.
D.
Which of the following actions is most likely to reduce job burnout? A. Raising wages B. Providing employees with more sick days C. Offering stress reduction classes D. Giving employees control over their work
D.