Communication

Refer to the following scenario for the next 3 questions. An HR business partner for a mid-sized company has been asked to investigate root causes of high employee turnover. The CEO thinks that the turnover is the result of HR failing to set clear expectations for managers and has stated that there is a disparity in how managers lead their employees versus what employees think their managers should be doing. The CEO believes that this inconsistency in expectations is the reason for attrition. HR currently conducts annual employee engagement and morale surveys and presents the results to management. However, most of the management team has been with the company for many years and are resistant to change. Past efforts to guide the management team have been unsuccessful due to limited participation. For example, leadership skills training has been held in the past, but most of the management team have declined to attend. The CEO has requested that the HR manager provide a detailed plan to address the turnover by next quarter. Which step should the HR manager take to ensure buy-in from the managers when implementing an initiative to address the turnover? Answers A. Present data to managers that shows how the high turnover has affected the company's profit. B. Create a policy that links participation in leadership training with incentives and bonuses for managers. C. Ask employees about their managers' capabilities and provide managers with this feedback. D. Purchase off-the-shelf business competency models to use as a management tool. Which step should the HR manager take to identify the root causes of turnover? Answers A. Read comments from past employee engagement surveys. B. Review previous employee complaints related to manager behaviors. C. Set up an anonymous employee suggestion box in a common area. D. Examine employee exit interview documentation for trends. Which action should the HR manager take to ensure the success of an initiative to improve employee engagement and retention? Answers A. Assign HR employees to the initiative who have the availability and interest to support it. B. Ask the CEO to provide feedback on the action plan for the initiative. C. Create employee-led committees to develop ideas and provide support for the initiative. D. Ask all managers which aspects of the initiative they are willing to participate in.

A. Present data to managers that shows how the high turnover has affected the company's profit. D. Examine employee exit interview documentation for trends. C. Create employee-led committees to develop ideas and provide support for the initiative.

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? Answers A. Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy. B. Tell the employee to apologize to the customer. C. Tell the employee to do nothing; it will blow over. D. The employee's behavior toward the customer was wrong, and the employee will be written up. 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? Answers A. Since the manager feels bad about what has happened, the company should take the "lessons learned" approach. No other action is necessary. B. The manager's supervisor should meet with the project manager for coaching on the responsibilities of day-to-day supervision and communication with employees and the customer. C. Management should tell the project manager to work more closely with the customer. D. The project manager should be written up. What steps can HR implement to ensure that this type of event does not recur with the company's current employees? Answers A. Implement a "buddy system" so employees always have a fellow employee to seek advice from. B. Review the onboarding agenda to make sure that employees are aware of workplace policies that are related to customer interface and that they are clearly understood. C. Meet with the entire project manager group to review policies, their job descriptions, and how to handle issues faced in day-to-day supervision. D. Send a company-wide e-mail with the policies attached. 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? Answers A. The CEO of the company should contact the customer's CEO and blame his employee for the termination. B. The HR manager should conduct a problem-solving meeting with the project manager and the customer's counterpart to review the situation in total and develop a communications plan so conflicts are handled effectively. C. The HR manager and the project manager should meet with the customer to define what effective communication should be, and they then should share the new communication plan during an all-employee meeting. D. The company and the customer do not need to meet.

A. Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy. B. The manager's supervisor should meet with the project manager for coaching on the responsibilities of day-to-day supervision and communication with employees and the customer. C. Meet with the entire project manager group to review policies, their job descriptions, and how to handle issues faced in day-to-day supervision. C. The HR manager and the project manager should meet with the customer to define what effective communication should be, and they then should share the new communication plan during an all-employee meeting.

Refer to the following scenario for the next 4 questions. A company sends a team of employees and one field supervisor to a customer's location for a week. Employees stay in hotel rooms, two employees per room, and receive a daily meal allowance that allows the purchase of one alcoholic beverage. At dinner one evening, the employees have a few alcoholic beverages, and then they return to the hotel, where one employee passes out in the parking lot. The other employees call an ambulance, and emergency personnel ask if the unconscious employee takes any medication. The employee who shares a room with the unconscious employee goes to the room and finds the employee's medication bottles. No one rides in the ambulance or follows it to the hospital. The field supervisor calls HR to report the incident. The HR manager asks if the employee's spouse has been called and which hospital the employee was admitted to. No one knows where the employee has been taken, nor has the employee been in contact with anyone. The field supervisor locates the employee, who is in serious condition. The employee remains unconscious; it is unknown if the employee will recover from the incident. Management wants to end the employment relationship with the employee. What can HR do to ensure that all employees understand the company's daily meal allowance policy? Answers A. Take no action, since it has not been determined that the employee's medical condition is related to alcohol consumption. B. E-mail the company's daily meal allowance policy to all employees and direct the employees to review it. C. Distribute the policy to employees and provide a venue to review it and answer questions. D. Forward the policy to supervisors and rely on them to review the policy with each of their employees. Which action should the HR manager take first to ensure that field supervisors are prepared to handle emergency situations in the field? Answers A. Review company emergency protocols and conduct a needs assessment to identify gaps. B. Survey the field supervisors to determine their desire for training. C. Recognize that emergency situations are unpredictable; therefore, training should focus on previous situations. D. Identify emergency training programs and offer non-mandatory training. Which action should HR take to ensure that supervisors act appropriately in emergency situations without fear of violating employee privacy? Answers A. Instruct supervisors to choose the best action; every situation is different, and supervisors should apply common sense to the situation. B. Require the supervisors to always call HR and to avoid any discussion with emergency personnel about the employee's medical condition. C. Use a collaborative approach with leaders to create and communicate a company-wide protocol that outlines steps to take in an emergency situation. D. Coach the supervisors to always call emergency personnel and to avoid any discussion with emergency personnel about the employee's medical condition. The leadership team wants to implement a policy that prohibits sending employees who have medical conditions out of town on business. How should HR handle this request? Answers A. Agree with the leadership team and create the policy that forbids employees with medical conditions from company travel. B. Ignore the leadership team's request because it is impractical and hope that they will forget about it C. Require all new hires to pass a physical exam and, if the exam isn't passed, don't allow them to travel. D. Schedule a meeting with the leadership team to address their request and offer other options that are focused on the best interests of the business.

C. Distribute the policy to employees and provide a venue to review it and answer questions. A. Review company emergency protocols and conduct a needs assessment to identify gaps. C. Use a collaborative approach with leaders to create and communicate a company-wide protocol that outlines steps to take in an emergency situation. D. Schedule a meeting with the leadership team to address their request and offer other options that are focused on the best interests of the business.

Refer to the following scenario for the next 3 questions. While applying for a job on a computer in a company's employment office, an applicant made a statement to an office staff member that there was a sticky substance on the keyboard. Later that day during an on-site interview, the same applicant complained that a rash emerged on his fingers from the sticky substance. At the end of the day, the applicant was not hired because the background screening process revealed criminal charges two years ago. Instead, the hiring manager selected a different applicant who more closely matched the needs of the position and passed the background screen. Before leaving for the day, the applicant who was not hired filed a grievance with the HR manager claiming he had not been hired because he complained during the interview of an unknown substance causing a rash on his fingers. Upon investigation, the sticky substance was identified from the observation camera to be strawberry jelly from the applicant's sandwich eaten at the desk just prior to completing the application. What should the HR manager do first to address the applicant's filed grievance? Answers A. Forward the grievance to the hiring manager who made the decision not to hire the applicant. B. Inspect the keyboard with the risk manager, collecting a sample of the sticky substance for further analysis. C. Tell the applicant his sandwich left the sticky substance on the keyboard and his complaint did not impact the hiring decision. D. Suggest that the applicant reapply for the position when the rash has cleared up. After the sticky substance has been identified as jelly from the applicant's sandwich, which action should the HR manager take to prevent a recurrence of this situation? Answers A. Clean and visually inspect each workstation prior to applicant use. B. File an ISO 31000 risk management report. C. Post a sign prohibiting all applicants from eating at the workstations. D. Have a risk management officer attend and monitor the application and interview process. The hiring manager asks for guidance in the event an applicant challenges the results of the background screening process in the future. What should the HR manager advise the hiring manager to do if such a challenge occurs? Answers A. Evaluate the business risk associated with hiring someone with the applicant's background screen results. B. Ask the company's legal counsel to respond to the applicant's challenge of the background screen results. C. Present the background screen results to senior management, asking them to make the final hiring decision. D. Give the applicant a copy of the results of the background screen and allow time for the applicant to provide a response.

C. Tell the applicant his sandwich left the sticky substance on the keyboard and his complaint did not impact the hiring decision. C. Post a sign prohibiting all applicants from eating at the workstations. D. Give the applicant a copy of the results of the background screen and allow time for the applicant to provide a response.

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? Answers A. Request that a meeting be held with the employee and the individuals who are being accused to publicly address the situation. B. Request that the employee raise the issue with a supervisor and then escalate it to the HR manager if they feel an investigation is still warranted. C. Confront the members of the senior leadership team and demand that they immediately stop all inappropriate actions. D. Set up a formal meeting with the employee to gather additional details, assess whether an investigation is needed, and propose a plan to the HR manager. Which is the most effective first step the HR manager should take to create an environment of inclusiveness? Answers A. Tell employees to contact the employee assistance program (EAP). B. Discuss the importance of inclusiveness during the onboarding process. C. Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year. D. Tell employees that they need to learn other languages to relate better to others.

D. Set up a formal meeting with the employee to gather additional details, assess whether an investigation is needed, and propose a plan to the HR manager. C. Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year.

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

Discuss the incident with the salesperson immediately and in private, reminding them of policy on personal phone calls. Rationale Assuming an attitude of helpfulness rather than power is key when providing performance feedback. Discussing the incident with the employee immediately shows respect. During the discussion, it is necessary to specifically describe the behavior in question without passing judgment. Additionally, specific values may be called out in employee performance goals, such as acting in a way that shows commitment to customer service.

When presenting a business case to senior management for HRIS technology, which type of presentation would be most effective? Answers 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

Dynamic presentation that focuses only on key points 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.

During a team meeting, one member is dominating the discussion while others are quietly listening. What should the manager leading the meeting do? Answers Summarize what the talkative team member has said and then move to the next agenda item. Allow the meeting to flow without interruption. Tell the talkative team member that they manager is in charge of the meeting. Encourage participation from less active team members by asking questions of those team members.

Encourage participation from less active team members by asking questions of those team members. 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.

Which technique is critical to being a more active listener? Answers Maintaining hard eye contact, not looking away any more than she can help. Keeping an open mind, recognizing that she may think differently after the conversation. Asking follow-up questions during the conversation, especially if the speaker seems to be changing subjects in mid-speech. Engaging in the conversation and avoiding paraphrasing what she just heard.

Keeping an open mind, recognizing that she may think differently after the conversation. Rationale Keeping an open mind as an active listening technique involves accepting the fact that this conversation could change one's position on an issue, feelings about the speaker, or understanding of the subject. One should not interrupt as it could be rude, one should summarize and paraphrase to signal understanding, and one should maintain soft eye contact.

Which action would best support a group brainstorming session? Answers Listen to what each person has to say before thinking about responses. Think of possible responses to facilitate smooth transitions as others speak. Make a list of rebuttals for concerns that will likely be raised. Generate a conscious idea of what the various contributors will likely say.

Listen to what each person has to say before thinking about responses. Rationale Active listening requires turning away from oneself-one's preconceptions about the speaker, concerns about what's being said, one's own needs, possible responses-and focusing instead on the speaker.

A large organization is faced with a sudden and severe downturn in revenue and must suspend contributions to employees' retirement accounts. What is the most effective way to communicate this? Answers Announce the change via a broadcast email, stressing that it is a temporary measure only. Implement the change immediately and have HR include an announcement and explanation in the next pay statement. Prepare front-line managers for the change and then have the CEO communicate the information to the entire workforce. Inform unit managers of the change and instruct them to meet individually with their direct reports.

Prepare front-line managers for the change and then have the CEO communicate the information to the entire workforce. Rationale The most effective approach of those listed is to prepare the front-line managers so that they are equipped to answer questions that will inevitably follow the CEO's announcement. The news should come from leadership. It should not be delayed or make possibly unrealistic promises. It should use a variety of communication channels.

One month into working in a new department, an employee asks their new supervisor for feedback. The supervisor responds by listing three ways in which the employee's performance is inadequate. How is the employee likely to react? Answers The employee will work harder to correct performance deficiencies because of the specific feedback. The employee will be discouraged and may ask someone else for an assessment of their performance. The employee's performance will deteriorate further because of excessive negative feedback. The employee will disregard the criticism because it was not delivered in a timely manner.

The employee will be discouraged and may ask someone else for an assessment of their performance. Rationale The critical information here is that the employee is fairly new and probably does not feel that he has a valued place in the organization yet. In these cases, the employee is likely to disregard the negative feedback and try to find some other source of positive feedback.