SHRM Pre-test! Things I got wrong

What is a good example of an upside risk? - A team finishes its project two weeks ahead of the schedule. - An organization is a vendor's first major customer for a leading-edge technology system. - A technician proves highly skilled, invaluable, and irreplaceable. - Union demands for wages, benefits, and work conditions are unrealistic.

- A team finishes its project two weeks ahead of the schedule.

Which is a primary reason that causes organizations to not excel at performance management? - Alignment of systems, strategies, and philosophies has not happened. - Implementation of the process does not happen consistently. - Interpretation of the performance appraisal varies based on the manager. - There are varying degrees of expectations of the performance process.

- Alignment of systems, strategies, and philosophies has not happened. 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.

How does using a job evaluation to determine the relative worth of each job assist in an organization being successful? - By determining the various components of a position and the context and circumstances under which the work is done - By identifying the minimal acceptable qualifications that a candidate must possess to successfully perform certain work tasks - By recording the responsibilities, physical and emotional skills and accountabilities, and ability requirements of a specific job - By serving as the basis for developing equitable salary structures, effective employee selection, and ongoing development

- By serving as the basis for developing equitable salary structures, effective employee selection, and ongoing development Job evaluation determines the relative worth of each job by establishing a hierarchy of jobs within an organization. It is intertwined with a concern for internal pay equity.

Which task is vital when assessing strategic objectives? - Obtaining stakeholder feedback to determine strategy success - Communicating the intent and purpose of the strategic initiatives - Comparing the outcome of strategic initiatives to outlined metrics - Ensuring that there is control of drift in each business unit's strategy

- Comparing the outcome of strategic initiatives to outlined metrics During the evaluation phase of strategic planning, strategic objectives are assessed to determine if the results are in line with the metrics that were defined at the start of strategic planning. Control of drift is one of the critical success factors that organizations successful at strategy have mastered. Soliciting stakeholder feedback is a necessary task when communicating strategy. Depending upon the initiative, it may not be a requirement for evaluating strategy. During the implementation stage, translating intent to specific plans and communicating the value or purpose of initiatives are critical. Assessing or evaluating strategic objectives is the next phase of the process, in which outcomes are compared to defined metrics.

A manufacturer assembles commercial equipment in its host country, using components purchased from small manufacturers in other countries. Pursuing a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, the manufacturer has reviewed its own processes for potential environmental improvements related to energy and waste. HR has been directed to survey employees' workplace impressions, implement engagement practices, and initiate volunteer programs with local community groups. What else is HR in a good position to do to advance the CSR program? - Compile a list of green products to be used in the organization. - Conduct workplace compliance audits for supply chain partners. - Implement an employee suggestion program at headquarters. - Train suppliers in the organization's code of conduct.

- Conduct workplace compliance audits for supply chain partners. Because of the manufacturer's business model, it makes sense for HR to recommend to management that suppliers' workplaces be audited for conditions that would violate local laws and/or the organization's own values and ethical code. The employee suggestion program has probably already been considered as part of an engagement program. Compiling a list of green products is outside HR's area of expertise. The manufacturer and HR cannot impose their code of ethics on a supplier, who must develop a code that complies with local laws, customs, and their own values. HR could, however, include review of such a code in their compliance audit of suppliers.

Which best describes the influence that training has on an organization's strategic diversity and inclusion process? - Creating awareness and helping develop knowledge and skills - Ensuring that everyone in the organization understands diverse cultures - Mandating compliance with governmental laws and regulations - Changing behaviors and attitudes in the organization

- Creating awareness and helping develop knowledge and skills Training cannot directly change behaviors and attitudes in an organization, nor can it teach employees all about one another. What it can do is to create awareness and help develop knowledge and skills. That, in turn, can gradually change individual behaviors within the organization, thereby creating the necessary conditions for culture change.

The determination that 20 new employees are needed to achieve the organizational strategy for growth in global markets is included in which phase of the workforce analysis process? - Demand analysis - Supply analysis - Gap analysis - Solution analysis

- Demand analysis Demand analysis forecasts an organization's future workforce composition and considers the number of employees and the skills required to meet organizational goals.

How are perquisites generally characterized? - Tangible payments provided to a broad group of employees - Goods or services provided on an individualized basis - Remuneration approach that is used to attract and retain workers - Payments for the achievement of a specific goal or objective

- Goods or services provided on an individualized basis Perquisites are compensation provided on an individual basis in the form of goods or services. Included in this category are company automobiles, club memberships, and the like.

Which method is initially used to resolve disputes regarding interpretation of a clause in a current union contract? - Collective bargaining - Fact finding - Mediation - Grievance procedures

- Grievance procedures Rationale A collective bargaining agreement almost always includes a formal grievance procedure. This process provides an orderly way to resolve the inevitable differences of opinion in regard to the union contract.

Which recommendation should HR provide to assist an organization that wants a benefit plan that manages increased costs without sacrificing employee morale? - Request a third-party-administered survey of all employees. - Interview employees who have ten 10 or more years' tenure. - Perform a benchmarking survey of comparable industry organizations. - Initiate several representative focus groups to determine preferences.

- Initiate several representative focus groups to determine preferences. The best advice would be to conduct several focus groups representative of employees in different areas and with different lengths of tenure. Groups could brainstorm a list of wants and preferences, or react to ideas. This approach would also involve employees and contribute to employee engagement.

How can HR minimize the risk of failure of an organization's diversity initiative? - Mandating management training - Ignoring invisible diversity traits - Integrating diversity into the business culture - Implementing pay-for-performance reward systems

- Integrating diversity into the business culture In order for a diversity initiative to succeed, an organization must truly embrace diversity and integrate varied life styles, beliefs, and needs into its business culture.

An organization fears that it has become less competitive. Which should an OED assessment of this issue identify? - Development needs at individual employee levels - Job tasks to be evaluated and modified - Internal and external factors that impact organizational success - Needs that can be met by training

- Internal and external factors that impact organizational success

Which part of the organization has primary responsibility for generating revenue? - Information technology - Operations - Marketing and sales - Research and development

- Marketing and sales Marketing and sales are the functions that bring in revenue. Marketing positions products, and sales sells products and services to customers.

An organization is interested in beginning the process of creating an ethical environment. Who has the most impact on the success of this process? - Organization's leaders - Local community - Organization's employees - Organization's customers or constituents

- Organization's leaders The process of creating an ethical environment must begin with the organization's leaders. It must receive continuous reinforcement from leadership at all levels.

Which assessment approach would provide the deepest insight into the potential of a manager for a position of global leadership at corporate headquarters? - Interviewing conducted by senior managers from the manager's home country familiar with their work - Interviewing conducted by senior executives from the headquarters of the global corporation - Panel interviewing conducted by senior managers from various locations, including host-country managers - Standardized testing of cross-cultural readiness administered by a consultant independent of the organization

- Panel interviewing conducted by senior managers from various locations, including host-country managers Each assessment approach could provide useful data, but the perspective of managers from multiple countries probably will provide the deepest insights, because global leadership requires the ability to interact with and understand the issues of people living in different countries and cultures.

A security-conscious organization requires all new hires to complete training on security policies and conducts annual armed intruder drills for all employees. What risk management strategies is this company using? - Detection and prevention - Prevention and mitigation - Avoidance and enhancement - Sharing and optimizing

- Prevention and mitigation The organization is trying to prevent some risks from occurring through training new hires and mitigating the impact of any risk events that do occur by practicing certain procedures.

According to the sender-receiver communication model, how should an HR manager respond to a message from a stakeholder who express disagreement in a meeting with something the HR manager said ? - Restate the HR manager's position on the same issue in a new way. - Repeat back what the stakeholder has said in a different way. - Nod and continue the original discussion. - Move on to the next point without giving too much weight to the person's opinion.

- Repeat back what the stakeholder has said in a different way.

How does replacement planning differ from succession planning? - Replacement planning focuses primarily on lower-level positions; succession planning focuses on mission-critical positions and senior-level leaders only. - Replacement planning is a systematic approach carried out across all lines of business; succession planning is more important to organizational continuity. - Replacement planning ensures the continuity of business operations; succession planning provides deep bench strength throughout the organization. - Replacement planning is based on an ever-evolving organization; succession planning is focused on short-term organizational needs.

- Replacement planning ensures the continuity of business operations; succession planning provides deep bench strength throughout the organization. Rationale Replacement planning ensures the continuity of business operations, while succession planning provides deep bench strength.

What important action takes place at the end of Lewin's change management model? - Employees are motivated to accept the change. - Employee input on change is sought. - A vision of the future is communicated. - The change is made a permanent part of the organization's policies or processes.

- The change is made a permanent part of the organization's policies or processes. The final phase of Lewin's change management model is refreezing, or making the change a permanent part of the organization's processes or culture. For example, a new process becomes a standard operating procedure, or changes in roles and responsibilities are incorporated into permanent job descriptions. The change process begins with describing the vision the change will help bring about and the benefits the organization will receive. Then two-way communication begins, soliciting employee comments and providing frequent feedback and status reports. This engagement helps motivate employees to accept the change and participate in implementing it.

Which type of globalization is characterized by large populations from emerging countries moving abroad for better employment opportunities? - International assignees - Globalist immigration - The diaspora - Demographic dichotomy

- The diaspora The diaspora refers to a mass migration of voluntary emigrants from their homelands to multiple destinations. The demographic dichotomy describes the trend of a younger workforce in emerging economies while developed countries are experiencing an aging workforce. International assignees and globalists are types of global assignments.

What is the impact that a service level agreement has when an organization moves from licensing software to software as a service (SaaS)? - The organization will need to provide real-time monitoring only after the installation. - It does not define concerns over users' pay-per-use. - It eliminates the need for clarification on who is the customer and who is the client. - The organization will not need to implement or customize software.

- The organization will not need to implement or customize software.

What is meant by the sustainability sweet spot? - The ability of an initiative to improve an organization's brand as an employer of choice - The overlapping area of the triple bottom line perspectives - The point at which a sustainable initiative's investment is surpassed by its economic benefits - The point at which management, employees, and the community agree on goals

- The overlapping area of the triple bottom line perspectives The sustainability sweet spot includes actions that satisfy all three of the needs in the triple bottom line: benefits to the environment (or planet); employees, customers, or neighbors (people); and the organization's financial health (profit).

What is the primary reason for conducting an HR audit? - To determine staffing needs of the HR team - To enhance the skills of the HR team - To increase job satisfaction of the HR team - To enhance or eliminate HR programs

- To enhance or eliminate HR programs HR audits provide information to determine the effectiveness of HR programs. With this information, successful programs can be enhanced while ineffective or obsolete ones can be eliminated. The importance of the audit is that while it yields information specific to the functioning of HR programs, these programs have an organization-wide effect. Therefore, the results of the audit impact the entire organization's workforce rather than only those in the HR department.

Under which circumstances would it be important for an HR manager to age data? - When determining a solution for market rates having outpaced organizational pay structures - When trying to understand the organization's current pay competitiveness and where it needs to be - When comparing the organization's internal job descriptions in order to position them in appropriate job families - When recognizing the need for a globally consistent and efficient job evaluation system

- When trying to understand the organization's current pay competitiveness and where it needs to be Rationale In order to make data sources consistent with one another, aging of data is needed. Aging data from surveys and comparing it to where the organization is allows an understanding of how close you are to your compensation philosophy (lag, match, or lead) for the organization's salary structure.

Refer to the following scenario for the next 2 questions. A large clothing company has a bad reputation because of its hiring practices, its treatment of employees, and its lack of support to the communities it operates in. The CEO and senior managers are known to make decisions based solely on revenue potential, without regard for the impact it may have on society. In fact, the CEO has commented several times that investing money in anything other than operations is a bad business strategy and unethical in terms of the company's obligation to its investors. Recently, major suppliers for the company, located outside the company's home country, were accused of unethical labor practices, unsafe workplace conditions, and possible human rights violations. This has become a public relations nightmare. Several groups have called for boycotts against the company. At the last shareholders' phone conference, several institutional investors expressed their displeasure with management's failure to respond strongly to the problems with suppliers. The CEO expressed his belief that critics were being unrealistic about their expectations for the suppliers. In fact, they were themselves insensitive to business practices and local norms in these countries. Concerned with the negative publicity and lacking confidence in the CEO's response to it, the company's board of directors requests that the CHRO immediately be given the task of formulating a committee to audit the company's operating practices, its employer branding, and its attitude on social issues. This action would at least show that the company has heard the criticisms. The CEO immediately goes to the CHRO's office and angrily says that the CHRO will be showing disloyalty if the CHRO conducts this audit. The CHRO had been one of the CEO's first hires. How should the CHRO respond to this situation? A. Accept the board's assignment, explaining to the CEO the board's power to order this. B. Explain the difficult position and promise to get the board to agree to a third-party audit. C. Tell the board that there is a conflict of interest that prevents the CHRO from complying with the board's request. D. Persuade the CEO to accept the situation by promising the CEO a major role in the audit committee.

A. Accept the board's assignment, explaining to the CEO the board's power to order this.

A global consulting firm hires a director of business development from outside the organization, much to the disappointment of one of the managers in the department who also applied for the position. This manager complains bitterly about the decision to go outside of the firm, and continues to exhibit disruptive and angry behavior. The manager feels unfairly treated and believes the newly hired director has less experience. Two months later, the new director of business development has made changes that most of the team are quite excited about. Unfortunately, this does not include the disappointed manager. This manager openly criticizes the director's ideas, even escalating this criticism to the CEO. The disappointed manager comes to HR to discuss options in the company. The new director has also come separately to HR regarding the continued hostility from this manager and also about a new employee on the global sales team, who tends to be introverted and does not interact with the rest of the team. The new sales employee has no problems with attaining sales goals, but the director does not see them as a "team player" and asks the HR manager for assistance with how best to deal with both of these situations. What should HR recommend as the best approach for the director to take in regard to the sales employees lack of interaction with the rest of the team? A. Spend time with the sales employee, interacting the same way they do with all the other team members. B. Hold an optional off-site team-building activity inviting the entire team to get to know the sales employee better. C. Isolate the sales employee to prevent any distractions, so they can concentrate on contacting new and existing clients. D. HR should talk privately and candidly with the sales employee and explain how their behaviors are impacting the department.

A. Spend time with the sales employee, interacting the same way they do with all the other team members.

Third-party contractors are best used for which types of activities? Activities that require HR strategy Activities that are not strategic Activities that do not require conformance Activities that require few resources

Activities that are not strategic HR activities that are not strategic but are resource-intensive or that require specialized expertise are the best applications for using third-party contractors.

The creation of a global compensation and benefits strategy that ignores local differences in culture is most likely to occur in what global management approach? Geocentric Regiocentric Polycentric Ethnocentric

Ethnocentric In an ethnocentric approach, headquarters maintains tight control over international operations. Subsidiaries have little autonomy and key positions are held by headquarters personnel. A strong headquarters bias often blinds management to the subtleties of cross-cultural differences.

A young learning and development specialist, having recently completed graduate studies in adult education and training, is hired into an HR department that has a strong history of management and employee training programs. For now, the specialist's assignment is to undertake scheduled revisions of specific elements in the learning and development system. The programs have been well-attended and well-received by the organization, so there has been little need to change the learning approach. The specialist soon realizes that, while the course content is well-designed, built on sound practices, and engaging for participants, it offers little support or direction for transferring learning to the job environment. It is missing a major opportunity for improving job performance. She also notes a lack of competency-based learning that can be used by participants and their managers as performance standards to make it easier to implement and assess learning and performance levels. The specialist would like to propose changes, but she is new to the company and the HR function. Her colleagues are older than she is and much more experienced. They have created or directed the curriculum that she wants to change. She notices that they smile condescendingly when she speaks at department meetings about her ideas. They seldom talk to her and have been rather harsh in their reviews of her initial projects. It is difficult for her to argue for change using actual data because the evaluation tools the department uses focus primarily on Kirkpatrick's Levels 1 and 2. How should the specialist deal with the scarcity of company-specific data to support her belief that the learning and development system should be improved? A. Bypass the department supervisor and go directly to senior leadership to request the needed information. B. Compare the results of alternative and current evaluation methods for an upcoming program. C. Weigh past scores by the assessment level used and present that information as more accurate. D. Present anecdotal data with examples about poor learning transfer from managers and supervisors.

B. Compare the results of alternative and current evaluation methods for an upcoming program.

A manager at a large company asks the HR director for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. The manager indicates the consultant and other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition, and have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice. Which action should the HR director recommend to the manager regarding the employees who have expressed discomfort about the situation? A. Schedule a team meeting so that the transitioning employee can answer the questions of the other team members. B. Meet with each employee who expressed discomfort individually to review the company's policy on diversity and inclusion. C. Encourage the transitioning employee to set up private meetings with each team member to talk about their concerns. D. Provide training to the team members who have expressed discomfort on how to interact with the employee during the transition.

B. Meet with each employee who expressed discomfort individually to review the company's policy on diversity and inclusion.

A company has been giving its employees automatic pay increases annually. Recently production has decreased, resulting in less profit. The president tasks HR with implementing a new goal-oriented pay plan to incentivize employees to increase production. HR designs a pay-for-performance plan and trains supervisors. HR also sends an e-mail to all employees explaining the change, referring employees with questions to their supervisor. As part of the new program, goal development is handled by supervisors. However, some supervisors feel that the change in pay philosophy is unnecessary and tell employees that the new pay plan will not work. Twelve months pass and upon review of performance evaluations, HR finds that some appraisals lack goals and do not objectively measure employees' work performance. The results are recommended pay increases that are subjective and unsubstantiated by metrics. Rumors that pay increases will be provided to employees who are favorites begin to impact morale and work production continues to decline. Leadership is disappointed with the results of using a pay-for-performance system. HR is instructed to temporarily revert to the original pay plan and complete a further analysis of its continued viability. Employees are satisfied; however, the reputation of the company and HR has suffered due to this rollout. Production has not increased and profits are still low. HR still believes that the cause of decreased production is the absence of incentive pay. Which recommendation should the HR Manager include in a business case for an incentive pay program that would convince leaders while rebuilding HR's credibility? A. Assess the organization's turnover rate along with supervisors' input and employee opinions on exit questionnaires. B. Gather data on the number of employees, profits for the preceding year, and the current pay structure. C. Analyze data related to the organization's mission, strategy, goals, size, industry, location, and talent availability. D. Review the current payroll budget, the turnover rate, employee input on the pay philosophy, and leadership goals.

C. Analyze data related to the organization's mission, strategy, goals, size, industry, location, and talent availability.

A manager at a large company asks the HR director for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. The manager indicates the consultant and other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition, and have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice. A group of employees approach the HR director presenting a detailed plan for a company-wide campaign focused on supporting employees who have undergone or would like to undergo a gender transition. What should the HR director do next? A. Conduct focus groups with a random sample of employees to discuss the details of the campaign. B. Conduct an anonymous survey to learn how other employees feel about such a campaign. C. Meet with senior executives to find out if they would be supportive of such a campaign. D. Contact HR directors at other companies to learn if they have ever engaged in such a campaign.

C. Meet with senior executives to find out if they would be supportive of such a campaign.

Which process clarifies performance expectations and demonstrates organizational support of individual performance improvement? Conflict resolution Constructive discipline Workplace retaliation Complaint policies

Constructive discipline Constructive discipline gives the employee an opportunity to understand expectations and change behavior. This demonstrates organizational support for performance improvement. Conflict resolution, complaint policies, and workplace retaliation policies can support engagement but are not necessarily geared toward performance improvement.

Which HR task is typically required by a multidomestic corporation? Administering payroll and benefits Facilitating knowledge exchange throughout the organization Coordinating HR activities between headquarters and the international offices Building a common corporate culture across all operations

Coordinating HR activities between headquarters and the international offices

Scenario A young learning and development specialist, having recently completed graduate studies in adult education and training, is hired into an HR department that has a strong history of management and employee training programs. For now, the specialist's assignment is to undertake scheduled revisions of specific elements in the learning and development system. The programs have been well-attended and well-received by the organization, so there has been little need to change the learning approach. The specialist soon realizes that, while the course content is well-designed, built on sound practices, and engaging for participants, it offers little support or direction for transferring learning to the job environment. It is missing a major opportunity for improving job performance. She also notes a lack of competency-based learning that can be used by participants and their managers as performance standards to make it easier to implement and assess learning and performance levels. The specialist would like to propose changes, but she is new to the company and the HR function. Her colleagues are older than she is and much more experienced. They have created or directed the curriculum that she wants to change. She notices that they smile condescendingly when she speaks at department meetings about her ideas. They seldom talk to her and have been rather harsh in their reviews of her initial projects. It is difficult for her to argue for change using actual data because the evaluation tools the department uses focus primarily on Kirkpatrick's Levels 1 and 2. How can the specialist improve her relationship with her colleagues? A. Ask the department manager to intervene with the unfair, harsh criticisms of the specialist's work. B. Be as critical of her colleagues as they are of her; this way they will respect her more. C. Find more opportunities to demonstrate her learning and accomplishments to her colleagues. D. Ask a well-liked and respected colleague in the department to mentor her for the next year.

D. Ask a well-liked and respected colleague in the department to mentor her for the next year.

A construction company with 75 field employees determines that the best way to improve communication with employees and efficiency in tracking employees' working hours is to provide each field employee with a smartphone. Each employee has a company e-mail account that can be accessed through the smartphone, enabling the employee to receive e-mail in a timely fashion. Additionally, the employee uses the smartphone to track hours worked at each job location. A benefit to the employee is not having to complete and turn in time sheets at the end of the week, since time tracking is in real time. These phones should be used for business only and turned into the supervisor at the end of the workday. The company has made a significant financial investment in the smartphones and some employees are very familiar with the phones. However, a small group of employees have not used this type of technology and are not computer-literate. Even prior to the implementation of the phones, this group is demonstrating negative and resistant behavior. The HR director has been assigned the responsibility of distributing the smartphones to the employees and providing the necessary training and resources for the employees to be proficient in using the phones within 30 days. An employee refuses to use the smartphone and continues to submit paper time sheets. Which action should the HR director take to bring about the desired change in the employee's behaviors? A. Send an e-mail to the employee stating that this is a violation that could result in immediate employment termination. B. Allow the employee to continue submitting the paper time sheets for now, and give the employee a new target date by which to make the change. C. Contact the employee's supervisor to determine why the employee is not using the phone and how the supervisor has addressed the issue. D. Contact the employee to understand why the employee is not using the phone; identify solutions to overcome the obstacles.

D. Contact the employee to understand why the employee is not using the phone; identify solutions to overcome the obstacles.

The performance of the head of the IT department has been eroding in the past few years. The employee is no longer capable of meeting the minimum expectations of this role as result of not keeping current in his professional development. Management is struggling to hold the employee accountable while also keeping employee morale positive. There is also a concern that, if placed on a performance improvement plan or a documented coaching program, the employee would respond negatively and retaliate by wreaking havoc on the organization's IT infrastructure. The length of employment has allowed the employee to be protected from accountability in the past. Management has decided that the current situation is no longer tenable, but they also realize the precarious place they have put the organization in by failing to have sufficient safeguards in place to protect company assets. Management approaches the new HR generalist and asks what steps they can take to either create an environment where the IT manager can succeed or effectively manage the IT manager out of the organization. Prior to this discussion, the HR generalist was not aware of either the previous protections afforded to the employee or of the failure of management to hold the employee accountable. The HR generalist is concerned that management has tolerated this behavior for so long and wonders if there are other employees in the organization who have been similarly protected from being held accountable or being disciplined. The HR generalist realizes that two issues need to be addressed. The HR generalist realizes that there is the potential for other employees to have been shielded from accountability. Which action should the HR generalist take first to ensure that all employees are being treated equally? A. Have a company-wide meeting for all managers to review that they need to hold employees accountable. B. Review with management that all employees need to be held to the same standard and that managers cannot shield employees from accountability. C. Send a formal e-mail to all staff informing them of the new accountability policy. D. Meet with managers of the most tenured employees to ensure that shielding of tenured employees from accountability is not a prevalant practice.

D. Meet with managers of the most tenured employees to ensure that shielding of tenured employees from accountability is not a prevalant practice.

The performance of the head of the IT department has been eroding in the past few years. The employee is no longer capable of meeting the minimum expectations of this role as result of not keeping current in his professional development. Management is struggling to hold the employee accountable while also keeping employee morale positive. There is also a concern that, if placed on a performance improvement plan or a documented coaching program, the employee would respond negatively and retaliate by wreaking havoc on the organization's IT infrastructure. The length of employment has allowed the employee to be protected from accountability in the past. Management has decided that the current situation is no longer tenable, but they also realize the precarious place they have put the organization in by failing to have sufficient safeguards in place to protect company assets. Management approaches the new HR generalist and asks what steps they can take to either create an environment where the IT manager can succeed or effectively manage the IT manager out of the organization. Prior to this discussion, the HR generalist was not aware of either the previous protections afforded to the employee or of the failure of management to hold the employee accountable. The HR generalist is concerned that management has tolerated this behavior for so long and wonders if there are other employees in the organization who have been similarly protected from being held accountable or being disciplined. The HR generalist realizes that two issues need to be addressed. The HR generalist wants to ensure that employees are held accountable but also that they are set up for success. How can the HR generalist help make certain this happens? A. Concentrate on accountability since that has been such a major issue and let managers focus on the success of the employees. B. Ask managers if they feel that job descriptions are accurate or if they need to be reviewed and revised. Incorrect C. Review with management the importance of performance evaluations and how they set the expectations for success. D. Partner with management to make certain that employees are aware of additional training resources available.

D. Partner with management to make certain that employees are aware of additional training resources available.

A large clothing company has a bad reputation because of its hiring practices, its treatment of employees, and its lack of support to the communities it operates in. The CEO and senior managers are known to make decisions based solely on revenue potential, without regard for the impact it may have on society. In fact, the CEO has commented several times that investing money in anything other than operations is a bad business strategy and unethical in terms of the company's obligation to its investors. Recently, major suppliers for the company, located outside the company's home country, were accused of unethical labor practices, unsafe workplace conditions, and possible human rights violations. This has become a public relations nightmare. Several groups have called for boycotts against the company. At the last shareholders' phone conference, several institutional investors expressed their displeasure with management's failure to respond strongly to the problems with suppliers. The CEO expressed his belief that critics were being unrealistic about their expectations for the suppliers. In fact, they were themselves insensitive to business practices and local norms in these countries. Concerned with the negative publicity and lacking confidence in the CEO's response to it, the company's board of directors requests that the CHRO immediately be given the task of formulating a committee to audit the company's operating practices, its employer branding, and its attitude on social issues. This action would at least show that the company has heard the criticisms. What would be the most effective tactic in persuading the CEO to accept the audit? A. Give specific examples of the impact that the publicity has had on hiring. B. Assure the CEO that all recommendations will be reviewed by the organization's legal representatives. C. Ask the CEO to remember their joint commitment to doing what is in the organization's best interest. D. Refer to examples of competitors who have met both financial and corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives.

D. Refer to examples of competitors who have met both financial and corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives.

An HR manager is the liaison for the sales department at an organization with 600 employees. Recently the organization had a slight downturn in revenue and profit. To save money, the sales department's senior management has laid off several administrative assistants and assigned their work tasks, such as photocopying and processing sales orders, to the sales staff. Additionally, the department has modified its compensation system by reducing base pay but increasing sales commissions. The HR manager believes the additional work and new compensation system have put substantial stress on employees. It's been observed that employees seem dissatisfied with their jobs and are leaving the organization or thinking of leaving. One recently departed employee told the HR manager he looked for a new job because the increased workload caused him to make fewer sales, thereby reducing his salary. The HR manager brings their concerns to the vice president (VP) of sales. The manager tells the VP the effects of these changes including high turnover and the loss of institutional knowledge. The VP believes turnover is good because poorly performing employees are leaving. The VP believes the recent changes save the company money and motivate sales employees to work harder Which is the best way for the HR manager to evaluate the effectiveness of the new compensation system? A. Conduct a survey that asks about employees' satisfaction with the new compensation system and whether or not they believe it is effective for increasing sales. B. Conduct a benchmark comparison of compensation systems against those of marketplace competitors. C. Recommend that they delay measuring effectiveness for at least one sales cycle to determine whether sales have increased. D. Review existing research and literature on best practices to see if similar changes in other organizations have been effective.

D. Review existing research and literature on best practices to see if similar changes in other organizations have been effective.

A manager at a large company asks the HR director for assistance. An employee on the manager's team will soon undergo a gender transition, and plans to continue working during the transition. The employee is highly valued in the information technology department and is co-leading a project with a specialized consultant. The consultant is one of only two in the country who specialize in the area of the project. The manager indicates the consultant and other members of the team are aware of the employee's upcoming gender transition, and have expressed a high level of discomfort regarding the situation. The manager would like the HR director's advice. Several employees approach the HR director to express concerns about which bathroom the transitioning employee should use. Which action should the HR director take? A. Assign the transitioning employee to a gender-neutral bathroom during and after the transition. B. Identify a private bathroom on site that the transitioning employee can use during the transition. C. Tell all employees that they are able to use any available bathroom regardless of posted signage. D. Tell the transitioning employee to use whichever bathroom is preferable to the employee.

D. Tell the transitioning employee to use whichever bathroom is preferable to the employee.

An HR director has been assigned to develop a program to support the opening of new retail stores. Which step in the ADDIE process identifies the desired behavioral results of the program? Evaluation Design Development Assessment

Design

Which activity is part of the assessment and selection step of the global assignment process? Analysis of the costs versus the benefits Preparation of the assignment plan Cross-cultural counseling Development of data-gathering instruments

Development of data-gathering instruments Rationale Development of data-gathering instruments is critical because it will be used in to assess candidates according to the criteria the organization has chosen. The tools must be valid and reliable and produce consistent information for each candidate. Analysis of the costs versus the benefits occurs during the management and assignee selection step. Cross-cultural counseling is not necessary until the pre-departure preparation step.

What emotional challenge can HR help retained employees confront after a mass reduction in workforce? Diminished job security Increased job ambiguity Reduced self-esteem Decreased workload

Diminished job security HR must help retained employees deal with increased workload, different work assignments, and the feelings of loss and fear. Job ambiguity is irrelevant in this context.

Which is an essential aspect of alternative dispute resolution (ADR)? Review by peers Use only in union environments Requires external third party Does not preclude litigation

Does not preclude litigation ADR does not prevent disputes from winding up in court or in formal arbitration, but it can result in fewer cases going to trial. It is generally used in union-free organizations. While some ADR systems do include peer review, it is not a requirement. Similarly, some systems may bring in neutral third parties from outside the organization, but that is also not an ADR requirement.

Which type of career development mobility provides meaningful career paths for professional and technical workers whose preferences may be outside traditional management roles? Dual career ladders Promotions Job enrichment Job rotations and relocations

Dual career ladders

A successful beverage company controls key activities in its value chain in order to maintain uninterrupted production; this is the key to their profitability. Which actions should HR recommend managers focus on to assist in the organization creating value? Implementing cross-training and job rotation strategies Decentralizing decision making for greater efficiency Implementing a product knowledge training program Creating a strong research and development department

Implementing cross-training and job rotation strategies

Which is an accurate statement about employment at-will? Verbal contracts are generally sufficient. It is uncommon in most parts of the world. Most union contracts contain employment at-will clauses. Most contracts contain employment at-will clauses.

It is uncommon in most parts of the world. Most countries reject the notion of at-will employment, so contracts generally are required, often within a set time frame from the point of hire. Verbal contracts may be accepted in some countries, but many require a written contract or written details of employment. Terms of employment vary greatly from country to country.

What pay system ties pay to the volume of the work performed by the individual? Productivity-based Person-based Performance-based Time-based step-rate

Productivity-based

What type of alternative dispute resolution system would be most appropriate for a small and young enterprise? Single designated officer Arbitration Peer review Mediation

Single designated officer A single designated ADR officer can investigate and resolve disputes. When management is committed to fairness, it should have sufficient credibility with its employees to select and empower this individual. Arbitration and mediation both save internal labor and time but involve additional expense; the objectivity of binding arbitration is sometimes questioned if the employer selects the arbitration service. Peer review would necessitate releasing panel participants from their regular duties for training and to investigate and resolve complaints.

An organization has four generations working side-by-side in the workplace. Which practice could alleviate management concerns that intergenerational tensions and a lack of camaraderie could undermine organizational success? Succession planning Flexible workplace Sustainability initiatives Preventive health-care and wellness programs

Succession planning Rationale Organizational success often depends on contributions from employees of all ages and the open sharing of knowledge and experience that will help prepare future organizational leaders. Succession planning can promote productive relationships, employee motivation, collaboration, and leadership development.

Which option is an example of noise in the communication model? The speaker uses technical abbreviations that the listener does not know. The listener disagrees with what is being said. The speaker is deeply respected in the listener's culture. The listener fills in shared background that the speaker does not mention.

The speaker uses technical abbreviations that the listener does not know. Noise is any condition that can prevent a message from being correctly understood by a receiver. Technical jargon and other unfamiliar terms can be a barrier (noise) to the listener's understanding. Disagreement is not noise, nor are factors that actually enhance understanding, such as shared context or respect.

What is the primary reason for developing workforce diversity programs? To improve basic skills. To avoid lawsuits. To enhance productivity. To develop language capabilities.

To enhance productivity. Rationale The primary reason for developing diversity programs is to make it easier for employees to communicate effectively and work together more productively.

Which classification of employee engagement is demonstrated by working long hours and responding positively to engagement surveys but not feeling engaged? Trait Behavioral Transactional State

Transactional Transactional engagement can be seen as undesirable because it is associated with negative well-being outcomes. By contrast, employees not only behaving in an engaged way but also thinking and feeling engaged is associated with positive well-being outcomes.

Which should organizations ensure when considering the use of international translation services? - Determining whether they can handle translation services internally - Reflecting the language being translated appropriately to local languages - Understanding and capability beyond just the translation of words - Focusing on the lower echelon of employees at international sites

Understanding and capability beyond just the translation of words It is crucial to both translate and localize words from one language to the next. If just the words are translated, significant misunderstandings may occur due to different cultural interpretations.

Which of the following terms describes the impact on an employer when an employee reports an incident of workplace harassment by a supervisor but the supervisor fails to act on it? Vicarious liability Prima facie Glass ceiling Merit discrimination

Vicarious liability Vicarious liability is a legal doctrine under which a party can be held liable for the wrongful actions of another party. Because of this doctrine, employers are legally responsible for the discriminatory acts of their employees. In cases of sexual harassment, where the harassment does not result in a tangible employment action, this particular standard of vicarious liability is based on two principles: 1) employers have the responsibility to promptly and irrevocably end harassment (sexual or otherwise) through appropriate intervention, including, if necessary, discipline, and 2) employees should be encouraged to take advantage of preventive and corrective opportunities.

An HR Specialist is analyzing salary survey data for the same position across multiple, similarly sized locations to produce an average salary. Which measure will be most useful? Unweighted mean Median Weighted mean Mode

Weighted mean A weighted mean is more informative because it can take into account different costs of living in each location. A weighted mean in this case would divide the sum of salaries at each location multiplied by the cost-of-living factor for that location by the number of sites. An unweighted mean would sum the wages in all locations and divide by the number of employees. The average salary for the two methods could look very different, depending on the variation in the cost of living. A median salary would be a salary equidistant from the highest and lowest salaries; this would not reflect differences in the cost of living. A mode would be the salary that appears most often in the range; in addition to the cost-of-living issue, the mode could be affected by differences in tenure-for example, a tenured workforce with many employees at the top of the salary range for that position.