SHRM Test Bank
What is the correct formula to calculate the monthly voluntary turnover rate?
(Number of voluntary separations during the month/Average number of employees during the month) x 100
The HR director and union representatives are unable to resolve a formal grievance at either the local or national level. What is the next step in the formal grievance process?
Arbitration
During the year-end performance appraisal, an HR team member expresses surprise at her "does not meet expectations" rating. The HR manager had rated her as "exceeding expectations" in each of the last three years. How should the HR manager respond?
Ask the employee if and how she disagrees with specific performance criteria assessments.
What is the first step in an HRIS implementation?
Assessing organizational needs Needs must be determined before selecting a project committee, soliciting vendors, or evaluating available systems. The organizational needs will drive what vendors are selected and what systems will be reviewed.
Which stage of the global assignment process should criteria for the ideal expatriate candidate be defined?
Assessment and selection
An organization is concerned that its current approach to onboarding is not supporting their diversity and inclusion goals. What type of audit could help the organization set specific targets for improvement?
Best practices
After conducting a reference background check, HR discovers that a leading candidate misrepresented dates of previous employment on both the résumé and the job application. What is the most probable outcome of learning this information?
Do not extend an offer of employment.
What advice would you give an HR colleague facing an employee grievance in a unionized environment?
Document all grievance meetings and take notes.
Which is a characteristic of alternative dispute resolution (ADR)?
Does not preclude litigation
In a downsizing environment, which question would be most appropriate to include in an employee opinion survey?
Does your supervisor elicit your opinions about work processes?
An employer with a unionized workplace wants to offer employees gift cards for reporting on a recent union meeting. How should HR advise the employer?
Don't. This would be an unfair labor practice.
Which program gives technical workers the ability to earn as much as they would in a management position?
Dual career ladder
Which best describes the benefit of using an employee resource group (ERG) for an organization looking to expand global market share?
ERGs provide valuable insights into the needs of the organization's diverse markets.
Which of the following is the best reason to maintain employment records electronically?
Easier storage and access for records that span many years
Which program best allows HR to support long-term employee engagement and retention?
Employee assistance
What positive outcome will result from coaching high-potential employees?
Employees will contribute more effectively to the organization.
How should an organization's value proposition be effectively communicated using deliberate messages about the organization to describe working conditions, culture, and the emotional connection employees have with the organization?
Employment brand
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?
Engagement survey
Which term best describes a job design strategy that increases the variety of responsibilities but requires the same skill level?
Enlargement
Which is an appropriate action for HR during an investigation into charges of discriminatory employment practices?
Ensure confidentiality as much as possible.
How should an HR professional best work with other leaders to achieve an employee-friendly, non-unionized workplace?
Ensure that two-way feedback mechanisms are encouraged.
Which approach should help the change process go more smoothly?
Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives
Which PESTLE force has caused a change to corporate branding?
Environmental concerns
For an organization to be considered sustainable, what areas of practice are examined?
Environmental, economic, social
A new HR manager is eager to win support for her idea for a new employee benefit. Which colleague would be a good ally in this situation?
Experienced HR manager familiar with how decisions are made and with connections in other areas in the company
What type of diversity is likely to be the most significant between identical twins who have been raised in the same household and who have the same level of education?
Experiential diversity
What type of analytical task would be best served by online analytical processing (OLAP)?
Exploring the types of variables that may be affecting attendance rates
What form of equity is an HR function assuring when it conducts annual surveys of compensation practices in its labor markets?
External
Marketing and IT are collaborating on a new system that will allow customer service representatives to access and change customer accounts directly. Which action should HR take to create value for this effort?
Facilitating process training for all users
Which metric related to benefits provides feedback on the quality and value of the benefit and helps evaluate the competitiveness of the total compensation strategy?
Insurance participation rate
An organization develops its products, processes, and strategy in a home country, however, they export their products to foreign countries where they also have a production facility. Which term best describes this company?
International
What job evaluation method assesses the responsibilities and requirements of each job and its relationship to other jobs in the organization?
Job-content-based
Which is the most important reason for training professionals to understand their own learning style?
People tend to teach the way they prefer to learn.
Which total rewards strategy outcome is most likely in an organization with a geocentric approach to management?
Local, cultural, and legal norms in the local administration of the total rewards strategy are recognized
Workforce analysis is a four-step process
supply analysis (Where are we now?), followed by a demand analysis (Where do we want to be?), a gap analysis (What is lacking?), and a solution analysis (What can we afford?)
Which alternative dispute resolution (ADR) option allows an organization to determine who will resolve disputes?
Single designated officer
Although the founder of an organization is very competent, she has alienated nearly everyone in the organization. Colleagues have tried to share their concerns; however, she does not believe there to be an issue. Rather she believes she merely has a direct approach. Which assessment tool is best suited to display how her directness is impacting others?
360-degree assessments
Which best demonstrates job enlargement?
A bank teller handles deposits and disbursements and also sells certificates of deposit.
How will using a revenue-per-employee metric allow HR to demonstrate the impact of turnover on employee engagement?
A decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with lower employee engagement.
How does the issue of allegiance in global assignments affect the processes of global assignment selection and assignee management?
A priority should be placed on the support needed for assignee's unique needs.
Which method is most effective for controlling hazards and their negative consequences?
Abate and eliminate the hazard from the workplace.
To reinforce the importance of safety, employees' annual bonuses are linked to the aggregate safety key performance indicators (KPIs). Which effect is this likely to have on the rate of accidents?
Accidents will increase due to under-reporting.
Which best describes HR's involvement in the strategic planning process of their organization?
Acting as a consultant to leadership and other functions on HR issues
An organization is opening a new factory in the United States. Due to availability issues, the factory will be temporarily unable to comply with an OSHA standard regarding required safety equipment. What should the organization do?
Apply to OSHA for a temporary variance from the standard due to the unavailability of required equipment.
What best describes an employee resource group?
Affinity group that can serve as a social and professional network for employees
Several employees were hurt in an accident in the manufacturing department. To evaluate the effectiveness of the organization's risk controls, HR conducted a meeting with the department supervisor. Which document would provide the best information for this meeting?
After-action debrief report
Which is a core labor standard of the International Labour Organization?
Age limits for hazardous work
A compensation and benefits specialist conducted a salary data survey last year but did not have time to benchmark the results to the organization's pay structure. What action should the specialist take at this point in time?
Age the data to make it current.
An HR team has mined the enterprise resource planning (ERP) database for data related to implementation of the performance management system. What step must they complete before proceeding to analysis of the data?
Aggregation
A company is expanding into a new country and wants to extend its collaborative, team-based approach to help engage its new workforce. Which driver of engagement should the HR director consider first?
Align company practices to new country practices using valid research to guide changes.
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?
Aligned individual contributions that drive organizational results
The HR director wants to transition from paper-based record keeping to digital record keeping. Which factors should the director consider before engaging in a purchasing process for HR technology?
Alignment of user and departmental objectives
A small publishing firm feels they are too small to benefit from strategic planning. Which short-term benefit is the best choice for HR to influencing leaders to begin the strategic planning process?
Allocate resources more effectively
A CEO assigns employees to participate in fund-raising for a nonprofit school for students with learning disabilities. The company provides time off and covers the employees' expenses. Employee contributions and school accomplishments are communicated in newsletters and at annual meetings. How could this attempt at community involvement be improved?
Allow employees more voice in choosing the community involvement partner.
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?
Allow employees to volunteer to be separated.
What is meant by the term "residual risk"?
Amount of uncertainty remaining after all risk management efforts have been made
What is a business case?
Analysis of a problem and possible solutions
An HR specialist prepares a business case to support an initiative. The case includes descriptions of the project's goals, benefits, method, budget, and time line. Which information is required to complete the business case?
Analysis of the initiative's possible risks
During a workforce planning session, HR identifies that within 5 years, 25% of the workforce will be nearing retirement age. The organization wants to ensure that there is steady recruitment of a new generation. Which activity during the benefits needs assessment is most relevant to the recruitment strategy?
Analyze the utilization data on all benefit plans.
Which critical role must HR assume in light of globalization?
Balance an organization's global strategy with policy localization to reflect national cultures and laws
As part of screening interviews, recruiters use an interview style that focuses on how applicants handled real life situations in the past as a way to qualify them for their openings. What type of interview technique is being used?
Behavioral
An HR manager is recruiting to fill several customer service representative positions in a high-volume call center. Which interview method should the HR manager use to understand the candidates' customer service experience and predict their future performance?
Behavioral interview
Which tasks should an HR department outsource in order to focus on strategic activities?
Benefits and payroll administration
Which task should HR consider for outsourcing?
Benefits management and administration
A fitness organization requires its employees to wear technology that tracks wellness bio-data. What challenges to this technology are likely to emerge?
Biohacking and DNA privacy
An HR data analyst uses internal and external data and translates it into meaningful information to support an operations decision to relocate a distribution center to another state. What term best describes the data analyst's activity?
Business intelligence
An organization gains many benefits from its employees volunteering in the community. How can volunteering help the employees?
By building skills
How does a broadbanding approach support an egalitarian organization?
By encouraging de-layering efforts
How can HR add the most value in the strategic planning process?
By identifying the HR implications of the company's strategy
How should an HR professional make a strong business case for incorporating a diversity and inclusion strategy in an organization?
By linking it directly to the organization's mission, vision, and business objectives
How do the three spheres of sustainability support an effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) program?
By offering an all-encompassing view of how an organization should function
How can HR help prevent its organization from committing an unfair labor practice?
By training management on allowed speech
HR is in the process of recruiting a senior-level position for a global organization. Which benefit might distinguish the organization from the competition?
Club membership
HR can help managers and supervisors understand how employees might view the employer's behavior. HR can also educate management about what honoring the contract requires and how to avoid behavior that may be perceived as bullying.
Communicating the perspective of employees to management
Which obstacles to accomplishing a successful change to a new enterprise management system are unique to a global firm?
Communication difficulties across borders and time zones
When developing a pay structure, which data set should the HR practitioner use during the development process?
Compiled job analysis, job documentation, and job evaluation
Which is one of the negative social effects of global technological forces?
Complexity of privacy issues
Which best describes the situation most likely to use a narrow span of control?
Complexity of tasks
How does an Internet recruiting approach provide the greatest benefit to a global organization?
CORRECT By increasing the volume of applicants for positions under tight time frames
Which is the most desired outcome of an HR audit?
CORRECT Identification of areas of the function where performance could be improved
What is the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability?
CSR encompasses sustainability.
How can the hiring and recruitment process be designed to promote feelings of inclusion in candidates who do their first round of interviews using videoconferencing?
Candidates virtually meet with a wide range of people at the organization.
What is the difference between career management and career planning?
Career management focuses on the organization's needs; career planning focuses on the individual's needs.
Which is the best example of direct compensation?
Cash achievement award
The 70-20-10 model created by the Center for Creative Leadership identifies three clusters of experiences to develop people. Which type of experience does the 70 in the model represent?
Challenging assignments
Which factor has the greatest impact on maintaining peak performance?
Challenging assignments
What does an effective pre- and post-test training assessment measure?
Changes in knowledge before and after training
Which best illustrates the principle of sustainability in the workplace?
Changes to a headquarters location are weighed against the effects on stakeholders.
New leadership is in place at a large retailer, resulting in a business unit undergoing a detailed review of its support of the organizational strategy. It has been identified that the benefit offerings are not reflective of the organization's total rewards philosophy and that many benefits overlap, creating inefficiencies. Which action should be taken first by HR take to remedy the situation?
Conducting a utilization review of all benefits
Which HR task is usually associated with a multidomestic corporation?
Coordinating HR activities between the home and host countries
An organization has a resource-intensive project that requires specialized expertise not currently available . The organization needs to monitor work closely and continuously to meet quality requirements. Which staffing strategy would meet the organization's needs?
Cosourcing
An HR director recognizes the need to work with a preferred staffing vendor to address the organization's short- and long-term staffing needs and to help streamline recruiting for specialized positions in several departments. This approach falls into which category of the organization's talent acquisition strategy?
Creating a talent pipeline
Which growth strategy is commonly used to accelerate the path to globalization?
Creating alliances
Which performance management method or tool would be most likely to increase employee engagement?
Customizing dashboards to focus on the employee's circle of influence
Which is a significant factor that an HR professional must consider when using a website to recruit for a global enterprise?
Data privacy regulations
Which is the chief information officer likely most concerned about?
Database Security
While attending a training class on conscious versus unconscious bias, a straight white male employee expresses a microaggression, indicating angrily that the organization promotes those who have shown the most merit and it isn't his fault who is in the promotion pipeline. How should the instructor respond?
Defuse this defensive behavior by indicating that all persons have such biases and there is no stigma for being in an ingroup.
Which position may require an applicant to take a polygraph test?
Delivery driver for a pharmaceutical firm
Which stage in the workforce analysis process considers the business challenges an organization faces when creating a forecast of the organization's future workforce composition?
Demand analysis
An employee has a small online business selling a sauce made from the employer's copyrighted recipe. The company handbook forbids any employee from disclosing the employer's proprietary information. What can the employer do?
Demand the employee cease the activity and terminate employment.
Which method would be most effective when training a new receptionist to operate the phone system?
Demonstrating the system
What term describes how work groups are related in an organization?
Departmentalization
According to the "pull" model, which approach should be used to develop an outside sales force's knowledge, skills, and abilities in relationship management in order to increase sales revenue in the shortest amount of time?
Design a series of webcasts that review the latest techniques in relationship building.
An HR manager discovers a discrepancy between the organization's current compensation policy and the laws of the location the organization operates in. Which is the best first step the HR manager should take to address this?
Determine which regulation most benefits the employee.
An HR team member was recently promoted to a team leader position. He is anxious about making the transition. What should the employee focus on in this new role?
Developing and coaching team members
Which best describes the type of activities aimed at preparing for long-term, future job responsibilities as well as increasing skills for performing the current job?
Developmental
What is a key aspect of diversity that spurs innovation and so should not be considered a negative?
Discomfort
Which does not count toward the regular rate of pay for overtime calculations?
Discretionary Bonuses
Why is ethics an intrinsic part of a corporate social responsibility program?
Ethics dictates behavioral guidelines for an organization
Which of Perlmutter's orientations allows HR to standardize its practices globally without the need for adaptation?
Ethnocentric
The director of a company's main office reported a colleague from the company's overseas office to HR for dressing inappropriately during the company's annual conference. The colleague, who was hosting the international delegation at the conference, had dressed in her country's traditional attire. What trait did the director display?
Ethnocentrism
To meet a safety goal, an organization provided training to employees. The number of injuries, however, has not decreased over the last three years. What should the HR training manager do?
Evaluate and adjust the training.
Which development approach is best suited for senior leaders?
Executive coaching
Which factor is essential for the success of a diversity and inclusion initiative?
Executive commitment
It is estimated that one-third of Fortune 500 CEOs have remained in their positions fewer than three years. Which does this indicate about executive development?
Executives have the knowledge and intellect to succeed but lack the people skills to build teams or maintain productive relationships.
A key manager is retiring, and the company wants her to keep working in a part-time capacity. She will work 20 hours a week and continue to perform a portion of her old duties. What Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) classification should the HR manager recommend for the manager?
Exempt employee
What type of bias may be more prevalent in an organization that embodies the leader-member exchange theory?
Ingroup/outgroup bias
A manager has been assigned to lead a team of employees in organizing an upcoming community event. The manager knows that in order to meet event goals, she must make sure that the tasks and expectations are clear and that she provides plenty of direction. What leadership theory is the manager following?
Fiedler's contingency theory
Which is the most important factor an HR leader should use when planning pay increases?
Financial implication
For which position and in which situation would a stress interview be most appropriate?
For emergency room nurses, where behaviors can have life or death consequences
The HR manager detected a higher number of employees leaving within the first 30 days. After conducting exit surveys, the HR manager determined that new hires weren't receiving sufficient training and did not feel part of the team. What action should the HR manager and supervisor take to improve retention?
Formal onboarding
Which onboarding activity would be the best way to help a management new hire understand and navigate the cultural and political landscape of the organization during the first 90 days on the job?
Fostering organizational relationships and providing frequent opportunities for open discussions
What is the correct term for the right of an individual worker to unite with other workers to promote desired employment conditions as a group?
Freedom of association
Which statement best describes how organizations have evolved in their definition of diversity?
From a defensive, compliance-based view to that of a strategic asset.
How has the HR professional role evolved?
From operational to strategic
HR has been charged with benchmarking the organization's sustainability performance against that of its global competitors. Which resource will best help HR accomplish this?
GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards
What practice can help end rumors that an organization's pay equity initiative is all talk and no action?
Institute pay transparency.
Which workplace solution would help address wage and career achievement gaps while also attracting a more diverse workforce?
Gender-neutral paid parental leave
What U.S. employer action does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) require?
Give plan participants a summary of benefits and coverage prior to an enrollment change.
A team leader comes to HR for advice. The team is meeting its first milestone goals, but the team leader is worried about the effect on future productivity of one team member. This person spends more time socializing at meetings than talking about the task at hand. What should the HR professional recommend?
Give the team time to develop its roles and relationships.
Which of the following actions is most likely to reduce job burnout?
Giving employees control over their work
A cosmetics company that denounces animal testing as a primary part of its branding was recently reported to be working with suppliers that routinely test on animals. Which aspect of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy is misaligned?
Governance
What type of system does HR help develop that puts rules and processes in place for the organization to go by?
Governance
Which term describes a system of rules and processes put in place to ensure compliance with local and international laws, accounting rules, ethical norms, and environmental and social codes of conduct?
Governance
Which is the best example of indirect compensation?
Granting compensatory time off to a salaried employee for extra hours worked
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?
Guide the supervisor to discuss the performance issues with the employee.
HR is interviewing candidates who will have to think on their feet and keep calm in high-pressure, high-stakes, and emotionally charged situations. Which leadership development method is best suited to develop this skill?
Hardship testing
Which is an example of a job specification for a line supervisor?
Has five years of experience
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?
Have the employees create and present a new wellness series.
Which risk category would include the risk posed by infectious disease?
Hazard
What is the value to HR in implementing a pre-employment assessment in the hiring process?
Helps HR gain insight on job-related candidate information
Engagement drivers differ from country to country, making it important to understand cultural differences that may influence survey results. In a multinational organization, in which type of culture may employee surveys be less acceptable?
Hierarchical
The HR generalist at a regional bank informs managers when fully qualified candidates apply for jobs. Although there may not be any current openings, HR and position-specific managers will screen candidates and determine next steps. How can HR reliably predict when an opening is likely to occur?
Historical data of movement
Which is considered a good practice for handling grievances?
Hold grievance discussions privately with all parties.
Which can best be used in the evaluation of the outcomes of a compliance program?
How willing the participants are to report issues of noncompliance
A manager has lost several staff members to a competitor in the last quarter however continues to meet team targets. Which type of report can HR share to ease this manager's dismay over losing staff members?
Human capital value added
An HR function has purchased applicant tracking software that allows external recruiters to access certain areas of the organization's information system. Throughout the purchasing process, HR has excluded the IT function. What is a possible outcome?
IT refuses to allow the software to be loaded into the system.
HR in an English-speaking location is planning to launch critical training in multiple languages. What is the strongest strategy for an HR professional trying to manage the risk of not meeting a training launch date?
Identify and pre-certify multiple translation service options.
An organization needs to prioritize spending for its risk management initiatives. Which is the first step the HR leader should take?
Identifying processes and individuals critical to the organization's delivery of value
How does HR support strategic management in a global organization?
Implement processes to increase integration and knowledge exchange
An organization has implemented a recruitment and hiring program to increase the diversity of its workforce, but the retention rate for new hires is low. What step would offer the most help in correcting this problem?
Implementation of employee resource groups
Which is the most appropriate example of risk mitigation?
Implementing an emergency communication system for assignees
Big data brings with it three requirements: volume (the ability to store massive amounts of data), velocity (the ability to refresh data rapidly), and variety. What does variety refer to?
Importing, storing, and integrating data in different formats
A company that receives federal contracts learns that an employee has recently been convicted of a drug-related offense. The employee has a signed acknowledgment form in their personnel file. Under the Drug-Free Workplace Act, what action must the employer take?
Impose a sanction on the convicted employee or require satisfactory participation in a rehabilitation program.
An organization works on empowerment, accountability, courage, and humility as cultural fundamentals in order to instill psychological safety in its employees. What effect can such a culture help prevent?
Impostor syndrome
In an employee survey, the question is asked, "Do you believe all employees, even those with special needs, have a career path at the organization?" What is this question designed to measure?
Inclusion
What is often a desired outcome of programs that provide workplace exercise opportunities, healthier cafeteria options, mental health support, and so on?
Increase in engagement metrics on surveys
A global company with a dedicated HR structure has locations on several continents. A new labor law in one of these locations impacts the company's overtime rules. What should HR in that location do first to address this change?
Inform corporate HR of the new law.
At which point in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic process should a global organization decide on using local leadership?
Infrastructure creation
HR is in the process of creating clearly defined, consistent job descriptions for a global environment. Which common challenge should HR anticipate?
Interpretations of job functions may vary.
What does the term "tripartism" mean in the context of union relations?
Involvement of national governments in the bargaining process
How does the Weingarten case apply to an investigatory meeting to obtain information that is the basis for disciplinary action?
It allows a union representative to be present during the meeting.
Which is an organizational benefit of using differential pay?
It can incent employees to perform less desirable work or work in undesirable locations.
How does communicating the guiding principles behind employee pay support an effective compensation philosophy?
It creates a framework for transparency.
Which best describes how an organization's focus on diversity is a benefit to its recruitment efforts?
It enhances the employment brand to attract talent.
In global staffing, why is it important to use a common approach for analyzing and describing jobs?
It facilitates communication and decision making about jobs.
Factory workers from the assembly department are assigned to the shipping department every other week. Which type of career development program are these workers participating in?
Job rotation
What part of job documentation provides a written statement of the necessary qualifications of the job incumbent?
Job specification
What is likely to be true of the team structure for a project team to launch a new product?
It is likely to have high skill diversity.
What did United States v. Windsor, Obergefell v. Hodges, and similar Supreme Court rulings establish?
It is unconstitutional for one state to not recognize the same-sex marriages recognized by other states.
What characterizes a learning organization?
It manages change and adapts to its environment.
Which characteristic is associated with the Six Sigma project management approach?
It measures value and uses evidence-based analysis.
What is the result of a geocentric approach to compensation and benefits strategy within a global organization?
It provides a single cohesive approach that allows leaders to look at benefit offerings on a broader scale
Why is cross-cultural training critical for international assignees and their families?
It reduces the risk of failed assignments.
Which is the best rationale for ensuring a new HR team member confirms with the manager that an employee issue has been resolved?
It reinforces HR's service and value to its internal business partners.
What is the purpose of paraphrasing in the communication model?
It serves as a feedback loop.
A supervisor wants to improve job satisfaction and motivate employees by giving them more independence in their work and the opportunity to self-review and evaluate. Which is the best tactic to use for this?
Job enrichment
After meetings with different departments dealing with downsizing, the HR professional authors a document identifying affected individuals based on each departments recommendations. A longtime friend of the HR professional will be impacted. How should the HR professional handle this situation?
Keep the workforce reduction information confidential.
Which technology has the primary mission of sharing information in meaningful ways to augment employee performance?
Knowledge management systems
What type of communication helps ensure an employer's compliance with federal, state, and local law?
Labor Posters
A union has been accused of an unfair labor practice (ULP). What body has the authority to listen to the ULP charge?
Labor board
Which organizational initiative should HR recommend to resolve glass ceiling issues for women?
Leadership development and mentoring programs
Which should be included in manager training for an organization's diversity and inclusion strategic initiative?
Leading diverse teams effectively and fostering an inclusive work environment
What type of organization embraces change, tolerates risk, and views failures as an opportunity to learn?
Learning organization
Which is a disadvantage of instructor-led training?
Less effective for large groups
In Kirkpatrick's evaluation approach, what level measures changes in productivity after training?
Level 4: Results
Which is the most low-risk strategy for global market expansion?
Licensing
Which component of a total rewards system should an organization consider as an indirect benefit to employees?
Life insurance
How can management best establish a culture that values career development in an individual development plan (IDP)?
Link career development to business objectives.
What is a key benefit of using a balanced scorecard at an organization?
Links short-term activities to long-term objectives
When designing a training program, which should a global HR professional consider first?
Local differentiation and stakeholder support
Which strategy should HR recommend to embrace diversity in the workforce at a greenfield operation?
Local responsiveness
Technological forces have had which critical effect on today's corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices?
Using analytical capabilities has made CSR impacts more demonstrable.
A hospital director wants to identify the best candidate for head nurse among currently employed nurses. Which type of assessment would be most effective in evaluating candidates?
Manager assessment
Which employee must be paid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)?
Manager who earns $450 per week
An elder care service organization is challenged with retention of staff. Recently the service director left the organization with little notice. HR wants to prepare for future unplanned vacancies to avoid any disruption in client services. What is the best way for HR to mitigate this risk?
Managers can cross-train a subordinate.
Which best identifies the impact of cognitive barriers on risk management?
Managers perceive risks in an outdated manner.
A company has reached a point of stability in its internal processes and ways of doing business. What stage of the life cycle characterizes this company?
Maturity
The HR department is calculating the average employee compensation for each position in the company. What measure of central tendency should be used to determine this?
Mean
Management has requested that HR conduct a focus group to better understand the results of a recent compensation survey. Which is the most important factor HR will want to consider when forming the focus groups?
Members should be a representative sample of the employee population.
Which type of program promotes ongoing career development support, repatriation assistance, and advice for international assignees?
Mentoring
After an acquisition, the HR director at the acquiring company is tasked with aligning the total rewards systems of both organizations. Which should the HR director review first?
Mission and strategy
An organization is experiencing low morale and decreased performance due to recent budget cuts and staff shortages. Which offering should HR recommend to most notably boost morale and performance among employees?
More communication and feedback
An employee believes his union rights have been violated. Who should the employee contact first to file a charge?
NLRB
Which of the following is a "push" factor for global expansion?
Need for new markets
An organization implements changes to its pay structure, resulting in new hires now being started at the same wage as workers who have been on the job for two years. What type of pay variation will most likely be created?
Pay compression
Which is a disadvantage of a time-based pay system?
Pay levels may be raised over time regardless of performance.
A new division manager wants to terminate a new employee for borrowing work equipment for personal use, an act specifically prohibited in the employee handbook. This has happened before, but, in that case, the employee was not terminated. Which action should HR recommend the manager take?
Not proceeding with the termination because it may not be defensible
Which would be the most effective quantitative measurement of customer service?
Numerical ratings on a customer satisfaction survey
Government Body that requires organizations to electronically submit illness and injury data
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
A project manager says to a sponsor, "Let's get a lot of young people on this team, since we really need to think outside the box on this project." What is a risk once the project is started?
Older team members may not be solicited for their innovative ideas.
Within a month at a new job, an employee feels disconnected from peers and unsure of job expectations. In what part of the employee experience does there seem to be a breakdown?
Onboarding
A company has established an internal procedure to improve communication between workers and management. According to company policy, managers are available to meet with any employee who wishes to discuss an issue. What form of dispute resolution is being used?
Open-door policy
To capitalize on innovation and collaboration, HR must balance certain issues. Which are the most challenging?
Openness and security
Which authoritative resource is considered an agency guideline?
Opinion letter
Management decides that training supervisors to identify and prevent bullying is not necessary, and they do not fund a program budget. What does this illustrate?
Organization's risk tolerance
Based on an analysis of future skills needed, an organization implements two new training courses. What type of intervention is this?
Organizational
An organization has transitioned to a model where most employees work from home. Several smaller regional offices are being planned, and the headquarters lease will be allowed to expire. What does HR need to update to ensure a smooth flow of business after the changes?
Organizational charts
Which best describes the process where training or educational activities occur at multiple levels?
Organizational learning
Which process initially helps an employee become familiar with a new job, department, and coworkers?
Orientation
In addition to salary, health benefits, and welfare benefits, which item should be included in an individualized total compensation statement?
Paid time off
A government-mandated seminar on safety was recently converted to an e-learning course and is available on the organization's intranet. The course consists of self-study units with accompanying quizzes and e-mail access to a subject matter expert. Which best describes the primary benefit of this approach?
Participants can complete the training when it is convenient for them.
An exit interview assessment finds that the primary reason employees leave is for better total rewards offered at other organizations. Which is the best action HR should take to gather information on competitive total rewards packages to potentially offer its employees?
Participate in an external remuneration survey to assess the competitiveness of the organization's current offerings.
An organization's restructuring caused numerous positions to be eliminated. The HR team met with senior leaders and devised a plan where all impacted employees interview for existing openings. An e-mail communication went out to department managers, and everyone agreed with the plan. How would this organization's culture be defined?
Participative
Which primary role does HR play in supporting global strategic management?
Partner to create the organization's global strategy
An organization has been forced to hire new employees at higher pay rates than usual due to a tight labor supply. Employees who have been with the organization for one to three years are earning the same or only slightly more than the new hires they have to train. What is the organization experiencing?
Pay compression
How have corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies evolved in corporations?
Values and goals have been redefined based on CSR principles.
Which should be the first step in solving an organization's problems with a sharp increase in back orders of shipments?
Performing a process analysis
Which U.S. Supreme Court case found the practice of hiring a male with preschool-aged children over a woman with preschool-aged children to be in violation of Title VII?
Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corporation
What does an HR audit measure the effectiveness and the efficiency of?
Policies, practices, procedures, and strategies to support HR's goals
HR management creates a shared services center for career development counseling. Several months later, management notes high turnover in HR offices throughout the organization. Which is the most likely reason for this outcome?
Poor management of the extended effects of an organizational change
When conducting a PESTLE analysis prior to forecasting human capital requirements, what should the "social" part of the analysis examine?
Population demographics
Which situation that leads to workplace violence can be controlled by an organization?
Pressure for increased productivity
What are three key reasons why diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives require full-fledged, organization-wide efforts?
Priority, complexity, resistance
What factors does the risk equation use to determine level of risk?
Probability of occurrence and magnitude of impact
A company has separate divisions for distinct types of products. Each division has its own marketing, sales, manufacturing, and finance functions. What type of organizational structure does this illustrate?
Product
An executive team in the middle of refining an organization's strategic plan is in the implementation phase. Which activity should occur during this phase?
Provide clear communication of objectives to teams and coordinating their efforts
What is one thing an organization can do to help ensure a global assignment's success for both the individual and the organization?
Provide well-planned, ongoing training and support.
Which of the following is an advantage of external recruiting?
Provides cross-industry insights
Which is an advantage of using the point-factor method in job evaluation?
Provides documentation and an audit trail
What is the usefulness of a key risk indicator (KRI)?
Provides early warning of organizational risk emergence
Which activity most effectively conveys HR's value as a strategic business partner?
Providing information to internal stakeholders which demonstrates HR's impact on the business operations
Which step is necessary in conducting an effective investigation of employee complaints that may lead to discipline?
Providing protection against retaliation
In the balanced scorecard approach to strategic management, which action does the customer value most?
Providing quality goods and services
An HR practitioner voices concerns regarding the actions of an administrative agency through phone calls, letters, and personal visits to elected officials. Which practice is being described?
Public comment period
Which practice supports a strategic decision toward global assignments?
Viewing assignments as leadership and career development opportunities
A HR professional has been assigned to help a new product development team that has had difficulty achieving smooth collaboration. The members keep accusing each other of not doing what they're supposed to be doing and instead interfering in each other's work. What tool could help the HR professional and the product team in this situation?
RACI matrix
Which is diversity's greatest value to an organization?
Range of perspectives and modes of thinking
A stock brokerage firm incents in-house brokers with trips if they generate more than $500,000 worth of sales in a particular fund that the firm currently owns 20% in. Management asks HR to comment on the program. What should HR recommend?
Recommend that this unethical practice stop and discuss alternative incentive plans.
An employee's ex-husband waits outside her place of work. When she emerges, he begins yelling. She retreats inside the building. The husband attempts to follow but is prevented by a door that locks automatically behind the employee. An HR staff member observes the incident. What action should the staff member take?
Recommend that those involved debrief the incident.
Which administrative task should an HR manager delegate to an HR assistant?
Reconciling benefits
Which of the following is a notable provision of the Department of Labor's electronic guidelines for data storage?
Records must be convertible into readable paper copy to satisfy obligations under Title I of ERISA
Which change might a corporation make in the way it does business to create a sustainability sweet spot?
Redesigning products so that components are made locally from recycled materials, thereby reducing production costs
Which action is an ombudsperson empowered to take after hearing both sides of a workplace dispute?
Referring the matter to further alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Which action would be considered an unfair labor practice (ULP)?
Refusing to bargain with a legally recognized union
Which would be the best way for HR to increase employee willingness to participate in pulse surveys to gauge improvement in comprehensive surveys?
Relate any employment practice changes made and their effectiveness to input provided on the last survey.
Which is an employee right identified under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act?
Requesting an OSHA inspection
Which characteristic typically distinguishes a job function as essential?
Requirements for highly specialized skills
Which function has the highest potential to increase future revenue?
Research and development
An organization is measuring its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) by asking how well surveys were conducted, what levels of participation were seen, and what changes should be made to future DE&I metrics. What is a key area of measurement that is missing?
Results measures
Which factor differentiates successful training programs from unsuccessful programs?
Results showing transfer of learning
Which is a key aspect of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) as evidenced by its inclusion as a component of the SHRM Empathy Index?
Retention rates
An organization seeks to evaluate the overall business impact of its employee retention strategies. What engagement metric would provide this insight?
Revenue per employee
A multinational corporation known for its big, premium-priced ultrasound scanners) introduces a cheaper and portable version in emerging markets. The portable scanner creates new markets in small hospitals and for immobile patients. Which globalization force does this exemplify?
Reverse innovation
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?
Review exit interview data to see if it reflects limited promotional opportunities leading to employees leaving the organization.
A mining company has had a safety program in place for over ten years. It has been effective in decreasing accidents and injuries. What should HR recommend?
Review the technology used in the program to see if newer, more effective technology is now available.
HR is considering whether to recommend termination of an employee after investigating and confirming numerous complaints from other employees about unlawful behavior. Which additional steps should the HR manager consider before making the termination recommendation?
Reviewing the history of similar discipline situations
What phase of risk management is represented in the acronym MECE, which stands for "mutually exclusive and comprehensively exhaustive"?
Risk identification
What is the appropriate role for an HR manager in an investigatory interview for a dischargeable offense?
Risk manager for the organization
The HR department is instructed to fill a critical management position as quickly as possible. Using multiple agencies will produce more candidates more quickly but will increase the cost by several times. Which critical input should HR seek before deciding how to proceed?
Risk tolerance of the organization
An organization needs to get a group to come to consensus on goals and organizational desires while also gathering facts about the organization's current status and determining how it will know when these goals have been achieved. Which tool can provide these benefits?
SOAR analysis
An HR manager conducts a market salary survey to make sure that team members are being adequately compensated and do not seek other employment. Which level of needs in Maslow's hierarchy is she attempting to address?
Safety and security
A new CEO has asked the HR team to complete an engagement survey to assess the organization's culture. She requests that tenured employees must participate. What type of bias does this present?
Sampling
Which tool would be best for analyzing and presenting data about the relationship between years of education and amount of income?
Scatter diagram
Which scenario illustrates a geocentric global orientation as described by Perlmutter?
Senior management from all countries are considered to be part of a single global resource pool
Which best illustrates a regiocentric global orientation as described by Perlmutter?
Senior management operations moves between countries within regions
What can an organization do to help it succeed in its pursuit of external pay equity?
Share salary ranges in internal and external job postings.
Which type of model establishes units with specialized expertise that develop policies and resources for all units to utilize?
Shared services
How is a risk control best understood by an organization?
Sharing a risk's occurrence or impact and its likelihood
Which statement best describes a productive knowledge management system?
Sharing of organizational learning and reducing knowledge loss
Which is a likely outcome of a series of well-run knowledge cafés?
Some people form unexpected new relationships with coworkers.
Which is the first activity an HR professional would complete when beginning to recruit for an open position?
Sourcing
A risk scorecard provides a weighted number for each event or threat and the probability of that threat occurring. Which other factors are needed to complete a threat ranking index?
Speed of onset, existing mitigation, and severity of impact
Which characteristic is critical to a good training objective?
Stating what the learner will be able to do after the training
Which practice should have the best potential to decrease talent acquisition costs and increase an organization's ability to compete for skilled employees?
Staying current with labor market and economic trends
A new CEO is selected to lead an organization that has grown over time but has not reviewed its staffing structure or responded to industry changes and trends. What may be hindering the organizational strategy? Answers
Strategic drift
Which activity is HR likely to perform at the corporate level using an upstream/downstream model?
Strategic planning
Which is a primary business benefit associated with implementation of an employee volunteerism program?
Strengthening the company's brand and reputation
Which is a benefit of a localization strategy?
Strong customer ties and responsiveness
What are the primary categories of barriers to effective risk management?
Structural, cognitive, and cultural
As part of a software company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, during non-working hours employees volunteer time and expertise helping low-income people build their own small businesses. Participation has been consistent but at a very low level. What recommendation should HR make to assist the company in increasing employee involvement?
Support employee participation with paid time off.
An employee life cycle describes all of the activities associated with an employee's tenure in the organization. What is the impact of HR's understanding of the employee life cycle on the organization?
Supporting employee performance and engagement
In an e-learning environment, what type of learning is being used when participants gather for discussion online at a specific time?
Synchronous learning
An organization's job descriptions have not been reviewed and revised for the past five years. What part of the organizational model can this negatively impact?
Systems
How does duty of care translate to an organization's responsibilities?
Taking all steps reasonable to ensure employee health and safety
In an effort to enrich jobs, management wants employees working at one of three assembly stations to complete the entire assembly job and put their names on the finished product. About half of the employees are resisting the change. Which is the best course of action that HR should recommend to address the resistance?
Talking with employees opposed to the change to understand their concerns
Which term is best described as traditionally higher-level leadership responsibilities being transferred to leaders at lower levels?
Task migration
According to the Hersey-Blanchard theory, which is generally the most suitable situational leadership approach for entry-level employees?
Telling
Which best describes technology's impact on employee engagement levels?
The boundaries between work and non-work life are increasingly overlapping, contributing to employee fatigue and burnout.
An organizational unit manager disagrees with HR's policy promoting the use of a buddy program during new hire onboarding. What can an HR professional use to reinforce the utility of the buddy program when discussing the topic with the unit manager?
The buddy can help the new hire navigate the organization's culture and answer questions he or she may have.
Which factor is most important to consider when an organization is seeking to globalize its leadership development program?
The culture in each country as it affects how leaders emerge
Which is a trend in career development that an HR team leader must consider before engaging in career planning with team members?
The employee is expected to assume greater individual responsibility for career development.
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?
The employee will be discouraged and may ask someone else for an assessment of their performance.
Which of the following is considered a criterion for effective employee resource groups (ERGs) as established by DiversityInc.?
The group has a formal charter.
Many employees in the manufacturing department will be retiring in the next six months. The department supervisor asks the HR manager to identify ways to capture the employees' knowledge. In order to address this request, what should the HR manager identify first?
The knowledge that will be lost when the employees retire
Key contributors to a recently completed project received bonuses. A male employee received $4,000. A female employee in another state received $10,000. The male employee files a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC does not find reasonable cause for the complaint. What may happen next?
The male employee may file a lawsuit against the employer.
Which is a primary reason that organizations may not excel at performance management?
The organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies are not aligned.
Which would constitute an unfair labor practice (ULP)?
The union fines a member for criticizing union actions.
A manager delegates work to team members by clearly explaining the desired result and any necessary processes to follow. The manager explains the consequences of failure, but then allows team members to self-manage. What motivational theory does this manager likely follow?
Theory Y
Which statement about using social media as a primary recruiting tool is correct?
There is a risk of unintentional discrimination against certain groups.
A business providing cloud computing services intends to distribute its server centers in different time zones around the world to protect against risks of local outages and to save energy by moving the bulk of processing to centers operating at night. Which best describes the impact to the organization's human capital planning?
There will be an increased need for diversity training.
Which type of social sharing of knowledge can allow an organization to increase its brand perception with the general public?
Thought leadership
How should an HR leader evaluate an organization's return on labor expenses?
Through a well-crafted pay-for-performance program that measures performance compared to goals
How does hyperconnectivity assist an organization in achieving its strategic goals?
Through the digital interconnection of people and things at any time and any place
Workplace harassment is a violation of which legislation?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Which is a primary purpose of conducting a training and development needs assessment?
To align organizational effectiveness and development initiatives and corporate goals
Which is a goal of a transnational organization?
To build strong local and global identities
Which is the most important reason for a global organization to have a values-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy?
To create a foundation to make ethical decisions
How are local cluster developments used in corporate social responsibility?
To create shared value
A small but growing organization is just beginning to build its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Which objective would be most appropriate for the organization at this stage?
To develop a CSR program that is aligned with the organization's business strategy
Which is the primary goal of an organization's diversity and inclusion efforts?
To develop diverse perspectives
Senior management at a company has determined that it must speed up the production of its most popular product. Doing so will involve changing some of the company's production processes. Why should HR conduct employee focus groups before a project plan is finalized?
To encourage employees to ask questions and express their reactions
What is the role of an HR professional attending a meeting in a work unit that is struggling to implement recent changes?
To engage the group in solving issues that have arisen
What is the primary purpose of a safety self-audit?
To ensure employee compliance with the organization's safety programs
Which identifies the primary purpose of employer branding?
To establish the organization as an employer of choice
What is the purpose of an HR compliance checklist?
To help ensure that the organization fulfills the requirements of HR laws and regulations
What is the primary purpose of the analysis step of the ADDIE process?
To identify gaps between actual and desired performance
How should an HR professional use trend analysis?
To plan possible responses to changes in labor supply
Which is the most appropriate reason for an HR professional to create a business case?
To secure budget and resources for a proposed project.
Which is the primary purpose of creating and communicating training program objectives?
To support measurement of the acquisition of learning
How is Porter's "Five Forces" framework used in developing strategies?
To understand competitive factors that influence the strategy
An organization has redefined its brand to demonstrate a commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Which phase of the CSR maturity curve is the organization in?
Transformation
An employee was denied a cost-of-living increase given to other employees while he served on military duty overseas for two years. Which act has been violated?
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Which must be permitted when conducting an investigative interview of a union employee?
Union representative adding information supporting the employee's case
What is a distinguishing characteristic of peer review dispute resolution programs?
Use of trained employee panels
Which approach is most effective for promoting diversity and inclusion globally?
Using a wide range of measures of success beyond demographics.
HR is looking for ways to increase the organization's brand while developing the employees. How can this be achieved?
Volunteering
An organization examines the level of probability for all types of losses to which it may be exposed. What aspect of risk is the organization studying?
Vulnerability
A new HR professional wants to understand how to gain credibility in his organization. Which activity would help the most?
Watching how people react to other team members in team discussions
How does the Weingarten ruling apply to nonunion employees?
Weingarten does not require that nonunion employees be allowed union representation during investigatory interviews.
When creating a benefits program, which key legal factor does the HR benefits leader need to keep in mind?
What government-regulated programs are provided
When would a return on investment (ROI) analysis be an effective metric?
When a function is seeking budget to hire new staff.
A differential piece-rate pay system works best in which type of environment?
When a link between the attainment of goals or achievement and the level of desired pay is needed
When does disparate treatment occur?
When a manager asks only female applicants questions about child care
During an interview, when is it appropriate to ask a candidate about prior project outcomes that were unsuccessful?
When assessing the candidate's ability to learn from previous experiences
Which best describes the impact of having senior leaders directly involved in a diversity council?
Which best describes the impact of having senior leaders directly involved in a diversity council?
What type of strike occurs without the approval of union leadership?
Wildcat strikes
What type of strike occurs without the knowledge or approval of union leadership?
Wildcat strikes
What document legally authorizes a person to take employment in another country?
Work permit
HR has been asked to target and identify how the organization's strategic plans can be realized over a three-year scope. This will necessitate examining current organizational competencies against those needed in the future and reconciling the differences. Which process should HR recommend to assist the organization in making these determinations?
Workforce analysis
Which is a challenge when following a best-of-breed HRIS purchasing strategy?
Working with multiple vendors
Which budgeting method is being used by a manager who begins with no allocated budget and must justify allocations based on how the function will contribute to the organization's strategic goals?
Zero-based budgeting
Vroom's theory of expectancy
inking rewards to things outside a person's sphere of influence can be a source of dissatisfaction and viewed as arbitrary or unfair
According to Herzberg
job dissatisfaction is influenced by hygiene factors, which include pay, job security, work conditions, work relationships, and supervisor style. If the supervisor's hands-on style is affecting the team member's job dissatisfaction, backing off might reduce it
The mode is
most frequently occurring value
An organization employs remote teams spread across a country. What strategy can HR use to help build engagement, trust, and alignment with the organization's goals?
site visits