Competency Clusters

What is the key benefit of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system over function-based standalone systems? Greater analytical power and capabilities A shared, current database for all departments Forecasting capabilities to run planning scenarios User-customized data interfaces for greater security

A shared, current database for all departments

What is the best description of an information system portal? The screen area in which data can be entered into the system A user's point of access to system data and applications A user-customized search engine An organization's access to the Internet

A user's point of access to system data and applications

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. What steps should the HR director take to address the perceptions of a lack of fairness in promotional opportunities? A. Acknowledge the concerns, but follow-up isn't needed, since most retail companies promote people based on their sales. B. Promise that sales will no longer be a part of the selection criteria when considering promotions. C. Acknowledge the concerns, review them with the CEO, find possible solutions, and provide the employees with an update. D. Request that the employees speak to the owner of the company to share their concerns directly.

Acknowledge the concerns, review them with the CEO, find possible solutions, and provide the employees with an update.

Which action would be most important in building trust with a colleague? Socializing outside work more frequently Clarifying roles and authority Developing one's professional expertise Acting consistently in line with shared values

Acting consistently in line with shared values

How would an organization's use of zero-based budgeting affect the human resources budget? The function's budget will see no growth in this period. Balances for continuing projects from the previous period are carried over. All expenditures must be justified. New projects must be postponed.

All expenditures must be justified.

Which situation illustrates Fisher and Ury's BATNA approach to negotiating? An HR manager identifies enough potential, qualified vendors to ensure competitive bids. An HR manager determines internal costs to produce an orientation manual before speaking with a vendor. Both sides in a negotiation for outsourcing an HR project agree to act in each other's best interests. An HR manager and a vendor openly discuss their needs and expectations for a project.

An HR manager determines internal costs to produce an orientation manual before speaking with a vendor.

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. What action should the HR director take first to create a robust workforce plan that addresses the expected organizational growth? A. Ensure that all recruiters are well trained in sourcing and selecting qualified applicants for a retail sales organization. B. Review environmental conditions in regard to expected tourists and expected sales growth, and calculate the number of employees needed. C. Review internal turnover, promotions, and transfer data to calculate the number of employees needed to meet future staffing needs. D. Analyze current labor trends along with internal staffing metrics to ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet expected organizational growth.

Analyze current labor trends along with internal staffing metrics to ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet expected organizational growth.

A successful global energy company attracts entrepreneurial candidates with the desire to be highly compensated through an aggressive and competitive rewards program. Incentive pay is determined through a forced ranking system managed at each business unit through open group discussions about individual employee performance and contribution. The organization's structure is relatively flat, therefore, business units are empowered to adjust the unit strategy and approach as needed. A highly analytical executive vice president (EVP) of the most productive business unit consistently states that managers are unnecessary as only leaders will advance and be rewarded. In this unit, employees are challenged to lead and to demonstrate innovation in all facets of the work. Employees that receive poor performance reviews often leave the organization as they are ignored by leadership. As a result, turnover is high in this unit, but there is always a steady flow of candidates ready to fill vacancies due its success. During the performance review period, a new VP in this unit becomes fearful of being categorized as a manager versus a leader and decides to speak with the HR director to obtain guidance. The HR director recognizes that similar concerns have been captured in the exit interviews and the annual survey. With the high turnover in the EVP's business unit, the HR director is concerned about succession planning. Which action will best assist in succession planning efforts? A. Conduct stay interviews with high potentials in the unit to determine the best way to minimize resignations through recognition programs. B. Advertise all positions in the business unit to develop a pool of candidates for each role to offset future voluntary resignations. C. Analyze the risks of losing key strategic skills and develop a plan to address gaps through a buy or build approach. D. Create targeted interview questions for key roles to identify leadership attributes that support the culture and strategic plan of the organization.

Analyze the risks of losing key strategic skills and develop a plan to address gaps through a buy or build approach.

Which best describes the concept of a stakeholder? A member of the senior or global management team A person with a legally defined or contractual relationship with a firm Someone who owns a financial interest in a business venture Anyone who shares in the value of an organization and its activities

Anyone who shares in the value of an organization and its activities

A renowned financial institution, a former leader in the financial market, is now facing decelerated growth. Its product portfolio lacks innovation compared to that of competitors. Although the institution was once a favorite place to work, recently HR has been facing issues attracting top talent, and time-to-hire metrics have deteriorated. A technology gap between the leadership and the employees is beginning to widen. The founder, who is very sales-oriented, is not an early adopter when it comes to technology. Since his client relationships all began with face-to-face contact, he is wary that technology removes the personal element. To create a more collaborative culture and social learning environment, the HR talent development lead (TDL) wants to foster a culture of learning and innovation. This will require a change in corporate culture and a significant investment in new technology. Despite a recent upgrade, the aged current learning management system (LMS) still feels outdated, sluggish, and static. The TDL believes that a new LMS with more powerful social learning technologies will be critical for attracting and retaining top talent, capturing the attention of a broader and rapidly changing demographic, and meeting their demands. The workforce is around 40% Millennials, compared with 10% just five years ago. The TDL understands that cross-functional collaboration will be required to sort out the features needed to support the organization's learning management system. What is the best way to organize the right cross-functional team? A. Contact analogous organizations and implement the exact features they are using. B. Ask the senior leaders who they would like to see on the cross-functional team. C. Assemble a team including senior functional leaders and younger managers with an interest in diversity and innovation. D. To save time, limit the team to tech-savvy employees who already understand LMS trends and applications.

Assemble a team including senior functional leaders and younger managers with an interest in diversity and innovation.

Over the past 12 months, a global hotel franchise has been experiencing steady, significant growth and needs to hire many more employees at all levels. The executive leadership team asks the HR department to transition into a strategic business partner role to ensure the franchise can meet current and future demands. However, some senior managers within the franchise believe HR should only focus on administration of traditional HR activities such as recruiting, payroll, and benefits, and the senior managers refuse to include HR in business conversations. As a result, many HR staff have adopted a strict policy-enforcement role which has only made it more difficult for the HR department to make the transition. An HR manager is tasked with identifying ways to expand the role of the HR function within the organization and aligning it with business strategy. The HR manager is also charged with presenting an HR transformation plan to the executive leadership team. Which approach should the HR manager use to evaluate the success of the HR transformation plan? A. Estimate the cost savings associated with reduced HR involvement in transactional HR activities. B. Measure trends in HR department employee absenteeism before and after the transformation. C. Assess the extent of change in key HR performance metrics over time. D. Administer an engagement survey to all HR department employees.

Assess the extent of change in key HR performance metrics over time.

A manager overhears two team members accusing each other of being rude and endangering getting the necessary work done on time. Rather than step into the middle of this, the manager asks each person separately about the status of the activity. What method of conflict resolution is the manager using? Accommodate Avoid Compromise Collaborate

Avoid

An HR staff person is negotiating fees with a number of meeting venues. The lowest bid is much lower than the average of the rest of the bids. What should the HR staff person do? Be frank with the lowest bidder and ask a lot of questions. Throw out the lowest bid and focus on the higher ones since they are more plausible. Take the lowest bid. It is the venue's responsibility to run its business. Start the bidding process again with a different set of venues.

Be frank with the lowest bidder and ask a lot of questions.

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 Root cause analysis Delphi technique Regression analysis

Business intelligence

The sales department of a company is in the midst of reorganization. An important factor in the decision to reorganize was the president's concern over lagging sales and missed targets for the past two years and a desire to restructure the compensation plan for this group. Once the reorganization was announced, the director of the sales group resigned. This gave the company the opportunity to restructure the leadership of this area, resulting in a new vice president (VP) of sales being hired, replacing the former one. As part of the VP's onboarding, the HR director updates her on the sales reorganizing activities to date, and information on employee performance in the area. He also shares the proposed structural changes that have been planned and indicates his discomfort around the former VP and it is quite possible that the previous sales leader did share these broadly including suggestions of staff reductions and ending of customer relationships. Which is the best course of action the HR manager should recommend to ensure that the incentive plan will drive the key behaviors that will result in increased productivity? A. Post the plan on the company's intranet for all employees to read and ask question of the production manager. B. Train the supervisors on how to be better mentors and coaches to increase productivity thus driving higher incentives. C. Enhance the performance management system and simplify the performance appraisal process to measure progress. D. Communicate the reason the plan is being implemented including how individual performance drives incentives.

Communicate the reason the plan is being implemented including how individual performance drives incentives.

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. Which criteria should the HR manager use to justify the proposed reading improvement program? A. Comparison of on-the-job injury rates for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the rates for employees at or above the national average B. Comparison of cost-per-accident rate for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the rate for employees at or above the national average C. Comparison of average age of employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the age of employees at or above the national average D. Comparison of annual performance evaluation data for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to those at or above the national average

Comparison of on-the-job injury rates for employees whose reading levels are below the national average to the rates for employees at or above the national average

What characteristics describe an effective professional network? Focused on experts with formal organizational relationships to the network builder Composed of internal and external members, at different levels, and in different roles Containing a limited number of internal and external contacts in the HR profession Respected members of the HR profession who can serve an immediate purpose

Composed of internal and external members, at different levels, and in different roles

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. Based on the current turnover and lack of management training, what should the HR director do first as part of a needs analysis? A. Facilitate management focus groups to evaluate the company's compensation, rewards, and incentive programs. B. Conduct a job analysis for all management positions to ensure that job descriptions and specifications are appropriate. C. Analyze exit interviews from managers who have left recently to determine why they are leaving. D. Review customer satisfaction results and use these to guide the development of the training curriculum.

Conduct a job analysis for all management positions to ensure that job descriptions and specifications are appropriate.

A professional services organization is experiencing problems including low employee morale, a decrease in client retention, and silos in internal communication. This has resulted in frustrated employees, disappointed clients, and missed deadlines. Leadership is struggling to identify the cause of these issues and has hired an outside HR consultant to evaluate the organization and provide recommendations. After meeting with several employees, the HR consultant determines that employees do not have clear expectations of their positions and that processes are inefficient. During the feedback process with the leadership team, the HR consultant also shares that employees perceive leadership to be focused on new business instead of providing the necessary support and resources to service existing clients. Which action should the HR consultant recommend to ensure that employees understand the expectations for their positions? A. Survey clients to identify areas of service that need improvement. B. Ask each employee to create a job description for his or her position. C. Ask the leadership team to identify the most important organizational needs. D. Conduct job analyses to identify the essential tasks and requirements for all jobs.

Conduct job analyses to identify the essential tasks and requirements for all jobs.

A professional services organization is experiencing problems including low employee morale, a decrease in client retention, and silos in internal communication. This has resulted in frustrated employees, disappointed clients, and missed deadlines. Leadership is struggling to identify the cause of these issues and has hired an outside HR consultant to evaluate the organization and provide recommendations. After meeting with several employees, the HR consultant determines that employees do not have clear expectations of their positions and that processes are inefficient. During the feedback process with the leadership team, the HR consultant also shares that employees perceive leadership to be focused on new business instead of providing the necessary support and resources to service existing clients. What should the HR consultant recommend to the leadership team to most effectively address employee concerns that they are prioritizing new business over existing business? A. Conduct monthly feedback meetings between the leadership team and employees to discuss concerns. B. Provide employees with examples of what the leadership team has done recently to support existing clients. C. Set leadership performance goals to improve both the client retention rate and employee perceptions of support. D. Explain to employees the reasons why the leadership team places more importance on new business.

Conduct monthly feedback meetings between the leadership team and employees to discuss concerns.

An organization is experiencing a problem with new hires for a specific position leaving the company within the first six to nine months. They previously had several long-term employees in this position, but those employees have retired. The HR manager performs research and determines that several of the employees have joined a competitor. The HR manager decides to employ a third-party firm to conduct a salary survey and do a complete review of the job description and a job analysis for the position. Additionally, the HR manager performs an internal employee opinion survey in which employees share their belief that the current benefits package lags that of other companies in the area. The results from the third-party survey confirm that the company is lagging the competitor by a large margin in terms of compensation and that the benefits package is no longer competitive. While a need to offer additional employee benefits in order to be competitive in the market has been identified, the HR manager is concerned that not all employees will value or make use of them. Which first step should the HR manager take in determining the most appropriate benefits to include? A. Waiting for more input from departing employees, because they won't leave a job based solely on benefits B. Conducting a company-wide survey to identify which benefits employees express interest in, value, or would likely use C. Choosing to eliminate or offer some of the benefits based on cost savings only D. Offering all benefits in question and later reviewing and modifying or dropping programs based upon interest

Conducting a company-wide survey to identify which benefits employees express interest in, value, or would likely use

An organization is experiencing a problem with new hires for a specific position leaving the company within the first six to nine months. They previously had several long-term employees in this position, but those employees have retired. The HR manager performs research and determines that several of the employees have joined a competitor. The HR manager decides to employ a third-party firm to conduct a salary survey and do a complete review of the job description and a job analysis for the position. Additionally, the HR manager performs an internal employee opinion survey in which employees share their belief that the current benefits package lags that of other companies in the area. The results from the third-party survey confirm that the company is lagging the competitor by a large margin in terms of compensation and that the benefits package is no longer competitive. The HR manager recommends to the executive team that increasing pay and benefits is necessary to remain competitive in the market. They agree. Which action should the HR manager take to determine if the organization is realizing benefit from the proposed solution? A. Monitoring the employee departure rate to see if it declines in six months B. Communicating to managers that a plan has been implemented to reduce departures C. Conducting stay interviews with employees to periodically review benefit offerings and track retention rates D. Reviewing the next cycle of performance evaluations to confirm whether goals are being achieved

Conducting stay interviews with employees to periodically review benefit offerings and track retention rates

Which best describes the ethical and/or compliance problem raised by a company employee having a separate consulting contract with one of the company's clients? Insider trading Copyright violation Conflict of interest Competitive advantage

Conflict of interest

The annual loss ratio for a company's health plan is a staggering 158%. The head of HR has been asked by the CEO to propose changes to the plan that will lower costs while retaining as many of the current benefits as possible. An actuarial review reveals that the riders for dental and prescription drug coverage account for 84% of the plan's claims and that three employees in a workforce of 91 account for 73% of the claims. After reviewing a series of benefit options, the head of HR decides that the best option is a plan that doubles the deductibles on the dental and prescription benefits while also lowering the maximum reimbursement coverage by 25%. She makes a presentation outlining this suggestion to the company's executive committee. After a brief discussion of the rationale and the merits, the chief operating officer mentions that the company should announce the plan's changes to employees immediately. The head of HR responds that doing so would risk defeating the purpose of the changes. Without further discussion, the executive committee proceeds to vote and accepts the changes to become effective upon plan renewal the following month. Two months after the introduction of the new plan, it is discovered that two employees made bulk prescription purchases (a six-month supply) one week prior to the changes in the benefit plan going into effect. This seems a peculiar coincidence, and the head of HR suspects a leak of confidential information. Rather than increasing deductibles and decreasing coverage limits, which alternative option should have been considered to control costs while minimizing the impact of any entitlement changes? A. Reduce or eliminate any benefits that employees are not actually using. B. Consider applying coinsurance or copay options. C. Educate the workforce on how benefit plans are funded. D. Issue warnings to any employees who use benefits excessively.

Consider applying coinsurance or copay options.

A manager uses his skill with people to smooth over problems and to make his employees feel secure in their positions. According to the Blake-Mouton theory, what leadership style is the manager using? Team Leader Authoritarian Manager Country Club Manager Impoverished Manager

Country Club Manager

A renowned financial institution, a former leader in the financial market, is now facing decelerated growth. Its product portfolio lacks innovation compared to that of competitors. Although the institution was once a favorite place to work, recently HR has been facing issues attracting top talent, and time-to-hire metrics have deteriorated. A technology gap between the leadership and the employees is beginning to widen. The founder, who is very sales-oriented, is not an early adopter when it comes to technology. Since his client relationships all began with face-to-face contact, he is wary that technology removes the personal element. To create a more collaborative culture and social learning environment, the HR talent development lead (TDL) wants to foster a culture of learning and innovation. This will require a change in corporate culture and a significant investment in new technology. Despite a recent upgrade, the aged current learning management system (LMS) still feels outdated, sluggish, and static. The TDL believes that a new LMS with more powerful social learning technologies will be critical for attracting and retaining top talent, capturing the attention of a broader and rapidly changing demographic, and meeting their demands. The workforce is around 40% Millennials, compared with 10% just five years ago. How can the TDL ensure that the LMS is consistently and widely used supporting the cost of investment? A. Contract with an LMS vendor to set up a hotline to answer all questions related to information seeking and sharing with the new technology. B. Create an effective communication plan so employees are aware of the benefits the new LMS offers and implement incentives for using the LMS. C. Do nothing and assume that the LMS will eventually be consistently and widely used since it has so many benefits. D. Require IT department employees to field calls and answer all questions from other employees on a rotating basis.

Create an effective communication plan so employees are aware of the benefits the new LMS offers and implement incentives for using the LMS.

How is a written code of conduct utilized in today's work environment? Decision-making tool to guide employees and their actions. Eliminates the need for performance standards. Protects an organization against lawsuits from shareholders. Highlights cultural differences that need to be addressed.

Decision-making tool to guide employees and their actions

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. Which work environment factor should the HR director include in the survey to get a sense of employees' perceptions of management's support? A. Whether managers set realistic performance expectations with employees on a consistent basis with communications B. Degree to which managers demonstrate respect for employees as individuals and members of the team C. How well managers put the right people in the right roles and provide developmental coaching D. Whether managers accurately evaluate employees' potential and provide opportunities for development and growth

Degree to which managers demonstrate respect for employees as individuals and members of the team

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. What steps should the HR director take to develop a short list of possible training vendors? A. Conduct an online search of the best training companies and send the resulting list to the CEO. B. Rank the companies in regard to their prices and present the five lowest bids, as cost is an issue. C. Determine, with the CEO, key criteria that should be considered, using this information to narrow the search. D. Ask for input on the short list from another employee who has done this type of training before.

Determine, with the CEO, key criteria that should be considered, using this information to narrow the search.

The sales department of a company is in the midst of reorganization. An important factor in the decision to reorganize was the president's concern over lagging sales and missed targets for the past two years and a desire to restructure the compensation plan for this group. Once the reorganization was announced, the director of the sales group resigned. This gave the company the opportunity to restructure the leadership of this area, resulting in a new vice president (VP) of sales being hired, replacing the former one. As part of the VP's onboarding, the HR director updates her on the sales reorganizing activities to date, and information on employee performance in the area. He also shares the proposed structural changes that have been planned and indicates his discomfort around the former VP and it is quite possible that the previous sales leader did share these broadly including suggestions of staff reductions and ending of customer relationships. What actions should the HR manager take to influence the production manager to support a more comprehensive organizational effectiveness and development (OED) intervention? A. Conduct an ROI analysis of the projected impact of the incentive plan on productivity and send o the production manager for review. B. Tell the production manager how other HR programs, such as training and team-building exercises, can be leveraged to increase productivity. C. Send the production manager the latest journal article on how OED programs help to achieve organizaitonal goals and objectives . D. Develop a business case proposal for a comprehensive integrated solution that includes costs, benefits, risks, anticipated timeline and projected ROI.

Develop a business case proposal for a comprehensive integrated solution that includes costs, benefits, risks, anticipated timeline and projected ROI.

A company has experienced a high degree of turnover during the past year. Senior leadership is concerned about the amount of turnover and worried that HR is not moving fast enough to fill these positions. The hiring managers say that the applicant pools have been weak lately and they have had trouble finding qualified applicants to hire from within the pools HR provides. HR has relied heavily on recruiting by word of mouth, which in the past has generated applicants that fit the company's culture. The award for referrals that result in hiring has also been popular with employees. What would be the most effective step to avoid unwanted turnover in the future? A. Develop and administer an employee satisfaction survey that solicits candid feedback about employee perceptions. B. Schedule meetings with senior leaders to discuss the impact turnover has on their business. C. Implement team-building activities to foster a collaborative work environment. D. Conduct interviews with senior leaders about why they think turnover at the organization is so high.

Develop and administer an employee satisfaction survey that solicits candid feedback about employee perceptions.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. In developing the business case for the CEO in collaboration with the external consultant, which is the best action for the HR director to take? A. Execute a formal contract specifying the consultant's relationship and expectations of engagement during the entire assignment. B. Support the consultant in designing the engagement survey, providing appropriate guidance and feedback throughout the process. C. Lead the engagement survey design, seeking coaching, support, and feedback from the consultant in managing obstacles. D. Develop and present the business case, with the consultant's collaborative input during the development and presentation processes.

Develop and present the business case, with the consultant's collaborative input during the development and presentation processes.

An organization is experiencing a problem with new hires for a specific position leaving the company within the first six to nine months. They previously had several long-term employees in this position, but those employees have retired. The HR manager performs research and determines that several of the employees have joined a competitor. The HR manager decides to employ a third-party firm to conduct a salary survey and do a complete review of the job description and a job analysis for the position. Additionally, the HR manager performs an internal employee opinion survey in which employees share their belief that the current benefits package lags that of other companies in the area. The results from the third-party survey confirm that the company is lagging the competitor by a large margin in terms of compensation and that the benefits package is no longer competitive. It has also been discovered that managers are not providing candidates with an accurate representation of the day-to-day activities in the positions they are interviewing for. Which action should the HR manager take to help hiring managers understand the criticality of a realistic job preview? A. Recommending that all hiring managers be placed on a performance improvement plan for their interviewing shortcomings B. Conducting refresher training for experienced managers and more in-depth training for new managers on effective interviewing C. Partnering with managers to review current job descriptions to create a representation of the typical workday D. Discussing with managers the importance of accurate representations in the interview, turnover costs, and their questions

Discussing with managers the importance of accurate representations in the interview, turnover costs, and their questions

A clothing retail company with three locations in a popular beach resort area has been in business for over three years. There are two similar retailers in the same beach town competing for the same customers and labor pool. Recently the company has had extensive growth due to a new clothing design. Despite the growth in sales, their turnover is high. Employees do not stay longer than 90 days, as the competition is enticing sales staff away. Turnover is now affecting their customer satisfaction and increasing the workload on the remaining staff. Most of the management staff started as sales floor employees and received little to no management training. One of the key criteria used in promoting staff is their success on the sales floor, leading to complaints of internal selection unfairness. Recent exit interviews suggest low morale, poor leadership, and lack of work/life balance as the top three reasons for leaving the company. Knowing that there are plans to launch two new product lines in the near future, the CEO has asked the HR director to search and find a new supplier to provide new employee orientation for all new sales staff. Twenty companies have submitted requests for proposals, and the CEO wants a short list to be presented in the next two days. An applicant from a local competitor has offered to give the HR director information on the previous employer's salary and benefits upon hire. What action should the HR director take in response to this offer? A. Use this information to help create a strategy to reduce turnover to other companies. B. Decline the candidate; however, offer compensation in exchange for the information. C. Do not hire the candidate, indicating that the company does not participate in unethical behavior. D. Ask for the information to create a more robust retention strategy once the person is hired.

Do not hire the candidate, indicating that the company does not participate in unethical behavior.

A group has formed to organize the annual company picnic. Because one member has experience planning a church fall festival, he volunteers to take the helm. The other employees choose to follow him. Which kind of leadership does this exemplify? Behavioral Emergent Contingency Situational

Emergent

Executives at a company have identified the need to promote diversity and develop a global mindset within the organization. According to Goleman, what leadership ability would best compliment this initiative? Adaptability to change High intellectual capability Effective communication Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. The CEO moves forward with the engagement survey. What is the first step the HR director should take with the food service workers' union? A. Form a union and non-union employee participation committee to discuss conducting the engagement survey and seek their input in managing the project. B. Initiate formal discussions with the labor union representatives about including food service workers in the survey and then seek labor council input. C. Do not engage the union in the engagement survey discussion because to do so could be in violation of applicable labor laws. D. Engage the union, with hospital's labor counsel, in an exploratory discussion to discuss the possible participation of bargaining unit employees in the survey.

Engage the union, with hospital's labor counsel, in an exploratory discussion to discuss the possible participation of bargaining unit employees in the survey.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. What is the best course of action for the HR director in proactively addressing employee concerns with the engagement survey? A. Meet with the union representative and legal counsel to share insights and get their perspectives. B. Analyze new employee complaints to determine recurring trends and patterns indicating the need for the survey. C. Advise the CEO about employee insights gained from complaints that support or negate the need for the survey. D. Explore employees' interest in participating in stay interviews to give insight to the organization.

Explore employees' interest in participating in stay interviews to give insight to the organization.

What is a good way to signal acknowledgment but not necessarily comprehension or agreement in a face-to-face conversation? Encoding thoughts Repeating back what was said Eye contact Written summary

Eye contact

Marketing and IT are collaborating on a new system that will allow customer service representatives to access and change customer accounts directly (for example, to create sales credits). Which action should HR take to create value for this effort? Identifying what points users need account access Facilitating process training for all users Performing quality control testing before release Creating of project charter for the team

Facilitating process training for all users

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. After consideration and budget approval from the CEO and the CFO, what is the first step the HR manager should take to introduce the reading program to company employees? A. Send an e-mail to all supervisors requesting that all of their employees plan to attend the company reading improvement program. B. Form a small pilot group of employees, including employees with a reading level below the national average, and test the program. C. Post an announcement in the breakroom that a reading improvement program is available to any employee who cannot read. D. Send an e-mail to all employees announcing that a reading improvement program is available for any employee who cannot read.

Form a small pilot group of employees, including employees with a reading level below the national average, and test the program.

Which is the difference between the formal and informal characteristics of an organization? Formal characteristics are better indicators of an organization's efficiency and effectiveness. Formal characteristics focus on the role of the leader, informal characteristics on work teams. Formal characteristics are documented and change less frequently than informal characteristics. Formal characteristics can be felt, and informal characteristics can be seen.

Formal characteristics are documented and change less frequently than informal characteristics.

Which is a trait of an effective leader? Providing detailed directions to subordinates Fulfilling promises and commitments Allowing employees to manage themselves Terminating poor performers and promoting high performers

Fulfilling promises and commitments

While applying for a job on a computer in a company's employment office, an applicant made a statement to an office staff member that there was a sticky substance on the keyboard. Later that day during an on-site interview, the same applicant complained that a rash emerged on his fingers from the sticky substance. At the end of the day, the applicant was not hired because the background screening process revealed criminal charges two years ago. Instead, the hiring manager selected a different applicant who more closely matched the needs of the position and passed the background screen. Before leaving for the day, the applicant who was not hired filed a grievance with the HR manager claiming he had not been hired because he complained during the interview of an unknown substance causing a rash on his fingers. Upon investigation, the sticky substance was identified from the observation camera to be strawberry jelly from the applicant's sandwich eaten at the desk just prior to completing the application. The hiring manager asks for guidance in the event an applicant challenges the results of the background screening process in the future. What should the HR manager advise the hiring manager to do if such a challenge occurs? A. Evaluate the business risk associated with hiring someone with the applicant's background screen results. B. Ask the company's legal counsel to respond to the applicant's challenge of the background screen results. C. Present the background screen results to senior management, asking them to make the final hiring decision. D. Give the applicant a copy of the results of the background screen and allow time for the applicant to provide a response.

Give the applicant a copy of the results of the background screen and allow time for the applicant to provide a response.

A business partner is leading an employee committee tasked with developing a program of employee appreciation events. Two of the committee members are embroiled in what has become a personal antagonism. They interrupt each other during meetings and are rude in front of the others. How could the business partner have best avoided this situation? The situation could not have been avoided. The business partner does not have the required authority. Ground rules for behavior in meetings should have been established at the first meeting. Ask their managers to replace them with other and more reasonable representatives. Take the two members aside in a private conversation and try resolve their differences.

Ground rules for behavior in meetings should have been established at the first meeting.

An organization has moved to larger facilities and doubled its workforce. However, it still experiences problems with back orders, which results in customer dissatisfaction. What phase of the organization/product life cycle is the organization probably in? Maturity Growth Introduction Decline

Growth

The annual loss ratio for a company's health plan is a staggering 158%. The head of HR has been asked by the CEO to propose changes to the plan that will lower costs while retaining as many of the current benefits as possible. An actuarial review reveals that the riders for dental and prescription drug coverage account for 84% of the plan's claims and that three employees in a workforce of 91 account for 73% of the claims. After reviewing a series of benefit options, the head of HR decides that the best option is a plan that doubles the deductibles on the dental and prescription benefits while also lowering the maximum reimbursement coverage by 25%. She makes a presentation outlining this suggestion to the company's executive committee. After a brief discussion of the rationale and the merits, the chief operating officer mentions that the company should announce the plan's changes to employees immediately. The head of HR responds that doing so would risk defeating the purpose of the changes. Without further discussion, the executive committee proceeds to vote and accepts the changes to become effective upon plan renewal the following month. Two months after the introduction of the new plan, it is discovered that two employees made bulk prescription purchases (a six-month supply) one week prior to the changes in the benefit plan going into effect. This seems a peculiar coincidence, and the head of HR suspects a leak of confidential information. What is the first step the head of HR should take to handle the suspected leak of confidential information? A. Suspend the chief operating officer for leaking confidential information about a pending policy change. B. Because there is no proof that a leak occurred, no action can be taken accusing employees at any level of leaking confidential information. C. HR should confidentially interview the employees who used the benefits just prior to the changes to assess their rationale. D. Ask the executive committee to hold an emergency meeting to investigate who leaked the information about the benefit plan changes.

HR should confidentially interview the employees who used the benefits just prior to the changes to assess their rationale.

An employee files a complaint alleging discrimination based on other employees creating an intimidating work environment, primarily by making insensitive and inappropriate comments. The alleged actions have made the employee uncomfortable in the workplace. The HR generalist begins to review the information submitted by the employee and, as part of the review, discovers that this is not the first discrimination allegation the employee has filed. All the other complaints were closed following a determination that the allegations were unfounded. When prompted for further information, the employee eventually lists the names of everyone who is being accused in the complaint. To the surprise of the HR generalist, it is the majority of the company's senior leadership team. Based on the employee's history of complaints and who is being accused this time, the HR generalist determines that an investigation is not warranted and immediately dismisses the employee's concerns. However, several weeks later, the employee presents documented proof of comments made by a number of employees, including some from the senior leadership team. Upon review, the HR generalist determines that this additional information could add merit to the complaint. Which is the most effective first step the HR manager should take to create an environment of inclusiveness? A. Tell employees to contact the employee assistance program (EAP). B. Discuss the importance of inclusiveness during the onboarding process. C. Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year. D. Tell employees that they need to learn other languages to relate better to others.

Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year.

An organization has hired a new HR director. Which action should the director take first after meeting and getting to know the HR staff? Gaining input about priorities and possible budget items. Developing programs to submit to management for support. Performing a risk assessment of the HR function. Identifying and understand internal and external stakeholders.

Identifying and understand internal and external stakeholders.

The annual loss ratio for a company's health plan is a staggering 158%. The head of HR has been asked by the CEO to propose changes to the plan that will lower costs while retaining as many of the current benefits as possible. An actuarial review reveals that the riders for dental and prescription drug coverage account for 84% of the plan's claims and that three employees in a workforce of 91 account for 73% of the claims. After reviewing a series of benefit options, the head of HR decides that the best option is a plan that doubles the deductibles on the dental and prescription benefits while also lowering the maximum reimbursement coverage by 25%. She makes a presentation outlining this suggestion to the company's executive committee. After a brief discussion of the rationale and the merits, the chief operating officer mentions that the company should announce the plan's changes to employees immediately. The head of HR responds that doing so would risk defeating the purpose of the changes. Without further discussion, the executive committee proceeds to vote and accepts the changes to become effective upon plan renewal the following month. Two months after the introduction of the new plan, it is discovered that two employees made bulk prescription purchases (a six-month supply) one week prior to the changes in the benefit plan going into effect. This seems a peculiar coincidence, and the head of HR suspects a leak of confidential information. Why should the company remain with the benefit provider? A. If benefit entitlements remain similar, finding and using a new benefit provider would not address the root cause as measured by the loss ratio. B. A request for proposal to find a new benefit provider can take several months to finalize and may not provide a comparable plan at a cheaper rate. C. It is unlikely that another benefit provider would accept the company's business without a thorough analysis of the previous year's use rates. D. To ensure a minimum break-even, any new insurance provider will quote and charge at a rate that is equal to or more than that of the previous provider.

If benefit entitlements remain similar, finding and using a new benefit provider would not address the root cause as measured by the loss ratio.

A successful beverage production company controls key activities in its value chain so that they can 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 a product knowledge training program Implementing cross-training and job rotation strategies Creating a strong research and development department Decentralizing decision making for greater efficiency

Implementing cross-training and job rotation strategies

The annual loss ratio for a company's health plan is a staggering 158%. The head of HR has been asked by the CEO to propose changes to the plan that will lower costs while retaining as many of the current benefits as possible. An actuarial review reveals that the riders for dental and prescription drug coverage account for 84% of the plan's claims and that three employees in a workforce of 91 account for 73% of the claims. After reviewing a series of benefit options, the head of HR decides that the best option is a plan that doubles the deductibles on the dental and prescription benefits while also lowering the maximum reimbursement coverage by 25%. She makes a presentation outlining this suggestion to the company's executive committee. After a brief discussion of the rationale and the merits, the chief operating officer mentions that the company should announce the plan's changes to employees immediately. The head of HR responds that doing so would risk defeating the purpose of the changes. Without further discussion, the executive committee proceeds to vote and accepts the changes to become effective upon plan renewal the following month. Two months after the introduction of the new plan, it is discovered that two employees made bulk prescription purchases (a six-month supply) one week prior to the changes in the benefit plan going into effect. This seems a peculiar coincidence, and the head of HR suspects a leak of confidential information. Why would announcing any plan changes to employees in this way be problematic? A. Incentivizing use just prior to a change could increase the loss ratio even further, requiring even more funding adjustments to make the plan sustainable. B. The plan's normal renewal date must be allowed to transpire in order to verify, without bias, that yearly use rates are in fact occurring naturally. C. The terms and conditions of a benefit provider require a blackout period to avoid insider information about the change being leaked. D. It would be inappropriate to announce any pending policy changes until they become official and are implemented.

Incentivizing use just prior to a change could increase the loss ratio even further, requiring even more funding adjustments to make the plan sustainable.

What financial document lists the revenues, expenses, and profits of an organization for a designated period of time? Accounting entries Financial statement Balance sheet Income statement

Income statement

What form of budgeting uses the prior year's budget the basis for the next budget? Zero-based budgeting Formula budgeting Incremental budgeting Activity-based budgeting

Incremental budgeting

What is the most accurate statement about motivating employees? Individual motivators can vary among individuals. Followers are most motivated by a self-confident leader. Team members from different generations will not be motivated by the same rewards. Motivation will not sustain performance over time.

Individual motivators can vary among individuals.

After a series of meetings with different departments dealing with downsizing, the HR professional authored a document identifying affected individuals based on departmental 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. Inform the friend of the company's plans. Attempt to change the company's decision. Encourage the friend's manager to inform the friend

Keep the workforce reduction information confidential.

A successful global energy company attracts entrepreneurial candidates with the desire to be highly compensated through an aggressive and competitive rewards program. Incentive pay is determined through a forced ranking system managed at each business unit through open group discussions about individual employee performance and contribution. The organization's structure is relatively flat, therefore, business units are empowered to adjust the unit strategy and approach as needed. A highly analytical executive vice president (EVP) of the most productive business unit consistently states that managers are unnecessary as only leaders will advance and be rewarded. In this unit, employees are challenged to lead and to demonstrate innovation in all facets of the work. Employees that receive poor performance reviews often leave the organization as they are ignored by leadership. As a result, turnover is high in this unit, but there is always a steady flow of candidates ready to fill vacancies due its success. During the performance review period, a new VP in this unit becomes fearful of being categorized as a manager versus a leader and decides to speak with the HR director to obtain guidance. The HR director recognizes that similar concerns have been captured in the exit interviews and the annual survey. How best should the HR director acknowledge the new VP's concern? A. Listen carefully, document the VP's concern and accurately paraphrase understanding of the concern during the conversation. B. Inform the VP that this is not the first concern of this type, therefore, it will be further investigated. C. Ask the VP if any direct reports have the same concern and request a meeting with the individual(s). D. Inform the VP that the information will be escalated due to the high turnover in the business unit.

Listen carefully, document the VP's concern and accurately paraphrase understanding of the concern during the conversation.

An HR manager is new at an organization and wants to start networking. Which is the best way to get this process going? Make yourself likeable by smiling and praising each person in some way. Listen to the needs of anyone you come into contact with and offer to help if you can. Informally discuss one need you have with each person you come into contact with. Make a list of your needs and ask others to help you cross things off your list.

Listen to the needs of anyone you come into contact with and offer to help if you can.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. What risks should the HR director share when recommending an employee engagement survey to the hospital's CEO? A. Low senior leadership commitment poses significant risks when there is no credible action plan to address identified employee concerns. B. The survey could raise unmanageable employee expectations that senior leadership neither can nor wants to fully meet in the future. C. Inherent risks associated with an engagement survey, such as obtaining potential negative repeated feedback, cannot be fully mitigated. D. Employees can challenge the validity of the survey through either individual or group legal actions.

Low senior leadership commitment poses significant risks when there is no credible action plan to address identified employee concerns.

ABC Company has reached a point of stability in their internal processes and ways of doing business. What stage of the life cycle characterizes ABC Company? Maturity Decline Growth Introduction

Maturity

Which motivation theory appeals to an employee's need for achievement? Theory X/Theory Y McClelland Attribution Vroom

McClelland

Over the past 12 months, a global hotel franchise has been experiencing steady, significant growth and needs to hire many more employees at all levels. The executive leadership team asks the HR department to transition into a strategic business partner role to ensure the franchise can meet current and future demands. However, some senior managers within the franchise believe HR should only focus on administration of traditional HR activities such as recruiting, payroll, and benefits, and the senior managers refuse to include HR in business conversations. As a result, many HR staff have adopted a strict policy-enforcement role which has only made it more difficult for the HR department to make the transition. An HR manager is tasked with identifying ways to expand the role of the HR function within the organization and aligning it with business strategy. The HR manager is also charged with presenting an HR transformation plan to the executive leadership team. Which action should the HR manager take to identify opportunities for the HR department to expand its role within the company? A. Submit a proposal to the executive leadership team to increase the total HR budget. B. Invite senior managers to participate in a team-building exercise with HR staff members. C. Meet with senior managers to discuss ways the HR department can improve its services. D. Hire an outside consultant to review and suggest improvements to HR services.

Meet with senior managers to discuss ways the HR department can improve its services.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been utilizing the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments then in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word of mouth campaign prior to a large company wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What actions should the HR manager take to influence the CEO about the difficulty in meeting the time line? A. Wait until closer the end of the timeline to see if there are any issues with meeting it. B. Complete as much as possible to show a good fair effort, then renegotiate the timeline. C. Implement a rewards and incentive approach to motivate the team to get the project done on time. D. Meet with the CEO reviewing essential portions of the project, and review the time line challenges.

Meet with the CEO reviewing essential portions of the project, and review the time line challenges.

The VP of Human Resources is committed to developing a strong organization commitment to ethical standards. Which is the best vehicle for communicating this commitment? Delivering annual workshops on how to deal with ethical dilemmas Coaching individual employees whenever a question of ethics arises Inserting a statement to this effect in employee handbooks Modeling of ethical behavior by leaders, managers, and supervisors

Modeling of ethical behavior by leaders, managers, and supervisors

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been utilizing the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments then in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word of mouth campaign prior to a large company wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What actions should the HR manager take first to begin creating a culture that embraces CSR? A. Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR. B. Send an e-mail to the company asking for input and then form committees to discuss. C. Spend time visiting other companies with an integrated CSR culture using this as the basis for the plan. D. Since there is very little time, independently change the culture so that it embraces CSR.

Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR.

An organization is experiencing a problem with new hires for a specific position leaving the company within the first six to nine months. They previously had several long-term employees in this position, but those employees have retired. The HR manager performs research and determines that several of the employees have joined a competitor. The HR manager decides to employ a third-party firm to conduct a salary survey and do a complete review of the job description and a job analysis for the position. Additionally, the HR manager performs an internal employee opinion survey in which employees share their belief that the current benefits package lags that of other companies in the area. The results from the third-party survey confirm that the company is lagging the competitor by a large margin in terms of compensation and that the benefits package is no longer competitive. The departure of the new hires, many going to a competitor, shortly after starting the job is a cause for concern. Which recommendation should the HR manager make in order for the organization to see an immediate reduction in the turnover? A. Increasing new-hire starting salaries by 20% because the competitor is paying its employees more B. Reviewing the job description for accuracy since that is the only important factor C. Reviewing the hiring process and ensuring that hiring managers are interviewing correctly D. Partnering with managers to review the job description and conducting interview and onboarding training

Partnering with managers to review the job description and conducting interview and onboarding training

What is a valuable insight that can be gained from studying the sender-receiver communication model (the basic communication model)? If the receiver objects to the sender's message, the sender needs to explain it again in a new way. Natural communication flow requires thinking of how to respond as the other person is speaking. Communication breakdowns almost always occur on the receiver's end. People's perspectives have a strong impact on how messages are understood.

People's perspectives have a strong impact on how messages are understood.

While applying for a job on a computer in a company's employment office, an applicant made a statement to an office staff member that there was a sticky substance on the keyboard. Later that day during an on-site interview, the same applicant complained that a rash emerged on his fingers from the sticky substance. At the end of the day, the applicant was not hired because the background screening process revealed criminal charges two years ago. Instead, the hiring manager selected a different applicant who more closely matched the needs of the position and passed the background screen. Before leaving for the day, the applicant who was not hired filed a grievance with the HR manager claiming he had not been hired because he complained during the interview of an unknown substance causing a rash on his fingers. Upon investigation, the sticky substance was identified from the observation camera to be strawberry jelly from the applicant's sandwich eaten at the desk just prior to completing the application. After the sticky substance was identified as jelly from the applicant's sandwich, which action should the HR manager take to prevent a re-occurrence of this situation? A. Clean and visually inspect each workstation prior to applicant use. B. File an ISO 31000 risk management report. C. Post a sign prohibiting all applicants from eating at the workstations. D. Have a risk management officer attend and monitor the application and interview process.

Post a sign prohibiting all applicants from eating at the workstations.

A company has experienced a high degree of turnover during the past year. Senior leadership is concerned about the amount of turnover and worried that HR is not moving fast enough to fill these positions. The hiring managers say that the applicant pools have been weak lately and they have had trouble finding qualified applicants to hire from within the pools HR provides. HR has relied heavily on recruiting by word of mouth, which in the past has generated applicants that fit the company's culture. The award for referrals that result in hiring has also been popular with employees. What would be the best way for HR to bring in more qualified applicants? A. Post job openings on Internet job sites and examine the effect on the applicant pool. B. Talk to senior leaders to figure out which types of jobs are most difficult to fill. C. Investigate how other organizations are identifying quality applicants. D. Interview hiring managers to determine the specific gaps in knowledge and skill that need to be addressed.

Post job openings on Internet job sites and examine the effect on the applicant pool.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been utilizing the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments then in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word of mouth campaign prior to a large company wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What actions should the HR manager take to encourage employees to embrace this cultural change? A. Have a company-wide meeting explaining why the changes are necessary. B. Meet with managers and instruct them to meet with their reports. C. Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees. D. Change the terminology being used to reflect the cultural shift.

Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees.

A successful global energy company attracts entrepreneurial candidates with the desire to be highly compensated through an aggressive and competitive rewards program. Incentive pay is determined through a forced ranking system managed at each business unit through open group discussions about individual employee performance and contribution. The organization's structure is relatively flat, therefore, business units are empowered to adjust the unit strategy and approach as needed. A highly analytical executive vice president (EVP) of the most productive business unit consistently states that managers are unnecessary as only leaders will advance and be rewarded. In this unit, employees are challenged to lead and to demonstrate innovation in all facets of the work. Employees that receive poor performance reviews often leave the organization as they are ignored by leadership. As a result, turnover is high in this unit, but there is always a steady flow of candidates ready to fill vacancies due its success. During the performance review period, a new VP in this unit becomes fearful of being categorized as a manager versus a leader and decides to speak with the HR director to obtain guidance. The HR director recognizes that similar concerns have been captured in the exit interviews and the annual survey. What should the HR director do first to address the concerns raised by the VP? A. Send an e-mail to the EVP that highlights the concerns of the VP but request that the e-mail remain confidential. B. Speak with the EVP and share the results of exit interview summaries for the past year, and discuss reasons for terms. C. Meet with the EVP sharing the concerns of the VP, along with details of the exit interviews over the last month. D. Quantify the impact of turnover and the impact of less engaged employees on the unit's productivity to review with the EVP.

Quantify the impact of turnover and the impact of less engaged employees on the unit's productivity to review with the EVP.

Over the past 12 months, a global hotel franchise has been experiencing steady, significant growth and needs to hire many more employees at all levels. The executive leadership team asks the HR department to transition into a strategic business partner role to ensure the franchise can meet current and future demands. However, some senior managers within the franchise believe HR should only focus on administration of traditional HR activities such as recruiting, payroll, and benefits, and the senior managers refuse to include HR in business conversations. As a result, many HR staff have adopted a strict policy-enforcement role which has only made it more difficult for the HR department to make the transition. An HR manager is tasked with identifying ways to expand the role of the HR function within the organization and aligning it with business strategy. The HR manager is also charged with presenting an HR transformation plan to the executive leadership team. Which action should the HR manager take to align the HR department's function with the organization's strategy? A. Recommend to executive leadership to invite HR staff to strategic planning meetings. B. Create a vision statement for the HR department that uses keywords from the franchise's vision statement. C. Review and revise existing HR products to ensure they use industry-specific terminology. D. Redesign the HR department's performance management system to base compensation to performance.

Recommend to executive leadership to invite HR staff to strategic planning meetings.

An organization is sending salespeople into a new territory where bribery is common. How can HR support the code of ethics in this environment? Review current ethical guidelines and create specific guidelines on bribery if necessary. Suspend the code of ethics because bribery is part of the culture. Require salespeople to report bribery income and factor it into compensation. Instruct salespeople to refuse service and leave when bribery is attempted.

Review current ethical guidelines and create specific guidelines on bribery if necessary.

You are conducting a market salary survey to make sure that your team members are being adequately compensated and won't seek employment elsewhere. You are seeking to meet which level of needs in Maslow's hierarchy? Belonging and love Self-esteem and respect for others Physical needs Safety and security

Safety and security

Soon after a new HR manager begins working at a manufacturing plant, an employee stops by the HR manager's office and places $500 on the HR manager's desk. The employee indicates that the HR manager is the winner of the plant's monthly lottery, and since the HR manager is new, the employees who participate decided to not make the HR manager pay to enter the lottery. The HR manager is uncomfortable accepting the money because it might violate the company's anti-gambling policy and asks if the money can be added to the lottery for the following month. Later, the HR manager reviews the corporate policy on gambling and finds that it is not clear. The HR manager consults with the corporate HR director, who tells the HR manager that local laws about gambling are ambiguous and a new policy should be adopted at the plant banning such activities. The HR manager informs the plant manager who becomes very upset and indicates that the lottery is a long-standing tradition that boosts employee morale. The plant manager advises the HR manager to allow the lottery until the end of the year, given that the existing company policy and local laws are ambiguous. How should the HR manager respond to the plant manager's suggestion? A. Ask that the plant manager to raise the issue with the corporate HR director. B. Tell the plant manager that the lottery must stop as indicated by the corporate HR director. C. Schedule a meeting with the corporate HR director and the plant manager to discuss the issue. D. Send the plant manager the policy and law so the plant manager can understand the need to stop the lottery.

Schedule a meeting with the corporate HR director and the plant manager to discuss the issue.

A professional services organization is experiencing problems including low employee morale, a decrease in client retention, and silos in internal communication. This has resulted in frustrated employees, disappointed clients, and missed deadlines. Leadership is struggling to identify the cause of these issues and has hired an outside HR consultant to evaluate the organization and provide recommendations. After meeting with several employees, the HR consultant determines that employees do not have clear expectations of their positions and that processes are inefficient. During the feedback process with the leadership team, the HR consultant also shares that employees perceive leadership to be focused on new business instead of providing the necessary support and resources to service existing clients. Which approach should the HR consultant recommend to leadership to best improve the efficiency of organizational processes? A. Ask previous clients why they chose not to remain with the organization. B. Select employees to participate in focus groups to provide suggestions. C. Host regular meetings with department managers and have them share information. D. Hire an employee to serve as a liaison between the different departments.

Select employees to participate in focus groups to provide suggestions.

Under deadline pressure, a global team leader grows angry with workers from one region, resorting to threats and accusations. Realizing that her behavior is counterproductive, she apologizes and sets up a meeting to determine the source of the delays and how she can best help. Which critical ability has she acquired and applied? Multidimensional perspective of a global mindset Self-regulation component of emotional intelligence Motivational component of intercultural wisdom Cognitive aspect of intercultural wisdom

Self-regulation component of emotional intelligence

An employee files a complaint alleging discrimination based on other employees creating an intimidating work environment, primarily by making insensitive and inappropriate comments. The alleged actions have made the employee uncomfortable in the workplace. The HR generalist begins to review the information submitted by the employee and, as part of the review, discovers that this is not the first discrimination allegation the employee has filed. All the other complaints were closed following a determination that the allegations were unfounded. When prompted for further information, the employee eventually lists the names of everyone who is being accused in the complaint. To the surprise of the HR generalist, it is the majority of the company's senior leadership team. Based on the employee's history of complaints and who is being accused this time, the HR generalist determines that an investigation is not warranted and immediately dismisses the employee's concerns. However, several weeks later, the employee presents documented proof of comments made by a number of employees, including some from the senior leadership team. Upon review, the HR generalist determines that this additional information could add merit to the complaint. What is the best course of action the HR generalist could take at this point? A. Request that a meeting be held with the employee and the individuals who are being accused to publicly address the situation. B. Request that the employee raise the issue with a supervisor and then escalate it to the HR manager if they feel an investigation is still warranted. C. Confront the members of the senior leadership team and demand that they immediately stop all inappropriate actions. D. Set up a formal meeting with the employee to gather additional details, assess whether an investigation is needed, and propose a plan to the HR manager.

Set up a formal meeting with the employee to gather additional details, assess whether an investigation is needed, and propose a plan to the HR manager.

Negotiations for an executive at a company have stalled with a prospective new international partner. How can the organization's global HR expert contribute to a better negotiation outcome for this executive? Negotiate with finance on behalf of the executive to secure additional funding. Offer to take the place of the executive at the negotiating table. Coach the executive on hard negotiating tactics committed to winning. Share the cultural perspective of the other side with the executive.

Share the cultural perspective of the other side with the executive.

A renowned financial institution, a former leader in the financial market, is now facing decelerated growth. Its product portfolio lacks innovation compared to that of competitors. Although the institution was once a favorite place to work, recently HR has been facing issues attracting top talent, and time-to-hire metrics have deteriorated. A technology gap between the leadership and the employees is beginning to widen. The founder, who is very sales-oriented, is not an early adopter when it comes to technology. Since his client relationships all began with face-to-face contact, he is wary that technology removes the personal element. To create a more collaborative culture and social learning environment, the HR talent development lead (TDL) wants to foster a culture of learning and innovation. This will require a change in corporate culture and a significant investment in new technology. Despite a recent upgrade, the aged current learning management system (LMS) still feels outdated, sluggish, and static. The TDL believes that a new LMS with more powerful social learning technologies will be critical for attracting and retaining top talent, capturing the attention of a broader and rapidly changing demographic, and meeting their demands. The workforce is around 40% Millennials, compared with 10% just five years ago. The TDL knows that championing creativity and innovation in a risk-averse industry is a challenge because this behavior is usually not promoted or rewarded. How should the talent development lead position the proposed LMS to gain leadership commitment for investing in this new technology? A. Survey the founder and senior leaders to gather their thoughts and feelings about how the LMS should support operations. B. Task the Millennial leaders with researching LMS capabilities and trends and preparing a presentation for the founder, leaders, and stakeholders. C. Implement the new LMS and after usage data is gathered, then demonstrate its benefits. D. Show how the LMS can effectively use technology, trends, and innovations to support the organizational strategy.

Show how the LMS can effectively use technology, trends, and innovations to support the organizational strategy.

What leadership theory is characterized by the belief that managers must use different leadership styles depending on the circumstances? Motivational theory Trait theory Situational leadership theory Behavioral theory

Situational leadership theory

What action would best support a group creativity session? Generate a conscious idea of what the various contributors will likely say. Start thinking of responses only after listening to what each person has to say. Make a list of rebuttals for concerns that will likely be raised. Think of possible responses to facilitate smooth transitions as others speak.

Start thinking of responses only after listening to what each person has to say.

Which is a good practice for implementing a code of conduct? Consider the code of conduct a living document and revise it frequently, as needed. Talk with members of the organization to understand better ethical challenges and compliance requirements. Use the organization's statement of values as the basis for the components of the code of conduct. Consult the codes of conduct of organizations of similar size as guides in content for the code.

Talk with members of the organization to understand better ethical challenges and compliance requirements.

A company has experienced a high degree of turnover during the past year. Senior leadership is concerned about the amount of turnover and worried that HR is not moving fast enough to fill these positions. The hiring managers say that the applicant pools have been weak lately and they have had trouble finding qualified applicants to hire from within the pools HR provides. HR has relied heavily on recruiting by word of mouth, which in the past has generated applicants that fit the company's culture. The award for referrals that result in hiring has also been popular with employees. What would be the best way for HR to address the senior leaders' concerns about turnover? A. Tell senior management that HR will ask the hiring managers why so many positions are open in order to determine the cause of the turnover. B. Tell senior management that HR will do an analysis of the current turnover rate across fiscal years to determine if the turnover rate has changed drastically. C. Tell senior management that HR will meet with hiring managers about projecting hiring needs more effectively. D. Tell senior management that HR will benchmark the company's experiences against those of similar companies to determine if the organization's situation represents an industry-wide trend or is an isolated occurrence.

Tell senior management that HR will do an analysis of the current turnover rate across fiscal years to determine if the turnover rate has changed drastically.

While applying for a job on a computer in a company's employment office, an applicant made a statement to an office staff member that there was a sticky substance on the keyboard. Later that day during an on-site interview, the same applicant complained that a rash emerged on his fingers from the sticky substance. At the end of the day, the applicant was not hired because the background screening process revealed criminal charges two years ago. Instead, the hiring manager selected a different applicant who more closely matched the needs of the position and passed the background screen. Before leaving for the day, the applicant who was not hired filed a grievance with the HR manager claiming he had not been hired because he complained during the interview of an unknown substance causing a rash on his fingers. Upon investigation, the sticky substance was identified from the observation camera to be strawberry jelly from the applicant's sandwich eaten at the desk just prior to completing the application. What should the HR manager do first to address the applicant's filed grievance? A. Forward the grievance to the hiring manager who made the decision not to hire the applicant. B. Inspect the keyboard with the risk manager, collecting a sample of the sticky substance for further analysis. C. Tell the applicant his sandwich left the sticky substance and his complaint did not impact the hiring decision. D. Suggest that the applicant reapply for the position when the rash has cleared up.

Tell the applicant his sandwich left the sticky substance and his complaint did not impact the hiring decision.

According to the Hersey-Blanchard theory, which is generally the most suitable situational leadership approach for entry-level employees? Telling Selling Participating Delegating

Telling

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. What additional benefits could the company gain from successful implementation of the reading program? A. The company could use this initiative to improve its employee brand and corporate social responsibility. B. This could result in better communication between employees and management. C. With positive reactions to the training, the company could institute additional employee improvement programs. D. It could result in greater performance output per employee and higher levels of engagement.

The company could use this initiative to improve its employee brand and corporate social responsibility.

The HR director of a 6,000-employee hospital is meeting with the hospital's CEO about potentially conducting an employee engagement survey. The hospital has never conducted an engagement survey. The hospital's turnover is low, and it pays competitive wages and benefits. It is nonunion except for about 200 employees in its food service department. There is a sense that a baseline assessment of employee work environment perceptions and the employees' commitment to serving patients is needed. While there is anecdotal evidence that employees are relatively satisfied with the work environment and committed to serving patients, employees have complained through the organizational hotline about lack of management support in some areas. Since other hospitals in the market have experienced union organizing activity, there is concern about possible unionization. While the CEO is interested in the survey, there is fear that it will raise employee expectations that the organization cannot meet, increasing employee dissatisfaction. The HR director is planning a follow-up meeting with the administrator and an external consultant. The goal is to share with the CEO best employer practices in conducting engagement surveys, the positive benefits of using surveys to improve morale, and appropriate engagement strategies and practices to support managers in improving performance and productivity. Given the CEO's reluctance, what is the best rationale the HR director can use to influence the CEO's decision to administer the employee engagement survey? A. The survey will help in diagnosing organizational problems that are not apparent in everyday management. B. The survey will help in evaluating and improving the climate or culture in the organization. C. The survey will help in assessing and closing the gap between organizational strategy and employees' commitment. D. The survey will help in gauging how vulnerable the organization is to unionization.

The survey will help in assessing and closing the gap between organizational strategy and employees' commitment.

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 Theory X Maslow's needs hierarchy Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory

Theory Y

A new HR staff member wants to win support for her idea for a new employee benefit. The HR director has agreed to meet with her to discuss the idea briefly. How should the HR staff member prepare? Research the director's professional resume. Think about what might be motivating the HR director in his job. Complete a detailed business case in support of the idea. Gather "testimonial" feedback from employees who want the new benefit added.

Think about what might be motivating the HR director in his job.

During an accident investigation, an HR manager determines that the injured employee could not read the safety data sheet (SDS). The manager reviews the company's training database and discovers that 10% to 15% of the current employees possess poor reading comprehension and cannot read the lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for machinery or the SDS for hazardous chemicals. Upon further investigation, the HR manager learns that these employees ask coworkers for assistance with LOTO and MSDS. Fortunately the company has not had a major catastrophic injury or death related to these areas, although a review of historic data on employee injury rates indicates a high percentage of minor injuries involving chemical burns and skin abrasions. These injuries have resulted in a higher-than-average experience modification rate that has adversely impacted the company's workers' compensation insurance premiums. The HR manager decides to develop a reading literacy program to provide coaching and tutoring to raise the reading and comprehension levels for all employees, soliciting a local educational institution to develop these reading courses. How should the HR manager evaluate the effectiveness of the program? A. Ask participants if they are enjoying the program and if they are improving their reading skills. B. Ask colleagues if the employees in the program are still asking as many questions about instructions. C. Track the quarterly accident trends to see if they have decreased since the training began. D. Ask managers for their feedback as to whether their employees' morale has improved.

Track the quarterly accident trends to see if they have decreased since the training began.

A HR manager observes that team members are refusing to collaborate with a particular team member. When asked for a reason, they reply that they cannot rely on this individual. She is inconsistent and unpredictable. What has this individual failed to establish with other team members? Competence Trust Communication Integration

Trust

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been utilizing the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments then in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word of mouth campaign prior to a large company wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager recommend to measure the acceptance of the new culture after it's announced and implemented? A. Have spontaneous conversations with employees to see how they feel about the recent changes. B. Use both a process evaluation and an outcomes evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program. C. Measure employee attrition rates and see if there is an increase in employee departure after the changes. D. Solely rely on feedback from the heads of each department to determine the effectiveness of the change.

Use both a process evaluation and an outcomes evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program.

An HR manager is careful never to promise a staff member a reward that he may not be able to deliver. What motivation theory does this reflect? Goal setting Maslow Herzberg Vroom

Vroom

The annual loss ratio for a company's health plan is a staggering 158%. The head of HR has been asked by the CEO to propose changes to the plan that will lower costs while retaining as many of the current benefits as possible. An actuarial review reveals that the riders for dental and prescription drug coverage account for 84% of the plan's claims and that three employees in a workforce of 91 account for 73% of the claims. After reviewing a series of benefit options, the head of HR decides that the best option is a plan that doubles the deductibles on the dental and prescription benefits while also lowering the maximum reimbursement coverage by 25%. She makes a presentation outlining this suggestion to the company's executive committee. After a brief discussion of the rationale and the merits, the chief operating officer mentions that the company should announce the plan's changes to employees immediately. The head of HR responds that doing so would risk defeating the purpose of the changes. Without further discussion, the executive committee proceeds to vote and accepts the changes to become effective upon plan renewal the following month. Two months after the introduction of the new plan, it is discovered that two employees made bulk prescription purchases (a six-month supply) one week prior to the changes in the benefit plan going into effect. This seems a peculiar coincidence, and the head of HR suspects a leak of confidential information. How should the company react to the employees who are using the benefits excessively? A. Confidentially meet with the employees responsible and advise them that their use was the main reason why the plan had to change for everyone. B. In order to avoid conflict, nothing should be done; the plan should be changed and no reason should be given to the employees. C. Wait until the plan changes are in effect and then hold a company-wide meeting using aggregated data to explain why the changes are necessary. D. Issue disciplinary action to those employees who have used the benefits in excess of normal use.

Wait until the plan changes are in effect and then hold a company-wide meeting using aggregated data to explain why the changes are necessary.

Soon after a new HR manager begins working at a manufacturing plant, an employee stops by the HR manager's office and places $500 on the HR manager's desk. The employee indicates that the HR manager is the winner of the plant's monthly lottery, and since the HR manager is new, the employees who participate decided to not make the HR manager pay to enter the lottery. The HR manager is uncomfortable accepting the money because it might violate the company's anti-gambling policy and asks if the money can be added to the lottery for the following month. Later, the HR manager reviews the corporate policy on gambling and finds that it is not clear. The HR manager consults with the corporate HR director, who tells the HR manager that local laws about gambling are ambiguous and a new policy should be adopted at the plant banning such activities. The HR manager informs the plant manager who becomes very upset and indicates that the lottery is a long-standing tradition that boosts employee morale. The plant manager advises the HR manager to allow the lottery until the end of the year, given that the existing company policy and local laws are ambiguous. Once the new policy goes into effect, many employees are upset with the HR manager and develop a negative attitude towards HR. What should the HR manager do to develop and maintain mutual trust and respect with employees? A. Walk around the plant to talk to employees and get to know them better. B. Meet with the corporate HR director to identify a legally acceptable activity to replace the lottery. C. Organize a company-sponsored picnic for all employees and their families. D. Organize one-on-one interviews with employees to discuss what the HR manager can do better.

Walk around the plant to talk to employees and get to know them better.

An HR professional is new to his organization and wants to understand better how to gain credibility in the organization. What activity would help the most? Study the organization's published statement of values. Watch how people react to other team members in team discussions. Interview people in HR management positions. Talk to HR peers at professional meetings about what works in their organizations.

Watch how people react to other team members in team discussions.

Under which circumstances should ignoring conflict be used as a conflict management strategy? When the team needs to develop a win-win, mutual-gain resolution to the conflict When the leader does not want to be associated with a negative outcome When failure in mediating and resolving the conflict would weaken the leader's position When the issue will resolve itself without damaging the team processes and relationships

When the issue will resolve itself without damaging the team processes and relationships

An HR professional has just joined an organization and wants to understand better the informal characteristics of the organization. What should she pay attention to? The mission statement on the organization's website Who people interact with and the nature of their interactions The kinds of business decisions the organization has made in the past The reporting structure in the organization and the number of management levels

Who people interact with and the nature of their interactions

Soon after a new HR manager begins working at a manufacturing plant, an employee stops by the HR manager's office and places $500 on the HR manager's desk. The employee indicates that the HR manager is the winner of the plant's monthly lottery, and since the HR manager is new, the employees who participate decided to not make the HR manager pay to enter the lottery. The HR manager is uncomfortable accepting the money because it might violate the company's anti-gambling policy and asks if the money can be added to the lottery for the following month. Later, the HR manager reviews the corporate policy on gambling and finds that it is not clear. The HR manager consults with the corporate HR director, who tells the HR manager that local laws about gambling are ambiguous and a new policy should be adopted at the plant banning such activities. The HR manager informs the plant manager who becomes very upset and indicates that the lottery is a long-standing tradition that boosts employee morale. The plant manager advises the HR manager to allow the lottery until the end of the year, given that the existing company policy and local laws are ambiguous. What should the HR manager do to encourage compliance with the new policy? A. Install surveillance cameras throughout the plant to monitor employees' behavior. B. Have informal discussions with employees asking about whether anyone is holding lotteries. C. Write an article in the company newsletter outlining the reasons the policy is beneficial. D. Hang posters throughout the company outlining the disciplinary procedures if anyone breaks the policy.

Write an article in the company newsletter outlining the reasons the policy is beneficial.