SHRM-CP Quiz Review

Which best demonstrates an attorney work product

Notes from interviews done at the attorney's request. RATIONALE - attorney work product includes reports and notes from investigations and interviews done at the attorney's request. Attorney work products are not subject to discovery (disclosure to the other side in a complaint). Conversations are not work product but are covered under attorney-client privilege and are excluded from disclosure. Preexisting material identified and preserved as a result of an attorney request for litigation hold are discoverable.

Which best describes how management differs from leadership

Management maintains order, while leadership produces and manages change. RATIONALE - managers administer and create orderly results that maintain the status quo and keep things working efficiently, while leaders create useful change through innovation and inspiration. Managers tend to ask how and when; leaders often ask what and why.

A company has separate divisions for distinct types of products. Each division has its own marketing, sales, manufacturing, and finance functions. What type of organizational structure does this illustrate

Product. RATIONALE - companies with a product structure usually have separate divisions for different products, and each division has its own functional departments.

What is the role of an HR professional attending a meeting in a work unit that is struggling to implement recent changes

To engage the group in solving issues that have arisen. RATIONALE - the HR professional adds value in this OED engagement by using group process skills to facilitate problem solving. The group will be more successful in implementing solutions that they have helped develop. The team is probably aware by this point of management's goal in making the change. The HR professional is not sure yet that work processes are the team's issue. By avoiding involvement, the HR professional would not be fulfilling HR's role to improve the organization's effectiveness

An HRBP is conducting a focus group to examine possible causes for recent low engagement survey scores. What is the HRBP's role in this meeting

To encourage full discussion and participation. RATIONALE - the HRBP is a facilitator in the meeting, and the facilitator's role is to encourage an active and open discussion, asking follow up questions and ensuring participation by all focus group participants.

An employee was denied a cost-of-living increase given to other employees while he served on military duty overseas for two years. Which act has been violated

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). RATIONALE - according to USERRA, employees on military leave are entitled to the same non-seniority-based benefits and rights generally provided (by contract, agreement, policy, practice or plan) to other employees with similar seniority, status, and pay on other types of leaves

What is an unfair labor practice

Violation of a labor law by an employer or a union. RATIONALE - an unfair labor practice is a violation of a country's labor laws. These laws may be rooted in international treaties on worker rights, but they are country specific. They can pertain to both employers and employees. They are based in legal statutes, not cultural practices, although cultural practices often influence local laws.

Why is ethics an intrinsic part of a CSR program

Ethics dictates behavioral guidelines for an organization. RATIONALE: ethics is a set of behavioral guidelines an organization expects all to follow. Compliance is based on laws and regulations and allows for adherence to the letter of the law

A recent employee satisfaction survey indicated that 83% of respondents were satisfied with their jobs. The CEO believes that employee engagement initiatives have met expectations and that money budgeted for additional employee engagement efforts should be shifted to other projects. Which is the best way to respond

Explain that employee engagement is about performance outcomes not always reflected in survey results, so initiatives should continue. RATIONALE: employee engagement is a broader concept than employee satisfaction, commitment and morale. It is an outcome-driven concept about behaviors that can positively influence individual and business level performance. As such, engagement initiatives should continue. However, efforts will most likely shift to acknowledge progress made in some areas and gaps that remain in others

What form of equity is an HR function assuring when it conducts annual surveys of compensation practices in its labor markets

External. RATIONALE - external equity refers to employees' perceptions that they are being fairly compensated in terms of what employers in the same labor market would offer. Internal equity relates to perceptions of fair compensation in terms of the work for the employer. Strategic and cultural alignment are objectives for compensation systems. A strategic analysis could point to a lack of alignment in compensation by department/position. A cultural analysis of a compensation system would examine the alignment of the system with the culture's values.

An engineering company aspires to have a culture that supports a family-friendly environment. What work/life program would support such a culture

Family assistance program. RATIONALE: work/life programs help employees balance the demands of their work and home lives. Family assistance programs provide a variety of family resources and support including child-care and elder-case assistance.

Which activity is critical to ensure that strategy is implemented effectively

Feedback on strategic initiatives is obtained on a regular basis from all parts of the organization. RATIONALE - effective strategic implementation requires two-way communication - communication of the strategic objectives and plans to the organization and feedback from the organization to those plans. The communication plan for strategic initiatives should include ongoing opportunities for feedback. This enhances understanding and improvement of strategy.

For which position and in which situation would a stress interview be most appropriate

For emergency room nurses, where behaviors can have life or death consequences. RATIONALE - the logic behind a stress interview is that candidates who perform well under pressure in the interview will handle work stress in a similar fashion

Which is a critical component of maintain electronic employee records as opposed to paper-based records

Frequent backups of all data. RATIONALE - frequent backups of electronic employee records is required for protection against data loss or corruption. The other choices apply to both paper-based and electronic record keeping systems.

A supervisor overhears an employee talking on the phone about a test for a hereditary form of breast cancer, and the supervisor subsequently denies the colleague a promotion based on this information. Which legislation does this action violate

GINA. RATIONALE - GINA makes it unlawful to discriminate against an employee based on genetics.

What characterizes globalization

Global markets, economies, and technologies are increasingly interconnected. RATIONALE - the integration of markets, nation-states, and technologies is enabling individuals, corporations, and nation-states to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before

A cosmetics company that denounces animal testing as a primary part of its branding was recently reported to be working with suppliers that routinely test on animals. Which aspect of the CSR strategy is misaligned

Governance. RATIONALE: an organization with good governance is transparent and accountable at each level and function. By buying from suppliers that test on animals, the organization is intentionally deceiving consumers and being opaque rather than transparent

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 personal antagonism. They interrupt each other during meetings and are rude in front of others. How could the business partner have best avoided this situation

Ground rules for behavior in meetings should have been established at the first meeting. RATIONALE - the conflict is wasting the time of other committee members and could have been avoided by setting and enforcing ground rules for the behavior process early. Perhaps the conflict can be resolved now, but it is late in the process.

A new employee is experiencing performance problems. What should HR do as a first step in determining the root cause of the employee's performance challenges

Guide the supervisor to discuss the performance issues with the employee. RATIONALE: the first thing the supervisor should do is have an honest discussion with the employee. Performance discussions should be held when needed, not just a part of a yearly performance appraisal. The employee must understand what is expected and why present performance is not adequate

Which is an example of a job specification for a line supervisor

Has five years of experience. RATIONALE - a job specification should list what is necessary for satisfactory performance, not the characteristics of an ideal candidate. A bachelor's degree is probably more than is needed, and the traits of creative ability and versatility are typically indicative of critical success factors associated with job competencies

A benefits manager notices that several senior-level employees in her department are disengaged. The manager meets with the employees and discovers that they feel confined to the office and have actually become bored with their jobs. Which activity should best assist with this low-level trait engagement

Have employees create and present a new wellness series. RATIONALE: trait engagement describes the inherent personality-based elements that predispose an individual to being engaged - a natural curiosity, a desire to be involved, an interest in problem solving. These traits may figure into recruiting and hiring efforts

What best describes the appearance of a distribution curve in a data set with a low standard deviation

High and narrow. RATIONALE - in a low standard deviation curve, data is grouped more tightly around a center value so the distribution curve is high and narrow.

HR is asked to evaluate the organization's overall retention. Which would be the best information for HR to assess first

How the current turnover rate compares to the industry average. RATIONALE: employee turnover has several unquantifiable costs besides recruiting, retaining and retraining new employees. A starting point in evaluating retention is understanding employee turnover- the number of employees leaving, why they leave, and the impact those departures have on the organization's productivity and overall business performance

An HR function has purchased ATS that allows external recruiters to access certain areas of the organization's information system. Throughout the purchasing process, HR has excluded the IT function. What is a possible outcome

IT refuses to allow the software to be loaded into the system. RATIONALE - HR's approach to this project does not recognize IT's responsibilities and needs. IT may refuse to allow the system to be installed on a shared system out of concern for security and incompatibilities or because they cannot estimate the demand the additional technology will have on IT's support resources.

Which is the most desired outcome of an HR audit

Identification of underperforming areas of the function. RATIONALE - the most desired outcome of an audit would be a clear sense of where performance could be improved and an action plan for implementing these improvements. A checklist of controls is not sure that the controls are effective in their goals. The audit may not affect efficiency, although it should affect quality. Measuring oneself against peers is instructional, but doing it to gain credibility is shortsighted.

During which stage of strategic planning do managers develop action plans and assign staff members to projects

Implementation. RATIONALE - during the strategy implementation phase of strategic planning, the plan is put into action. Managers develop action plans and allocate resources toward achieving organizational objectives.

Scenario: 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

Incentivizing use just prior to a change could increase the loss ratio even further, requiring more funding adjustments to make the plan sustainable. RATIONALE - this is correct because it demonstrates an understanding of the cause and effect relationship between a plan's use and its funding; it also incorporates the moral hazard associated with asymmetric information. The plans renewal date must be allowed to transpire in order to verify is incorrect because the trend in use is already unsustainable; many plans include auto-renewal clauses that if allowed to pass could unnecessarily extend the current loss ratio structure. The terms and conditions of a benefit provider would require a blackout period is incorrect because black out periods may apply to certain changes in health plans but it is not the case for private health plans. It is inappropriate to announce any changes until they become official and are implemented is incorrect because it is not true for all policy changes.

An organization is large and decentralized. It contains may operations that must communicate with each other. Leadership wants to be able to make more informed strategic decisions more quickly. Which issue is mostly directly related to these needs

Integrated data access and analysis. RATIONALE - the issue of integration would be meaningful to an organization with many interrelated parts. An integrated information system would allow functions throughout the organization to access the same data in a timely manner and analyze it to gain insight and test solutions.

How does HR make sure that OED interventions deliver value

Intervention objectives link outcomes to organizational goals. RATIONALE - the linkage to organizational goals is the best way to demonstrate HR's contribution to the organization's strategy. While the other actions are expected of HR, the critical activity is providing organizational effectiveness and development activities that affect the organization's bottom line. Outcomes must be determined before metrics can be developed

Why is it important that employees understand how day-to-day activities support the strategic goals of the organization

It drives employee behavior, as the connection to how they are able to contribute is evident. RATIONALE - employees are more motivated and driven to perform when they understand how the work they do supports the organization's strategy. This is one of five elements needed for the effective implementation of strategy.

What characterizes a learning organization

It manages change and adapts to its environment. RATIONALE: learning organizations encourage constant networking both internally and externally. Change is embraced and managed, and learning experiences alter the organization's behavior. In such an organization, employees are responsible for their own learning

Which is the most low-risk strategy for global market expansion

Licensing. RATIONALE - licensing does not take a large initial investment or major organizational commitment. It is, therefore, a relatively low risk way to expand globally.

Which reason best describes why an organization may decide to keep records for longer than the mandatory record retention requirements specify

Longer statutes of limitation for certain common-law claims. RATIONALE - the statute of limitation for contract, tort and fraud claims may be longer than the statutory record retention requirements. Organizations may choose to keep records longer than the statutory requirements in order to better respond to potential claims in those areas.

A company has reached a point of stability in its internal processes and ways of doing business. What stage of the life cycle characterizes this company

Maturity. RATIONALE - as an industry, organization or product matures, problems are largely resolved. In an organization, staffing and culture begin to stabilize, and the rate of change levels off. Policies, procedures and rules are formalized and communicated to all employees. Training is emphasized and labor cost control becomes a factor

An HRBP knows that HR is struggling to improve its relationship with the operations function. The BP receives an email from an operations supervisor who refuses to implement a disciplinary action that the BP has recommended. What should the BP do

Meet with the supervisor and explain the RATIONALE for taking disciplinary action. RATIONALE - the BP needs to ensure that policies are followed; the best way to do that is to use her expertise in HR to show the RATIONALE for policy and consistency in enforcing it. This may help enhance HR's professionalism in the eyes of operations. Escalating the issue shows a lack of leadership, as does avoiding the issue. Implementing the discipline against operation's wishes may further damage the relationship between the functions.

A graphic designer is leaving a technology consulting firm after five years. Can the designer use copyrighted materials to launch a start-up company

No, the work is the property of the employer. RATIONALE - the work is the property of the employer. Copyrighted or patented material is the employer's intellectual property. The graphic designer doesn't own the work and the employer and graphic designer don't' share ownership of the work. No mediation is required.

Management decides that training supervisors to identify and prevent bullying is not necessary, and they do not fund a program budget. What does this illustrate

Organization's risk tolerance. RATIONALE - management has decided that it is willing to accept the risk that bullying will occur and possible organizational costs. This is an example of an organization's risk tolerance, the amount of unmanaged risk that management is willing to accept.

How does the PPACA amend COBRA

PPACA requires coverage of an employee's adult children up to age 26. RATIONALE - under PPACA, employers are required to notify COBRA participants in addition to their general employee populations, that adult children may be eligible for health plan coverage up to age 26.

Staff have been reluctant to share on-the-job experiences with coworkers. HR wants to update all job descriptions to reflect the expectation that this should take place. How can HR assess that this change has been successfully implemented

Performance evaluations. RATIONALE - HR professionals play a key role in fostering KM. They instill a knowledge-sharing attitude in new employees and use training and performance management systems to encourage creativity, innovation and knowledge transfer

An organization fears that it has become too bureaucratic and slow in responding to threats and opportunities. HR is charged with examining structures and processes to make the organization more agile. What type of intervention is this

Proactive. RATIONALE - this is a proactive intervention taken to improve the organization's capabilities rather than correct specific deficiencies - such as a dysfunctional culture that is affecting ethical conduct or engagement - that would be a remedial intervention. Competitive is not a type of intervention. An organizational intervention focuses on change at the organizational rather than team or individual level. A proactive or remedial intervention may include specific activities that focus on the organization and/or individuals

A group of applicants is given the same assessment at the same time across three consecutive days. Which statistical strength of the assessment is being measured with this method

Reliability. RATIONALE - reliability is the ability of a data-gathering tool to produce consistent results. The other answer choices do not measure the ability to provide results on a consistent basis.

Who are the members of a works council

Representatives of workers and management. RATIONALE - works councils are composed of workers and management representatives. Their purpose is to promote communication between management and employees on issues that affect workers' interests

Why are multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tools particularly useful for teams who are purchasing HR technology

Scoring can be adjusted to reflect an organization's unique technology needs. RATIONALE - MCDA tools weight specific purchase factors according to their importance to the organization. For example - the tool may weigh scalability more heavily for an HR organization that anticipates growth in the near future. The tool is scalable in that it will accommodate more vendors, but that is not its most useful characteristic. It does not reduce risk or the need for research. The quality and comprehensiveness of the research will reduce the risk of making a poor decision.

How is risk control best understood by an organization

Sharing a risk's occurrence or impact and its likelihood. RATIONALE - a risk control is an action taken to manage a risk - to enhance the potential of an upside risk or to decrease the potential of negative effective of a downside risk.

Which is the best reason to use social media channels for corporate communication

Social media channels provide instantaneous feedback to leaders about employee responses. RATIONALE - although social media makes communication more complex and challenging, they also make it easier to assess reaction to the communication.

Which practice should have the best potential to decrease talent acquisition costs and increase an organization's ability to compete for skilled employees

Staying current with labor market and economic trends. RATIONALE: an understanding of labor workforce data can help an organization stay ahead of increasing talent demand trends and even provide an early warning that talent pressure is expected to increase or decrease. It is always better for an organization to enact retention strategies early rather than in reaction to increasing turnover

A BFOQ is a job criterion that employers can use to hire a foreign national. To use the BFOQ defense, what must employers prove

That local employees cannot perform the key duties required by the job. RATIONALE - employers who use the BFOQ defense must prove that all, or substantially all, local employees cannot perform the key duties and responsibilities required by the job position.

Which statement about using social media as a primary recruiting tool is correct

There is a risk on unintentional discrimination against certain groups. RATIONALE - because the use of social media may be limited to by possession of, access to or understanding of the enabling technology, recruiting only through social media may result in discrimination.

How should an HR leader evaluate an organization's return on labor expenses

Through a well-crafted pay-for-performance program that measures performance compared to goals. RATIONALE - a well-crafted and executed pay-for-performance program allows an organization to evaluation the return on labor expenses

What is the purpose of an HR compliance checklist

To help ensure that the organization fulfills the requirements of HR laws and regulations. RATIONALE - HR audits and compliance checklists are often used to help ensure compliance with laws and regulations. They may lead an organization to correct disparities between required and actual practices. They may also lead to an image of propriety and garner positive word-of-mouth, but that is not their purpose.

Which action can HR take to assist in creating an ethical workplace

Training leaders in ethical practices. RATIONALE - to create an ethical organization, leaders and managers need to know how to recognize ethical dilemmas and how to deal with them. Leaders need to know what the organization values and what its expectations are for its leaders and employees

What procedural document outlines the requirements that an employer needs to follow in order to show that it does not discriminate in its hiring process

Uniform guidelines on employee selection procedures. RATIONALE - the uniform guidelines cover all aspects of the selection process, including recruiting, testing, interviewing, and performance appraisals. Its purpose is to assist employers in complying with federal regulations against discrimination. The other choices set forth the law but do not assist employers in complying with it.

Which is the most important aspect of a selection test that successfully measures essential job-related skills and abilities

Validity. RATIONALE - a valid test accurately reflects the content of the job. The skills and aptitudes required for successful test performance are aligned with the skills and aptitudes required for successful job performance.

What is the most accurate characterization of business value

Value may be different in different organizations. RATIONALE - because value is tied to an organization's mission, the definition of value will vary. It may not be solely financial and may depend on internal assessment rather than external judges. The need to create the desired value must be communicated to and understood by the entire organization.

When creating a benefits program, which key legal factor does the HR benefits leader need to keep in mind

What government regulated programs are provided. RATIONALE - the benefits leader needs to understand what is normally provided to employees, what government regulated programs are provided and what employee expect

During the hiring process, at which point does an employer have an opportunity to initially engage the individual

When exploring the company's careers page. RATIONALE - according to the "Employee Experience Survey" up to 82% of job prospects rely on company websites as a primary means for learning about a company. However, almost 40% of those prospects feel that the information isn't valuable. The company's careers page and all public-facing job listings should be current, informative and meaningful.

Which best exemplifies a risk mitigation approach

Workers operating dangerous machinery cannot exceed a set shift length. RATIONALE - by limiting the length of the work shift, the company mitigates the risk of accidents caused by fatigue and inattention. This is aimed at reducing the probability of the occurrence of accidents, at least for this cause. Decisions not to assign or not to hire are risk avoidance measures. The partnering strategy is a way to enhance upside risk.

An organization received 150 applicants from an advertisement, 50 of whom were minority applicants. It interviewed 36 qualified applicants, 12 of whom were minority applicants. What is the yield ratio of qualified applicants to total applicants

.24 RATIONALE - the yield ratio is determined by dividing the number of qualified applicants by the number of total applicants (36/150 = 24%)

A competency based pay approach works best in an environment that fosters which of the following

Acquiring knowledge and skill that enhances employee performance and satisfaction. RATIONALE - competency based pay fosters acquisition of knowledge and skills

An HR specialist prepares a business case to support an initiative. The case includes descriptions of the project's goals, benefits, method, budget and timeline. Which information is required to complete the business case

Analysis of the initiative's possible risks. RATIONALE: the business case should include some discussion of possible risks and approaches to managing them. Detailed descriptions and plans are not appropriate for this audience. Endorsements are not usually part of a business care, but it would certainly be a good idea to encourage supporters to communicate to management their reasons for support.

Which best characterizes today's global organization

Any organization, large or small, whose processes, actions and decisions are firmly rooted in a carefully conceived global strategy. RATIONALE - because of technologies and the growing ease of doing business across borders, a global organization is no longer defined by its size or physical presence in multiple countries but by its global strategy

As part of screening interviews, recruiters use an interview style that focuses on how applicants handled real life situations in the past as a way to qualify them for their openings. What type of interview technique is being used

Behavioral. RATIONALE - behavioral interviews explore real experiences and how the applicant responded to the experiences predict future performance

Which HR tasks can be effectively outsourced to allow HR to focus on strategic activities

Benefits and payroll administration. RATIONALE - benefits and payroll administration are low in strategic value and can be effectively outsourced to third-party vendors. Talent development, employee engagement and information technology are strategic activities that should be handled internally.

Which is a key provision under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) of 1990

Benefits offered to older workers must be equal to those offered to younger workers. RATIONALE - OWBPA provides that benefits offered to older workers must be equal to those offered to younger workers

What source of law ensures that the same principle applied in one court decision is used to make future legal determinations

Common law. RATIONALE - common law is the source of law that establishes legal precedent. The other responses also offer legal protection but are not derived from court decisions.

When conducting a benefits needs assessment, what is the next step HR should take after analyzing the design and utilization data for all benefit plans

Compare organizational needs, employee needs and current benefit offerings. RATIONALE - a gap analysis compares organizational needs, employee needs, and the existing set of benefits to identify the benefits that best match the needs of the organization and its employees

Which policy ideally gives employees an opportunity to understand expectations and change their behaviors

Constructive discipline. RATIONALE - constructive discipline gives employees an opportunity to understand expectations and change behavior. This demonstrates organizational support of performance improvement.

Which three generic strategies for success are identified in Michael Porter's model

Cost leadership, differentiation, focus. RATIONALE - according to Michael Porter, there are three potentially successful generic strategies - cost leadership, differentiation and focus.

Which option best defines risk

Effect of uncertainty on the ability to meet organizational objectives. RATIONALE - the ISO definition of risk is - the effect of uncertainty on objectives. Uncertainty can be positive or negative in its effects. The other answer choices emphasize negative risk or assessments of risk occurrence

Employment contracts are seen as an exception to what employment principle

Employment at-will. RATIONALE - employment contracts are an exception to employment at-will

To meet a safety goal, an organization provided training to employees. The number of injuries, however, has not decreased over the last three years. What should the HR training manager do

Evaluate and adjust the training. RATIONALE - evaluating the training will allow the company to identify whether the issue is with the training or the people, and adjustments can be made accordingly. Developing new content or hiring an outside consultant without evaluating the training could be a waste of time and resources. Making the training mandatory doesn't help if the training is ineffective.

Which development approach is best suited for senior leaders

Executive coaching. RATIONALE: executive coaching can achieve extraordinary results, empowering staff success

Under which circumstances should a market-based job evaluation be used

When an organization is position against its compensation philosophy. RATIONALE - the market-based approach is common due to its simplicity, as it looks at external data to form the basis for market pricing. The organization uses job descriptions to compare jobs to like positions in the external marketplace. Pay data is collected from published sources and the value of the position in the competitive market is determined. Position pay against the organization's compensation philosophy allows an understanding of weather the pay program achieves the basic objectives of the compensation philosophy. It also allows for a better understanding of internal equity.

A company plans to outsource its benefits administration system. HR has identified the top three vendors and plans to review their proposals. In addition to cost, which is the most important factor to consider when reviewing the proposals

Ability to meet specifications. RATIONALE - this is the most important of the listed factors

Which communication method is more likely to be effective in high-context cultures

Face-to-face. RATIONALE - one aspect of high-context cultures is that their members rely more heavily on what surrounds a statement (nonverbal cues, history, the speaker's identity) rather than the literal meaning of the communication.

According to international labor standards, which offering is most fundamental to the employment relationship

Fair wages. RATIONALE - fair wages, labor rights, a living wage and a standard workday are all fundamental in international labor law standards. Telework, flextime, and a one-hour lunch break are all incentives and optional based on an organization's practices.

How does the use of benchmarking improve the creation of an organizational strategy

It allows for an understanding of best practices. RATIONALE - benchmarks are aspirational in that they are intended to improve performance. They must be based on best practices drawn from the activities and achievements of organizations. Performance can be affected by culture. Even statistics can be culturally biased, for example - in some cultures statistics such as health-care cost per employee or employee tenure may not be meaningful. Benchmarks often address values, such as customer service, ethical behavior or quality. They are goals and do not replace financial measures, which provide valuable snapshots of performance.

What type of communication helps ensure an employer's compliance with federal, state and local law

Labor posters. RATIONALE - labor posters outline basic information that employees must be made aware of regarding employment law at various levels. The other three answers are not legal requirements. Total compensation statements, however, may be appreciated by employees and organizational training is a beneficial way to ensure that employees are orientated to their new company.

Which theory appeals to an employee's need for achievement

McClelland. RATIONALE - McClelland's theory proposes that individuals are motivated by achievement, affiliation and the desire for power

Based on an analysis of future skills needed, an organization implements two new training courses. What type of intervention is this

Organizational. RATIONALE - an organizational intervention is intended to change the organization's design, structure, and/or culture to improve performance across the organization

Which situation that leads to workplace violence can be controlled by an organization

Pressure for increased productivity. RATIONALE - conditions causing employee frustration and anger can lead to violence. Examples - pressure for productivity, rigid management style, layoffs

In an assessment center, a candidate is asked to handle a hypothetical situation dealing with typical job-related challenges. Which selection tool is being used

Simulation. RATIONALE - a simulation or situational case study is tailored to reflect typical problems that might be encountered. Trained assessors can evaluate how well the candidate performs

What is the mode of the salary values: $50K, $50K, $45K, $70K, $65K

$50K RATIONALE - the mode is the value that occurs most frequently in the data set.

The ADA applies to all employers, excluding the federal government, with at least how many employees

15 RATIONALE - the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees. It protects qualified individuals with disabilities from unlawful discrimination in the workplace, including access to training and career development. The ADA does not cover the federal government when it acts as an employer.

What is the general minimum eligibility requirement set by ERISA for employer-sponsored 401(k) plans

21 years of age working at least 12 months. RATIONALE - the minimum eligibility requirement under ERISA is the attainment of 21 years of age and 12 months of service. An employer can lower the requirement (19 years old and 6 months of service) but it cannot raise the minimum.

Although the founder of an organization is very competent, she has alienated nearly everyone in the organization. Colleagues have tried to share their concerns; however, she does not believe there to be an issue. Rather she believes she merely has a direct approach. Which assessment tool is best suited to display how her directness is impacting others

360-degree assessments. RATIONALE - 360-degree assessments gather and report feedback from managers, peers and subordinates for a complete picture of skills and weaknesses for leader development. If there is consensus among the findings, the founder may be forced to face facts. Situational judgement tests, assessment centers, and emotional intelligence tools won't be helpful in convincing the CEO that she needs to change

How will using a revenue-per-employee metric allow HR to demonstrate the impact of turnover on employee engagement

A decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with lower employee engagement. RATIONALE: a decrease in revenue per employee may correlate with a decrease in employee engagement. This is especially important when evaluating the cost of a lost employee due to turnover. Although there is no single calculation for measuring engagement, HR can measure specific outcomes of engagement action plans

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

Accept the board's assignment, explaining to the CEO the board's power to do this. RATIONALE - the CHRO has an ethical obligation to fulfill the appropriate request from the board and to disregard personal ties to the CEO. Explaining the difficult position and promising to get a third party to conduct the audit is incorrect because a third party may be the best option for the audit, the CHRO would not be doing justice to HR's responsibilities by declining the task. Telling the board there is a conflict of interest is incorrect because the CHRO is not fulfilling their responsibilities as a leader and member of the organization. Persuade the CEO to accept the situation and promise them a place on the committee is incorrect because giving the CEO a major role might undermine the effectiveness of the committee and would be dishonest to the board.

Which statement is correct under the ADA

Accommodation is not required if it results in undue hardship for the organization. RATIONALE - employers are not required to make accommodations that result in undue hardship. Current users of illegal drugs are excluded by the law, but rehabilitated drug users are not. Pre Employment medical examinations may be required after a job offer is extended. There is no requirement to develop affirmative action plans for candidates with disabilities.

Which is most likely to be an outcome of a total rewards strategy in an organization with a geocentric approach to management

Accounting for local cultural and legal norms in the local administration of the total rewards strategy. RATIONALE - in a geocentric organization, an international company is seen as a single global business, with management talent coming from any location in the enterprise. The strategic plan is global in orientation, while the need to balance global strategy with local culture and regulations is well understood.

Which action would be most important in building trust with a colleague

Acting consistently in line with shared values. RATIONALE - "walking the talk" or showing consistency with what one says or believes in, is most likely to generate a trusting relationship. Expertise builds credibility but not trust if one is not honest or does not follow through on commitments. Socializing may be a path to understanding each other's values but does not offer proof of consistency with those values. Clarify roles and responsibilities is necessary to avoid some conflicts but it does not build trust.

An HR director is tasked with the fiduciary duty for the organization's retirement plan. What action best describes this obligation

Acting in the best interest of the employees who participate in the plan. RATIONALE - a fiduciary duty (or fiduciary obligation) implies a legal obligation of one party to act in the best interest of another. The obligated party is typically referred to as the "fiduciary" (an individual or party entrusted with the care of money or property)

What does an HR audit measure

Adequacy of policies, practices, procedures and strategies to support HR's goals. RATIONALE - an HR audit measures the adequacy of HR policies, practices, procedures, and strategies as HR works toward meeting its strategic goals. What an audit measures can vary according to an organization's focus, but in general audits measure effectiveness and efficiency of procedures in delivering outputs of desired quantity, timing and quality. The audit for example - could assess compliance with policies about using resources or the procedures designed to ensure alignment with legal requirements or customer service. The HR audit is not like a financial audit (although financial budgets may be audited by internal auditors)

An HR professional transitioned into a new role that requires thorough knowledge of federally mandated laws in order to create new organizational policies. Which is the best resource to ensure federal compliance

Administrative agencies. RATIONALE - administrative agencies are the best resource, as their guidelines interpret how laws and regulations will be enforced by organizations. The Constitution provides basic principles but not guidelines that influence how an organization operates, the Bill of Rights guarantees such rights as freedom of speech. While using the knowledge of HR professionals can be helpful, it is not the best answer.

Which best describes how adult learners differ from younger learners

Adults refer to past experiences and want opportunities to share them. RATIONALE: adult learners are experience-based and have a wide variety of experiences to share. However, as a result, they may have formed habits and assumptions that make them less open to new ideas. While self-satisfaction is important, so are external rewards. Adult learners want to know how they are progressing and want feedback.

Scenario: An HR manager receives an e-mail from a department director with a request for termination of a groundskeeping employee. The company's recreational vehicle resort is over 200 miles away from the company headquarters where the HR manager works. The terminated employee works at the resort and lives onsite. The memo states that the director terminated the employee yesterday for gross misconduct. The employee had a good performance record during his career of 10 years. The groundskeeper was working in the heat all morning and then informed the director he was going home for lunch and a cold beer. Later the groundskeeper radioed the director that he was running late in returning from lunch. Subsequent communications led to the director sending a student worker to the employee's trailer to pick him up and return to the office. Upon their return, the groundskeeper smelled of alcohol, and the student worker reported to the director that the intoxicated groundskeeper offered the under-aged student worker a beer, which was refused. The student worker stressed that she did not want to get the groundskeeper in any trouble; however, the groundskeeper insisted that he be allowed to drive the golf cart back to the office after drinking beer, which made the student feel uncomfortable. Two weeks after discharge, the groundskeeper contacts the HR manager and claims he was discriminated against due to his age and presumptions that he could not meet the physical demands of the job, particularly during the summer heat. He points out that this is why the director hired much younger college students. How should the HR manager respond

Advise the groundskeeper that the HR manager can schedule a time and day for him to come into the office to discuss the situation. RATIONALE - postponing the conversation in order to gather data and contact the company's labor attorney for advice first is the best option. Being dismissive may anger the employee and is incorrect. The HR manager should also not prompt the employee to bring litigation against the company. And telling the employee it is futile to argue is incorrect as HR should not make any comments prior to gathering data and speaking with the attorney.

Several employees were hurt in an accident in the manufacturing department. To evaluate the effectiveness of the organization's risk controls, HR conducted a meeting with the department supervisor. Which document would provide the best information for this meeting

After-action debrief. RATIONALE - an after-action report examines what happened, why it happened, what was done at the time and what could have been done better. The incident report, compliance audit and OSHA checklist document only incidents, their frequency and in some situations, what was done; no evaluation is made of the effectiveness of the organization's existing risk controls.

What is a core labor standard of the International Labour Organization

Age limits for hazardous work. RATIONALE - one of the eight core International Labour Organization standards prohibits hiring children too young to have completed compulsory schooling and employing those under 18 in hazardous work.

A compensation and benefits specialist conducted a salary data survey last year but did not have time to benchmark the results to the organization's pay structure. What action should the specialist take at this point in time

Age the data to make it current. RATIONALE - when the data is aged, older wage survey data is changed to reflect the movement of salaries in the market since the survey was conducted. If the data is aged, it is still usable.

An HR team has mined the ERP database for data related to implementation of the performance management system. What step must they complete before proceeding to analysis of the data

Aggregation. RATIONALE - once the data has been acquired or collected, it must be aggregated (combined) and organized in a way that supports the goals of the analysis

Scenario: A newly hired HR director of a small nonprofit organization notices that the organization is lacking a comprehensive compensation philosophy and salary rate structure. New hires routinely receive higher pay than more-senior employees. The organization does not have a performance management process, and not all employees receive yearly salary increases. The CEO is concerned that the organization will lose quality staff without a strategic focus on its employees, and she tasks the HR director with designing and implementing a performance management model for the organization. How should the HR VP respond to the CEO's request to increase all salaries by 4%

Agree with the CEO in regard to the strong correlation but since the data does not reveal causation, more research and discussion would be needed prior to increasing everybody's salary. RATIONALE - this is the best option since the CEO is educated on both causation and the need for additional research. A business decision should not be made on an assumption.

A company is expanding into a new country and wants to extend its collaborative, team-based approach to help engage its new workforce. Which driver of engagement should the HR director consider first

Align company practices to new country practices using valid research to guide changes. RATIONALE: the first step is to recognize that drivers of engagement vary among cultures, and the HR director must obtain unbiased information about preferences among this new group of employees. Not addressing a different approach to collaboration upfront may cause confusion as the teams integrate

A CEO assigns employees to participate in fundraising for a nonprofit school for students with learning disabilities. The company provides time off and covers the employees' expenses. Employee contributions and school accomplishments are communicated in newsletters and at annual meetings. How could this attempt at community involvement be improved

Allow employees more voice in choosing the community involvement partner. RATIONALE: although the cause may be worthy, it would be better if employees were more involved in choosing a partner and project rather than being assigned to one by the organization's leader

Senior management has determined that a RIF is the only way it can address financial difficulties. Which action would best minimize the impact of the downsizing on the organization and employee morale

Allow employees to volunteer to be separated. RATIONALE: a RIF in which employees in selected task areas are allowed to volunteer for layoff has the potential to benefit both the organization and the employees. For the organization, a voluntary RIF creates opportunities for restructuring and assists in meeting the organization's fiscal responsibilities. For employees, it may also facilitate a transition to retirement. Also in some countries, an early "at will" separation can provide the employee with access to federal or local financial assistance for the pursuit of other career opportunities

Strategic management refers to the actions that leaders take to move their organizations toward strategic goals and creating value for stakeholders. Which is considered a benefit of strategic management

Allowing for consistent decision making. RATIONALE - when managers are mindful of the organization's strategic goals, management decisions throughout the organization will be more consistent, with each manager assessing his or her alternatives against the same set of goals and objectives. Systems thinking and a focus on core competencies are critical in strategic planning - in determining what the organization will work toward and how its parts will work together. Strategic management encourages less waste but this does ont mean the organization will use fewer resources.

What is meant by the term "residual risk"

Amount of uncertainty remaining after all risk management efforts have been made. RATIONALE - residual risk is the amount of uncertainty that remains after all possible management strategies have been exhausted

Which situation illustrates Fisher and Ury's BATNA approach to negotiating

An HR manager determines internal costs to produce an orientation manual before speaking with a vendor. RATIONALE - BATNA - best alternative to a negotiated agreement - entails knowing what your options are and what the other side may propose during a negotiation. In this case - knowing internal costs allows the HR manager to know if a bid delivers the needed value.

Which organization is least likely to succeed in its strategic planning and management

An organization that shares strategic plans with top management only to preserve its competitive edge. RATIONALE - the only poor strategic practice here is to communicate strategic plans within just a small leadership group. The organization will benefit from having all employees understand how their work relates to and supports the strategy.

What is a business case

Analysis of a problem and possible solutions. RATIONALE - a business care is a request for the allocation of resources to implement a solution to a problem or a plan to take advantage of an opportunity. Strong business cases are aligned with the organization's strategy and include a cost-benefit analysis of alternative solutions too the problem or opportunity, including taking no action. The business case usually includes discussion of risks. Market research may be an input into the business case analysis. A scenario based test would project the results of a business plan under different sets of variables (ie supply prices, market share)

Scenario: 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

Analyze current labor trends along with internal staffing metrics to ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet expected organizational growth. RATIONALE - the best strategy is to consider both internal and external influences for better alignment and growth. Ensuring that all recruiters are well trained is incorrect because it does not assist in forecasting future staffing needs. Reviewing environmental conditions is incorrect because it only addresses outside influences and doesn't take internal influences into account. Reviewing internal turnover is incorrect because it only considers internal influences and not external influences.

Scenario: A newly hired HR director of a small nonprofit organization notices that the organization is lacking a comprehensive compensation philosophy and salary rate structure. New hires routinely receive higher pay than more-senior employees. The organization does not have a performance management process, and not all employees receive yearly salary increases. The CEO is concerned that the organization will lose quality staff without a strategic focus on its employees, and she tasks the HR director with designing and implementing a performance management model for the organization. An employee submits a complaint to the HR director stating that he has not received a pay raise in two years because of a physical disability. How should the HR director respond to the complaint

Analyze salary increase history for all employees in that department. RATIONALE - to determine the credibility of the allegation, an important first step is to review the rest of the employee population in the areas to see if the complaint has merit. This determination will drive the subsequent actions of the HR director. Obtaining market based salary information would not be the first step to determine the legitimacy of the allegation. Asking the employee if the manager is aware of the disability is incorrect - this is a question HR would ask the manager. Requesting the employee document past accomplishments is incorrect because it would not be the first step in determining if the allegations were true.

Scenario: A manufacturing organization is in the decline phase of its life cycle. The organization's largest customer has notified the CEO that it plans to withdraw its business over the next two years. The CEO and his staff must consider options to replace the lost revenue related to this customer account. The company's employees are nervous and uncertain about their future. Two options are quickly identified to replace the expected loss of revenue. The CEO has asked the HR manager to assess possible HR issues for both of these options. Option 1 is to develop a new product that could be manufactured and delivered in one week while the competition delivers product in six weeks. To compete successfully with this approach, the company would also need to design an order entry system so customers could place orders online. This strategy requires engineering to design the product line. It also requires IT staff to design the software and customer portals, marketing and sales to develop sales literature and pricing models, manufacturing to prepare for production, and HR to develop the workforce plan. Option 2 would be to acquire a struggling competitor and quickly turn that company around. Which would be the best strategic action for the HR manager to use to demonstrate HR's value in this new product venture

Analyze the process throughput plan with the production manager, determine the staff levels needed, and conduct a job analysis for each position. RATIONALE - it is best to review the process, determine the position required and perform a job analysis for each position. Comparing supply and demand does not yield a solution to the workforce requirements.

During a workforce planning session, HR identifies that within 5 years, 25% of the workforce will be nearing retirement age. The organization wants to ensure that there is steady recruitment of a new generation. Which activity during the benefits needs assessment is most relevant to the recruitment strategy

Analyze the utilization data on all benefit plans. RATIONALE - analyzing the utilization data on all benefit plans could result in changes to the benefit mix based on the demographics and possible elimination of underutilized or high-cost plans for the aging workforce. Reviewing the competitor's strategy or the organization's management culture is not a part of the benefits needs assessment activity. It is assumed that the workforce demographics have already been analyzed to identify the population is nearing retirement age.

An organization is opening a new factory in the US, due to availability issues, the factory will be temporarily unable to comply with an OSHA standard regarding required safety equipment. What should the organization do

Apply to OSHA for a temporary variance from the standard due to the unavailability of required equipment. RATIONALE - employers may apply for a temporary variance from a standard due to the unavailability of materials, equipment, or personnel needed to make necessary changes. This would potentially allow the organization to avoid postponing the opening of the new factory and it does not carry the risk of penalties due to noncompliance with OSHA standards. Permanent variances are allowable where an employer can furnish proof that the facilities or the method of operation provides employee protection at least as effective as that required by the standard.

Scenario: A newly hired HR director of a small nonprofit organization notices that the organization is lacking a comprehensive compensation philosophy and salary rate structure. New hires routinely receive higher pay than more-senior employees. The organization does not have a performance management process, and not all employees receive yearly salary increases. The CEO is concerned that the organization will lose quality staff without a strategic focus on its employees, and she tasks the HR director with designing and implementing a performance management model for the organization. The CEO decides to implement 360-degree performance assessments for the upcoming year. What should the HR director do to ensure buy-in for this effort

Arrange training sessions for managers and employees. RATIONALE - the HR director has the opportunity to act as a role model and reinforce the use of the 360-degree assessments with managers and employees by helping them understand the RATIONALE, process, and outcomes sought from the assessment. Hosting meetings for employees to ask questions is incorrect because employees do not have enough context or understanding to be able to effectively formulate questions regarding the process. Conducting simulations would not be a first step and would be included in training. Emailing performance assessment criteria to all employees would not encourage open, two-way communication.

How is a written code of conduct used in today's work environment

As a decision-making tool to guide employees and their actions. RATIONALE - a written code of conduct covers conduct issues in a broader sense than rule or regulation. Value-based guidelines help employees self-apply benchmarks and standards in many different situations, including those that have not yet occurred.

The HR team has recently revised the company code of conduct in order to connect the code with the organization's values more clearly. Before posting the finished code of conduct to the organization's intranet, what additional step should the HR team perform

Ask leaders to adopt the code formally and communicate its RATIONALE to employees. RATIONALE - adopting the code formally and communicating it to ensure understanding shows the commitment and understanding across all stakeholders that is necessary for success. Using legal terminology will make the code more difficult to understand for those without a legal background. Focusing on rules and procedures is not the purpose of the code of conduct. The organization's perspective should include more than that of management, it should include other stakeholders, such as employees and communities

Scenario: An HR manager receives an e-mail from a department director with a request for termination of a groundskeeping employee. The company's recreational vehicle resort is over 200 miles away from the company headquarters where the HR manager works. The terminated employee works at the resort and lives onsite. The memo states that the director terminated the employee yesterday for gross misconduct. The employee had a good performance record during his career of 10 years. The groundskeeper was working in the heat all morning and then informed the director he was going home for lunch and a cold beer. Later the groundskeeper radioed the director that he was running late in returning from lunch. Subsequent communications led to the director sending a student worker to the employee's trailer to pick him up and return to the office. Upon their return, the groundskeeper smelled of alcohol, and the student worker reported to the director that the intoxicated groundskeeper offered the under-aged student worker a beer, which was refused. The student worker stressed that she did not want to get the groundskeeper in any trouble; however, the groundskeeper insisted that he be allowed to drive the golf cart back to the office after drinking beer, which made the student feel uncomfortable. The day following the groundskeeper's termination, another resort employee calls the HR manager to state that the termination was too severe and that the groundskeeper made a mistake but has otherwise had a good employment record. How should the HR manager respond

Ask the caller if he was a witness to the incident, and, if so, would he be willing to provide a written statement on what he saw and heard. RATIONALE - asking if the caller was a witness allows HR to assess if the caller is expressing his personal opinion and is not providing information relevant to the case. If he was a witness, then collecting his statement would be appropriate for case documentation. It is not dismissive and it allows the HR manager to listen actively while not commenting on the case herself. The HR managers should encourage employees to provide feedback and making promises serves no useful purpose. Asking the caller how they feel about the director's leadership could undermine the director.

For much of a meeting, one team member is unofficially leading the discussion while several others are quietly listening. What should the manager leading the meeting do

Ask the quiet participants for their reactions. RATIONALE - managers support and control discussions during their meetings. This may involve asking quieter participants for their reactions or protecting participants from difficult or abusive group members. Asserting that you are in charge is a poor way of providing support and control.

Scenario: 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 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. The TDL understands that cross-functional collaboration will be required to sort out features needed to support the organization's LMS. What is the best way to organize the right cross-functional team

Assemble a team including senior functional leaders and younger managers with an interest in diversity and innovation. RATIONALE - assembling a team that will represent the spectrum of LMS users and the spectrum of collaborators and mentors. Creating a team based on what other organizations do is incorrect because the TDL cannot rely on the other organization's information because the strategies may differ. Asking senior leaders who they want to see on the team is incorrect because they may be too far removed to know and it wouldn't be the best use of their time. Limiting the team to tech-savvy employees is incorrect because it does not adequately represent the needs of tech-challenged employees.

Scenario: Over the past 12 months, a global hotel franchise has been experiencing steady, significant growth, and it 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 that the franchise can meet current and future demands. However, some senior managers in the franchise believe that HR should focus only on administration of traditional HR activities such as recruiting, payroll, and benefits, and these managers refuse to include HR in business conversations. As a result, many HR staff have adopted a strict policy enforcement role that 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 in 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

Assess the extent of change in key HR performance metrics over time. RATIONALE - the best method to measure success is to focus on the change in all key performance indicators; this demonstrates the critical evaluation competency. Focusing on one measure only is not the best way to measure success and surveying HR team members does not provide valid results on key performance indicators.

A manager has organized a team to assist with planning an event. At a meeting, one of the team members complained, dominated the discussion and resisted each new suggestion. Which strategy should the manager use to control this behavior

Assess the team member's behavior and follow up with him through discussion and coaching. RATIONALE - there are three types of roles individuals play in groups - task, social, and dysfunctional. It is necessary to understand the roles at different steps in the group process. Make sure these roles are present when needed and managed when they obstruct progress

What is the first step in an HRIS implementation

Assessing organizational needs. RATIONALE - needs must be determined before selecting a project committee, soliciting vendors or evaluating available systems. The organizational needs will drive what vendors are selected and what systems will be reviewed.

Scenario: A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. Which strategy should the HR director use to decrease turnover of the multilingual new-hire population

Assign the 35 qualified employees to serve as peer mentors for the new hires. RATIONALE - the HR director is making sure new hires are assimilating into the organization by assigning each one a peer mentor to provide comprehensive support and encouragement. Providing additional meetings about job requirements is not the best option because that may not be the reason for turnover. Creating a segregated workforce does not assimilate employees into the new culture.

Which employee is considered a globalist

Assignee who moves from one international assignment to another. RATIONALE - globalists spend their entire careers in international assignments, moving from one locale to another

Scenario: A manufacturing organization is in the decline phase of its life cycle. The organization's largest customer has notified the CEO that it plans to withdraw its business over the next two years. The CEO and his staff must consider options to replace the lost revenue related to this customer account. The company's employees are nervous and uncertain about their future. Two options are quickly identified to replace the expected loss of revenue. The CEO has asked the HR manager to assess possible HR issues for both of these options. Option 1 is to develop a new product that could be manufactured and delivered in one week while the competition delivers product in six weeks. To compete successfully with this approach, the company would also need to design an order entry system so customers could place orders online. This strategy requires engineering to design the product line. It also requires IT staff to design the software and customer portals, marketing and sales to develop sales literature and pricing models, manufacturing to prepare for production, and HR to develop the workforce plan. Option 2 would be to acquire a struggling competitor and quickly turn that company around. The CEO decides on option 1 to develop a new product. In this scenario, the engineering department would be understaffed. Which action should the HR manager recommend as a first step to assist the engineering manager

Assist the engineering manager by researching engineering outsourcing firms and other short-term sourcing opportunities. RATIONALE - this is an immediate short-term resource issue, and the CEO does not want to add to the company's overhead. Creating an organizational chart does nothing to solve the problem. Prioritizing the work of the drafters is not a solution and sharing EAP information to overworked employees is a reactive approach.

How often should an organization review the components of its enterprise risk management framework

At an agreed-upon and regular interval. RATIONALE - components of an organization's risk management framework should be reviewed at an agreed-upon and regular interval as well as after major incidents.

An employee claims that a less qualified candidate was selected for a promotion because the candidate was younger and more attractive. The employee files an age discrimination compliant with the EEOC. What step will the EEOC take next if reasonable cause is discovered

Attempt a reconciliation of both parties. RATIONALE - if a reasonable cause is discovered, the EEOC first attempts reconciliation of both parties. Notifying both parties and ending involvement occurs if a reasonable cause is not found. Sending the respondent a copy of the charge and scheduling a fact finding conference both occur before the EEOC reviews the charge and assesses whether there was reasonable cause.

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

Avoid. The manager has decided not to ask about the conflict and instead focus on the status of the activity. To avoid is to withdraw from the situation or accept it, which is what is being done here. Avoidance saves time but does not provide a permanent resolution to the task or personality issues.

What critical role does HR need to assume in light of globalization

Balancing an organization's global strategy with policy localization to reflect national cultures and laws. RATIONALE - globalization has made the role of HR more critical and more complex. In developing and implementing global strategies, global HR must constantly balance standardization of policies influenced by the organization's values and global strategy with the need to localize these policies through programs and practices that reflect organizational and national cultures and local laws

Scenario: An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further. What practices could the HR manager implement to protect the organization's reputation at this point in time

Begin the investigation of the safety concern, monitor future postings, and make no further requests to remove the comments. RATIONALE - the safety concern is the most important issue; the initial request to remove the post was unsuccessful, and it exacerbated the issue with the spouse; therefore - it is best to work to get a resolution of the concern as quickly as possible; once the situation is resolved, a request for removal may be better received or may be unnecessary. Speaking with the spouse directly is incorrect because it involves an external party in the process - communication should be focused on the employee that submitted the concern. Suspend the employee until the spouse's comments are removed is incorrect because it could have legal implications. Accept the spouse's request for a meeting is incorrect because this is a private internal investigation and involving the spouse is not necessary.

An HR organization is concerned that its current approach to onboarding is not supporting the organization's diversity and inclusion goals. What type of audit could help the organization set specific targets for improvement

Best practices. RATIONALE - best practices audits help an organization maintain or improve a competitive advantage by comparing the organization's practices to those of employers identified as having exceptional practices. In this case, a best practice audit could identify effective processes that the organization is not currently using. An audit of the onboarding function would measure the function's performance against its key performance indicators but these KPIs may not be as challenging as competitors' best practices. Strategic audits focus on alignment of the HR strategy to the organization's strategy. Compliance audits focus on response to regulatory requirements which are not as broad as diversity and inclusion goals.

A fitness organization requires its employees to wear technology that tracks wellness bio-data. What challenges to this technology are likely to emerge

Biohacking and DNA privacy. RATIONALE - challenges likely to emerge from wearable technology include biobacking and DNA privacy issues. Other potential issues include the duty to accommodate and arguments about the commodification of labor.

The recent departure of two leaders has delayed implementation of the organization's strategic plan. HR wants to assure that this never happens again and has requested all functional leaders to identify potential successors for their position. The responses identify individuals who are positions directly below or closest to the job grade within the same function. HR schedules a meeting to discuss the submissions. What should be the key agenda topic of this meeting

Broadening the identification of potential successors. RATIONALE: careful thought should be given to selecting candidates for succession planning so that individuals with development potential are chosen. Although succession planning typically identifies current management employees, non management employees who should promise should not be overlooked

An economic comparison of options for a new ATS shows that the cost of the system suited to meet the organization's long-term goals exceeds the amount management has budgeted. What should the HR manager present to management to support the purchase of the more expensive system

Business case. RATIONALE - business cases outline the allocation of organizational resources to strategic initiatives (such as ATS). Marketing plans provide an overview of business's marketing and advertising goals. Neither a SWOT analysis nor HR forecasting (projection of labor needs and their effects) would convince management to spend more than the original budget on a new ATS.

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. RATIONALE - business intelligence allows analysts to retrieve timely, accurate, and complete data and transform that info accurate, actionable information to support decision making

How should HR improve an organization's onboarding program to reduce voluntary turnover during the first 90 days of employment

By conducting in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause of turnover. RATIONALE: the HR professional should evaluate the organization's onboarding strategies using a variety of metrics; in this situation, an in-depth exit interview to determine the cause(s) of voluntary turnover could determine any areas of dissatisfaction with the onboarding process and/or other negative organizational issues the new hire may have encountered

How should a chief HR officer explain to her senior leadership colleagues the value of measuring employee attitudes through an annual survey

By demonstrating how the survey can reveal unreported problems. RATIONALE: asking for evaluations for a variety of issues and often allowing anonymity, surveys can identify issues employees are hesitant or don't think to raise with supervisors or management

How would an organization best defend against a claim of adverse impact

By demonstrating work-related requirements. RATIONALE - there are some exceptions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. According to the work-related requirements section under Title VII, the employer may be able to defend a practice that has a disparate impact on a class of people if it is job-related and required by business necessity.

How does HR support strategic management in a global organization

By implementing processes to increase integration and knowledge exchange. RATIONALE - implementing processes to increase integration and knowledge exchange achieves two goals. First, it aligns organizational values and goals and HR policies across global locations. Second, it establishes processes that promote collaboration and knowledge sharing across geographical boundaries

How does an internet recruiting approach provide the greatest benefit to a global organization

By increasing the volume of applicants for positions under tight time frames. RATIONALE - recruiting through the internet will generally yield a much high volume of applicants in less time than other methods. However, even with electronic screening, the time required to individually review the large number of application may be considerable. Using the internet may provide a biased sample of potential applicants, particularly in a global situation, because many people do not have access to the internet. For those who do have access, the process is relatively easy, encouraging people to submit applications even if they do not quite fit the job specifications

An HR professional is compiling the questions for an upcoming institutional engagement survey. How best can she determine the most effective survey questions

By linking the questions to business objectives. RATIONALE: employee engagement surveys focus on employees' level of job satisfaction, commitment and morale. Survey questions or statements should explicitly link to business objectives

How do the three spheres of sustainability support an effective CSR program

By offering an all-encompassing view of how an organization should function. RATIONALE: the term "sustainability" originally referred to an ecological or environmental goal. Now that focus has expanded to also consider an organization's social and economic impact (PPP - people, planet, profits). Based on stakeholder demands, the three spheres attempt to provide a balanced focus to the organization's goals, objectives, and outcomes

A global corporation is engaging in negotiation with a partner organization in a country outside of headquarters. How should the HR manager prepare for negotiation discussions to create win-win outcomes

By understanding the values and negotiation styles of the other country. RATIONALE - understanding the values and negotiation styles of the other country creates ease, trust and respect. Seeking quick compromise, adhering to a defined perspective and conflict avoidance are actions that do not support a win-win outcome.

What is the relationship between CSR and sustainability

CSR encompasses sustainability. RATIONALE: the definition of CSR has broadened from the traditional areas of ethics, governance, corporate philanthropy and volunteerism to include sustainability

Which would be an accurate statement about the forces that are shaping organizations' CSR strategies

CSR has increased individuals' rights to privacy. RATIONALE: although technology has created many challenges to privacy, the social and political reactions to this threat have created many protections for individuals' rights to privacy. Technology has had a mixed effect on society and the environment.

What is the most appropriate use of online analytical processing

Calculating a company's use of leave to determine the effective value of its leave policy over the past five years. RATIONALE - the number of data points and period of time will identify trends in the use of leave. Other factors could influence how successful new candidates will be and the employee promotion rate. There aren't enough data points to suggest the use of online analytical processing when measuring the employee turnover rate.

A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. The HR director wants to determine if the current recruitment efforts are effective. Which action should she take first to best make this determination

Calculating the cost per hire and average time to fill. RATIONALE - cost per hire helps track the total cost of hiring for each position. Average time to fill is a common metric to measure HR's effectiveness by looking at how long a position is open until HR can fill the position with an acceptance of an offer. Computing compra-ratios is incorrect because it measures compensation not recruitment. Analyzing promotion patterns and key talent retention is incorrect because a high promotion pattern speaks to the effectiveness of a strong culture and organizational development programs. A key talent retention metric measures development, recognition and reward; these metrics are more for the evaluation of training and development effectiveness than recruiting. Evaluating absence rates and vacancy costs is incorrect because absence rates measure workplace environment and conditions; vacancy costs are used to determine the benefits of temporary or substitute labor solutions.

Scenario Question: A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity. One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility. The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session. What is the first step the VP should take before proceeding to the factory

Call security to notify them of her pending arrival and request to meet to review the surveillance coverage. RATIONALE - calling security is the best response - this call will help assess security's level of concern regarding site safety and will ensure they save the tapes of the incident. Calling the HR manager to discuss the incident is incorrect because if the HRVP calls the HR manager, the HR manager may demand that no action be taken; the HRVP will do better by taking appropriate investigatory action prior to contacting the HR manager. Calling the local police is not correct because having policy on site would likely be viewed as an overreaction, since on-site security is available. Calling the site general manager is incorrect because a proper investigation should be conducted prior to advising the general manager on what course of action should be taken.

Scenario: An HR manager receives an e-mail from a department director with a request for termination of a groundskeeping employee. The company's recreational vehicle resort is over 200 miles away from the company headquarters where the HR manager works. The terminated employee works at the resort and lives onsite. The memo states that the director terminated the employee yesterday for gross misconduct. The employee had a good performance record during his career of 10 years. The groundskeeper was working in the heat all morning and then informed the director he was going home for lunch and a cold beer. Later the groundskeeper radioed the director that he was running late in returning from lunch. Subsequent communications led to the director sending a student worker to the employee's trailer to pick him up and return to the office. Upon their return, the groundskeeper smelled of alcohol, and the student worker reported to the director that the intoxicated groundskeeper offered the under-aged student worker a beer, which was refused. The student worker stressed that she did not want to get the groundskeeper in any trouble; however, the groundskeeper insisted that he be allowed to drive the golf cart back to the office after drinking beer, which made the student feel uncomfortable. The HR manager reviews the memo and decides to contact the director. Which approach should the HR manager pursue next

Call the director and ask for details about what happened. RATIONALE - this is the quickest and most direct action which is appropriate in the case of an employee termination and a suggestion of illegal activity (providing alcohol to a minor). Booking a flight assumes the director's availability and could be considered overractiving. Email is good communication but for critical employee situations a phone call or face-to-face conversation is best. Ignoring the issue is incorrect.

How do career planning and career management differ

Career planning identified personal abilities, while career management focuses on organizational staffing needs. RATIONALE: career planning identifies personal abilities and interests and focuses on the individual. Career management focuses on organizational staffing needs and focuses on the entire organization. The length of time or the type of position one has with the company is not relevant to either career planning or career management

Which is the best example of direct compensation

Cash achievement award. RATIONALE - direct compensation is cash compensation. It includes wages, commissions, cash achievement awards. Indirect compensation includes benefit programs, items like a company car, disability insurance and non-cash rewards.

Some managers in an organization rate their employees' performance as uniformly high. An HR audit reveals that business outcomes do not support these higher employee assessments. Recommendations include changing the appraisal method to BARS. Which method's shortfalls are mitigated by using BARS

Category rating. RATIONALE: category rating methods, the least complex means of appraising performance, require managers to simply mark an employee's level of performance on a designated scale or checklist. The BARS method was designed to overcome the problems of category rating by describing examples of desirable and undesirable behavior - examples are then measured against a scale of performance levels

The 70-20-10 model created by the Center for Creative Leadership identifies three clusters of experiences to develop people. Which type of experience does the 70 in the model represent

Challenging assignments. RATIONALE - assignments that are challenging and are sequenced to provide learning advance the development of high-potential employees as well as adults in general. To develop managers, it is important to engage them in three clusters of experience using the 70-20-10 ratio - challenging assignments (70%), developmental relationships (20%), and coursework and training (10%)

What type of law is based on written codes such as laws, rules or regulations

Civil law. RATIONALE - civil law is applied in a deductive fashion to each legal case, starting with the abstract rule that is stated in the nation's civil law code and approved by legislative bodies.

An HR manager is training managers on team leadership. Which one of these tips will reduce unnecessary conflict within the managers' teams

Clarify goals, expectations, and ground rules for team behavior. RATIONALE - team leaders can reduce conflict on their teams by being clear about goals, roles, responsibilities and expectations. Expectations include ground rules about how to treat each other and how to resolve conflicts. Effective team leaders encourage discussion and collaboration. They would use coaching first rather than formal correction processes. They would be leaders and solve their own challenges

What is the best way to implement an organizational policy on the use of social media

Clarify prohibitions for social media behavior in the handbook or code of conduct. RATIONALE - the best approach is to communicate clearly in the organization's handbook or conduct of conduct what is allowed and what is prohibited regarding the use of the organization's technology and behavior on social media toward the organization and fellow employees. Surveillance of the employee social media accounts may be illegal in some areas. Rules of conduct should reflect the culture of the organization, so copying another organization's handbook may alienate employees. It is best to be up-front and consistent about what the organization wants rather than responding to situations as they arise.

Scenario: A manufacturing organization is in the decline phase of its life cycle. The organization's largest customer has notified the CEO that it plans to withdraw its business over the next two years. The CEO and his staff must consider options to replace the lost revenue related to this customer account. The company's employees are nervous and uncertain about their future. Two options are quickly identified to replace the expected loss of revenue. The CEO has asked the HR manager to assess possible HR issues for both of these options. Option 1 is to develop a new product that could be manufactured and delivered in one week while the competition delivers product in six weeks. To compete successfully with this approach, the company would also need to design an order entry system so customers could place orders online. This strategy requires engineering to design the product line. It also requires IT staff to design the software and customer portals, marketing and sales to develop sales literature and pricing models, manufacturing to prepare for production, and HR to develop the workforce plan. Option 2 would be to acquire a struggling competitor and quickly turn that company around. During this time of change and uncertainty for the organization, what should the HR manager do to encourage retention of key employees

Clearly communicate job expectations and ensure that employees have adequate resources to perform their work. RATIONALE - this is the best response to minimize stress and confusion for employees. Reviewing the knowledge management retention strategy does not encourage the retention of key employees. Reminding the employees of where to view exit information and reviewing the exit interview process is a long term solution and will not address the immediate loss of knowledge - neither will creating a succession plan.

Scenario: An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further.What approach can the HR manager take to address the request for a meeting with the leadership team

Clearly explain to the employee why a meeting with the spouse will not be necessary to resolve the concern submitted. RATIONALE - this is a private internal matter and the firm is not obligated to grant a meeting with an external party - even if it is the spouse of an employee. This should be carefully position with the employee to ensure it is well received and does not result in further conflict. Acknowledging the meeting request and telling them to contact HR is incorrect because HR should acknowledge the request for a meeting and then explain why a meeting with the spouse is unnecessary. Meeting with the spouse and employee is incorrect because it includes involvement of the external party (the spouse). Informing the employee that a meeting would be set up once the post is removed is incorrect because it sets up an ultimatum for the spouse which could antagonize the spouse more

What has become a popular solution to the problem of the volume of data created by big data strategies

Cloud computing. RATIONALE - cloud computing allows organizations to store some of the cast amounts of data they have collected on remote (off-premises) servers connected accessed through the internet. Software as a service tends to solve issues related to the labor required to create and maintain software. Scalable servers do address the issue of increasing data volume, but this approach predates cloud computing. Online analytical processing is one of the reasons why data are multiplying so quickly in organizations.

HR is in the process of recruiting senior-level position for a global organization. Which benefit might distinguish the organization from the competition

Club membership. RATIONALE - perquisites are special incidental payments, benefits or privileges given to individuals over and above their regular rewards. Often awarded to senior-level positions, "perks" may extend to furnished housing, luxury transportation, and membership to exclusive clubs. Social security and unemployment will vary by country but not by organizations within the same country. Termination payments will vary by country and may not be at the sole discretion of the employer where unions are in place.

Which action can be taken by HR to help prevent industrial actions

Communicating the perspective of employees to management. RATIONALE - HR can help managers and supervisors understand how employees might view the employer's behavior. HR can also educate management about what honoring the contract requires and how to avoid behavior that may be perceived as bullying.

Which type of information might be discovered during the external portion of an environmental scan

Competitive threats. RATIONALE - an environmental scan identifies and interprets data external and internal to the organization. Competitive threats are an example of a factor in an organization's external environment. The remaining factors affect the performance of the organization but are parts of its internal environment.

Which best describes the situation most likely to use a narrow span of control

Complexity of tasks. RATIONALE - span of control refers to the number of individuals who report to a supervisor. Narrower spans of control are typically used when tasks are complex, subordinates are poorly trained or inexperienced, or a team effort is required

What characteristic describes an effective professional network

Composed of internal and external members at different levels and in different roles. RATIONALE - an effective professional network can include members from one's own organization as well as outside the organization. They may be HR professionals, but they may come from other disciplines. They can be above or below the network builder's own organizational level. They can contribute value to the network builder, and they can receive value.

Scenario: In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. Which action should the HR director take to encourage department heads to use a new hiring process

Conduct a benchmarking study to compare the organization's hiring outcomes (diversity, etc.) to other organizations. RATIONALE - this uses metrics to demonstrate inefficiencies and support process improvement recommendations. Conducting an internal audit of hiring practices is incorrect because it will not demonstrate the benefits of a new hiring process.

Scenario: A nonprofit social services organization has experienced rapid growth and is expanding services into new markets. The number of social service professionals in the organization has doubled in two years. At the same time, performance and service quality assessments are showing quality regression as the organization expands. The CEO and the executive committee are worried about the decline in performance and service quality levels. They suspect the issue is due to the quality of new hires and/or a lack of incentive among employees. Until recently, the organization has been managing HR functions with a small team of two employees. However, leadership has approved the hire of an experienced HR manager to improve HR processes in hopes to reverse the downward trend of performance and service quality. The new HR manager begins to tackle the issue by conducting an internal analysis to diagnose the root causes of the service quality decline. The analysis uncovers several critical problem areas to be addressed, including vague job descriptions, a lack of formal orientation, low base pay, an ineffective performance review program, and the lack of a recognition and awards program. The required changes identified by the HR manager will require additional resources and significant financial investment. One of the members of the executive committee proposes that it is best to terminate all current employees and start over with new ones who are better qualified, with the belief that starting from scratch would be cheaper than fixing the problems as they stand now. What action should the HR manager take in order to ensure that employees understand what is expected of them and how the new performance management system will work

Conduct a communication campaign that includes ongoing communications for all employees and training for supervisors to reinforce with their direct reports. RATIONALE - when managing change, ensuring effective communication throughout the organization is critical for success; a two-pronged approach helps ensure that the right level of detail is being communicated based on the individual's roles and the degree of impact the new program will have. The centralized messages will be generalized and relevant to the entire organization and training managers enables them to deliver specific messages to their direct reports and help them understand the impact of the changes. All employee meetings are helpful but are a one time approach that will leave employees with unanswered questions. Web-based solutions will help support after the rollout of the changes but is not a stand-alone option for communication. Sending an email communication letting employees know they can ask questions will not suffice as a stand-alone option.

Scenario: To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. The accounting firm's leadership team requests information on the reasons employees stay. What should the HR manager do to respond to the leadership team's request

Conduct a focus group with a random sample of employees to find out the reasons they stay with the organization. RATIONALE - by obtaining feedback directly from employees to provide to the leadership team, they are demonstrating the consultation competency. They can be asked more in-depth questions and clarification can be provided. Asking the supervisors to identify why employees stay may yield inaccurate information. Asking other firms may provide irrelevant data. A survey is not the best option because additional questions cannot be asked and this limits the information received.

Scenario: 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 current turnover and lack of management training, what should the HR director do first as part of a needs analysis

Conduct a job analysis for all management position to ensure that job descriptions and specifications are appropriate. RATIONALE - conducting a job analysis should always be the first step in designing any training; having a good understanding of the job is critical to training design. Facilitating management focus groups focusing on compensation is incorrect because it does not directly address the needs of the management training program. Analyzing exit interviews from managers is incorrect because it should not be the first option considered. Reviewing customer satisfaction surveys would assist in more employee development and training but not in addressing higher-level management concerns.

Scenario: A manufacturing organization is in the decline phase of its life cycle. The organization's largest customer has notified the CEO that it plans to withdraw its business over the next two years. The CEO and his staff must consider options to replace the lost revenue related to this customer account. The company's employees are nervous and uncertain about their future. Two options are quickly identified to replace the expected loss of revenue. The CEO has asked the HR manager to assess possible HR issues for both of these options. Option 1 is to develop a new product that could be manufactured and delivered in one week while the competition delivers product in six weeks. To compete successfully with this approach, the company would also need to design an order entry system so customers could place orders online. This strategy requires engineering to design the product line. It also requires IT staff to design the software and customer portals, marketing and sales to develop sales literature and pricing models, manufacturing to prepare for production, and HR to develop the workforce plan. Option 2 would be to acquire a struggling competitor and quickly turn that company around. Six months after deciding to pursue option 1, the CEO also decides to acquire another company. Which is the best first step for the HR manager to take as part of HR's due diligence

Conduct an HR audit of the new company's HR department for current and potential employment-related issues. RATIONALE - this will provide objective evidence to the CEO to help him make a good decision. It is not HR's responsible to audit the financial position of the company or conduct a SWOT analysis. Looking at legal actions against the company is also incorrect because it does not look for potential risks the company faces.

Scenario: The HR business partner (HRBP) of a large retail chain has compiled an annual report on turnover and shared it with the director of sales (DOS) and the district manager (DM) for one of the chain's retail districts. The DOS and the DM are pleased with the results, since the overall retention rate meets the requirement for them to be eligible for a bonus. However, the HRBP looks more deeply into the data and determines that several stores are extreme outliers and have high turnover rates. The HRBP informs the DOS and the DM. They tell the HRBP to not worry about it, as the overall number is fine. They have enough to deal with; it is not necessary to go looking for problems. The HRBP believes that the results that have been uncovered are a cause for concern in these stores. Which is the best approach for the HRBP to use to determine the root cause of the high rate of turnover

Conduct stay interviews with employees to determine what challenges they are experiencing. RATIONALE - stay interviews are a practical way to identify the issues that may be causing employees to leave. A survey is less effective since they do not allow for follow up questions. Determining if there is opportunity for training is incorrect because it assumes the issue is training when it may not be. Sitting in on interviews to ensure RJP is incorrect because it assumes the root cause is in hiring without data to support that.

Which evaluation method is best for an emergency response plan

Conducting a crisis drill. RATIONALE - a simulated crisis in which the plan is tested and will alert the company to changes that need to be made is the best way to see how the plan performs.

New leadership is in place at a large retailer, resulting in a business unit undergoing a detailed review of its support of the organizational strategy. It has been identified that the benefit offerings are not reflective of the organization's total rewards philosophy and that many benefits overlap, creating inefficiencies. Which action should be taken first by HR to remedy the situation

Conducting a utilization review of all benefits. RATIONALE - a utilization review is an audit of benefits use and charges to identify which benefits are used and to make certain that costs are appropriate.

Which responsibilities are usually charged to a safety committee

Conducting area safety inspections and evaluating hazards. RATIONALE - the safety committee has ongoing responsibility for conducting area safety inspections and evaluating hazards. They also review safety programs and recommend improvements. They may direct training but do not necessarily have the responsibility to facilitate it. They do not complete regulatory forms.

An office manager is tasked with contracting with a third party to clean the office building at night. The manager hires his family-owned cleaning business without undergoing a request-for-proposal process. What risk factor does this illustrate

Conflict of interest. RATIONALE - this is an example of conflict of interest. The manager stands to benefit from the vendor relationship, but it may not be the best choice for the employer. The manager's decision is not based on his comfort level with risk, and the need to hire a cleaning company is unrelated to the organization's goals. There are not external requirements influencing the decision.

Which is the most effective way for HR professionals to align OED interventions with their organization's goals

Connecting the organization's strategy and the intervention activities. RATIONALE - the most effective way to align HR activities with organizational goals is for HR professionals to participate in the strategic planning process. HR professionals should demonstrate the importance of an organization's OED activities by providing education and training in strategic planning and linking the outcomes of OED activities to organizational goals

Scenario: An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further. What action can the HR manager take to demonstrate that the employee's concerns are being taken seriously

Coordinate an inspection of the equipment and inform the employee that any immediate safety issues will be addressed. RATIONALE - because safety concerns that may lead to the harm of employees or customers require immediate action - taking action will send a clear message that the concern is being taken seriously. It also provides clarity regarding the process that will be taken; while the HR manager would not complete the inspection, he/she would arrange through the proper channels. Reminding the employee that safety is a core value is incorrect because it does not provide an action to address the concern; it will not calm down the employee at this stage; the employee has explained that previous attempts were made to address this concern with the supervisor. Dismiss the concerns because of the unprofessionalism is incorrect because the complaints should be respected and taken seriously. Thoroughly document the concerns and notify the supervisor is incorrect because it does not include a plan to inspect the equipment right away; it doesn't send a strong message that the concern is being taken seriously and is being addressed in a timely fashion.

What HR task is typically associated with a multidomestic corporation

Coordinating HR activities between the home and host countries. RATIONALE - a multidomestic corporation is similar to a portfolio of independent businesses. Headquarters is in the home country, but over time the divisions achieve more autonomy. At this stage, HR is involved in coordinating HR activities, with the goal of consistency while remaining flexible with local law and culture

Which action is characteristic of an organization that approaches global assignments from a strategic-systematic perspective

Coordinating critical functions among the home office and foreign locations. RATIONALE - the strategic-systematic approach to global assignments, which is characterized by coordinating and controlling functions among the home office and foreign locations, is more cost-effective than the alternative tactical-reactive approach and yields much better long-term results

Effective global organizations recognize the value of travel in developing cultural awareness and appreciation. Why might short-term travel assignments be less effective in achieving these goals

Coping with cultural differences and overcoming culture shock takes time and multiple exposures. RATIONALE - the experience of culture shock and the opportunity to learn to cope with cultural differences takes time and multiple experiences in different cultures. One must learn how to live in another culture and enjoy it.

Scenario: An HR manager is asked by the vice president of HR to define and implement a simulation-based assessment center that uses specially trained observers to rate each candidate's performance. The need is to assess which employees have potential for promotion into management. The VP of HR is familiar with this practice, having used the technique in a prior company, and she sees the assessment center as a best practice innovation. The VP of HR is new and comes from a large but entirely domestic organization with an aging workforce. Her new company is a global organization with eight operations located around the world. It is highly diverse in terms of ethnicity, and the average worker is probably 15 to 20 years younger than the VP of HR is used to. In researching methodologies, the HR manager stumbles onto an online assessment system that requires no trainers and raters, takes 75% less time to complete than the assessment center process, and has higher validity and reliability as an assessment technique. What should the HR manager do with the information he has uncovered

Create a business case including cost-benefit analyses of both options. RATIONALE - the HR manager can add value to the HRVP's decision by analyzing and comparing the economic and noneconomic costs and benefits of the two approaches. Forwarding the materials to the HRVP is expecting the HRVP to perform the analysis herself and adding little value to the situation. Ignoring the option is incorrect because it shows little leadership and could be depriving the organization of a real opportunity. Moving forward with the option that the HR manager deems best is incorrect because both options should be presented to the HRVP.

Scenario: To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible.What should the HR manager do to get buy-in from the accounting firm's leadership team to implement employee retention initiatives

Create a business case that supports how the retention initiatives will reduce turnover. RATIONALE - the business care will provide the information on ROI to the leadership team, so they can make an informed decision about implementing the initiatives. Explaining that the leaderships support is necessary and describing the expected ROI are not the best options because they would be part of the business case created. Asking for leaders to identify initiatives would not demonstrate any competencies; asking for their input should take place after the leadership has reviewed the business case.

Scenario: In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. The HR director wants to address his team's concerns soon. He also recognizes that the rest of the organization will need to be convinced to change. Which is the best immediate course of action he could take

Create a structured interview process that standardizes the questions asked and the criteria for grading. RATIONALE - this champions the HR function via implementation of a new, standardized procedures based on an identified need for organizational change.

What is the best way to deliver negative feedback to a subordinate

Create a work environment in which employees feel valued even when negative feedback is necessary. RATIONALE - negative feedback is most efficient when it occurs within a work context that makes employees feel valued. They see the negative feedback as an opportunity to improve and contribute rather than as a personal failure.

Scenario: 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 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 can the TDL ensure that the LMS is consistently and widely used and supports the cost of investment

Create an effective communication plan so employees are aware of the benefits the new LMS offers and implement incentives for using the LMS. RATIONALE - for the LMS to be consistently used employees must be aware of its capabilities; employee will also need training on the benefits. Adding a hotline is incorrect because it will not guarantee use of the system. Doing nothing is incorrect because a communication strategy needs to be implemented so employees know the benefits of the LMS. requiring the IT department to answer questions is incorrect because it will only disrupt IT and will not guarantee LMS usage.

What is the primary driver of aligning the HR business unit and functional area strategies to the organizational strategy

Creating a line of sight between individual work and organizational results. RATIONALE - as a management system (strategy) is aligned or cascaded through each core business function, it becomes more operational and tactical, as do the performance measures. This allows everyone to understand how they contribute, individually, to the organization's success. This is referred to as line of sight.

Due diligence calls for an intensive investigation of an organization being considered for a merger or acquisition in order to understand the risks that could be associated with the deal. Which is an example of a cultural factor that poses potential risk

Creation of a workplace with a large number of workers who speak different languages. RATIONALE - integrating a large number of employees who speak a different language is a cultural factor that HR should include in its due diligence investigation. Such a cultural factor will require special planning for a successful merger or acquisition. Discrimination claims represent a legal risk. A large number of key employees approaching retirement age represents a structural risk factor.

What two tendencies are critical to acquiring a global mindset

Curiosity and change acceptance. RATIONALE - a global mindset is characterized by intellectual curiosity, a desire to understand larger contexts and multiple perspectives. Employees with a global mindset tend to see change as an opportunity.

Which protocol should HR use when converting from paper to electronic record storage

DOL's "Final Rules" RATIONALE - to follow specified protocols, employers may use guidelines that the DOL has published called "Final Rules Relating to Use of Electronic Communication and Recordkeeping Technologies by Employee Pension and Welfare Benefit Plans" shortened to "Final Rules".

What are the key components of a business intelligence system

Data gathering, data warehousing, query and reporting. RATIONALE - a business intelligence system has three components - a means to gather information from various data collection points, a security means of storing or warehousing data so that it is available to users and the means to analyze the data via queries and reports.

Which is a significant factor that an HR professional must consider when using a website to recruit for a global enterprise

Data privacy regulations. RATIONALE - data privacy issues must be examined carefully. There are country- and region-specific regulations that pertain to what personal information can be gathered and used.

cenario: An HR manager is asked by the vice president of HR to define and implement a simulation-based assessment center that uses specially trained observers to rate each candidate's performance. The need is to assess which employees have potential for promotion into management. The VP of HR is familiar with this practice, having used the technique in a prior company, and she sees the assessment center as a best practice innovation. The VP of HR is new and comes from a large but entirely domestic organization with an aging workforce. Her new company is a global organization with eight operations located around the world. It is highly diverse in terms of ethnicity, and the average worker is probably 15 to 20 years younger than the VP of HR is used to. In researching methodologies, the HR manager stumbles onto an online assessment system that requires no trainers and raters, takes 75% less time to complete than the assessment center process, and has higher validity and reliability as an assessment technique. In this situation, what ethical consideration should be mostly highly considered in crafting a talent assessment tool

Definition of criteria for success in management positions RATIONALE - the definition of criteria for success is important since overt or hidden bias can shape the criteria in such a way that candidates are unfairly excluded from opportunities. A lack of bias in the tool is more important than the accessibility of the tool. Opportunities for minority groups is not the most important factor because the organization has not indicated that it needs to take special actions to promote diversity. Strategic alignment is a business issue not an ethical issue.

Which position may require an applicant to take a polygraph test

Delivery driver for a pharmaceutical firm. RATIONALE - a lie detector test can be administered to prospective employees if the employees will have direct access to the manufacture, distribution or dispensation of certain controlled substances

Which approach describes the form of data gathering in which experts take turns presenting their assumptions and refining a composite answer but never meet face to face

Delphi technique. RATIONALE - in the Delphi technique - members work as a group without ever meeting. Managerial estimates and trend analysis are generally completed by individuals and presented to management. The nominal group technique requires face-to-face meetings.

An employee has a small online business selling sauce made from the employer's copyrighted recipe. The company handbook forbids an employee from disclosing the employer's proprietary information. What can the employer do

Demand the employee cease the activity and terminate employment. RATIONALE - the employer has the right to demand that the employee cease the activity because it violates the employer's intellectual property rights. Because this is stated in the handbook, the employee could be subject to termination.

What guidance from HR is useful to an operation that has decided to pursue a greenfield operation

Demographic characteristics of the new location. RATIONALE - the demographics in the location is useful information when an organization has decided to build from the ground up. A new staff will be required and tapping into the local market will be necessary. Data about current skill sets is not applicable because greenfield operation requires building from the ground up. There is no existing workforce. While recommendations about talent management concerns are helpful with any growth strategy an organization may decide to use, the selection of companies to pursue for an alliance is not within the purview of HR. in addition, a greenfield operation does not involve alliances or partnerships with other organizations. Best practices regarding how to implement a greenfield operation are not the responsibility of the HR department.

Scenario: A nonprofit social services organization has experienced rapid growth and is expanding services into new markets. The number of social service professionals in the organization has doubled in two years. At the same time, performance and service quality assessments are showing quality regression as the organization expands. The CEO and the executive committee are worried about the decline in performance and service quality levels. They suspect the issue is due to the quality of new hires and/or a lack of incentive among employees. Until recently, the organization has been managing HR functions with a small team of two employees. However, leadership has approved the hire of an experienced HR manager to improve HR processes in hopes to reverse the downward trend of performance and service quality. The new HR manager begins to tackle the issue by conducting an internal analysis to diagnose the root causes of the service quality decline. The analysis uncovers several critical problem areas to be addressed, including vague job descriptions, a lack of formal orientation, low base pay, an ineffective performance review program, and the lack of a recognition and awards program. The required changes identified by the HR manager will require additional resources and significant financial investment. One of the members of the executive committee proposes that it is best to terminate all current employees and start over with new ones who are better qualified, with the belief that starting from scratch would be cheaper than fixing the problems as they stand now. How should the HR manager respond to the executive who proposes to terminate current employees and start over by hiring new employees

Demonstrate the projected costs for the proposed solution, including costs related to building a new workforce vs. training the existing workforce. RATIONALE - it is important to present the HR business case for a change in terms of financial benefits and ROI. Part of ROI analysis should include scenarios of different options of solutions, including costs of rebuilding the workforce vs. training the current workforce; this response would provide the committee member hard data for the alternatives considered. Agreeing with the committee member is incorrect because the HR manager should conduct an in-depth job analysis and present all possible scenarios and solutions to the entire executive committee - making a decision based on one opinion without any data to support the decision would be illogical. Explain that the organization can't afford the best qualified candidates is incorrect because this is incomplete RATIONALE - it only focuses on the cost of new hires rather than comparing the costs of the proposed initiatives. Disagree and ask another executive to talk to the committee member is incorrect because the HR manager must effectively communicate the HR position and defend the proposal rather than passing it on and letting someone else defend it.

Which managerial competency would best support the relationship between the well-being and engagement of employees

Demonstrating interest in employees as individuals and contributors. RATIONALE: a nurturing style of management, demonstrated by getting to know employees' individual needs and abilities, has downs to reinforce the relationship between well-being and engagement

What term describes how work groups are related in an organization

Departmentalization. RATIONALE - departmentalization describes the way an organization groups its tasks and then aligns those groups for better effectiveness and efficiency

An HR manager discovers a discrepancy between the organization's current compensation policy and the laws of the location the organization operates in. which is the best first step the HR manager should take to address this

Determine which regulation most benefits the employee. RATIONALE - the general rule is to follow the regulation that most benefits the employee. This needs to happen as a first step in order to be able to analyze the impact to the organization and provide an effective recommendation to the CEO and other organizational leaders.

Scenario: 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

Determine, with the CEO, key criteria that should be considered, using this information to narrow the search. RATIONALE - the CEO may, based on hands-on experience, have specific concerns that need to be addressed; combining the HR and CEO viewpoints will create a well informed and well structured process. Conducting an online search does not offer a short list or filter for specific criteria. Ranking the companies based on their prices is incorrect because the quality of training may be jeopardized if price is the only factor considered. Asking input of an employee who has done the training is incorrect because the decision needs to be made based upon the organization's needs.

Scenario: A new HR manager joins a manufacturing organization that is experiencing an increase in workplace safety incidents. These incidents are resulting in higher insurance costs, increased absences, reduced productivity, and lower-quality products. A review of compliance functions and key performance indicators shows an excessive increase in the last 12 months. This timeline coincides with the retirement of the compliance manager and the transfer of the duties related to managing workplace safety to the HR department. The manager also compares the number of incidents in the organization with industry standards and determines that the organization's incident rates are 50% greater than the industry average. The HR manager recognizes that changes need to be made immediately in the HR department to improve safety and protect employees from future incidents and injuries. The CEO tasks the HR manager with finding solutions to increase safety knowledge and decrease incidents in the organization. Several department managers approach the HR manager and state their concerns over the amount of safety incidents. What should the HR manager do to address their concerns

Develop a join management-employee committee that discusses safety concerns. RATIONALE - establishing a committee with rotating members made up of both line employees and management so that issues can be identified and resolved by decision makers is an ideal way to address the safety concerns that are brought forward. It would be unwise to use an external consultant at this point. Sending an email does not ensure employee understanding. And conducting weekly safety checks should be done by the department manager not the HR manager.

Scenario: A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. Which should be the first step the HR director includes in the project plan to meet hiring needs and contract requirements

Develop a recruiting strategy to reach as many potential applicants as possible. RATIONALE - display the critical evaluation competency by first developing a recruiting strategy to reach a large group of candidates. The other answers should be included in the recruiting and onboarding strategy.

Scenario: A new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints.Which communication approach should the HR manager apply to address the problem of turnover

Develop an employment brand that will carry consistent messages from job postings, through the application process and orientation and continuing through employment. RATIONALE - consistent branding will attract candidates who value the rewards provided by the organization's value proposition; the reinforcement of this message throughout the onboarding process and beyond should result in a workforce that values what the employer can offer, thus reducing turnover. Collect all policies and create an employee handbook is incorrect because this will improve communication of only existing information, which is out-of-date. Encouraging the president to hold strategy meetings is incorrect because employees may appreciate the president sharing the overall strategic plan, this alone will not affect turnover. Suggest everyone gets a raise is incorrect because it would not necessarily impact turnover since it only has a short-term impact.

Scenario: 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

Develop and administer an employee satisfaction survey that solicits candid feedback about employee perceptions. RATIONALE - soliciting feedback is proactive and will allow for developmental opportunities. Discussing the impact of turnover identifies costs but not solutions. Implementing team building and conducting interviews with senior leadership do not aim to expose the root cause of the turnover.

Scenario: A nonprofit social services organization has experienced rapid growth and is expanding services into new markets. The number of social service professionals in the organization has doubled in two years. At the same time, performance and service quality assessments are showing quality regression as the organization expands. The CEO and the executive committee are worried about the decline in performance and service quality levels. They suspect the issue is due to the quality of new hires and/or a lack of incentive among employees. Until recently, the organization has been managing HR functions with a small team of two employees. However, leadership has approved the hire of an experienced HR manager to improve HR processes in hopes to reverse the downward trend of performance and service quality. The new HR manager begins to tackle the issue by conducting an internal analysis to diagnose the root causes of the service quality decline. The analysis uncovers several critical problem areas to be addressed, including vague job descriptions, a lack of formal orientation, low base pay, an ineffective performance review program, and the lack of a recognition and awards program. The required changes identified by the HR manager will require additional resources and significant financial investment. One of the members of the executive committee proposes that it is best to terminate all current employees and start over with new ones who are better qualified, with the belief that starting from scratch would be cheaper than fixing the problems as they stand now. The HR manager has identified several HR problems that need to be solved. What should the HR manager do first

Develop and propose a talent management strategy to hire and train qualified staff, establish performance expectations, and reward high-performing employees. RATIONALE - it is important for HR to demonstrate strategic value by developing solutions and an overall approach that will address all identified problem areas and will lead to achieving business objectives. Conducting a job analysis and procuring training programs are incorrect because they are tactical steps to address problems but should be further downstream in the process after a strategy and action plan have been established. Sharing the findings with employees is incorrect because the HR should first share the findings with the executive committee; it is not in the purview of HR to make that decision independently.

Which is a potential challenge in trying to build a strong global employment brand

Different value that countries and cultures may place on different things. RATIONALE - an employment brand must be able to adapt to local differences and cultures if it is going to be effective worldwide.

What term has been coined for the process of charting a course to address cultural differences

Dilemma reconciliation. RATIONALE - trompenaars refers to the process of resolving cultural differences as dilemma reconciliation, noting that solutions to dilemmas need not be either or propositions. Dilemma reconciliation refers to the process of creating a "third way" as an alternative to opposing cultural demands. The other terms relate to cultural perspectives.

Scenario: A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which next step should HR take to address the allegations that a member of senior leadership advised against following a company policy

Discuss the claim directly with the president and provide an overview of the incident with a recommendation for holding both the manager and the senior leader accountable. RATIONALE - early involvement of the president is key since one of her direct reports is involved in the situation. Sending an email to the manager and leader is incorrect because if the allegations are valid then the manager and the employee should be informed separately in formal meetings, not via email. Meet with both employees to terminate them is incorrect because termination meetings should be treated with respect and privacy. Meeting with other members of the leadership team is incorrect because they should not be involved.

What is a key employer responsibility under OSHA

Display the OSHA poster in a conspicuous place where it can be seen by all employees. RATIONALE - the OSHA poster must be displayed in a conspicuous place where it can be seen and read by all employees. A copy of OSHA must be made available to employees upon request, but the act does not specify that it must always be provided at the time of hire. Employers must provide PPE at the organization's expense, except for prescription eyewear and footwear that can be used off the job. OSHA citations must be posted at the worksite where an alleged violation has occurred, but permanent display of OSHA standards at all workstations is not required.

Scenario: A company sends a team of employees and one field supervisor to a customer's location for a week. Employees stay in hotel rooms, two employees per room, and receive a daily meal allowance that allows the purchase of one alcoholic beverage. At dinner one evening, the employees have a few alcoholic beverages, and then they return to the hotel, where one employee passes out in the parking lot. The other employees call an ambulance, and emergency personnel ask if the unconscious employee takes any medication. The employee who shares a room with the unconscious employee goes to the room and finds the employee's medication bottles. No one rides in the ambulance or follows it to the hospital. The field supervisor calls HR to report the incident. The HR manager asks if the employee's spouse has been called and which hospital the employee was admitted to. No one knows where the employee has been taken, nor has the employee been in contact with anyone. The field supervisor locates the employee, who is in serious condition. The employee remains unconscious; it is unknown if the employee will recover from the incident. Management wants to end the employment relationship with the employee. What can HR do to ensure that all employees understand the company's daily meal allowance policy

Distribute the policy to employees and provide a venue to review it and answer questions. RATIONALE - this ensures that the communication is consistent and everyone is involved and has an opportunity to ask questions. Doing nothing is incorrect because the company policy needs to be followed regardless of whether the incident was related to alcohol consumption. Emailing the policy is incorrect because it does not ensure that the recipient receives and understands the information. Asking the supervisors to share the policy is incorrect because there is no guarantee the managers will share the information in a consistent manner and that they would be able to answer the questions that arise.

Scenario: 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

Do not hire the candidate, indicating that the company does not participating in unethical behavior. RATIONALE - the applicant is using leverage to get the position; once hired, the person may use similar tactics in the new workplace and hiring the applicant would be unethical. Using the information to create a strategy is incorrect because selection determinations should be made off of who is qualified not on a perceived unethical bribe. Decline the candidate and offer compensation in exchange for the information is incorrect because it would be unethical and would impact the company's brand and reputation. Ask for the information to create a more robust strategy is incorrect because there are concerns about behavior in asking for a position based on offering confidential information.

In a downsizing environment, which questions would be most appropriate to include in an employee opinion survey

Does your manager elicit your opinions on work processes. RATIONALE - Employee opinion surveys focus on the opinions of employees related to work processes such as cross-training programs, safety programs or recognition plans

An employer with a unionized workplace wants to offer employees gift cards for reporting on a recent union meeting. How should HR advise the employer

Don't. This would be an unfair labor practice. RATIONALE - according to the NLRA, promising or giving benefits to employees who oppose a union (ie - rewarding employees who infiltrate or spy on union meetings or question other workers about their support for a union) is an unfair labor practice. The nature of the reward is irrelevant. The act of spying itself could be seen as intimidation and therefore a ULP. The union is not obligated to share this type of information with employers.

Which program gives technical workers the ability to earn as much as they would in a management position

Dual career ladder. RATIONALE: a dual career ladder allows technical employees to earn as much as they would in a management position

Which legal process requires proof of employment law violation before the government can impose a fine

Due process. RATIONALE - due process is the concept that laws are enforced only through accepted, codified procedures, thereby avoiding unfair or arbitrary action by a country's government and restraining that government from abusing power. Jurisdiction refers to the right of a legal body to exert control. Rule of law reflects the consistency with which a country's laws are applied to all individuals equally, the extent to which "no one is above the law." Conflict of laws occurs when the laws of two or more jurisdictions may apply to an individual event or action.

What must be updated in order to guarantee that a job description is a true illustration of the work being performed at any given point in time

Duties and responsibilities. RATIONALE - only the duties and responsibilities guarantee that the job description is a true illustration of the work being performed. The other answer choices may also need to be updated, but they do not guarantee that the job description accurately describes the work being performed.

What would make for the most effective presentation to senior management to ask for the purchase of HRIS technology

Dynamic presentation that focuses only on key points. RATIONALE - presentations to high-level decision makers need to be dynamic and focused on key points. Technical partners, such as IT, may need a more detailed presentation.

The hiring manager is concerned with the number of resumes that come in compared to how many candidates are being interviewed. What area would the hiring manager want to discuss with the recruiter

Effectiveness of recruiting methods. RATIONALE - the applicant yield ratio is the percentage of applicants who proceed to the next step of the selection process. It demonstrates the effectiveness of recruiting methods. Cost per hire is total costs of hiring divided by number hired. It demonstrates increased efficiencies in the recruitment and hiring process. The success ratio is the proportion of selected applicants who are later judged to be successful on the job. It indicates the effectiveness of the recruiting, selection and orientation methods. The absence rate is the ratio of lost days to number of employees. It can reflect the benefits of a change in workplace conditions.

A new HR leader would like to assess the level of employee engagement in the organization. His focus will be on behavioral engagement. Which of the following characteristics should the HR leader look for

Effort employees put into their jobs. RATIONALE: behavioral engagement is evident in the effort employees put into their jobs, which leads to greater values, creating higher performance than from less engaged employees. It can occur when both trait and state engagement are present. The less desirable of the traits is transactional engagement

Which best describes the impact of manager self-service technologies on internal HR

Eliminating time consuming duties for HR managers. RATIONALE - self-service technologies provide employees and employers alike with around-the-clock access to benefit information. Typically, participants can enroll in benefits and access and update benefit, dependent, and beneficiary information online. Participants can also access benefit forms and documents and other helpful information such as frequently asked questions. Depending on customized system features, HR managers are typically able to review and edit benefit and HR data, make changes as they occur, communicate easily with employees, monitor file transfers and review reports online-all time-saving tasks that have great potential to reduce HR workload.

Which reward might actually create job dissatisfaction rather than job satisfaction

Employee A can go to a training event, but only is Employee B succeeds in getting all of her people certified. RATIONALE - this situation is related to Vroom's theory of expectancy. Rather than motivating, linking rewards to things outside a person's sphere of influence can be a sources of dissatisfaction and viewed as arbitrary or unfair. Employee A's reward is linked to the success or failure of an activity over which he has no control - the certification of Employee B's team. If Employee B's goal of getting all her team members certified is achievable then the reward will encourage extra effort. As long as Employee C is not compelled to attend a social event she does not want to attend, that could appeal to her desire to be a part of the group. Employee E's reward will certainly not create dissatisfaction and may motivate if it aligns with his motivational factors.

Workplace accidents have increased over the past few years. Which type of survey would best gather employee ideas that could improve overall safety in the workplace

Employee opinion survey. Opinion surveys seek to gain opinions on certain processes. Attitude surveys attempt to determine employee perceptions of the working environment and engagement surveys focus on employee satisfaction, commitment and morale

A high-performing employee has been recommended for an international assignment. Based on the employee's knowledge, skills and understanding, managers in the home and host countries both support the transfer. What will be the most critical ingredient for the employee to develop a global mindset

Employee's desire and motivation to learn a new culture. RATIONALE - developing a global mindset requires appropriate SKA's (the employee's performance level), support from the system (the manageres' approval) and the employee's own curiosity and openness to learn and change. A longer assignment and linguistic and cultural fluency would help, but only if the employee is motivated to develop a global perspective. Having a mentor/guide would provide valuable support but taking advantage of the guidance is up to the employee.

Which is a provision of FMLA

Employees are entitled to return to a similar job with the same pay and status. RATIONALE - the FMLA entitles a covered employee to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child or serious health condition of the employee or employee's child, spouse, or parent. In most casts, employees must be returned to the same job or one with equivalent status, pay and benefits

Which activity is prohibited by the NLRA

Employer domination of unions. RATIONALE - the NLRA attempted to balance the interests of management and labor and prohibited the employer from unfair labor practices such as union domination. The NLRA did not prohibit collective bargaining; it established mandatory subjects for collective bargaining.

How does the concept of civil law apply to the practice of HR

Employers are compelled to document and follow legal practices related to employment. RATIONALE - civil law is based on legislation - written codes (laws, rules or regulations) approved by legislative bodies. It obligates employers to know the specific requirements of employment laws (not just goals) and document compliance. Common law systems are based on previous court decisions. Liability can be created with civil or common law.

What does OSHA's General Duty Clause mandate

Employers must provide a work environment free of recognized hazards to safety. RATIONALE - The General Duty Clause of OSHA requires that employers provide a work environment free of recognized hazards that could cause employee death or serious physical harm to employees, even if there are no standards governing the work area or industry.

How should an organization's value proposition be effectively communicated using deliberate messages about the organization to describe working conditions, culture, and the emotional connection employees have the organization

Employment brand. RATIONALE - an employment brand creates an image that makes people want to work for and stay working for the organization.

A supervisor and an employee have a disagreement via email that escalates into an outright argument. HR has been called in to intervene and learns that neither party has had a face-to-face meeting in over a month. How should HR help resolve this issue

Encourage regular meetings between the supervisor and the employee to create a feedback loop. RATIONALE - encouraging regular meetings strengthens the receiver-communicator link, which depends on an existing feedback loop. While tools, templates or email guidelines may help those responses, they do not capture the complete communication breakdown and lack of feedback. Limiting the use of specific language does not address the specific communication challenge in this scenario.

Senior management was accustomed to an HR department that completed transactional processes and was seen as representing employees when discussions of benefits or compensation were held. Which of the following should the new HR manager do to get buy-in for organizational change in the way it manages its people

Ensure alignment between the HR strategies and the organizational business strategy. RATIONALE - this shows that HR is committed to achieving organizational success rather than focusing on internal HR department issues. Developing KPIs that measure employee satisfaction is incorrect because increasing employee engagement may help to achieve organizational goals, the relationship is indirect. Providing a balanced scorecard to demonstrate HR's contributions is incorrect because the goal of a scorecard is not to make HR look good; tracking KPI's for HR may in turn allow HR to prove it's worth but that is outside the value of the scorecard. Design a benefits survey is incorrect because it would not demonstrate alignment of the HR strategies by completing more of the same types of activities.

What is a practical way to develop the credibility of HR staff as data advocates

Ensure that the results of all HR activities are measured. RATIONALE - the best way to establish HR as a data advocate is to be prepared to discuss the effectiveness of HR programs based on program results. This helps to create a culture in which evidence is expected and used to make decisions.

How should an HR professional best work with other leaders to achieve an employee-friendly, non-unionized workplace

Ensure that two-way feedback mechanisms are encouraged. RATIONALE - the most effective of the methods listed is creating feedback mechanisms that promote two-way communication.

Which is the best first step when conducting a preemployment background check

Ensuring that there is a signed release from the candidate. RATIONALE - while contacting the applicant's current or previous supervisor or former employers may be worthwhile, it should not be done unless the employer has a signed release from the candidate indicating that the employer may seek confidential information

A talented prospective employee who was impressed by the company website is surprised by disorganization and delays at the initial interview. Which is the likely impact to the employee value proposition

Eroding credibility. RATIONALE - inconsistencies between the images presented online and the realities in-house will erode brand credibility

What is the role of HR when it comes to whistleblowing

Establishing a communication process that allows direct access to upper-level decision makers and protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. RATIONALE - HR should ensure the whistleblowing complaints reach upper-level management and should protect whistleblowers from retaliation by coworkers or managers. In some locations - whistleblowers are protected by law. HR should not seek to independently address whistleblowing complaints or encourage or engage in retaliation against whistleblowers.

Which describes the most critical role of a diversity council

Establishing goals and programs for the D&I initiative. RATIONALE - there must be a designated group whose sole responsibility is to guide, oversee, and champion the organization's D&I initiative. That is the role of the diversity council, which serves as the nexus of the initiative. It establishes the vision, goals and programs and it collects information and analyzes outcomes

The director of a company's main office reported a colleague from the company's overseas office to HR for dressing inappropriately during the company's annual conference. The colleague, who was hosting the international delegation at the conference, had dressed in her country's traditional attire. What trait did the director display

Ethnocentrism. RATIONALE - ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture and practices are more correct than other cultures' expressions. It can lead to unconscious biases. Culture shock is when you are uncomfortable in an environment or climate that is unfamiliar to you. Cultural determinism occurs when someone uses culture as an excuse for not acting. Bullying is not the best answer because the director did not display unwanted, aggressive behavior toward the colleague directly.

Which factor is essential for the success of a D&I initiative

Executive commitment. RATIONALE - strong and consistent support of top executives is essential for sustaining an organization's D&I efforts. Employee commitment is important as well, but this will follow the leadership's launch and commitment to such an effort.

A key manager is retiring and the company wants her to keep working in a part time capacity. She will work 20 hours per week and continue to perform a portion of her old duties. What FLSA classification should the HR manager recommend for the manager

Exempt employee. RATIONALE - the manager is considered a key employee, and under the FLSA, manager is an exempt role. She is not considered a temporary or project basis and so is not an independent contractor or a temporary employee. The manager is too senior to be nonexempt.

Scenario: An HR vice president briefly reviews the company's employee performance scores and relevant compensation increases over the past four years. The data reveals a .7 correlation between performance scores and salary increases and a significance level of less than .05. Additionally, the HR VP finds that the use of personal days increases by 30% around the annual performance review time and production falls by 5%. Over the past three years, there has been a steady decline in profits and employee morale. Employees seem less engaged, and both the voluntary and involuntary turnover rates are currently 15 percentage points over the industry average. The senior team asks HR if there is any correlation between the performance scores, decreased production, and employee engagement. As the HR VP is conducting a cursory review of the current performance management system and analyzing the data to make recommendations, the CEO asks the HR VP to increase all salaries by 4%, citing the correlation between salaries and performance as a RATIONALE. The next week, at the weekly management team meeting, one of the senior leaders states that at her previous company the employees were 80% engaged, and she suggests using the same number as an engagement benchmark. The CEO likes this number and asks the HR VP to put a plan in place to meet this engagement number. Another senior leader suggests to the HR VP that the company should prohibit the use of personal leave before, during, and after the review period. How should the HR VP respond to the CEO's request to use a benchmark figure of 80%

Explain that all engagement surveys and organizations are not equal and additional research is needed before launching an engagement survey and establishing a benchmark. RATIONALE - when recommending any organizational assessment, it is important to set the correct expectations for all stakeholders, include the CEO. The HR VP would not want to agree to a number without performing due diligence to ensure that it is viable, realistic and attainable for the company to benchmark against. Sending out a survey is not best practice - best practice is to use an outside third party to ensure confidentiality and validity of results. Agreeing to the 80% benchmark is incorrect because HR has not done their due diligence. Asking for managers perceptions does not get to the root of the problem.

Scenario: In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. The HR director confirms that the absence of diversity is an issue in certain departments. Given the organization's lack of recognition, what is the next step he should take

Explain to interviewers and managers why diversity among employees is good for business. RATIONALE - this provides an immediate first step to educating those directly involved in the process on the need for diversity. Creating a diversity hiring program is incorrect as an immediate next step but is correct as a longer-term solution.

What type of analytical task would be best served by online analytical processing (OLAP)

Exploring the types of variables that may be affecting attendance rates. RATIONALE - OLAP allows the analyst to sort data quickly in different ways, according to different and multiple variables. A conventional relational database would be sufficient to identify a trend in one factor or numbers in different departments. A cost-effectiveness analysis could be done on a spreadsheet.

What would indicate a cultural shift as a result of an OED change initiative

Fewer product returns due to quality issues. RATIONALE - organizational interventions set measurable objectives so that the effectiveness of the intervention can be assessed. The objectives are related to efficiency of the intervention in making change and its effectiveness in helping the organization achieve the desired performance. In this case, fewer product returns are a measurable result of activity and are aligned with an organization's strategic goals

Which is the most important factor an HR leader should use when planning pay increases

Financial implication. RATIONALE - HR should consider potential financial implications of recommendations and actions. Financial analyses and HR decisions are always intertwined. While HR systems, employee support and HR workload are all viable factors, they are not the most important and are not part of the decision making. They are factors to consider for implementing and communicating the increases

HR meets with team leaders to analyze the pros and cons of a suggested change. As a group, they brainstorm on factors that could influence the outcome of the change in both positive and negative ways. The factors are assigned weights in order to quantify the pros and cons and assist the leaders in their decision making. What type of analysis is the group using in this situation

Force-field analysis. RATIONALE - based on this force-field analysis, the group can decide to pursue opportunities with scores showing favorability for change or to avoid changes that face very strong resistance. They might also use analysis results in deciding how to allocate resources to mitigate negative risks and enhance opportunities.

Which onboarding activity would be the best way to help a management new hire understand and navigate the cultural and political landscape of the organization during the first 90 days on the job

Fostering organizational relationships and providing frequent opportunities for open discussion. RATIONALE - onboarding should enable new employees to understand the organization they have joined. Such onboarding activities assist in a smooth transition and integration into the management position.

Which statement best describes how organizations have evolved in their definition of diversity

From a defensive, compliance-based view to that of a strategic asset. RATIONALE - diversity is not just a matter of adding new categories to a growing list to identify groups - race, religion, gender, culture, ethnic background, age, etc. It is a move from viewing diversity defensively, as a matter of legal or ethical compliance, to viewing it strategically, as a valuable asset to be leveraged.

How has the role of the HR professional evolved

From operational to strategic. RATIONALE - HR professionals today balance three major roles - strategic, operational and administrative. Increasingly, administrative roles are subordinated to focus on strategic roles that directly contribute to the bottom line.

Scenario: A recently promoted HR manager is transferred to a remote facility, due to several complaints of inappropriate behavior and favoritism between the plant manager and the former HR manager. The complaints range from allegations of an affair between the two to poor performance and stealing company property. The head office leaders are highly sensitive to creating an ethical culture and have asked that the new HR manager report back on any discovered issues with the plant manager. This makes the HR manager uncomfortable, because she is trying her best to balance developing a relationship with the plant manager with trying to complete the investigation. The new HR manager begins an investigation and learns that the plant manager believes two female employees in the accounting department reported the theft and the affair. When the HR manager speaks with these employees, they share the belief that they are being retaliated against. Although they were rated as above-average performers, they have been given only minimal wage increases. The investigation identified theft of a number of items by the plant manager. The items are not expensive, but their value is not minor. Additionally, it was learned that the plant manager is actively undermining the new HR manager's authority by telling all managers to ignore any HR recommendations.What steps should the HR manager take to address the direction by the plan manager to ignore HR's recommendations

Further investigate the statements to determine the full context of the situation before taking action. RATIONALE - the HR manager needs to understand the extent of the problem before deciding next steps; it is possible there is a legitimate concern about HR's performance. Until the HR manager knows where there are legitimate concerns about performance, it would be premature and unfair to claim retaliation - this could further damage HR's relationship with the plant manager. The HR manager doesn't have enough information to warrant a call to corporate. Documenting the conversations for potential use is incorrect because the appropriate discussions must take place in order to validate the concern; avoiding the conflict may make it worse.

An HR consultant wants to recommend implementing a quality-oriented strategy that will increase revenue for the organization. Which would be the best first step to implementing the strategy

Gain management commitment to necessary investments and changes. RATIONALE - quality initiatives must begin with management commitment, since they involve significant change, investment in equipment and training and possibly a temporary loss of productivity.

At the request of senior management, an HR manager is assigned to solve a problem with a critical product development team. The manager has little information other than the fact that the team has fallen significantly behind schedule and the project leader is inexperienced. What should the HR manager do first

Gather information through interviews and observation of the team at work. RATIONALE - the first step should be understanding the reason for the issue and whether it can be solved by improving team effectiveness. It may be that the delays are caused by external factors or that the schedule was unrealistic from the beginning. Interviews and observation will provide data for the HR manager to identify and eliminate possible causes.

Which is an example of a demographic factor that is examined during an environmental scan

Generational difference. RATIONALE - when examining demographic factors during an environmental scan, organizations should examine age, gender, generational differences, geographic shifts in population, ethnicity, unskilled labor and the nontraditional labor force. The other items should be considered while examining other factors during the scan.

What U.S employer action does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) require

Give plan participants a summary of benefits and coverage prior to an enrollment change. RATIONALE - under the PPACA, employers are required to provide plan participants and beneficiaries with a summary of benefits and coverage prior to enrollment or reenrollment. The requirement to provide notices of material changes is 60 days in advance of the effective date of change, and the requirement for coverage of adult dependents is 26 years of age. Establishing limits on essential health benefits is prohibited.

What is the primary obstacle that must be avoided during the norming phase of team formation

Groupthink. RATIONALE - during the norming phase, the team members unite behind rules and processes. The major obstacles here is groupthink, which occurs when members value a shared identity so much that innovation and creative problem solving (which may entail disagreement) is hampered

How does HR analytics differ from HR metrics

HR analytics provide context to data. RATIONALE - analytics convert metric into a decision support tool by adding context. HR measures collect and tabulate data. HR objectives and strategies stem from analytics.

Scenario: 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

HR should confidentially interview the employees who used the benefits just prior to the changes to assess their RATIONALE. RATIONALE - the first step should be to make no assumptions and use a due process, least disruptive approach, starting by gathering evidence from the first verifiable source of the leak. Suspend the COO for leaking confidential information is incorrect because the COO would not be provided due process and it is assumed that the COO leaked the information. No action can be taken because there is not proof that a leak occurred is incorrect because there is good evidence to suggest a leak of confidential or privileged information did occur and this is a serious matter that cannot be ignored. Ask the executive committee to hold an emergency meeting to investigate the issue is incorrect because it is not the first step in the investigation process and risks creating conflict among the executive team prior to gathering initial evidence

Scenario: A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which is the first course of action HR should take

HR should inform the president of the issue and partner with her on the next steps for corrective action. RATIONALE - it is wise for HR to communicate difficult and potentially sensitive information regarding another senior leaders to leadership and collaborate on resolution for complex issues. Suspending the employee without pay or immediately terminating the employee prior to getting any details could result in another employment action requiring reinstatement and back pay; HR should gather data. Previous performance ratings along would not provide a thorough review of facts in this situation

What is an example of HR's involvement during the discovery process of an employment lawsuit

Helping the employer's legal counsel gather information to prepare initial disclosures. RATIONALE - during discovery, HR may be required to help the employer's legal counsel gather information that relates to the lawsuit. This occurs before final trial preparation and litigation and after personnel files and other related documents have been provided to the legal counsel. Ensuring that employees refrain from retaliation should be one of the first things that HR does, and it occurs during the notification step.

Engagement drivers differ from country to country, making it important to understand cultural differences that may influence survey results. In a multinational organization, in which type of culture may employee surveys be less acceptable

Hierarchical. RATIONALE: in some hierarchical cultures, such as Asian cultures, employees may not be familiar with the concept of management broadly soliciting opinions from their employees. Therefore, Asian employers and employees may be uncomfortable with the idea of an employee survey

HR issues a great deal of communications during the year. A new HR manager wants to assess whether these messages have been effective. What metric would be useful

High levels of engagement throughout the organization. RATIONALE - employee engagement is a good surrogate metric for the effectiveness of communications, since employee satisfaction with communication is a significant ingredient in engagement. Calls into HR would indicate ineffective or effective communication. The time allocated to communication and the output of that time may indicate efficiency but not good metrics for effectiveness.

Scenario: During the yearly performance and sales review at an organization, an HR manager realizes that the sales goal and bonus structure could potentially incentivize individuals to move closings from one quarter to the next as needed to meet quarterly sales goals. Leadership, mid-level management, and the salespeople have different bonus structures-annually for leadership, quarterly for mid-level managers, and monthly for salespeople. This has created a disconnect between the different groups and created different motivations. The HR manager presents an analysis of the data to the CEO. The CEO determines that, while this bonus structure may have worked in the past, it needs to be changed and the bonus structure of the different groups needs to be aligned. She tasks the HR manager with crafting a new bonus structure and implementing it after she has approved it. What should the HR manager do first to create a bonus structure that is compatible with organizational goals and drives employee performance

Hire an outside organization to conduct a remuneration survey of competitors and their bonus structure. RATIONALE - this identifies best practices in the industry; an experienced consultant is probably the best way to identify this data. Determine if a bonus plan is needed is incorrect and asking employees for their opinion is incorrect. Determining the average time to complete a sale to determine bonus structure is incorrect because it is likely to damage the motivation of employees and possibly incentivise them to avoid complex but valuable sales

Scenario: 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

Hold inclusiveness training for all employees at various points in the year. RATIONALE - this would demonstrate the company's commitment to inclusiveness and educate the employees on its importance; a training session would also help employees retain what they've learned. An EAP won't create an inclusive environment; discussing diversity and inclusion should not stop at onboarding and telling employees to learn other languages could create an environment of exclusiveness and send the wrong message to employees.

While the company's leadership is struggling with this issue, the CHRO receives an urgent call from the global head of recruiting. Recruiters report that their appearance at job fairs has been met with what seems to be organized demonstrations. The fairs have produced very few prospective candidates; the recruiting head asks the CHRO wants them to do. How should the CHRO respond

Hold off on appearances at job fairs for now and focus on using recruiting firms. RATIONALE - job fairs are not producing results and is probably damaging the recruitment team's engagement; it would be best to revise the strategy for now. Appealing to security at the venues is incorrect and will not remove lawful protests and its effect on increasing recruiting effectiveness is questionable. Telling recruiters to persist is incorrect because repeating an ineffective tactic shows inflexibility and unresponsiveness to environmental factors. Reporting to the CEO will not address the recruiters' problems or the negative attention the company is getting at career fairs.

HR has implemented a change initiative in the operations area to increase productivity. The initiative combined process redesign, changes in reporting structure, training, and incentives. The changes have been in place for six months. What measure would show the effect of the investment in the initiative

Human capital value added. RATIONALE - the human capital value added metric shows growth in employee productivity. It is calculated by subtracting non employment expenses (rent, materials, utilities) from revenue and dividing the difference by the number of employees. A value should be established at the beginning of the initiative so that a later value can be compared with it to show effect.

Scenario: An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter

I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. After a discussion with the manager, which recommendation should the HR generalist provide? Advise the manager to individually reset expectations with the employee in person. RATIONALE - this will require the manager to address the behavior in question and discuss it with the employee while reinforcing the policy. Doing nothing is incorrect and issuing a final warning is incorrect because the behavior has not been addressed previously. Sending an email to the team is incorrect because it would not solve the issue with the employee in question.

Scenario: An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter

I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. How can the HR generalist effectively assess weather to update the policy? Determine when the last update was, and, if over a year ago, partner with the HR manager to begin the process of updating. RATIONALE - laws and regulations change and a best practice is to update the employee handbook at least once a year to stay current. Reviewing when the policy was last updated is not correct because it makes no attempt to update the policy. Comparing the policy to others in the industry is incorrect and not updating the policy would cause compliance issues and confusion.

Scenario: An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter

I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. How should the HR generalist advise the manager if she insists on documenting the employee behavior? Partner with the manager and her supervisor to gain effective buy-in that expectations must be reset before documentation can commence. RATIONALE - this entails creating a partnership with management and becoming a trusted advisor while also protecting the company. Allowing the manager to do what she wants is incorrect because she removes the HR as a partner in the organization. Telling the manager not to take this fight on is incorrect because the HR generalist should help guide the manager into finding a solution that will help the employees meet their goals and expectations. Recommending termination is incorrect - especially on a non-documented issue.

Scenario: An employee who has been with the organization for over 10 years arrives every day on time at 9:00 a.m. The employee's team is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The employee returns from lunch 15 minutes after the other members of the team and ends the workday at 5:15 p.m. A new manager has recently taken over the department and notices this pattern of behavior. During an informal conversation, the manager mentions that the employee is taking extended lunches. The employee responds with, "What does it matter

I stay and make up the time." After concluding the conversation, the manager decides to partner with the HR generalist, as the manager wishes to document the employee taking an extended lunch. The manager is concerned that the previous manager allowed the behavior. There are no notes that the employee has any accommodation. Additionally, the manager is concerned that the morale of the team is suffering because of this, as three team members have approached her about this since she took over two months ago. The new manager is also worried that if the issue is not addressed in a timely manner, she may lose the ability to effectively manage the team. The manager asks the HR generalist if HR can simply update the policy to allow the employees some flexibility in their hours. If the employee agrees to follow the policy, which recommended action should the HR generalist suggest to the manager? Note the date and time the employee agrees to the policy and send a recap email to the employee regarding his acknowledgement and the expectations. RATIONALE - having a manager take note of the conversation and send an email allows the information to be used if the employee does not follow the procedure going forward; it also gives a timestamp of the conversation. Simply stating the employee will be held accountable is incorrect because it doesn't show any real accountability. Having the employee do nothing is not an option and the employee will revert to old behavior. Informing the other employees is not needed and would give needless attention to the employee/situation.

What activity is necessary for successfully implementing a KM system

Identifying situations in which knowledge is lost or underused. RATIONALE: a critical action in establishing a KM system is identifying those place in an organization's processes and structures where valuable knowledge has been developed and where losing that knowledge can endanger the organization's success

Scenario: 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 same benefit 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. RATIONALE - this demonstrates an understanding of both short-term and long-term issues. Requesting a proposal can take several months and may not be cheaper is incorrect because it is often possible to negotiate an extension to a current benefit plan as is for a few months while considering alternatives. Another provider is unlikely to accept the company's business without a thorough analysis of the previous year is incorrect because it isn't a legitimate excuse because a thorough analysis would be conducted no matter that the company's situation was. A new insurance provider will quote and charge at a rate that is equal or more than the current provider is incorrect because often new providers charge at a loss in the first year in attempt to lock in an organization's business and make up for their losses in the following years.

What type of business problem is solved most appropriately by using Six Sigma tools

Improving quality. RATIONALE - quality issues can be solved by using Six Sigma. Six Sigma is a strategy that identifies and removes the causes of defects and errors in manufacturing and business processes. Other business problems that can be solved by using Six Sigma include too much variation, challenging root cause identifications, numerous technical considerations and other complex issues. Lean Six Sigma is a strategy that eliminates waste and improves process flows

What form of budgeting uses the prior year's budget as the basis for the next budget

Incremental budgeting. RATIONALE - incremental or line-item budgeting uses the previous year's budget. The prior year is simply increased by a set percentage. Additional funds are requested based on need and objectives.

A firm has just announced a major reorganization to its employees. Which is most likely to happen after the initial shock of the news

Individual may deny the reality of the change. RATIONALE - after the initial shock has passed, it is common for individuals to deny that the change will happen or is beneficial. They focus on the past, believing that the past situation was acceptable or better and change was not needed.

A company with a dedicated HR structure has locations on several continents. A new labor law in one of these locations impacts the company's overtime rules. What should HR in that location do first to address this change

Inform corporate HR of the new law. RATIONALE - in a dedicated HR structure, the embedded HR department advises corporate HR on local conditions that may affect policy. Seeking an exemption is not practical. Instructions cannot be sent if corporate Hr has not been informed. Local policies should not be changed without consulting with corporate.

Scenario: A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which is the best way for HR to address the anonymous complaint

Inform the employee and the manager that a complaint has been lodged and that there will be an internal investigation. RATIONALE - informing the employee and manager eliminates the potential perception of being surprised while allowing HR to share some of the salient investigation protocol and the need for ongoing confidentiality. It would be unethical to try to identify the anonymous employee. Launching a new training program on the attendance policy prior to determining the value and effectiveness of the procedure is premature. Emailing is incorrect because communicating sensitive information is best done in the open and in person.

The HR director learns that an employee who has already met the sales goal for the month is keeping extra sales secret. She is moving the extra sales to the next month in order to ensure that future goals are met. Which should the HR director do first

Inform the employee's manager and coach him on how to address the issue with the employee. RATIONALE - the HR director should inform the employee's manager and coach him on how to address the issue - this involves the manager in the process and ensures that the manager can address the ethical concern with the employee. Privately meeting with the employee is incorrect because the HR director has no daily oversight to know whether or not she is continuing to practice ethical behavior. Informing the CEO escalates the issue without attempting to address it and doesn't give the employee a change to correct her actions. Sending out a general email reminder doesn't directly address the issue with the employee, and hoping someone takes a hint isn't an effective method of addressing an ethical issue. None of the incorrect answers involve the employee's manager.

Scenario: A newly hired HR director of a small nonprofit organization notices that the organization is lacking a comprehensive compensation philosophy and salary rate structure. New hires routinely receive higher pay than more-senior employees. The organization does not have a performance management process, and not all employees receive yearly salary increases. The CEO is concerned that the organization will lose quality staff without a strategic focus on its employees, and she tasks the HR director with designing and implementing a performance management model for the organization. How should the HR VP respond to the request to prohibit personal leave near performance review time

Inform the leaders that current turnover and production decreases are likely a systematic issue from low engagement and recommend not decreasing personal days. RATIONALE - this shows the HR VP has a clear understanding of the research; based on data, reducing personal days will not solve the problem and could make the problem worse. Restricting personal days would add to employee frustrations, reduce employee engagement which has a correlation with turnover and production.

An employee learns that a coworker earns a higher hourly ROP for the same job and asks the supervisor for a pay increase. As a result, the supervisor prohibits employees from discussing their pay. The supervisor is participating in which unfair labor practice

Interfering with employees' engagement in concerted activity. RATIONALE - the NLRA protects employees' rights to discuss their wages, benefits and working conditions. Preventing employees from doing so interferes with employees' engagement in concerted activity. The other responses are also considered unfair labor practices but do not address restraining of employees from exercising their rights under the NLRA.

HR is in the process of creating clearly defined, consistent job descriptions for a global environment. Which common challenge should HR anticipate

Interpretations of job functions may vary. RATIONALE - the same words used to describe a job may have different meanings across the globe. Or entirely different works may be used to describe tasks, activities, or entitlements

What is the first step in developing a KM system

Inventory knowledge assets. RATIONALE - The first step to developing a formal KM system is to inventory the types of knowledge assets that exist and the assets themselves. This can be a time-consuming and considerable task, and a system must be established to properly index and mark each asset

Scenario: An organization has witnessed a steady decline in revenue for the past 9 months, and employee morale is low. Department managers are highly competitive with each other and tend to use an authoritarian management style with their teams. As a result, communication across departments is infrequent, employees are distrustful of their managers, and work teams are constantly experiencing delays. Product errors have been increasing as well. The CEO tasks an HR manager with investigating workplace problems and developing solutions. With the CEO's approval, the HR manager begins monthly training workshops with department managers to encourage more cooperation. A department employee submits a complaint to the HR manager stating that a lack of trust prevents the employee from approaching the department manager when problems arise. How should the HR manager respond

Invite the employee to a meeting to discuss the complaint in greater detail. RATIONALE - without knowing or obtaining further detail on the nature of the concern, the HR manager is unable to know if a response or action is needed. The HR manager needs to speak with the employee to validate the concerns. Role playing or facilitating a meeting with the manager and employee are incorrect because they would occur after the HR manager understands the extent of the concerns from the employee. Conducting employee focus groups is also incorrect because it is a subsequent action.

What does the term "tripartism" mean in the context of union relations

Involvement of national governments in the bargaining process. Tripartism refers to the collaboration of governments, employers and unions in developing contracts and resolving disputes. This is a common feature in some countries and an occasional feature in others (ex - government intervention in times of national emergencies). Industry employer organizations are common in some industries but this is just another form of the union-employer relationship. The employment relationship in a unionized workplace does have three actors, but that is not what tripartism means. Works councils do not participate in collective bargaining.

Which approach would be most helpful in obtaining commitment from managers when planning major changes in the performance appraisal process

Involving managers in determining what changes should be made. RATIONALE - the first stage of designing an OED intervention requires understanding the challenges fully. This would include determining the target audience's readiness for the upcoming change. In this case, soliciting management's input is a way to diagnose their readiness and obtain commitment. Then, managers could be involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the new performance appraisal process.

In the assessment and selection step of the global assignment process, which aspect is critical to the success of the assignment

Involving the right people. RATIONALE - the only option that falls under the assessment and selection step is involving the right people. The other options refer to the management and assignee decision and pre-departure preparation steps

An employee has been selected for an international assignment. This first-time assignment is expected to last two-three years and involves full relocation. Why is a well-crafted global letter of assignment a key part of the assignment plan

It addresses the terms and conditions of the assignment. RATIONALE - a letter of assignment evolves from the assignment plan and addresses the business aspects of the assignment as well as compensation, benefits, and local work rules. Taking the time to ensure that the information provided is clearly articulated, thorough, consistent and unambiguous sets clear and reasonable expectations between the employer and the employee. In turn, this information sets the stage for a successful first-time international assignment

What is an organizational benefit of using differential pay

It can incent employees to perform less desirable work or work in undesirable locations. RATIONALE - by using differential pay, organizations are able to incent employees to perform less desirable work (shift work, hazardous area, being on-call or standby, frequent or regular travel) or in less desirable locations or locations that have a higher cost of living. The differential pay is provided separate from the employee's base pay to allow for organization's flexibility, resulting in the ability to better control fixed labor costs.

How does communicating the guiding principles behind employee pay support an effective compensation philosophy

It creates a framework for transparency. RATIONALE - a compensation philosophy creates a framework for consistency and transparency. Communicating the guiding principles behind employee pay plays a key role in being transparent. A compensation philosophy will guide how an organization pays employees but it will not guarantee how much an employee will be paid. Compensation philosophies are typically created in collaboration with leadership. Compensation philosophies take location conditions into consideration as part of the review for competitiveness.

Which best describes how an organization's focus on diversity is a benefit to its recruitment efforts

It enhances the employment brand to attract talent. RATIONALE - developing an inclusive and diverse workforce enhances the employer's brand and its ability to attract high-potential talent in minority groups. The organization can also more easily respond to demographic change and local labor markets

What approach is most characteristic of succession planning

It focuses on long-term global issues. RATIONALE: succession planning takes a long-range, strategic view and considers the entire organization and its business conditions

Why is cross-cultural training critical for international assignees and their families

It reduces the risk of failed assignments. RATIONALE - effective international assignments involve many practices. Cross-cultural training for assignees and their families not only reduces the risk of failed assignments but also helps to manage expectations and to facilitate adjustment and performance

Which of the following is true about employment practices liability insurance (EPLI)

It usually covers legal costs regardless of the outcome of the case. RATIONALE - EPLI usually covers legal costs, no matter what the outcome of the case is. It typically does not cover punitive damages or civil or criminal fines. It usually does not cover compensation, consistent with relevant state laws. It is designed to cover cases arising at any point in the employment life cycle, from recruitment to termination.

An organization is in the process of updating its compensation system and has started the task of evaluating jobs and grouping those with similar duties together. Which documents would be most useful for this purpose

Job descriptions. RATIONALE - the job description is a written record of job duties and responsibilities and will be most valuable in grouping jobs with similar duties.

A supervisor wants to improve job satisfaction and motivate employees by giving them more independence in their work and the opportunity to self-review and evaluate. Which is the best tactic to use for this

Job enrichment. RATIONALE: job enrichment increases the depth of a job by adding responsibility for planning, organizing, controlling and evaluation - also known as vertical integrations. Examples of things that increase job depth include - giving employees more authority, increasing employees' accountability, and sharing feedback directly with employees

What job evaluation method assesses the responsibilities and requirements of each job and its relationship to other jobs in the organization

Job-content-based. RATIONALE - the relative worth of different jobs is based on the assessment of their content, and they can be compared to other jobs within the organization

After a series of meetings with different departments dealing with downsizing, the HR professional authors 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. RATIONALE - in an effort to treat all employees with the same fairness and consistency, it is essential that the HR professional keep this information confidential. Any effort to inform one employee or adjust a policy for the benefit of one employee would be unethical.

Which should be included in manager training for an organization's diversity and inclusion strategic initiative

Leading diverse teams effectively and fostering an inclusive work environment. RATIONALE - the key goal of management-directed training is to help executives learn to manage more effectively. Diversity awareness courses are aimed at the entire organization (another key training component) will cover better understanding how to work in a diverse organization, focusing on all differences and not particular groups

HR works with IT to develop policies and procedures for internet use and social media posts on the organization's network. Which best describes the impact of this policy

Limiting legal liability and ensuring data security. RATIONALE - policies restricting access to certain websites (ie - sexual content) aim at managing risk to the organization's data security posed by questionable sites. The policy may also deter downloading of materials that could be used to harass other employees and pose legal liabilities for the organization. This policy is not aimed at increasing productivity or monitoring activity. It may indirectly preserve the organization brand by preventing problems, but this is not its primary purpose.

What is the chain of command

Line of authority within an organization. RATIONALE: chain of command refers to the line within an organization. Authority relates to the scope of responsibilities that define the area in which a manager is empowered to make decisions. A long chain of command is associated with more vertical organizations, which have more layers of decision making.

What demonstrates the use of AI in an organization

Machine learning chatbot that answers benefit questions and gets smarter as it collects more information. RATIONALE - AI systems use machine learning over time to tailor answers to inquiries. A dashboard gathers data from various sources and compares it with predefined performance indicators. Contractors represent human intelligence. The engagement is using advanced analytics to inspect data from varying but defined perspectives.

A company decides to lower payroll costs by hiring an organization to assume full responsibility for its IT department. What is this process called

Managed services. RATIONALE: managed services or outsourcing - allows an outside organization to fully run and staff the department. Payrolling, professional employer organizations and temp-to-lease programs only provide employees to the organization

Which employee must be paid overtime under the FLSA

Manager who earns $450 per week. RATIONALE - each individual employee must qualify for one of the specific exemptions provided by the FLSA to be excluded from the minimum wage and overtime pay requirements of the law. In general, they must meet certain tests regarding their job duties and must be paid on a salary basis at not less than $684 per week

Which best identifies the impact of cognitive barriers on risk management

Managers perceive risks in an outdated manner. RATIONALE - cognitive barriers to risk management relate to the managers' tendencies to rely on older perceptions of the risks they face and the most effective ways of managing them

Which statement accurately describes the status of diversity and inclusion in a global context

Many countries have laws prohibiting employment discrimination. RATIONALE - D&I is a concern across the globe and many countries have laws prohibiting discrimination. There is a great deal of variation across countries regarding which groups are impacted by these initiatives. Impacted groups may be members of a caste, a religious group, a racial group and/or a nationality

Which of the following is true regarding marijuana laws

Marijuana remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. RATIONALE - marijuana is legal in multiple states for medical or recreational use, but it remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. This act does not feature an exemption for medical use. Both firing employees following a failed drug test and accommodating employees' use of medicinal marijuana may depend on current state regulations.

Which is the best method for the HR compensation manager to use to evaluate the jobs and salary ranges of the organization's key positions compared to those of its competitors

Market-based evaluation to establish the worth of positions. RATIONALE - a market-based job evaluation assesses the relative worth and pay structure of different jobs based on their market value or the going rate in the marketplace.

Which core business function is primarily concerned with understanding customers and competitive threats and producing revenue

Marketing and sales. RATIONALE - marketing and sales has the most effective intelligence because it is in the closest contact with customers

The HR department is calculating the average employee compensation for each position in the company. What measure of central tendency should be used to determine this

Mean. RATIONALE - mean is synonymous with average. The mode is the number that occurs most frequently and the median is the middle number in the data set. The midpoint is used when calculating the median; it is not a measure of central tendency.

Scenario: During the yearly performance and sales review at an organization, an HR manager realizes that the sales goal and bonus structure could potentially incentivize individuals to move closings from one quarter to the next as needed to meet quarterly sales goals. Leadership, mid-level management, and the salespeople have different bonus structures-annually for leadership, quarterly for mid-level managers, and monthly for salespeople. This has created a disconnect between the different groups and created different motivations. The HR manager presents an analysis of the data to the CEO. The CEO determines that, while this bonus structure may have worked in the past, it needs to be changed and the bonus structure of the different groups needs to be aligned. She tasks the HR manager with crafting a new bonus structure and implementing it after she has approved it. Which would be the most effective way to communicate the new plan

Meet first with managers and then with individual teams to discuss the new plan and its benefits. RATIONALE - this recognizes the role the managers play as important stakeholders in the sales process. They can provide advice on communicating the new policy to salespeople and can provide support once the policy is communicated. Deciding the effective date and emailing employees is incorrect because this issue is too important and people will want to react and ask questions. Holding a company wide town hall is incorrect and hosting small groups is incorrect because it misses the opportunity of manager support.

Scenario: Over the past 12 months, a global hotel franchise has been experiencing steady, significant growth, and it 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 that the franchise can meet current and future demands. However, some senior managers in the franchise believe that HR should focus only on administration of traditional HR activities such as recruiting, payroll, and benefits, and these managers refuse to include HR in business conversations. As a result, many HR staff have adopted a strict policy enforcement role that 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 in 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 in the company

Meet the senior managers to discuss ways the HR department can improve its services. RATIONALE - this shows HR demonstrating the Leadership and Navigation competency; the HR manager is inviting the senior managers to provide feedback on how HR can better serve the stakeholders. Submit a proposal to increase the HR budget is incorrect because without a business care that shows the ROI for additional funding, the executive leadership team will not consider the request. Inviting senior managers to a team building activity with HR is incorrect because it does not improve the services HR provides to the organization; it may improve relationship management between senior managers and HR. Hire an outside consultant is incorrect because the HR manager is not demonstrating competency by delegating to an HR consultant

The employee relations manager has been tasked with hosting a company event so employees can meet coworkers in other parts of the company. How should the HR manager approach this task

Meet with functional managers throughout the company to gather ideas. RATIONALE - meeting with managers in other departments is a win-win tactic; it begins to expand the HR manager's internal network and it gives these managers input on the event planning. The other options exclude other members of the organization.

Scenario: 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 using 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 than 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 take to influence the CEO about the difficulty in meeting the timeline

Meet with the CEO to review essential portions of the project and the time line challenges. RATIONALE - this is the best way to communicate effectively and build support and it allows the manager to be proactive in detailing the challenges to this project. Not communicating could lead to low morale, missed deadlines and overall initiative failure. Waiting until the project is done and then explaining why it is incorrect demonstrates a lack of effective communication. Motivating the team with incentives is incorrect because if the challenges of the timeline are legitimate then no incentives can create a quality work product.

Scenario: The HR business partner (HRBP) of a large retail chain has compiled an annual report on turnover and shared it with the director of sales (DOS) and the district manager (DM) for one of the chain's retail districts. The DOS and the DM are pleased with the results, since the overall retention rate meets the requirement for them to be eligible for a bonus. However, the HRBP looks more deeply into the data and determines that several stores are extreme outliers and have high turnover rates. The HRBP informs the DOS and the DM. They tell the HRBP to not worry about it, as the overall number is fine. They have enough to deal with; it is not necessary to go looking for problems. The HRBP believes that the results that have been uncovered are a cause for concern in these stores. What is the best way for the HRBP to persuade the DOS and DM that the outlier stores need further attention

Meet with the DOS and the DM to explain the costs of turnover and the need to investigate causes in these locations. RATIONALE - the HRBP uses influencing skills to show the DOS and the DM how correcting the problem can increase the organization's productivity and lower its risks. Reviewing results from prior years is incorrect because it is not focused on the situation in the current stores. Using industry specific benchmarks is incorrect because it will not advance the attempt to understand the turnover causes at these stores. An action plan should not be created until the problem is fully understood.

An organization has struggled to launch a new HR management system with higher integration and more functionality. The new user requirements are very different and the beta test was problematic. The vendor fixed the problems, but the staff's nervousness about having to learn a new system has combined with the poor beta test experience to create resistance to bringing the final product online. Which actions should the HR manager take now to help implement this initiative

Meet with the staff and the vendor to discuss issues. RATIONALE - communication is essential throughout the change process, especially when employees have become skeptical that a change offers real benefits. A meeting with the vendor and all staff members gives staff a chance to discuss misgivings and ask questions. A celebration is not always the best way to motivate a group - the negative feelings must be cleared away first. Changing the system will be costly and may lessen functionality and the schedule does not appear to be an issue, chances are it does not address the core issue.

Scenario: A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. In order for the HR director to effectively develop relationships, which action should she take first

Meeting colleagues by proactively walking around to introduce herself and her role. RATIONALE - considering that the company has not had a formal HR presence in the past, the HR director will need to establish credibility and trust at a very early stage so that employees understand that HR is there to help the business by helping them. It is important that the employees know who the new leader is so they can start accessing HR immediately and it is important that the HR director begin to learn the names, faces and position of the employees in the company. Sitting back and observing is incorrect because it is important for the HR director to network internally with the employees in order to build relationships, trust and credibility; observing the work environment is good but there are certain things that need to be done immediately and cannot wait a few months (building relationships). Asking the president for detailed guidance is incorrect because the president purposefully hired an senior HR professional to handle all of the HR functions; immediately asking for details might make the president question if the right person was hired. It would be better to create a strategic HR business plan and schedule a meeting with the president in a couple days to review it. Creating an onboarding plan is valuable but it would be one line items in the HR business plan; the HR director first needs to step back and determine the priorities of all the HR related tasks that need to be completed.

A manger has come to HR because an employee cannot meet production standards. After further investigation, it is discovered that several other employees cannot meet production standards. Records show that all employees have been properly trained and certified. Which action should HR recommend to resolve the issue

Meeting with each employee to determine the obstacles to production. RATIONALE - training is sometimes seen as the solution to all performance problems. In this case, the manager should meet with the underperforming employees to determine why they are not producing. Since other employees are meeting standards after receiving the same training, it may be that there is a different issue that must be addressed

Management has requested that HR conduct a focus group to better understand the results of a recent compensation survey. Which is the most important factor HR will want to consider when forming the focus groups

Members should be a representative sample of the employee population. RATIONALE - focus groups provide valuable data and elicit opinions that may be verified by surveying the larger employee populations. They may also be used to elicit qualitative information that can help explain quantitative survey results. It is important to select members who are representative of the employee population at large and to appoint a moderator who is unrelated to the participants. Objectives should be specific so the organization gets the information it needs.

Which corporate activity requires an HR strategy of organizational growth

Mergers and acquisitions. RATIONALE - organizations often use mergers and acquisitions as part of a growth strategy. Divestitures are part of a retraction strategy. Centers of excellence and shared services are structural alternatives rather than growth or retraction strategies.

A domestic organization has staff dispersed throughout multiple states. There is a compliance requirement for a conflict of interest course that everyone must take. What is the best solution for the internal delivery of this course

Mobile learning. RATIONALE: mobile learning is the best solution for this course, since there will be no travel costs and employees can take the course at any time. Gamification is probably not a good choice for a compliance course and this answer does not address how to deliver the course in any case. Social media is not optimum for training delivery and Youtube is an option but it is not internal.

A recruiter made an offer to a candidate of an annual salary that was below the candidate's minimum desired compensation. After discussing additional benefits (extra week of PTO) both parties came to an agreement. What is this process called

Negotiation. RATIONALE - during negotiation, both parties must work together to reach an amicable agreement. Arbitration would be unnecessary in this situation and intercession was not needed on behalf of either party. Conflict resolution can involve negotiation but is not the best answer.

What data-gathering method requires a face-to-face meeting

Nominal group technique. RATIONALE - the nominal group technique uses a variety of individuals associated with the industry to forecast ideas and assumptions. This technique requires that the individuals meet face to face. The Delphi technique is performed individually but anonymously and is therefore not performed face to face.

What best describes the population of the employee workforce that is protected under the NLRA

Nonsupervisory. RATIONALE - Nonsupervisory employees are covered under the NLRA. Supervisory employees are considered management. Both union and nonunion employees are protected by the NLRA. It is a common mistake for employers to believe that only unionized employees are covered.

A company extends an offer to a candidate. As part of the background check process, a credit check is included. Based on the negative report, the hiring manager wants to rescind the offer. How should HR advise the hiring manager

Notify the candidate of the negative credit report and give the candidate sufficient time to respond. RATIONALE - the employer must give the candidate notice before taking adverse action and allow reasonable time for the candidate to respond. The other answers do not meet compliance requirements of the FCRA.

Which is the difference between offshoring and outsourcing

Offshoring relocates processes or production to another country; outsourcing transfers portions of work to outside suppliers. RATIONALE - offshoring is the practice of relocating processes or production to another country. For example - a US computer company may move its help desk to India. When a company outsources, it does not necessarily mean that a process or product is moved abroad, although it may be. The company may outsource the customer service function to a small town in another state

Within a month at a new job, an employee feels disconnected from peers and unsure of job expectations. In what part of the employee experience does there seem to be a breakdown

Onboarding. RATIONALE - onboarding includes the first months at a job and ensures that new employees understand the job, what is expected, and who they will be working with. Orientation is part of onboarding, but it only lasts for a few days. Recruiting occurs when an employee joins the organization and evaluation occurs later.

Which term describes the strategic process for integrating a new employee into a company and its culture

Onboarding. RATIONALE - onboarding is an ongoing process of building engagement from the first contact with the goal of helping new hires adjust and become productive, contributing members of the organization. Candidate sourcing is searching for potential hires to fill a role. Employee engagement is the level of an employee's commitment and connection to an organization over time. Employee appraisals evaluate and provide feedback on performance.

HR and talent management ask a talent acquisition specialist to provide an analysis that explores hiring and turnover trends across demographics, performance levels and promotion histories. Which is the best tool to obtain this information

Online analytical processing (OLAP). RATIONALE - OLAP applications have the ability to produce a time series illustrating trends while also comparing multiple sets of data within one report. The other responses would provide only some of the necessary data and additional analysis would be required.

In what form of ADR is an employee encouraged to speak to management regarding suggestions, concerns or complaints

Open door. RATIONALE - best-practice organizations encourage open-door/person-to-person meetings. If the meeting involves complaints or grievances, the issues are carefully documented. For these meetings to be effective, there has to be top management commitment. Neither formal steps nor equal opportunity describe a specific ADR process. Ideas from a suggestion box do not necessarily lead to discussions with management.

A company has established an internal procedure to improve communication between workers and management. According to company policy, managers are available to meet with any employee who wishes to discuss an issue. What form of ADR is being used

Open-door policy. RATIONALE - an open-door policy provides employees with access to any manager or supervisor, including the CEO, and creates no repercussions for employees. It can open the lines of communication within an organization.

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, how are the needs of self-actualization exemplified

Opportunities for development, problem solving and creativity. RATIONALE - according to Maslow, self-actualization is the need to fulfill one's potential, which would lead one to seek challenges and apply cognitive and creative abilities. The other answers refer to needs associated with physical security, esteem and belonging.

HR acts to develop a team in order to improve customer service, efficiency and processes. What activity does this illustrate

Organizational development. RATIONALE - organizational development includes interventions aimed at improving the overall short-term and long-term performance of an organization. Gap analysis seeks to identify reasons for a discrepancy between goals and actual performance. Onboarding focuses on acculturating individual new hires. Strategic planning is a process of setting goals, objectives and action plans

Which type of OD intervention would best address an assessment that determined a need to increase the performance capability across all levels and departments

Organizational. RATIONALE - organizational interventions look at how the structure of the organization is helping or hindering it. In this case, an intervention may design new decision-making policies that grant employees greater freedom to test ideas

Which process initially helps an employee become familiar with a new job, department or coworkers

Orientation. RATIONALE - orientation generally lasts 1-2 days and helps the employee develop a realistic image of the organization and/or the job. Onboarding encompasses orientation as well as the first months of an employee's tenure in a position.

Which best demonstrates HR's role in managing organizational risk

Participating in the identification and management of threats and opportunities across the organization. RATIONALE - the best role for HR is one that is proactive, not reactive, and that considers risk from an integrated enterprise perspective. The definition of risk appetite and risk tolerance is best made by senior management.

Scenario: 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 using 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 than 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 take first to begin creating a culture that embraces CSR

Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR. RATIONALE - this allows for reviewing the current practices of the organization but also for the building of relationships and creating a collaborative work environment. Sending an email asking people to join committees is incorrect because there is not guarantee of success and it asks for input from the company as a whole. Spend time visiting other companies with CSR initiatives is incorrect because it does not allow for the positives that can be gained from in-person meetings with current employees. Try changing the culture independently is incorrect because the HR manager will need to partner and collaborate with stakeholders in order to change the culture.

Which major role does HR play in supporting global strategic management

Partnering to create the organization's global strategy. RATIONALE - HR can support strategic management by helping to create global strategy, aligning HR activities with it, adapting the activities to local needs and enhancing communication between the organization and its stakeholders

An organization is looking for ways to reduce costs and increase performance in its automotive parts manufacturing division and is considering staff reduction as an option. Which key performance indicators should be compared to determine the impact of staff reduction

Past production vs. projected future production. RATIONALE - comparing past production to future production measures performance based on different time periods. Comparisons of employee production rate vs. employee turnover rate and product cost vs. revenue generation do not measure or place a value on performance. Division head count vs. total company headcount does not value performance or address cost.

Which act requires an organization with more than 50 full time employees to provide health coverage that meets minimum benefit specifications or pay a $2000 per employee penalty

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). RATIONALE - this is one of the key provisions of the PPACA

An organization implements changes to its pay structure, resulting in new hires now being started at the same wage as workers who have been on the job for two years. What type of pay variation will most likely be created

Pay compression. RATIONALE - pay compression or salary compression describes situations where there is only a small difference in pay between employees regardless of their experience, skills, level or seniority. Pay compression can occur if the labor market, inflation or some other reason causes market pay increases to rise faster than the employer's pay adjustments

What are the common processes folded into shared service centers to make business functions more efficient

Payroll, procurement, AR/AP, travel expenses, health benefits enrollment, and pension administration. RATIONALE - these are the things commonly folded into shared service centers

What is the primary distinguishing characteristic of an enterprise risk management framework

Perception of risk as an integrated organizational issue. RATIONALE - an enterprise risk management (ERM) system, such as COSO ERM, sees risk as an integrated issue that must be managed across divisions and functions in an enterprise.

Scenario: A newly hired HR director of a small nonprofit organization notices that the organization is lacking a comprehensive compensation philosophy and salary rate structure. New hires routinely receive higher pay than more-senior employees. The organization does not have a performance management process, and not all employees receive yearly salary increases. The CEO is concerned that the organization will lose quality staff without a strategic focus on its employees, and she tasks the HR director with designing and implementing a performance management model for the organization. What should the HR director do to ensure that the organization's job descriptions are accurate

Perform a job analysis to identify the activities, tasks and responsibilities of each position in the organization. RATIONALE - a job analysis is a critical first step in understanding the nature of the job; it is also a key step in creating effective programs, initiatives, and activities relating to areas like workforce planning, staffing/talent acquisition, performance management and employee relations. Job analysis must be completed prior to updating or communicating about job descriptions.

Which should be the first step in solving an organization's problems with a sharp increase in back orders of shipments

Performing a process analysis. RATIONALE - a process analysis defines a base line and can identify sources of problems. At the same time, firsthand information can be collected from employees and workplaces can be observed. Such problem solving provides a thorough understanding of why the problem occurs and what must be corrected. The other answers attempt to implement solutions before a cause is fully understood.

A HR business partner receives an email from the director of finance, asking for tax documents for an employee who needs the forms promptly to obtain a mortgage. The business partner has never communicated with the director before, but the department policy is to respond promptly to internal customers. What should the BP do

Phone the individual's office and offer assistance. RATIONALE - this is a possible case of a spear-phishing attack, in which a cyber intruder asks for information or asks the recipient to click a link to a document or website. An unusual request from an atypical sender should trigger suspicions and a cautious response. The safest course is to phone the extension number in the organization's directory and confirm the email request. If it were a phishing attack, it should then be reported to the IT system manager.

What is the first step in evidence-based decision making (EBDM)

Phrasing the problem in the form of a question to be answered. RATIONALE - the first step of EBDM is to ask the question that will guide the subsequent search for relevant data. What problem are we trying to solve?

Which option best defines a contingency plan

Plan that is activated when a risk event occurs. RATIONALE - a contingency plan is a protocol (predefined actions) that is activated when a risk event occurs, for example - activation of a severe weather work schedule.

Scenario: 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

Post job openings on internet job sites and examine the effect on the applicant pool. RATIONALE - this generates a specific organizational intervention for recruiting practices that raises the organization's potential for long term success. HR should not talk to senior leaders but should instead talk to hiring managers. Applying other companies' processes may not be effective for this company. The issue doesn't appear to be a misunderstanding of job requirements but rather a lack of applicants.

What technique will help you become a more active listener

Prepare for the possibility of thinking differently about a situation after the conversation you are about to have. RATIONALE - keeping an open mind as an active listening technique involves accepting the fact that this conversation could change your position on an issue, your feelings about the speaker or your understanding of the subject. One should not interrupt the speak, one should summarize and paraphrase and one should maintain soft eye contact.

An employer is investigating alleged misconduct by an employee who is a union member. What must the employer allow during any investigatory interview of the employee, if requested

Presence of a union representative in the interview. RATIONALE - under the Weingarten ruling, the employee may request the presence of a union representative in the interview. The employee does not have to be allowed his or her personal attorney or the ability to respond in writing to questions or to review video evidence prior to an interview.

If an organization decides to take adverse action against an applicant or an employee based on a credit report, what is the affected individual entitled to do

Present evidence challenging the information contained in the report. RATIONALE - under the FCRA, individuals who are notified of adverse action being taken against them by an organization due to a credit report are entitled to present information within "a reasonable period of time" that disputes the information contained in the report. If they are able to prove that the organization did not comply with the FCRA, they may sue for financial rewards and damages, but they are not automatically entitled to compensation. Employees or potential employees are not automatically allowed the right to argue their case before a mediator, and they cannot bar the organization from using the report, which had to be authorized by the individual before being conducted.

Marketing is responsible for positions (marketing) and selling (sales) to customers. What are the 4Ps of marketing

Price, product, promotion and place. RATIONALE - the responsibility of marketing is often described as managing the 4 Ps - price (how much to charge), product (what to offer), promotion (how to reach potential customers) and place (where to how to sell). Marketing strategies are often characterized as push or pull.

What are three key reasons why D&I initiatives require full-fledged organization-wide efforts

Priority, complexity, resistance. D&I initiatives are resource-intensive because of priority, complexity, and resistance. To be a strategic priority, D&I must be aligned with core business goals; otherwise it will always have a lower priority than more immediate concerns. Because of the complexity of the D&I problem, initiatives require a strategic, organization-wide solution. Achieving D&I initiative requires major organization-wide change that can be problematic and challenging.

What factors does the risk equation use to determine level of risk

Probability of occurrence and magnitude of impact. RATIONALE - in the risk equation, the level of risk equals the probability of occurrence multiplied by the magnitude of the impact of the risk event

Which is the best example of a regulation

Process by which the DOL clarifies the exempt status of employees. RATIONALE - regulations are proposed, adopted and enforced by administrative agencies. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the FLSA are both examples of statutes. An interpretation of legal matters related to expatriation is an example of an agency guideline.

Scenario: 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 using 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 than 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 take to encourage employees to embrace this cultural change

Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees. RATIONALE - providing training the employees that focuses on company values allows employees to personalize the new culture; this allows for a more controlled level of communication regarding the changes; it helps deal with issues that may be brought up in smaller settings while also uncovering potential challenges to the change. Holding a company wide meeting is incorrect because it is a one-sided approach that does not allow for collaborative discussion. Asking managers to communicate to their employees is incorrect because there is no control over how the managers will communicate the message to their teams. Changing terminology does not make a company that has a CSR culture.

Which of the following is an advantage of external recruiting

Provides cross-industry insights. RATIONALE - hiring from competitors will lead to the introduction of alternative ideas which can encourage innovation and improved productivity and effectiveness.

What is the usefulness of a key risk indicator (KRI)

Provides early warning of organizational risk emergence. RATIONALE - a KRI signals when risk exposure may be increasing. It can be used to identify emerging risks to the organization. KRIs monitor risk but do not prevent risks from occurring. They are not enough in themselves to create transparency and accountability

Which activity most effectively conveys HR's value as a strategic business partner

Providing information to internal stakeholders that show HR's impact on other departments' segments of the business operations. RATIONALE - providing stakeholders with information about HR's impact on other segments of the business operations aligns HR's efforts with the company's business strategy. Giving advice and recommendations on the marketing strategy is outside of HR's scope of expertise. Providing the company with training success ratios and ensuring that all background checks are completed both provide value but are administrative rather than strategic tasks

An HR practitioner voices concerns regarding the actions of an administrative agency through phone calls, letters and personal visits to elected officials. Which practice is being described

Public comment period. RATIONALE - the public comment period gives HR practitioners time to express their views and concerns regarding an action of an administrative agency. The court of law is presided over by a judge; at this point - it would be too late to voice concerns. Open forums are large, organized groups where people share their thoughts about agency plans. Information share is the exchange of data between organizations.

Scenario: A nonprofit social services organization has experienced rapid growth and is expanding services into new markets. The number of social service professionals in the organization has doubled in two years. At the same time, performance and service quality assessments are showing quality regression as the organization expands. The CEO and the executive committee are worried about the decline in performance and service quality levels. They suspect the issue is due to the quality of new hires and/or a lack of incentive among employees. Until recently, the organization has been managing HR functions with a small team of two employees. However, leadership has approved the hire of an experienced HR manager to improve HR processes in hopes to reverse the downward trend of performance and service quality. The new HR manager begins to tackle the issue by conducting an internal analysis to diagnose the root causes of the service quality decline. The analysis uncovers several critical problem areas to be addressed, including vague job descriptions, a lack of formal orientation, low base pay, an ineffective performance review program, and the lack of a recognition and awards program. The required changes identified by the HR manager will require additional resources and significant financial investment. One of the members of the executive committee proposes that it is best to terminate all current employees and start over with new ones who are better qualified, with the belief that starting from scratch would be cheaper than fixing the problems as they stand now. The HR manager needs to define key metrics to show the ROI for the proposed HR solutions. Which of the following would be the most critical indicator

Quality of service. RATIONALE - HR problems were originally identified because of the decline in the quality of service therefore it has been established as a critical metric. The turnover rate is important and illustrates the number of employees leaving but will not assist with the organization's current focus, quality of service and turnover is not pressing. Ratio of HR to staff is helpful to determine HR staffing levels but not directly related to the organization's overall success. A training completion metric will only show how many people have attended training and is not tied to the organization's success.

A HR professional has been assigned to help a new product development team that has had difficulty achieving smooth collaboration. The members keep accusing each other of not doing what they're supposed to be doing and instead interfering in each other's work. What tool could help the HR professional and the product team in this situation

RACI matrix. RATIONALE - the team needs to define and agree on roles and responsibilities. This can be done by using a RACI matrix. It defines the roles in term of whether a person or group is responsible for performing a task, accountable to management for the performance, consulted for input into the activity or informed of progress

OSHA of 1970 reestablished the first national policy for workplace safety and health. This federal law requires employers to provide safe and healthful working conditions for employees. How often are OSHA inspections scheduled

Random or when a complaint has been filed. RATIONALE - OSHA inspections are scheduled at random or whenever a complaint of unsafe conditions has been filed.

Which is diversity's greatest value to an organization

Range of perspectives and modes of thinking. RATIONALE - what make diversity values to an organization is, first and foremost, the expanding range of perspectives and modes of thinking that it provides, with potential rewards of greater innovation, creativity, and problem solving capabilities

Scenario: Over the past 12 months, a global hotel franchise has been experiencing steady, significant growth, and it 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 that the franchise can meet current and future demands. However, some senior managers in the franchise believe that HR should focus only on administration of traditional HR activities such as recruiting, payroll, and benefits, and these managers refuse to include HR in business conversations. As a result, many HR staff have adopted a strict policy enforcement role that 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 in 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

Recommend to executive leadership that they invite HR staff to strategic planning meetings. RATIONALE - this demonstrates the Leadership and Navigation competency; by attending the strategy planning meetings, HR can align the department to the organization's strategy. The other answers are incorrect because the activities are dependent upon the organization's strategy; to align these activities with the strategy, HR must fully understand the organization's strategy.

Which administrative task should an HR manager delegate to an HR assistant

Reconciling benefits. RATIONALE - reconciling benefits is a transactional activity, which is an administrative task. Conducting interviews and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations are both operational tasks. Creating career development plans is a strategic function of HR.

Which of the following is a notable provision of the DOL's electronic guidelines for data storage

Records must be convertible into readable paper copy to satisfy obligations under Title I of ERISA. RATIONALE - under the DOL guidelines, records must be readily convertible into legible and readable paper copy to satisfy obligations that may arise under Title I of ERISA. It is crucial to use adequate safety practices, though, as technology changes, best practices will evolve as well. Paper copies of records that are not transferable to electronic storage systems may be required but retaining paper copies of every record is not required.

Scenario: A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. Which stakeholders are the most critical for the HR director to include in the initial project planning process

Recruiting manager, talent development manager, and employee relations manager. RATIONALE - the HR director should include stakeholders from the HR department.

Which change might a corporation make in the way it does business to create a sustainability sweet spot

Redesigning products so that components are made locally from recycled materials, thereby reducing production costs. RATIONALE: sustainability sweet spots create a win-win situation in which the changed products, procedures or processes have a positive impact on society and/or the environment but also on the organization's bottom line. A change that does social or environmental good but costs the organization may be admirable but is not a sweet spot initiative

Which approach to offsetting a downturn is often used by companies in the decline phase of their life cycle

Reducing costs. RATIONALE - decline occurs when an industry, organization, or product begins to experience a sustained drop in demand. When the decline is apparent, leadership often may introduce cost reduction measures

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

Refer to examples of competitors who have met both financial and CSR objectives. RATIONALE - since the CEO is primarily interested in financial performance the CEO needs to see the evidence that financial objectives can successfully coexist with CSR objectives. Giving specific examples of hte impact publicity had on hiring is incorrect because it is the wrong evidence for the audience. Assure the CEO that all recommendations would be reviewed by the legal team is incorrect because the audit may uncover ethical or sustainability issues that are not illegal. Ask the CEO to remember their joint commitment is incorrect because while it may resolve the conflict it is unlikely to convince the CEO.

What type of rules or orders that have the force of law are issued by the US EPA

Regulations. RATIONALE - regulations reflect how laws will be implemented and often have the force of law. An amendment is a modification to the Constitution or a law. A bill is a proposal presented to a legislative body for possible enactment as a statute. An executive order is a directive for a governmental unit.

Which type of survey should an HR professional use to collect information on base pay, incentive plans and benefits

Remuneration. RATIONALE - remuneration surveys, the global terminology for compensation and benefit surveys, are used to collect information on prevailing market compensation and benefit practices. This type of survey allows an organization to check its remuneration structures against global and local trends.

Scenario: A recently promoted HR manager is transferred to a remote facility, due to several complaints of inappropriate behavior and favoritism between the plant manager and the former HR manager. The complaints range from allegations of an affair between the two to poor performance and stealing company property. The head office leaders are highly sensitive to creating an ethical culture and have asked that the new HR manager report back on any discovered issues with the plant manager. This makes the HR manager uncomfortable, because she is trying her best to balance developing a relationship with the plant manager with trying to complete the investigation. The new HR manager begins an investigation and learns that the plant manager believes two female employees in the accounting department reported the theft and the affair. When the HR manager speaks with these employees, they share the belief that they are being retaliated against. Although they were rated as above-average performers, they have been given only minimal wage increases. The investigation identified theft of a number of items by the plant manager. The items are not expensive, but their value is not minor. Additionally, it was learned that the plant manager is actively undermining the new HR manager's authority by telling all managers to ignore any HR recommendations. What action should the HR manager take in regard to the theft of the items by the plant manager

Report this offense to head office leaders. RATIONALE - an ethical culture does not condone theft of any amount; the corporate head office has rightfully asked the HR manager to report issues to them as they arise. Asking the plant manager to return the items is incorrect because the HR manager was asked to report any unethical behaviors. Terminating the plant manager is incorrect because no decision should be made before a proper investigation takes place. Ignoring the issue is not an acceptable response.

What is a direct implication of HR's evolving strategic role

Required competence to develop talent through career development and succession planning. RATIONALE - HR's talent management strategy needs to be aligned to the organization's strategies and business partners' needs. While the other activities listed are important, they are tied more to HR's operational and administrative roles. Operational activities focus on the day-to-day needs of managing people (compensation and incentive systems) while administrative activities focus on transactions, such as implementing payroll or creating and updating employee records.

Which function probably has the greatest impact on future revenue

Research and development. RATIONALE - research and development is responsible for new product design and development, and sales of those products/services will create future revenue. Therefore, robust R&D is required for organizational growth and competitiveness

What is the first step in developing an HR documentation policy

Researching what laws apply, the records required and the retention period. RATIONALE - HR must first identify its obligations (and risks) by defining the laws under which the employer is covered, what documents are required, and how long they must be retained. Establishing a framework and auditing practices cannot be performed until the requirements are identified. Documenting efforts and securing documents require attention but are later steps.

Scenario: To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. Which action should the HR manager take to identify the reasons employees are leaving for the competition

Review exit interview feedback from employees who left to work for competitors. RATIONALE - the HR manager is displaying the business acumen competency by reviewing the exit interview information to understand why employees have left for competitors. Contacting competitor firms and purchasing industry survey are not the best answers because they assume that employees are leaving for better compensation and benefits. Contacting the employees is not the best answer because it is difficult to contact employees once they've left the organization, and employees have no reason to provide the information.

Scenario: A new HR manager joins a manufacturing organization that is experiencing an increase in workplace safety incidents. These incidents are resulting in higher insurance costs, increased absences, reduced productivity, and lower-quality products. A review of compliance functions and key performance indicators shows an excessive increase in the last 12 months. This timeline coincides with the retirement of the compliance manager and the transfer of the duties related to managing workplace safety to the HR department. The manager also compares the number of incidents in the organization with industry standards and determines that the organization's incident rates are 50% greater than the industry average. The HR manager recognizes that changes need to be made immediately in the HR department to improve safety and protect employees from future incidents and injuries. The CEO tasks the HR manager with finding solutions to increase safety knowledge and decrease incidents in the organization. Which approach should the HR manager take to identify the reasons for the excessive number of safety incidents

Review incident reports for the last 12 months to determine if there are patterns. RATIONALE - as the HR manager has limited experience in this area, collecting data allows for more comprehensive analytics to be performed to help in identifying patterns in the safety issues. Speaking with managers or observing employees is incorrect because those would be subsequent steps after themes have been identified from the review of previous incidents to validate what is happening and why it is happening.

Scenario: A new HR manager joins a manufacturing organization that is experiencing an increase in workplace safety incidents. These incidents are resulting in higher insurance costs, increased absences, reduced productivity, and lower-quality products. A review of compliance functions and key performance indicators shows an excessive increase in the last 12 months. This timeline coincides with the retirement of the compliance manager and the transfer of the duties related to managing workplace safety to the HR department. The manager also compares the number of incidents in the organization with industry standards and determines that the organization's incident rates are 50% greater than the industry average. The HR manager recognizes that changes need to be made immediately in the HR department to improve safety and protect employees from future incidents and injuries. The CEO tasks the HR manager with finding solutions to increase safety knowledge and decrease incidents in the organization. What should the HR manager do to increase his own knowledge of safety practices and outcomes in the organization

Review incident reports from the past five years to identify themes and common problems. RATIONALE - giving the limited experience of the HR manager, it is a good first step to validate if there is a correlation between the retirement of the compliance manager and the increase in the number of incidents or if there are other factors contributing to the increase in incidents. Depending on what the HR manager finds, he can create a plan to reduce the number of incidents potentially through a variety of activities (training, work redesign, safety reviews, compliance audits). Visiting similar manufacturing facilities and learning industry best practices are incorrect because each organization has a specific approach to safety and the HR manager would not gain a good understanding of the organization-specific practices. Interviewing employees about their safety practices is incorrect because employees may follow practices to varying degrees and general outcomes may be difficult to ascertain.

An organization developed a new code of conduct 18 months ago but recently discovered that employees are still not following its guidelines. What should the organization do to ensure that employees are following the guidelines

Review key points of the code of conduct and ensure that employees understand it, and incorporate code of conduct training into new employee orientation. RATIONALE - it is not enough to simply create a code of conduct; the organization must ensure that employees understand key point. A good way to do this over a long-term period is to incorporate training on the code of conduct into new hire orientation. Rewriting the code to come into closer alignment with the employees' current action may not sufficiently achieve the goals of the code. Strictly enforcing the code of conduct may not ensure that employees understand the code well enough to follow it. Distributing written copies of the code of conduct and making them accessible in break rooms may be too passive to address the problem.

Scenario: A recently promoted HR manager is transferred to a remote facility, due to several complaints of inappropriate behavior and favoritism between the plant manager and the former HR manager. The complaints range from allegations of an affair between the two to poor performance and stealing company property. The head office leaders are highly sensitive to creating an ethical culture and have asked that the new HR manager report back on any discovered issues with the plant manager. This makes the HR manager uncomfortable, because she is trying her best to balance developing a relationship with the plant manager with trying to complete the investigation. The new HR manager begins an investigation and learns that the plant manager believes two female employees in the accounting department reported the theft and the affair. When the HR manager speaks with these employees, they share the belief that they are being retaliated against. Although they were rated as above-average performers, they have been given only minimal wage increases. The investigation identified theft of a number of items by the plant manager. The items are not expensive, but their value is not minor. Additionally, it was learned that the plant manager is actively undermining the new HR manager's authority by telling all managers to ignore any HR recommendations. The HR manager studies the performance reviews and wage increases for all employees and finds inconsistencies that support the accounting employees' claims of retaliation. Given the HR manager's knowledge of the plant manager's behavior, what is the appropriate next step for the HR manager to take

Review the process for setting wage increases for the accounting department with the company's controller. RATIONALE - The HR manager is conducting a fact-based investigation to determine if there is validity to the claim before taking any action. No changes to wages should be made until an investigation is conducted. The allegations cannot be dismissed, the HR manager has a duty to investigate all claims of unfair treatment or retaliation. No comments or discussions with the employees should be made until the results of the investigation are finalized.

A mining company has had a safety program in place for over ten years. It has been effective in decreasing accidents and injuries. What should HR recommend

Review the technology used in the program to see if newer, more effective technology is now available. RATIONALE - changes in technology may mean that the organization could be better able to detect and deter threats. However, that doesn't mean that the organization should start from scratch with a new program. HR should work to assess the program and look for opportunities for continuous improvement.

What phase of risk assessment is representative by MECE (mutually exclusive and comprehensively exhaustive)

Risk identification. RATIONALE - the organization wants to be confident that all plausible risks for strategic and operational aspects of the business avoid duplication or overlapping in the identification step

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 Maslow's hierarchy

Safety and security. RATIONALE - safety and security level includes acceptable pay, work conditions and job security

Which situation best indicates that training is the preferred solution

Salespeople lack the product knowledge to answer customer questions. RATIONALE: training is not a solution for employee relations problems resulting from poor morale, insufficient rewards or conflicts of values. A needs assessment will identify problems that can be solved elsewhere in the organization.

Which of the following factors might cause a business to expand globally

Saturated market demand at home. RATIONALE - saturated demand at home means that the only growth option (without developing new products and markets at home) is to find new customers in new countries

Which tool would be best for analyzing and presenting data about the relationship between years of education and amount of income

Scatter diagram. RATIONALE - a scatter diagram shows possible relationships between two variables. For example - if an HR professional wanted to find out if there is a relationship between years of education and amount of income, they could create a scatter diagram with the years of education placed on one axis and the amount of income on the other.

Scenario: A company sends a team of employees and one field supervisor to a customer's location for a week. Employees stay in hotel rooms, two employees per room, and receive a daily meal allowance that allows the purchase of one alcoholic beverage. At dinner one evening, the employees have a few alcoholic beverages, and then they return to the hotel, where one employee passes out in the parking lot. The other employees call an ambulance, and emergency personnel ask if the unconscious employee takes any medication. The employee who shares a room with the unconscious employee goes to the room and finds the employee's medication bottles. No one rides in the ambulance or follows it to the hospital. The field supervisor calls HR to report the incident. The HR manager asks if the employee's spouse has been called and which hospital the employee was admitted to. No one knows where the employee has been taken, nor has the employee been in contact with anyone. The field supervisor locates the employee, who is in serious condition. The employee remains unconscious; it is unknown if the employee will recover from the incident. Management wants to end the employment relationship with the employee. The leadership team wants to implement a policy that prohibits sending employees who have medical conditions out of town on business. How should HR handle this request

Schedule a meeting with the leadership team to address their request and offer other options that are focused on the best interests of the business. RATIONALE - this provides an opportunity to hear all points of view and reach a conclusion that is legal and nondiscriminatory and meets the organization's needs. Not allowing those with a medical condition to travel is discriminatory. Ignoring the request is incorrect because HR should take the opportunity to coach managers. Making employees pass a physical is incorrect because legal requirements and reasonable accommodations must be factored into any policy.

An assembly operation has completely redesigned its work floor and added new machines. What would be the best way for HR to fulfill its duty of care to the operation's employees

Schedule a walk-through of the redesigned area during a work shift. RATIONALE - the best approach is to observe the workplace directly by conducting a walk-through. Visual inspection of both the space and the processes as they occur in the space can help HR identify new hazards created by the changes. The interview approach relies on the assessments of managers and supervisors who may not share HR's awareness of safety issues and regulations. Insurers can provide some general input about workplace safety but not specific input. As with managers and supervisors, employees may not be aware of the organization's safety obligations, and a walk-through is a more direct and complete way to gather this information than a partial survey.

Scenario: An organization has witnessed a steady decline in revenue for the past 9 months, and employee morale is low. Department managers are highly competitive with each other and tend to use an authoritarian management style with their teams. As a result, communication across departments is infrequent, employees are distrustful of their managers, and work teams are constantly experiencing delays. Product errors have been increasing as well. The CEO tasks an HR manager with investigating workplace problems and developing solutions. With the CEO's approval, the HR manager begins monthly training workshops with department managers to encourage more cooperation. The CEO asks the HR manager to determine the root cause of the competitive culture of the organization. How should the HR manager collect this information

Schedule individual interviews with each department manager. RATIONALE - it appears that department managers are highly competitive themselves and use authoritarian management styles that drives the behavior through their teams, having discussions with the leadership driving the competitiveness is a good way to understand the root cause of the issue. Reviewing past exit interviews is incorrect because it is not necessarily a representative sample of the organization. Conducting a focus group or reviewing past employee complaints are incorrect because the current manager-employee atmosphere may not produce accurate data.

Scenario: An organization has witnessed a steady decline in revenue for the past 9 months, and employee morale is low. Department managers are highly competitive with each other and tend to use an authoritarian management style with their teams. As a result, communication across departments is infrequent, employees are distrustful of their managers, and work teams are constantly experiencing delays. Product errors have been increasing as well. The CEO tasks an HR manager with investigating workplace problems and developing solutions. With the CEO's approval, the HR manager begins monthly training workshops with department managers to encourage more cooperation. The HR manager believes that department managers do not understand the responsibilities of other departments, which isolates them from each other. What should the HR manager do

Schedule weekly cross-departmental manager meetings to discuss department functions and challenges. RATIONALE - bringing the department managers together to open the lines of communication is an ideal initial step to break down the silos that they have created. Communication training is already taking place; transferring managers to other departments is not a cost-effective approach; hosting a workday retreat doesn't address the sustainability of communication.

Building integrity with the management team is going to be vital in implementing HR policies and procedures. Which action should the HR director take to build credibility with the managers

Scheduling one-on-one meetings with each department head to understand his or her business priorities and obstacles. RATIONALE - taking time to understand the roles of each function within the organization before making radical organizational changes will show the department heads that HR is available to help them in any way possible; this one-on-one time provides the HR director with an opportunity to present customized solutions to each department head based on the department's greatest needs. This approach is collaborative, which builds strong relationships, instead of authoritative which can create hostility. Discussing her concerns with the president is incorrect because as a senior professional, the HR director is expected to solve her own personal problems; as long as no harassment is taking place, HR needs to work to earn trust, respect and credibility instead of relying on the president for protection. Waiting for the managers to come to her is incorrect because the HR director needs to be proactive in holding one-on-one meetings with each department head; the department heads may not feel comfortable asking questions or sharing concerns until the HR director has earned credibility. Designing a new form for the recruitment process is incorrect because mandating paperwork is precisely what the managers are worried HR will do. A new form may be necessary but it must be delivered in a way that is collaborative and not demeaning to the managers who are accustomed to hiring their own people without any forms.

Which should be a primary concern for employers regarding the "bring your own deceive" (BYOD) technology approach

Security and data integrity threats. RATIONALE - while asking people to bring their own devices can lower costs and improve efficiency, effectiveness and morale, it also raises a host of security concerns. Many security scenarios raise the risk for the unauthorized disclosure or destruction of business data. Fortunately, most of these concerns can be addressed through a well-crafted policy.

Which motivational theory emphasizes the importance of autonomy, competency and purpose

Self-determination. RATIONALE - the self-determination theory is based on a belief that people are motivated when they have the ability to direct their actions (autonomy), when they can increase their mastery (competence) and when an action serves a larger purpose (purpose).

Scenario: An HR manager is contacted via telephone by an employee concerned about the need for the replacement of protective equipment currently being used. The employee indicates that the equipment is damaged and that, despite several attempts to bring the concern to the attention of the supervisor, the equipment has not yet been replaced. The firm's compliance with safety standards in the industry is reported publicly on an ongoing basis. During the conversation, the spouse of the employee can be heard speaking loudly in the background. The spouse is expressing dissatisfaction with the company's response to this concern. Shortly after the call, the HR manager is notified that the spouse has posted comments on a social media site indicating that the firm is out of compliance with safety standards. The public relations department is also made aware of the posting. The HR manager contacts the employee to discuss the post and requests removal from the social media site. This request further angers the spouse, and additional comments are immediately posted. The employee informs the HR manager that the spouse has requested a meeting with the firm's leadership team to discuss this further.What is the best route for the HR manager to take to decrease the current level of anxiety for the employee and the spouse

Set the employee's expectation as to what the immediate next steps will be and provide a preliminary idea of the timing of the process. RATIONALE - the key is to be transparent and keep the employee informed of actions that will be taken; since this is a safety concern, the issue should be a priority for the HR manager and a potential timeline for action steps should be given; this is important since the employee reached out to HR after alleged past reports to the supervisor. Coordinate the discussion for a later time without the spouse is incorrect because putting the discussion off may add to the concerns that the employer is not acting quickly enough. Offering to include the spouse in the discussion is incorrect because this is a private internal investigation. Requesting to resume the conversation when the employee calms down is incorrect because it is counterproductive and may escalate the matter further by increasing the employee's anxiety

Scenario: 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 for the HR generalist to take at this point

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. RATIONALE - The HR generalist should take every complaint seriously. As such, a meeting should be conducted to gather additional information in order to determine whether an investigation is needed. The HR generalist should then propose a course of action to the HR manager. Having a meeting with all parties is incorrect; encouraging the employee to discuss this with their supervisor is incorrect; telling the senior leadership team to stop would assume they are guilty without formal investigation.

Specific units develop areas of expertise and then create HR policies in these areas. The specialized units provide services to all units. Which type of model is this

Shared services. RATIONALE - with a shared services model, specific areas of expertise develop HR policies in those areas; each unit can then select what it needs from a menu of these services.

What is the key benefits of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system over function-based stand-alone systems

Shared, current database for all departments. RATIONALE - an ERP integrates current data from across an organization's functional areas, while a stand-alone system would require a customized bridge to access the ERP database. Integrated data enables more thorough analysis. Stand-alone systems can provide significant analytical power. Customization and forecasting can be performed in integrated and stand-alone systems.

Scenario: 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 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

Show how the LMS can effectively use technology, trends and innovation to support the organizational strategy. RATIONALE - the TDL should develop knowledge about LMS applications that directly support the organizational strategy. Surveying leadership about what they would like to see in an LMS is incorrect because the founder and senior leaders may not know enough about current LMs trends and capabilities to see how it might support orientations. Tasking millennials to research the LMS is incorrect because millennials may assume general understand and their presentation may be over the heads of senior leaders. Implement the new LMS and then show the effectiveness is incorrect because the TDL needs to obtain buy in by demonstrating how it will support the organization's strategy.

Which alternative dispute resolution (ADR) option allows an organization to determine who will resolve disputes

Single designated officer. RATIONALE - an organization using the single designated officer approach to ADR designates and empowers a specific individual within the organization to investigate and resolve disputes.

What leadership theory is characterized by the belief that managers must use different leadership styles depending on the circumstances

Situational leadership theory. RATIONALE - the situational leadership theory states that different leadership styles should be used on the situation in which managers find themselves. The trait theory states that leaders possess different traits than average people do. According to the behavioral theory, how a person behaves determines leadership effectiveness. The motivational theory looks at factors causing job satisfaction and dissatisfaction

What action would best support a group creativity session

Start thinking of responses only after listening to what each person has to say. RATIONALE - active listening requires turning away from oneself - one's preconceptions about the speaker, concerns about what's being said, one's own needs, possible responses and focusing instead on the speaker.

Scenario: A new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints. Which is the best first step for the HR manager to take

Step back and take in the big picture before deciding how HR activities can be aligned to support the organization's strategy. RATIONALE - stepping back to take in the big picture is the best response - before taking action, the new HR manager should determine which course of action will be supportive to the organization's overall strategy. Implementing an HR strategy that worked at a previous employer is incorrect because there is no single HR strategy that will work for every company; no strategy should be implemented until the HR manager has a clear understanding of the organization's strategy; after gaining this understanding, the HR manager can implement an HR strategy that is aligned with the organization's needs. Call for a committee to develop a plan to outsource work is incorrect because it is premature and may not be in line with the organization's overall strategy. Begin working on benchmarking the company's wages is incorrect because without a more thorough examination of the reasons for turnover, this might raise company costs without impacting turnover and productivity, and this would be in direct conflict with company strategy.

An HR team member is working on a critical activity that must be done in a very precise sequence with no room for innovation. Because the task is important, the HR manager monitors the team member's performance very closely. The performance is routinely satisfactory and often exemplary. The manager notes that the team member seems to have low morale and a bad attitude. According to Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, what can the manager do to reduce job dissatisfaction

Stop supervising the team member so closely. According to Herzberg, job dissatisfaction is influenced by hygiene factors (pay, job security, working conditions, work relationships, supervisor style). If the supervisor's hands-on style is affecting the team member's job dissatisfaction, backing off might reduce it. Providing recognition, training and creativity would increase motivation and thus increase job satisfaction but would not reduce dissatisfaction.

Which is the difference between a strategic alliance and a joint venture

Strategic alliances do not involve equity; joint ventures require that both partners contribute equally. RATIONALE - a strategic alliance is a formal agreement between two or more companies to collaborate and contribute resources but not equity. Strategic alliances create synergy based on the partners' strengths and technical capabilities. A joint venture is an agreement between two or more parties to create a new economic entity. Both partners contribute equity and share in revenues, expenses and control

A new CEO is selected to lead an organization that has grown over time but has not revisited staffing structure or responded to industry changes. What may be hindering the organizational strategy

Strategic drift. RATIONALE - strategic drift occurs when an organization fails to recognize and respond to changes in its environment (such as stagnant organizational culture) that necessitate strategic change

Which activity is HR most likely to perform at the corporate level using an upstream/downstream model

Strategic planning. RATIONALE - when using the upstream/downstream model, an organization keeps strategy at the corporate or upstream level since it does not require local adaptations

Which part of the SWOT analysis identified the core competencies of a global enterprise

Strengths and weaknesses. RATIONALE - strengths and weaknesses refer to the internal environment. Competitive compensation and benefits could be a strength and a lack of diversity in managerial positions could be a weakness. Opportunities and threats come from the external environment.

What are the primary categories of barriers to effective risk management

Structural, cognitive, and cultural. RATIONALE - the primary categories of barriers to effective risk management are structural, cognitive, and cultural. An organization's structure, willingness to change, and values will impact its willingness to engage in risk management. Time, money, resources, location, personnel, and equipment may be impacted by risk management efforts but they don't drive those efforts. Similarly, opportunities, threats, weaknesses may be part of what the organization looks at as part of its risk management efforts, but they don't drive those efforts

Scenario: A newly hired HR director of a small nonprofit organization notices that the organization is lacking a comprehensive compensation philosophy and salary rate structure. New hires routinely receive higher pay than more-senior employees. The organization does not have a performance management process, and not all employees receive yearly salary increases. The CEO is concerned that the organization will lose quality staff without a strategic focus on its employees, and she tasks the HR director with designing and implementing a performance management model for the organization. What recommendation should the HR VP make after conducting the review and analysis of the current performance management system

Suggest a complete review of the performance management system due to perceived central tendency errors. RATIONALE - a complete and thorough review in which HR looks at all the data should be a prerequisite before making any recommendations to change the performance appraisal process. Doing nothing is incorrect. Waiting six months to see if things change is incorrect because it would only hurt the company further given the current turnover rates. Eliminate the performance appraisal process is incorrect because it is premature to do before reviewing all data.

Under the system of codetermination, whose approval is required by management prior to implementing strategic plans

Supervisor board. RATIONALE - under codetermination, a firm's supervisor board must approve management decisions before they can be implemented. The supervisor board includes workers, who can comprise as many as half of the supervisory board members

Which activity is considered an HR strategic responsibility

Support an organization's core business functions. The three major areas of HR's involvement in strategy are participating in creating the organizational strategy, aligning HR's functional strategy with the organizational strategy and then supporting other functions as they work to fulfill their own strategic goals. HR must act as a business partner for all other functions.

In order to further its D&I initiative, an organization wants to help its employee resource groups (ERGs) succeed. Which role should HR take

Supporting the establishment of ERG-focused programs. RATIONALE - ERGs and their parent organizations can serve as resources for one another, and the parent organization can provide support and expertise. But a critical element of ERGs is that they are self-selecting. By joining an ERG, an employee chooses to focus on one of many diversity dimensions that comprise her/his identity or interests. By the same token, organizational sponsorship, rather than leadership, is the appropriate role.

A company with a specialty product that has gained rapid popularity with hospitals has grown quickly from 15 employees to 300 in a one-year period. The organization expects to continue to grow by several hundred employees per year for the foreseeable future. The president's secretary has been handling all human resources matters, and the accounting department has been handling payroll. The supervisors have been making their own human resources decisions regarding recruitment, employee relations, discipline, and rewards, with various levels of success. The president pays little attention to the day-to-day operations of the business and focuses his attention on marketing and publicity. He decides that it is now necessary to hire an HR director to lead and manage the HR function. The supervisors are resistant to having a formal HR function in the company, believing that it will create unnecessary work and affect their ability to effectively manage the organization. During the interview process, the president indicates that there are a number of areas in need of focused attention, as the organization does not have job descriptions or a formal compensation structure and benefits are the same as when the company started. On the HR director's first day, there is no formal onboarding process. The president suggests that a good starting point for the HR director is to create a plan and catch up on the recruiting requests for the growing company. He then walks the HR director to her new office, offers to help with any questions, and walks away. The HR director understands the need to develop and implement an effective strategic plan - what should be her first step in developing the plan

Talking to senior leaders, long-time managers, and other key stakeholders to get an overall understanding of the company. RATIONALE - the first step in developing a strategic plan is for HR to understand the big picture. By talking to senior leadership and long-time employees, the HR director can develop an understanding of the company's culture, values and ethics. The president's secretary can assist by providing critical information on how the HR function has been working in the past and what some of the critical elements have been. Developing a recruiting plan is incorrect because the president specifically requests that recruiting should be handled first so HR should devote time immediately to that but a recruiting plan is only one part of a comprehensive strategic HR plan. The HR plan needs to begin with a big picture view not by creating one piece of it. Develop HR metrics to measure effectiveness is incorrect because while they measure HR function, they would be determined after a comprehensive strategic HR plan is developed; the HR director must first know what to measure in order to chose valuable metrics. Conducting a SWOT of the HR function is incorrect because it should be conducted after gaining a better understanding of the overall organization, specifically its mission, culture, etc.

Scenario: 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

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. RATIONALE - the turnover analysis would be specific to the organization and would lead to actionable response within the organization. Asking senior management to say why there are so many positions open and meeting with hiring manager to more effectively project hiring needs are not correct because the ydo not draw on a specific metric for senior leaders to observe. The information provided by comparing the company to the industry is not as actionable as a turnover analysis.

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

Telling. RATIONALE - the telling leadership style prioritizes the task (providing direction) over the relationship (creating motivation). Entry level employees require leadership that provides structure to project scheduling, methodologies, procedures, etc. when the new employee gains proficiency, the leader can begin to focus on "selling" or motivating. Because the new employee does not possess sufficient experience or insight into best practices, he or she cannot adequately participate in joint problem solving or decision making, which would characterize participation and delegating approaches.

Scenario: An HR manager receives an e-mail from a department director with a request for termination of a groundskeeping employee. The company's recreational vehicle resort is over 200 miles away from the company headquarters where the HR manager works. The terminated employee works at the resort and lives onsite. The memo states that the director terminated the employee yesterday for gross misconduct. The employee had a good performance record during his career of 10 years. The groundskeeper was working in the heat all morning and then informed the director he was going home for lunch and a cold beer. Later the groundskeeper radioed the director that he was running late in returning from lunch. Subsequent communications led to the director sending a student worker to the employee's trailer to pick him up and return to the office. Upon their return, the groundskeeper smelled of alcohol, and the student worker reported to the director that the intoxicated groundskeeper offered the under-aged student worker a beer, which was refused. The student worker stressed that she did not want to get the groundskeeper in any trouble; however, the groundskeeper insisted that he be allowed to drive the golf cart back to the office after drinking beer, which made the student feel uncomfortable. The HR manager reviews the documentation and is concerned about the director's actions. Had the director contacted HR first before terminating the groundskeeper's employment, which recommended action would the HR manager have suggested

Thank the student worker for raising her concern and drive the groundskeeper for a drug/alcohol test to be taken immediately. RATIONALE - a drug test would provide undeniable evidence that the groundskeeper was intoxicated so a decision could be based on the fact and would keep the company free from legal mitigation. This needs to happen while the alcohol is still in his system. Terminating the groundskeeper for gross misconduct is incorrect because it is best to conduct a thorough investigation, complete a drug/alcohol test first. Placing the groundskeeper on a final warning is incorrect due to the potential risk a repeat episode could occur. Waiting until HR is at the office is incorrect because this decision needs to be made quickly via phone.

cenario: An HR manager is asked by the vice president of HR to define and implement a simulation-based assessment center that uses specially trained observers to rate each candidate's performance. The need is to assess which employees have potential for promotion into management. The VP of HR is familiar with this practice, having used the technique in a prior company, and she sees the assessment center as a best practice innovation. The VP of HR is new and comes from a large but entirely domestic organization with an aging workforce. Her new company is a global organization with eight operations located around the world. It is highly diverse in terms of ethnicity, and the average worker is probably 15 to 20 years younger than the VP of HR is used to. In researching methodologies, the HR manager stumbles onto an online assessment system that requires no trainers and raters, takes 75% less time to complete than the assessment center process, and has higher validity and reliability as an assessment technique. Given that the HRVP has already indicated a preference for the assessment center approach, what would be the most effective way to reopen the options for this project

The HR manager should emphasize business needs met by the online assessment option that are not provided by the traditional method. RATIONALE - this focuses on business needs and is objective. Asking other VP's to talk to the HRVP would undermine her authority and have a negative impact on her relationship with the HR manager. Asking the HRVP to complete an online assessment may make the HRVP uncomfortable. Conducting a small pilot study on their own is incorrect because is usurps the HRVP's authority and could be seen as a challenge to the HRVP's authority.

Which best describes technology's impact on employee engagement levels

The boundaries between work and non-work life are increasingly overlapping, contributing to employee fatigue and burnout. RATIONALE: while technology has provided flexibility in how, when, and where work is produced, many times at a lover cost, it has contributed to employees having a harder time separating work from non-work time, leading to fatigue and burnout

Which factor is most important to consider when an organization is seeking to globalize its leadership development program

The culture in each country as it affects how leaders emerge. RATIONALE - the culture of each country impacts the adoption of the program. Examining the organization's internal culture is not enough; it is important to also consider global leadership concepts. Leadership development programs should be accessible to all, not just those who have the potential to assume leadership roles. Executive buy-in at each location is incorrect because change may have to be made to accommodate local norms.

Scenario: A mid-sized company has a strict attendance policy stating that any absence of three days or more without contact from the employee is considered job abandonment and the employee is subject to termination. The organization has experienced significant growth over the years, and the increase in the employee population has prompted stricter policies, which some staff view as unnecessarily controlling. One manager's best employee has been absent without contact for four days and calls in. The employee indicates he had some unexpected personal problems involving his teenage child. The employee did not call earlier due to being distraught, occupied with the situation, and also a bit embarrassed. According to the policy, the employee must be terminated, but the manager is reluctant to do so because this is the department's best employee. This is the first violation, and the serious family issues could escalate if the employee is terminated. Senior leadership has recently taken a tough stance on consistently adhering to company policies and practices due to complaints of favoritism. The manager is hesitant to go to HR for fear they will recommend termination. Instead the manager seeks counsel from a member of the senior leadership team who is a relative and who supports the decision to not terminate the employee. When the employee is not terminated, an anonymous complaint is filed via the employee hotline system. It alleges discrimination and favoritism; there is also a comment about too many new policies. The employee is named, and the complainant demands that other employees terminated under the no-call, no-show policy be reinstated. The protocol requires that HR review all discrimination complaints. Which is the appropriate outcome for the attendance policy violation

The employee should be terminated per the company policy, to reinforce a consistent focus on policies that have been adopted and put in place. RATIONALE - the fact that the employee is a good performer does not exempt that person from being held accountable for adhering to company policy; part of HR's role is to make the business case to managers for consistently applying the policy to all employees. Immediately terminating the involved leader and the manager to reinforce senior leadership's views on consistency is incorrect because it has not been determined that the manager's behavior was a policy violation. The employee should not be suspended but should be terminated per company policy. If an exception to the policy is made then there is not point in having a strict policy because employees will not take it seriously

An employee who has been in the department for only a month asks his supervisor for feedback. The supervisor lists three ways in which the employee's performance is inadequate. How is the employee likely to react

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

A family-owned business with 100 employees wants to set up a retirement plan. If the organization implements a qualified defined contribution plan, what restrictions does the ERISA impose on the investment of the assets

The employer has a fiduciary responsibility to invest the pension fund as any prudent person would. RATIONALE - the employer must follow the prudent person rule with respect to its handline, investment and management of the plan's assets. The employer cannot take more risks than a reasonably knowledgeable, prudent investor would under similar circumstances. Conflicts of interest do not always have to be disclosed. Investment advisors are not required to be registered investment brokers. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation does not insure retirement plans that do not promise specific benefit amounts.

Scenario Question: A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity. One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility. The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session. What is the first step the VP should take before proceeding to the factory

The following day, members of the HR team separately contact the HRVP with concerns about the incident. Which action should the VP take to address the concerns of the HR team? Meet with the HR team as a group, discussing what happened and listening to concerns they have. RATIONALE - meeting with the HR team as a group to discuss their concerns is the best answer - the HR team will likely be concerned and unsettled; bringing them together for reassurance and to hear their concerns will help; reinforce that there is a place to address the situation. Asking the HR team to document their concerns to share with the site manager is incorrect because this may create additional anxiety and opportunity for gossip; the HRVP should convey the facts and concerns to the general manager on behalf of the HR team. Bringing the HR team together and asking the HR manager to apologize to them is incorrect because of the history of the HR manager's volatile behavior, an apology may not be well received; if the HR manager feels pressured to provide an apology it may not be seen as sincere and could create additional concern. Requesting that they meet with the HR manager one on one is not correct given the history of the HR manager, this could further exacerbate the situation.

Which of the following is considered a criterion for effective ERGs as established by DiversityInc

The group has a formal charter. RATIONALE - DiversityInc recommends formal charters for ERGs. The other options refer to criteria for effective diversity councils, not ERGs.

An HR Manager for a trucking company is new to her profession, her job and her community. She wants to build a professional network. Which external stakeholder would offer the most value to the HR manager at this point in her career

The guidance counselor at the high school. RATIONALE - the HR manager can probably establish a mutually beneficial relationship with the high school guidance counselor. The counselor can provide the HR manager with an understanding of the labor pool and access to recruits, while the HR manager can visit classes or arrange internships. The logistics head is an internal stakeholder. The bank manager and state house member would be useful contacts in a few years, when the HR manager is ready for more strategic business activities.

What indicates that an organization is using strategic planning and management

The organization's structure, resources and policies are aligned to meet agreed-upon goals. RATIONALE - strategic planning and management are distinguished by the way assets, structure and policies are focused and integrated to achieve goals. The mere existence and communication of the mission and vision does not mean that an organization is using strategic planning and management. The organization's core competencies may be distributed across multiple functions; they will probably not be the same in each function. A cross-functional team pointed toward problem resolution does not distinguish an organization as having a strategic plan that is well managed.

HR seeks employee volunteers to compare two possible wellness programs. Their responses will be aggregated and analyzed to make a recommendation to senior management. How would you assess this critical analysis

The sampling approach is flawed. RATIONALE - the problem with this approach is that the employees have volunteered. This may attract participants who are not neutral about the program. A better approach would be to invite a randomly selected group of employees to participate and offer some nominal reward. Sample size would depend on the size of the workforce, which is not indicated here. Assessment tools and training in using them can improve reliability in ratings. The tools themselves can be validated by experienced HR staff.

Which would constitute an unfair labor practice (ULP)

The union fines a member for criticizing union actions. RATIONALE - ULPs can be committed by employers and unions. In this question, the union commits a ULP by coercing a member and interfering with the member's freedom of speech. It is not a ULP for the union to distribute to employees items like hats or buttons and in most cases, employees can wear them to work. An employer is not required to give union members preferential treatment, although it is obligated to honor the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. Employers also have the right to discourage unionization as long as they do not threaten, interrogate, punish or spy on employees.

An employee refuses to follow a supervisor's job instructions. The supervisor discharges the employee on the spot for insubordination. Which best describes the handling of this case

There was insufficient due process. RATIONALE - the termination was conducted in a hasty manner, and more deliberation would have reduced legal risk. Rather than a summary discharge, the supervisor's initial reaction should have been to schedule a meeting with HR and the employee to discuss the event. On the positive side, the employee was told the reason, it was documented in the file and HR acted promptly. However, HR's investigation was not thorough and seems as hasty as the supervisor's action.

Why is it important to involve stakeholders at various points in a project

They can increase acceptance of the project's eventual outcome. RATIONALE - the best answer is that stakeholders involvement can improve and increase acceptance of the project's outcome. Stakeholders do not always contribute to budget or have access to management. They can be users rather than influencers or funders.

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

Think about what might be motivating the HR director in his job. RATIONALE - the staff member is in an early stage of winning support. It may help to understand the director's goals (perhaps by observing decisions and statements) so that she can show how the benefit idea could advance those goals. It is too soon for a business care or testimonials. The resume will probably not provide an accurate sense of what motivates the director.

Which best identifies the reason why many OED programs begin with data collection from all parties affected

This provides multiple perspectives that allow for a deeper understanding of the issue. RATIONALE: data collection from all affected parties leads to deeper understanding of the issue, including multiple perspectives on the issue itself and its effects and possible causes. Management personnel are stakeholders whose whole needs must be managed in an OED intervention. A better understanding will probably result in more efficient budgeting but this is not the main purpose of data collection. Best practices are explored once the need is more fully understood.

Scenario: A new HR manager begins work for an organization that processes benefit claims for its self-funded clients. Most of its 400 employees are low-level clerical workers, with only a few employees in higher-skilled positions. The HR manager finds on the first day of work that the conditions are far different than those described in the interview. While salary ranges are established, they are outdated and appear to be 35% below current market rates. There is an employee handbook, but it is so incomplete and out-of-date that the HR staff has wisely stopped giving it out to employees. Payroll and insurance are run by an accounting department that views communication with employees as the job of HR. The 80% turnover rate surprises the new HR manager, who had assumed that the interviewer's description of "high" turnover in an office environment meant 30%. Everyone has been trained on a new HRIS, but it sits in a corner uninstalled. The organization's business model is to be a low-cost provider. The organization has streamlined the work to be done with as little training and experience as possible. The organization is located in an industrial park in a low-cost city. While personnel costs are the major portion of its expenses, the hiring strategy seems to be "don't let warm bodies get away." The HR manager's orientation has consisted primarily of introductory interviews with department directors who operate independently and expect HR to only prescreen applicants and take care of employee complaints.What priority should the HR manager give the unused HRIS

This should be a priority after maintaining services to other departments. RATIONALE - this strikes a balance between operational and strategic missions; HR must continue to support the other departments while trying to improve its own internal operations. A lower priority than a SWOT analysis is incorrect because the HR manager should first ensure the needs of other departments are met. This should be a top priority is incorrect because the data from the HRIS will help inform the SWOT results, the company has already analyzed the need for the HRIS and has made the decision to purchase it. This should be a low priority because of the implementation time is incorrect because the implementation will not be improved by waiting, the system will provide important insights when choosing which HR initiatives will provide the best return on investment.

What is the ultimate function of executive management

To be responsible for all core business functions and their effect on the organization's performance. RATIONALE - executive management is primarily responsible for using the organization's resources to improve its value. This means creating strategies that align with external and internal environments and working with each business function to maximize a return on resources allocated to that function. Core business functions create and implement their own strategies in alignment with the organization's strategy. Executive management may be the primary interface with investors, but administrative functions, like public relations and government relations, interface with those groups. Leading a vision is critical to achieving a strategy and is in that sense a secondary responsibility of executive management.

Why is it important for an HR director to establish internal partnerships with the managers of each business unit

To demonstrate how HR can provide business unit value. RATIONALE - building strong partnerships between HR and business units allows HR professionals to illustrate how they can help the units with HR-related issues such as staffing and performance appraisals. Partnerships also increase HR's understanding of other business unit operations by providing them with an expert contact in each area. By building these partnerships, HR professionals create environments where future decisions are made collaboratively and support between departments is reciprocal.

What is the primary purpose of a safety self-audit

To ensure employee compliance with the organization's safety programs. RATIONALE - a safety self-audit is conducted by an employer to assure the organization that employees are following safety-related policies and procedures. Workers' compensation premiums are most directly affected by an organization's rate of injuries. Being prepared to handle an emergency is a good practice, but it is more related to procedures and training than to an audit. An audit can only capture evidence of compliance or noncompliance. Compliance alone, especially if policies and training are faulty, wll not eliminate unsafe acts.

Which identifies the primary purpose of employer branding

To establish the organization as an employer of choice. RATIONALE - although there are many benefits associated with employer branding, the primary purpose is to communicate why the organization is an employer of choice

How should an HR professional use trend analysis

To plan possible responses to changes in labor supply. RATIONALE - trend analysis describes patterns in the past and projects future conditions based on those patterns. For example - HR can see when declines in certain types of degrees will become problematic for the organization and require a strategic response. Analyzing the fit of HR-related policies to a specific country's cultural environment, creating strategic alignment and assessing HR performance do not produce information about what will happen in the future.

Scenario: A call center needs to hire more than 1,000 employees over the next three months to meet its hiring needs for a new health-care contract. The terms of the contract require that all employees have clear background screenings and at least half be multilingual. Currently, 25 managers and 10 employees meet all the requirements. Senior management has offered to actively participate in the hiring process and has made many suggestions, including group interviews, mass training, and virtual hiring and training. The CEO has asked HR to take the lead in putting together a comprehensive project plan within the next week to be presented to the management team. The call center's HR department consists of 10 employees: the HR director, the recruiting manager, the talent development manager, the employee relations manager, the total rewards manager, the payroll director, two recruiters, and two entry-level HR professionals. The HR team decides to implement a structured interview as part of the hiring phase. What should the HR director do to ensure that the interviews provide the same quality and quantity of information to each candidate

Train a group of HR team members and call center managers to conduct the interviews. RATIONALE - to ensure consistency, make sure the HR team members and call center managers are appropriately trained. Having multiple interviewers or adapting the interviews to the applicant does not involve training or accountability. Having HR do the interviews does not involve the call center managers.

What recommendation should HR suggest once a union acceptance strategy is agreed to by senior leaders

Training management in collaboration and conflict strategies. RATIONALE - once it accepts the presence of unions, management must decide if the relationship will be confrontational or cooperative. Training in the areas will be needed to prepare managers. Accepting a union does not necessitate strategic collaboration or complete transparency about all management decisions.

Scenario: A new HR manager joins a manufacturing organization that is experiencing an increase in workplace safety incidents. These incidents are resulting in higher insurance costs, increased absences, reduced productivity, and lower-quality products. A review of compliance functions and key performance indicators shows an excessive increase in the last 12 months. This timeline coincides with the retirement of the compliance manager and the transfer of the duties related to managing workplace safety to the HR department. The manager also compares the number of incidents in the organization with industry standards and determines that the organization's incident rates are 50% greater than the industry average. The HR manager recognizes that changes need to be made immediately in the HR department to improve safety and protect employees from future incidents and injuries. The CEO tasks the HR manager with finding solutions to increase safety knowledge and decrease incidents in the organization. An HR generalist joins an organization and seeks to form relationships with internal stakeholders. What approach should the generalist take to foster and grow connections

Try to create trust and establish an equal exchange of ideas and expertise. RATIONALE - effective relationships are based on shared values and mutual interests and aid. Relationships should be mutually beneficial and not be used to advance only one party. Looking for influence and wins will not create trust in the long run. Being passive about relationship building shows a lack of leadership and courage.

Which must be permitted when conducting an investigative interview of a union employee

Union representative adding information supporting the employee's case. RATIONALE - the union representative must be allowed to add information supporting the employee's case at the end of the interview. The employer is not required to bargain with the representative during an investigative interview. The union representative cannot tell the employee what to say during the interview. The employee may be prohibited from bringing an attorney or a relative to the interview.

Scenario: A company sends a team of employees and one field supervisor to a customer's location for a week. Employees stay in hotel rooms, two employees per room, and receive a daily meal allowance that allows the purchase of one alcoholic beverage. At dinner one evening, the employees have a few alcoholic beverages, and then they return to the hotel, where one employee passes out in the parking lot. The other employees call an ambulance, and emergency personnel ask if the unconscious employee takes any medication. The employee who shares a room with the unconscious employee goes to the room and finds the employee's medication bottles. No one rides in the ambulance or follows it to the hospital. The field supervisor calls HR to report the incident. The HR manager asks if the employee's spouse has been called and which hospital the employee was admitted to. No one knows where the employee has been taken, nor has the employee been in contact with anyone. The field supervisor locates the employee, who is in serious condition. The employee remains unconscious; it is unknown if the employee will recover from the incident. Management wants to end the employment relationship with the employee. Which action should HR take to ensure that supervisors act appropriately in emergency situations without fear of violating employee privacy

Use a collaborative approach with leaders to create and communicate a company-wide protocol that outlines steps to take in an emergency situation. RATIONALE - collaboration provides all stakeholders with the opportunity to provide input resulting in better buy-in and understanding the need for training. Asking managers to rely on common sense is incorrect because training needs to be provided for consistency and to set expectations. Failure to share key medical information with emergency medical personnel could be deadly and HR should not be the first person contacted in an emergency situation.

Scenario: 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 using 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 than 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

Use both process and outcomes evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the program. RATIONALE - using the process evaluation monitors the activities and components that are actually being used and performed. The outcomes evaluation determines the actual results achieved, asking questions like "does the culture of the organization promote ethical conduct and discourage misconduct?" Having spontaneous conversations is incorrect because it will yield no useful, actionable data. Measuring attrition rates is incorrect because not enough time has passed to use these methods of measurement. Getting feedback from department heads is valuable but it is not comprehensive enough to ascertain the acceptance of the new culture.

An operations manager wants to hire additional full-time employees. The HR business partner knows that the need for additional resources will probably only be temporary, based on historical data. What would be the best way to persuade the operations manager that using temporary workers would be a better tactic

Use the data. Show the manager the resource trend charts for the past several years. RATIONALE - if the business partner has the data, she should use it, because a rational approach to persuasion is the most useful tactic. Without data appealing to the manager's empathy with workers might help. Escalating the issue is not showing leadership and may damage the relationship. Avoiding the issue also does not show leadership.

Technological forces have had which critical effect on today's CSR practices

Using analytical capabilities has made CSR impacts more demonstrable. RATIONALE: data mining and analytics capabilities have made CSR factors more readily measurable and their impacts moe demonstrable and understandable. This has increased accountability, helped shape regulatory requirements and given organizations a powerful strategic tool (where measurable performance results are positive)

cenario: An HR manager is asked by the vice president of HR to define and implement a simulation-based assessment center that uses specially trained observers to rate each candidate's performance. The need is to assess which employees have potential for promotion into management. The VP of HR is familiar with this practice, having used the technique in a prior company, and she sees the assessment center as a best practice innovation. The VP of HR is new and comes from a large but entirely domestic organization with an aging workforce. Her new company is a global organization with eight operations located around the world. It is highly diverse in terms of ethnicity, and the average worker is probably 15 to 20 years younger than the VP of HR is used to. In researching methodologies, the HR manager stumbles onto an online assessment system that requires no trainers and raters, takes 75% less time to complete than the assessment center process, and has higher validity and reliability as an assessment technique. What would be the best criteria to use in deciding whether to implement their or both assessment alternatives

Validity in predicting success and accessibility to all qualified employees. RATIONALE - validity is crucial in identifying employees with true potential and accessibility is critical in a global organization. Getting anecdotal evidence is not reliable enough to make a decision. Analyzing cost effectiveness is not a criteria that is as highly valued as the validity and access. User acceptance and time of assessment do not speak to the ability of the tool to identify good candidates for management positions

A new HR manager is eager to win support for her idea for a new employee benefit. Which type of colleague would be a good ally in this situation

Veteran HR manager familiar with how decisions are made and with connections in other areas. RATIONALE - the best ally in this situation is the veteran manager who can educate the new professional on organizational politics, preferences and decision-making styles. The head of HR and the up-and-coming HR manager may be unreliable allies because of their own goals. The expert may be too invested in the status quo of the benefits program.

An organization examines the level of probability for all types of losses to which it may be exposed. What aspect of risk is the organization studying

Vulnerability. RATIONALE - vulnerability refers to the degree of probability that a loss will occur. Impact is the possible effect on the organization and tolerance is the amount of risk the organization can handle if an event occurs. Mitigation planning occurs after analysis of probability of risk and the speed of onset

Scenario: 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

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. RATIONALE - this educates all employees while addressing the root cause and avoids allocating blame after the fact. Confidentially meeting the with two employees is incorrect because it assumes the use was abusive or avoidable when it may not have been - this could be seen as threatening or harassing the employee. Do nothing is incorrect because an explanation needs to be given to the employees as to why the changes are needed. Issuing DA is incorrect because in the absence or proof or evidence of fraud or similar willful abuse, it is inappropriate to consider formal discipline.

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

Watching how people react to other team members in team discussions. RATIONALE - a person's social status in an organization may be observed in how others listen and respond to what he or she ways. Seeing the types of people who earn respect in the organization, the new HR professional can work to imitate their actions. Ideally, the formal aspects of the organization, such as values statements, would be good indicators, but the formal and informal aspects of organizations are not always aligned. Informal discussions are a good idea, but a formal interview with HR managers may not provide perspective from all parts of the function. The informal aspects of an organization, such as the characteristics that make someone respected and trusted, may vary from one organization to the next.

An organization wants to encourage its employees to improve their health and fitness. How could technology increase employee involvement in this goal

Wearable technology that gathers and uploads data to the cloud. RATIONALE - wearable technology, such as watches, that record data on activity, heart rate, and other health indicators, can upload data automatically to the cloud. Employees can then track their own data against goals they may have set. It could even be used to create groups competing against each other toward goals. This is an interactive, automated and actionable way to connect employees with healthful goals.

Scenario Question: A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity. One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility. The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session. What is the first step the VP should take before proceeding to the factory

What steps should the HRVP take to address the condition of the HR office? Work with the second shift HR generalist to clean up the damage and destruction to the HR office. RATIONALE - working with the generalist to clean up the office is the best response, it is consistent with the company's value of constant respect for people. Leaving the office for everyone to see is incorrect because there is security footage to reference and there is no need to leave the office in shambles for others to witness. Demanding the HR manager return to clean it up is incorrect because this could only further exacerbate the matter. Requesting that employees from the site help clean the office is incorrect because there is not need to create disruption and potential productivity issues in the factory by bringing in more people to witness the mess

A differential piece-rate pay system works best in which type of environment

When a link between the attainment of goals or achievement and the level of desired pay is needed. RATIONALE- with differential piece-rate systems, the employee receives on piece rate up to the standard and then a higher rate once the standard has been exceeded. This type of system provides employees with a pay basis but then links the attainment of certain productivity goals or achievement directly to their pay. For example- a salesperson may receive a certain base pay but will earn more if they meet a sales quote. Another example - a manufacturing employee who earns a premium over her base rate of pay when exceeding the daily productivity goal

During an interview, when is it appropriate to ask a candidate about prior project outcomes that were unsuccessful

When assessing the candidates ability to learn from previous experiences. RATIONALE - always ask about performance failures to determine how the candidate analyzes, learns and adapts to new information.

When is knowledge management most productive

When it focuses on sharing organizational learning and reducing knowledge loss. RATIONALE: KM programs typically focus on two key elements: expertise sharing and knowledge retention/reduction of knowledge loss due to employee attrition

Under which circumstances should ignoring conflict be used as a conflict management strategy

When the issue will resolve itself without damaging the team processes and relationships. RATIONALE - ignoring conflicts is a reasonable conflict resolution tactic when the stakes are small (there will be little damage done) or the conflict is likely to resolve itself in the near future. For example, an HR manager may know that a difficult team member will be transferring to another location soon.

What type of strike occurs without the knowledge or approval of union leaders

Wildcat strikes. RATIONALE - wildcat strikes are work stoppages that are neither sanctioned nor stimulated by the union, although union officials may be aware of them. These strikes may also take the form of excessive absences, especially when there are no-strike clauses in contracts.

Which is a challenge when following a best-of-breed HRIS purchasing strategy

Working with multiple vendors. RATIONALE - organizations that implement a best-of-breed (BOB) strategy pick the best applications for each HR functional area, working with one or more vendors. For example - the organization might use a recruiting solution from one vendor and a payroll system from another. Increased access for many users (employees, managers, health insurers, workers compensation carriers, senior executives, job applicants, and regulatory agencies) may apply to BOB or integrated solutions.

In 2015, Company X's turnover rate was 74%, the HR director would like to know if a new CSR program has impacted retention rates for 2016 and 2018. Which formula should the HR director use

[(employed employees for the entire measurement period) / (number of employees at the start of the period)] * 100. RATIONALE: the retention rate is calculated as [(employed employees for the entire measurement period) / (number of employees at the start of the period)] * 100. It tracks the retention of those working on day one of the measurement period. The other equations include factors not needed for the review period

What is the correct formula to calculate the monthly voluntary turnover rate

[(number of voluntary separations during the month) / (average number of employees during the month)] * 100. RATIONALE: the monthly voluntary turnover rate is calculated as [(number of voluntary separations during the month) / (average number of employees during the month)] * 100

What best describes the difference between replacement planning and succession planning

Replacement planning focuses on short-term needs; succession planning focuses on long-term needs. RATIONALE: although the two overlap in practice - replacement planning focuses on the short term and succession planning focuses on the long term. Both are important in headquarters as well as non headquarters countries.

A manager of a new restaurant is having difficulty with her chef's interaction with servers as well as the quality of food he is preparing. After consulting with her HR partner, they plan to develop a performance management system. What is most critical to the effectiveness of the performance management system

Aligned individual contributions that drive organizational results. RATIONALE: clear communication of performance standards that are aligned to organizational goals and objectives is the basis of an effective performance management process. Behavior that is expected and evaluated must be communicated clearly.

During the employee selection process, how can HR identify an employee who is more likely to become engaged in the organization

By assessing how well the candidate will fit with the organization's culture. RATIONALE: when selecting employees, find candidates who are likely to perform duties well, who contribute voluntary behaviors and who already fit the organizational culture and values. Then connect them with others in the company as part of their onboarding experience to support their optimum performance engagement

An organization gains many benefits from its employees volunteering in the community. How can volunteering help the employees

By building skills. RATIONALE: volunteering can allow employees to learn new skills while helping in the community

An organization is projecting employee flow based on past transition rates. Which potential outcome is most likely from this approach

Change can diminish the accuracy of the flow projection. RATIONALE: although past transition rates and probabilities provide a good basis for comparison, they may have limited value in predicting future trends in the face of change

Which is one of the negative social effects of global technological forces

Complexity of privacy issues. RATIONALE: because of technology and integration of information, privacy issues have become more ubiquitous and complex. Privacy issues range from ER-EE privacy to compliance questions raised by government requests for customer data from corporations. Many countries have instituted privacy laws as a result of the prevalence of these issues

The term "cultural relativism" is best demonstrated by which of the following

Concept that holds that there is no absolutes and everything is based on the situation. RATIONALE: relativism states that because cultures vary so greatly, there are no absolutes. Everything varies based on the situation

HR has undertaken a review of the company's talent management plan in order to make recommendations for possible improvements. Which action should HR take first

Conduct a thorough review of the organization's strategic plan and goals. RATIONALE: key to talent development is to first conduct a thorough review of the organization's strategic plans and annual goals in order to develop a deep understanding of all critical abilities needed to achieve those goals and to then evaluate whether the competencies to achieve these goals are clearly defined

An organization recognizes the benefits of long-tenured employees - they provide valuable experience that is key to its success. What practice can HR use to help ensure that employees remain with the organization for a longer period of time

Conducting realistic job previews. RATIONALE: by conducting RJP, the organization can help ensure that new hires are well prepared for the job duties and understand the organizational culture before they enter it. This can help keep employees engaged over time and may result in retaining them for a longer period of time. Performing salary reviews and improving benefits plans ensure that the total compensation for the position is competitive in the market, but will not address other issues that may cause employees to exit the organization prematurely. Streamlining HR processes may not have any impact on the employee retention rate

Which factors provide the best basis for determining future global staffing requirements

Corporate and HR strategic plans. RATIONALE: a common mistake is to weight past and current experience too heavily when forecasting future requirements. All of the items listed may be useful for predicting staffing requirements but it is best ot start with the requirements specified in the HR and corporate strategic plans, perhaps adjusting projections to reflect reasonable assumptions about how the environment may change. This will help ensure the alignment of staffing plans with corporate and HR strategy

Which stage in the workforce analysis process considers the business challenges an organization faces when creating a forecast of the organization's future workforce composition

Demand analysis. RATIONALE: a demand analysis forecast should consider a myriad of internal and external business issues. These issues may include new services/product lines, competitive forces and expansion/constriction in marketplaces, anticipated workforce availability within geographic boundaries, etc.

According to the "pull" method - which approach should be used to develop an outside sales force's KSA's in relationship management in order to increase sales revenue in the shortest amount of time

Design a series of webcasts that review the latest techniques in relationship building. RATIONALE: webcasts are easily accessible and are part of a continuous process of learning and development. Attending a sales conference and measuring to see whether it increased sales revenue would be a lengthy process. Performance review systems have nothing to do with training and mandatory on-site workshops are not cost-effective

An HR team member was recently promoted to a team leader position. He is anxious about making the transition - what should the employee focus on in this new role

Developing and coaching team members. RATIONALE - an effective leader accomplishes strategic goals and objectives through the work of the leader's team. The leader and team benefit most when the leader focuses on coaching and developing team members - the leader benefits from a team that is productive and competent and team members improve their job skills. Effective leaders do not rely on personal likeability or power, and they strive to understand and resolve conflict - not to avoid it.

How should an HR director advise a supervisor to engage a typically high-performing employee whose performance has declined the past two quarters

Discuss with the employee his overall goals and objectives as they relate to the particular role the employee occupies. RATIONALE: when an employee's performance has declined - the manager should work to identify what may be driving that decline; feedback about current performance can be used to help identify developmental needs and long-term career goals

Exit data reveals a higher-than-normal rate of voluntary turnover. To investigate further, HR plans to survey the employees. Which type of survey should HR conduct

Engagement survey. RATIONALE: engagement surveys focus on employee satisfaction, commitment and morale, thus providing greater insights into employees' desire to stay with the company. Opinion surveys seek to gain opinions on certain processes and attitude surveys attempt to determine employees' perceptions of their working environment

What is the most critical consideration to address before proceeding with an online survey

Ensuring the confidentiality of participants responses. RATIONALE: the most critical issues is the confidentiality of the opinions and information participants provide. Without confidentiality, participants may be reluctant to provide constructive feedback. Questions of system security, access and survey design are important but secondary.

For an organization to be considered sustainable, what areas of practice are examined

Environmental, economic, social. RATIONALE: environmental, economic, and social are the three spheres of sustainability

An organization is researching labor costs for similar operations and projections by a government labor agency on the availability of certain types of skilled employees. What stage of the workforce analysis process is the organization completing

Gap. RATIONALE: in the 3rd stage of the workforce analysis process, employers compare what they have (in terms of size, costs and skills) with the workforce they need in order to identify what is lacking. The gap analysis step includes comparing these internal needs with external forces, such as prevailing market conditions and labor availability, that could affect the chosen solution.

What type of system does HR help develop that puts rules and processes in place for the organization to go by

Governance. RATIONALE: governance is a system of rules and processes that ensure compliance with laws, ethical norms, and a social code of conduct. Codes of conduct and compliance are a part of governance. A social audit is something you would perform to determine if you are in compliance

HR has defined key groups of employees who possess certain characteristics and abilities that are closely aligned with the organization's strategy. What effect will this have on the organization's staffing and compensation strategies

Greater clarity in compensation decisions. RATIONALE: having defined talent pools may clarify compensation decisions to ensure that key talent is motivated and rewarded. Having defined critical talent pools does not necessarily reduce the need for executive recruitments; this may be a factor of the labor market. Compensation for certain job descriptions will also be driven by market factors. Diverting compensation from lower-level positions could cut off the supply of future talent

An organizational crisis is rapidly unfolding as several key employees have been killed in a car accident. How can HR best contribute to rapid recovery of operations

HR can fill in or supplement workforce gaps with the best qualified employees. RATIONALE: HR can research the most qualified candidates to handle operations based on critical skill sets and experiences. A workforce interruption may be avoided. Writing the press release, contacting the media and planning a memorial are not necessarily HR responsibilities

HR has been approved to expend financial and staffing resources for the upcoming fiscal year on a staffing plan. Who would likely be chosen to participate in the plan development and implementation

HR staff member with 17 years' experience who has participated in job analyses for many of the jobs. RATIONALE: a staffing plan turns workforce analysis data (supply, demand, gaps and solutions) into reality. The outcome of a job analysis is a job description that identifies the KSAs needed in the position. Although it is valuable to have team members with experience, a staffing plan requires a 2-3 year commitment. When budget monitoring is important, the project leader could report regularly to the leadership team. Discussions about pay would not involve current employees' actual pay; pay grades and pay ranges may be part of the staffing plan discussion

The HR Generalist at a regional bank informs managers when fully qualified candidates apply for jobs. Although there may not be any current openings, HR and the position-specific managers will screen candidates and determine next steps. How can HR reliably predict when an opening is likely to occur

Historical data of movement. RATIONALE: flow analysis can be accomplished in three ways, one of which is to estimate the movement based on historical data, looking at flows in, up, down, across and out of the organization

What is the implication of an organization using the GRI standards to create an enhanced and comprehensive sustainability strategy

It is easier to evaluate performance and progress again industry and global benchmarks. RATIONALE: the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards are universally accepted for global reporting of an organization's sustainability efforts and progress, enabling meaningful and consistent comparisons of multinational organizations' sustainability performance

Which alternative staffing arrangement meeting the needs of an organization that is experiencing turnover in professional service positions due to employees desiring to work fewer hours

Job sharing. RATIONALE: job sharing is the practice of having two different employees perform the tasks of one full time position. Each of the job sharing partners works a PT schedule but together they are accountable for the duties of one FT position. On-call workers are employees who report to work only when needed. Seasonal workers work only when needed to fulfill the ebb and flow of seasonal demands. Contract workers are used for long-term projects

Which technology has the primary mission of sharing information in meaningful ways to augment employee performance

Knowledge management systems. RATIONALE: KM systems are increasingly popular as a knowledge-sharing tool in organizations. These systems facilitate access and exchange of information, expertise and learning throughout the organization

Which factor is critical for HR to consider before conducting an employee engagement survey

Leadership buy-in and commitment to act on survey results. RATIONALE: leaders and managers must demonstrate a commitment to responding to survey results. Surveys that are administered and not followed up on can signal a lack of respect and commitment to the employees and can erode the trust employees have in their leaders

What type of organization embraces change, tolerates risk and views failures as an opportunity to learn

Learning organization. RATIONALE: a learning organization understands that change, risk and failure are all key parts of organizational learning. A learning organization provides the environment for organizational learning.

How can management best establish a culture that values career development in an IDP

Link career development to business objectives. RATIONALE: although all options may help to establish a career development culture - actions taken by senior management hat link career development to organizational goals will have the greatest impact

A sales organization's leadership team has just announced a very aggressive five-year sales plan. Which performance management method should HR suggest to support the plan's achievement

MBO to measure goals and objectives. RATIONALE: MBO allows employees to set objectives for themselves and define what they intend to achieve within a specific time period; the objectives employees set are based on overall goals and objectives for the organization

An elder care service organization is challenged with retention of staff. Recently the service director left the organization with little notice. HR wants to prepare for future unplanned vacancies to avoid any disruption in client services. What is the best way for HR to mitigate this risk

Managers can cross train a subordinate. RATIONALE: replacement planning concentrates on immediate needs and a "snapshot" assessment of the availability of qualified backups for individuals in key positions. It is an important element in business continuity planning in the event of an emergency or business interruption. When identifying potential replacements for their position, managers use their best judgement based on observation and experience.

In the past, a customer service training program received low participant satisfaction scores. What recommendation should HR propose in order to enhance the effectiveness of the program

Obtain feedback from members of the target audience. RATIONALE: to overcome resistance to training, it is helpful to involve members of the target audience to determine the content that is needed and how it should be delivered

A sales manufacturing company has traditionally used paper versions of its employee engagement survey. With a recent expansion to other states, the company has found the paper survey process to be difficult to manage. Which survey method would be most effective for the company in the future

Online surveys. RATIONALE: assuming that the workers have access to computers and have at least basic-level computer skills, online surveys have higher response rates due to convenience

A government-mandated seminar on safety was recently converted to an e-learning course and is available on the organization's intranet. The course consists of self-study units with accompanying quizzes and e-mail access to a subject matter expert. Which best describes the primary benefit of this approach

Participants can complete the training when it is convenient for them. RATIONALE: the most important benefit of e-learning is that participants can work through the course at their convenience, making it more likely that they will actually complete the training. While it is nice to have access to a subject matter expert and track training results (especially for mandated courses) it is most important that the training is actually completed

An HR manager wants to make the organization's learning opportunities more accessible and convenient for employees. What type of framework would meet these goals

Pull model. RATIONALE: the pull model for learning allows employees to access learning materials where and when they need it - example - while traveling or through mobile devices. The push model provides learning on a schedule, as seen in classroom training and "one-off" training events - example - training on compliance requirements. Synchronous and asynchronous learning refers to delivery approaches - whether learners interact in real time (synchronous) or at different times (asynchronous). Push and pull models could use both approaches.

An HR manager recommends that, as a way to closely monitor engagement, briefer, more frequent surveys are given to specific segments of the workforce. This describes what type of survey

Pulse. RATIONALE: pulse surveys can be conducted between annual surveys and usually focus on specific issues or specific populations of employees

An organization seeks to evaluate the overall business impact of its employee retention strategies. Which engagement metric would provide this insight

Revenue per employee. RATIONALE: revenue per employee evaluates the costs of a lost employee due to a voluntary or involuntary turnover. Employee absence rate and monthly voluntary turnover measure employee absences and voluntary turnover but not the resulting business effect. Yield ratio focuses on employee engagement initiatives

A mature organization has relied on stable processes that supported its current success. One of these processes is succession planning. The HR team has followed a strategy of identifying effective higher-level managers and grooming them for leadership positions. If you were a new HR manager assigned to lead this team, what would you advise

Review the succession planning strategy to ensure alignment with current business conditions. RATIONALE: effective succession planning should be developing the type of talent the organization will need in the future. This means that the organization's needs should be reviewed regularly against the organization's strategy and competitive environment. It is not necessarily a good idea to limit succession planning participation to managers, and it could turn out that an organization needs skills other than management ones, such as technical or business analysis competencies. Evaluating cost-effectiveness is a good idea, but not the most pressing concern, given the possibility that the process is no longer aligned with the business's situation.

An organization recently changed its employee benefits package and has decided to measure employee satisfaction in response to this change by administering a survey. To ensure that the survey delivers its promised benefits, which action should the employer take before administering the survey

Share the purpose of the survey. RATIONALE: while all the choices are relevant to good survey design and administration, communicating the goals of the survey early on is paramount. An employer shouldn't assume that employees will understand the intent of a survey. Employees want to know how it affects them and why it's being done

Which best describes the impact when an organization's values are effectively paired with goal setting

Shows employees how their individual efforts contribute to the success of the organization's strategy. RATIONALE: performance goals should reflect the values that the organization has defined and communicated to employees. Individual performance goals provide an opportunity to show employees how their individual efforts contribute to the success of the organization's strategy

Which would be the most effective measure of an intervention designed to improve customer service

Specific numeric ratings on a customer satisfaction survey. RATIONALE - a numerical rating is a quantifiable measure of desired performance, and it serves as a target for improvement. The best measure in this case is a numerical rating indicating a high level of customer satisfaction. Training is often necessary for improving performance but does not reflect actual performance. The number of calls handled is a legitimate measurement, but it measures efficiency rather than quality. Anecdotal feedback is not quantifiable and is a problematic measurement tool.

Which is a primary business benefit associated with implementation of an employee volunteerism program

Strengthening the company's brand and reputation. RATIONALE: while all of these may occur as a result of successfully implementing an employee volunteerism program, they are not all considered business benefits. Strengthening the company's brand and reputation is a business benefits. The others listed are employee or work environment benefits

Workforce planning is a technique used to help an organization reach its short- and long-term goals and objectives. The workforce analysis process consists of four steps. What is the first step

Supply analysis. RATIONALE: workforce analysis is a four step process that begins with a supply analysis. (where are we now?), followed by a demand analysis (where do we want to be?), a gap analysis (what is lacking?) and a solution analysis (what can we afford?)

In an e-learning environment, what type of learning is being used when participants gather for discussion online at a specific time

Synchronous learning. RATIONALE: synchronous learning is when participants interact in real time; asynchronous learning is when participants access the learning materials at different times. Distance learning is when instruction is delivered to locations away from a classroom with no specific time element.

Which team is best described as traditionally higher-level leadership responsibilities being transferred to leaders at lower levels

Task migration. RATIONALE - task migration occurs when traditionally higher-level leadership responsibilities are transferred to leaders at lower levels. This is partly a function of the trend toward flatter organizations, but it is also due to the greater frequency and complexities of challenges. What was typically handled by senior leaders in the past has been handed down to junior leaders so the former can focus on even more complex issues.

Which is the primary reason that organizations may not excel at performance management

The organizational systems, strategies and philosophies are not aligned. RATIONALE: while all of these options can explain the failure of a performance management system, a primary reason for failure is the lack of alignment of organizational systems, strategies and philosophies - this is the foundation of effective performance management and this process affects all others

Which is the most important reason for a global organization to have a values-based CSR strategy

To create a foundation to make ethical decisions. RATIONALE: the values established create the foundation for ethical decisions. Avoiding business scandal, being in compliance and building a better brand can also be considered reasons, but the values based CSR strategy is the key to all decisions

How are local cluster developments used in CSR

To create shared value. RATIONALE: Porter & Kramer argue that the success of most organizations is dependent on a cluster of other organizations (related businesses, suppliers, schools) and infrastructure (roads, communication networks, water and energy supply). Shared value results when organizations build and enhance the local cluster and improve the conditions of those operating in it, benefiting the organization and its community

Which is the primary goal during supply analysis

To provide a snapshot of an organization's current pool of talent. RATIONALE: during supply analysis, the organization looks at whether it has the right personnel mix to achieve its short- and long-term business goals. It finds gaps in supply and looks for internal and external ways to fill them

An organization has redefined its brand to demonstrate a commitment to CSR. Which phase of the CSR maturity curve is the organization in

Transformation. RATIONALE: transformation is the phase in which organizations redefine themselves

How have CSR strategies evolved in corporations

Values and goals have been redefined based on CSR principles. RATIONALE: in many corporations, CSR principles have matured as a strategic approach that is fully integrated into an organization's mission and core business strategies

HR is looking for ways to increase the organization's brand while developing the employees. How can this be achieved

Volunteering. RATIONALE: volunteering gives people a chance to learn new skills while representing the organization. Job shadowing and rotation may improve organization's effectiveness and productivity but not perceptions of its brand by external stakeholders. Outsourcing, if performed without due diligence, can hurt the organization's brand, but performed appropriately it will affect productivity and effectiveness rather than brand.