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SHRM-CP Certification Exam Questions 2023 - Communication Questions Part 2

Jenny Clarke

Mon, 20 Jan 2025

1. Scenario Question 1 of 3 An HR business partner for a mid-sized company has been asked to investigate root causes of high employee turnover. The CEO thinks that the turnover is the result of HR failing to set clear expectations for managers and has stated that there is a disparity in how managers lead their employees versus what employees think their managers should be doing. The CEO believes that this inconsistency in expectations is the reason for attrition. HR currently conducts annual employee engagement and morale surveys and presents the results to management. However, most of the management team has been with the company for many years and are resistant to change. Past efforts to guide the management team have been unsuccessful due to limited participation. For example, leadership skills training has been held in the past, but most of the management team have declined to attend. The CEO has requested that the HR manager provide a detailed plan to address the turnover by next quarter.

A) Assign HR employees to the initiative who have the availability and interest to support it.
B) Ask the CEO to provide feedback on the action plan for the initiative.
C) Create employee-led committees to develop ideas and provide support for the initiative.
D) Ask all managers which aspects of the initiative they are willing to participate in.



2. Scenario Question 2 of 3 An HR business partner for a mid-sized company has been asked to investigate root causes of high employee turnover. The CEO thinks that the turnover is the result of HR failing to set clear expectations for managers and has stated that there is a disparity in how managers lead their employees versus what employees think their managers should be doing. The CEO believes that this inconsistency in expectations is the reason for attrition. HR currently conducts annual employee engagement and morale surveys and presents the results to management. However, most of the management team has been with the company for many years and are resistant to change. Past efforts to guide the management team have been unsuccessful due to limited participation. For example, leadership skills training has been held in the past, but most of the management team have declined to attend. The CEO has requested that the HR manager provide a detailed plan to address the turnover by next quarter.

A) Read comments from past employee engagement surveys.
B) Review previous employee complaints related to manager behaviors.
C) Set up an anonymous employee suggestion box in a common area.
D) Examine employee exit interview documentation for trends.



3. Scenario Question 3 of 3 An HR business partner for a mid-sized company has been asked to investigate root causes of high employee turnover. The CEO thinks that the turnover is the result of HR failing to set clear expectations for managers and has stated that there is a disparity in how managers lead their employees versus what employees think their managers should be doing. The CEO believes that this inconsistency in expectations is the reason for attrition. HR currently conducts annual employee engagement and morale surveys and presents the results to management. However, most of the management team has been with the company for many years and are resistant to change. Past efforts to guide the management team have been unsuccessful due to limited participation. For example, leadership skills training has been held in the past, but most of the management team have declined to attend. The CEO has requested that the HR manager provide a detailed plan to address the turnover by next quarter.

A) Present data to managers that shows how the high turnover has affected the company's profit.
B) Create a policy that links participation in leadership training with incentives and bonuses for managers.
C) Ask employees about their managers' capabilities and provide managers with this feedback.
D) Purchase off-the-shelf business competency models to use as a management tool.



4. Scenario Question 2 of 3 The largest customer of a small consulting firm demands that the project manager terminate an employee for poor performance or the customer will terminate its contract immediately. The account project manager has documented the employee's performance as meeting expectations, there is no documentation to support a termination, and there is no place to transfer the employee to. The HR manager conducts a comprehensive investigation and learns that the employee and the customer had a verbal disagreement about how the employee had classified specific expenses and how it affects the customer's budget. The confrontation was significant but did not involve any unacceptable language. In addition, the employee's classification was technically correct; however, a reclassification was also acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles. The project manager was unaware of this conflict. The HR manager concludes that the employee did not follow the policy that requires an employee to advise the supervisor of a client issue. Because such a conflict could significantly harm the company's business, the policy states that an employee can be disciplined up to and including termination for this violation.

A) Since the manager feels bad about what has happened, the company should take the 'lessons learned' approach. No other action is necessary.
B) The manager's supervisor should meet with the project manager for coaching on the responsibilities of day-to-day supervision and communication with employees and the customer.
C) Management should tell the project manager to work more closely with the customer.
D) The project manager should be written up.



5. Scenario Question 3 of 3 An HR business partner for a mid-sized company has been asked to investigate root causes of high employee turnover. The CEO thinks that the turnover is the result of HR failing to set clear expectations for managers and has stated that there is a disparity in how managers lead their employees versus what employees think their managers should be doing. The CEO believes that this inconsistency in expectations is the reason for attrition. HR currently conducts annual employee engagement and morale surveys and presents the results to management. However, most of the management team has been with the company for many years and are resistant to change. Past efforts to guide the management team have been unsuccessful due to limited participation. For example, leadership skills training has been held in the past, but most of the management team have declined to attend. The CEO has requested that the HR manager provide a detailed plan to address the turnover by next quarter.

A) Present data to managers that shows how the high turnover has affected the company's profit.
B) Create a policy that links participation in leadership training with incentives and bonuses for managers.
C) Ask employees about their managers' capabilities and provide managers with this feedback.
D) Purchase off-the-shelf business competency models to use as a management tool.



1. Right Answer: C
Explanation: The best answer is C. By creating and supporting employee-led committees to develop retention ideas, the HR manager is demonstrating the Leadership and Navigation competency. When employees are involved in the process, they will be more likely to support it, which will drive success. A and D are not the best answers, as the initiatives are not given priority and supported. B is not the best answer, because the CEO is asked to provide the feedback. None of these answers reflects the HR manager demonstrating any competencies.

2. Right Answer: D
Explanation: The best answer is D. When reviewing the employee exit interview data, the HR manager is demonstrating the Critical Evaluation competency. The HR manager can identify the reasons employees have left the organization and focus on consistent themes. A and C are not the best answers, because the information is not identifiable and, therefore, the credibility of the data is in question. Because the feedback is anonymous, follow-up questions cannot be asked. B is not the best answer, because the complaints about managers may not be valid and not all complaints are reported.

3. Right Answer: A
Explanation: The best answer is A. HR is demonstrating the Critical Evaluation competency by showing the manager the correlation between turnover and profits. By seeing the negative impact on profits, managers will be more interested in working toward solutions. B, C, and D are not the best answers. After the managers are fully aware of the correlation between profits and turnover, they may be willing to move forward with feedback opportunities and training programs.

4. Right Answer: B
Explanation: B is the best response. The customer was dissatisfied with the employee's performance to the extent that there was a significant conflict. Neither the project manager nor management was aware of this conflict. Had the project manager been more involved with both the employee and the customer, the situation would not have progressed without the company being aware of the customer's dissatisfaction. A is incorrect. Post-event lessons learned are worthwhile, but this answer does not call for specific follow-up by senior management. C is incorrect. A closer working relationship with the customer may be needed. However, this answer does not address the working relationship and communication with the employees. D is incorrect. This answer does not include what corrective steps the manager needs to take.

5. Right Answer: A
Explanation: The best answer is A. HR is demonstrating the Critical Evaluation competency by showing the manager the correlation between turnover and profits. By seeing the negative impact on profits, managers will be more interested in working toward solutions. B, C, and D are not the best answers. After the managers are fully aware of the correlation between profits and turnover, they may be willing to move forward with feedback opportunities and training programs.

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