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SHRM-CP Certification Exam Questions 2023 - Communication Questions Part 3

Jenny Clarke

Sat, 25 Jan 2025

1. Scenario Question 3 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) Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy.
B) Tell the employee to apologize to the customer.
C) Tell the employee to do nothing; it will blow over.
D) The employee's behavior toward the customer was wrong, and the employee will be written up.



2. Scenario Question 3 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) Terminate the employee for violation of the company policy.
B) Tell the employee to apologize to the customer.
C) Tell the employee to do nothing; it will blow over.
D) The employee's behavior toward the customer was wrong, and the employee will be written up.



3. Scenario Question 1 of 4 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.

A) Agree with the leadership team and create the policy that forbids employees with medical conditions from company travel.
B) Ignore the leadership team's request because it is impractical and hope that they will forget about it
C) Require all new hires to pass a physical exam and, if the exam isn't passed, don't allow them to travel.
D) 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.



4. Scenario Question 2 of 4 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.

A) Instruct supervisors to choose the best action; every situation is different, and supervisors should apply common sense to the situation.
B) Require the supervisors to always call HR and to avoid any discussion with emergency personnel about the employee's medical condition.
C) Use a collaborative approach with leaders to create and communicate a company-wide protocol that outlines steps to take in an emergency situation.
D) Coach the supervisors to always call emergency personnel and to avoid any discussion with emergency personnel about the employee's medical condition.



5. Scenario Question 4 of 4 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.

A) Take no action, since it has not been determined that the employee's medical condition is related to alcohol consumption.
B) E-mail the company's daily meal allowance policy to all employees and direct the employees to review it.
C) Distribute the policy to employees and provide a venue to review it and answer questions.
D) Forward the policy to supervisors and rely on them to review the policy with each of their employees.



1. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best response. Considering the business conditions and that the policy states that a violation is subject to termination, this is the best response. Jeopardizing the relationship with the company's largest customer could bring extreme financial hardship to the company. Since there is not another project to transfer the employee to, termination is the best option. B is incorrect. An apology would not address the broader issue of the policy violation. C is incorrect. This approach does not address customer service or the policy violation. D is incorrect. The customer has taken a firm stand concerning termination; as such, this outcome is not available.

2. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best response. Considering the business conditions and that the policy states that a violation is subject to termination, this is the best response. Jeopardizing the relationship with the company's largest customer could bring extreme financial hardship to the company. Since there is not another project to transfer the employee to, termination is the best option. B is incorrect. An apology would not address the broader issue of the policy violation. C is incorrect. This approach does not address customer service or the policy violation. D is incorrect. The customer has taken a firm stand concerning termination; as such, this outcome is not available.

3. Right Answer: D
Explanation: D is the best answer. 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. A is incorrect. It is a discriminatory policy and should not be created; this is a coachable opportunity for HR. B is incorrect. HR should take advantage of this opportunity to coach managers. C is incorrect. Legal requirements and reasonable accommodations need to be factored into any policy.

4. Right Answer: C
Explanation: C is the best answer. Collaboration provides all stakeholders with the opportunity to provide input, resulting in better buy-in and understanding of the need for training. A is incorrect. Training needs to be provided so there is consistency and expectations are understood. B is incorrect. Failure to share key information with emergency personnel could be a matter of life and death. Moreover, although HR should be contacted, they are not in the best position to answer questions about the immediate situation. D is incorrect. Failure to share key information with emergency personnel could be a matter of life and death.

5. Right Answer: C
Explanation: C is the best answer. This ensures that the communication is consistent and everyone is involved and has an opportunity to ask questions. A is incorrect. Company policy needs to be followed regardless of whether the incident was related to alcohol consumption. B is incorrect. E-mail is one form of communication, but it does not ensure that the recipient receives and understands the information. D is incorrect. There is no assurance that supervisors will share the information in a consistent manner or that they will be able to answer questions that may arise.

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