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SHRM-CP Competencies Questions - Part 18

Jenny Clarke

Sun, 26 Jan 2025

1. Refer to the following scenario for the next 2 questions. A department manager in a health-care organization contacts HR to discuss a situation involving a schedule change that was initiated for an employee three months ago. The employee has a medical condition that could result in the need for surgery, and he requested the schedule change until a decision can be made by his health-care provider. HR was not involved in the initial request. Other staff members are now becoming upset, and this accommodation is causing an issue in the department. No end date was set initially, and the manager is not certain of the status of the medical condition. The manager does not believe that the employee has a plan and therefore wants to reassign or terminate the employee. HR has been contacted for guidance on how to handle this situation. How can HR best manage future requests for modified schedules due to medical needs?

A) A. Contact the legal team for advice on how to proceed with the request.
B) B. Before an adjustment is granted, have the employee speak with HR to discuss needs.
C) C. Require that employees provide their manager with verification from a physician to support the request.
D) D. Coordinate an interactive meeting with HR, the manager, and the employee to review the request.



2. What is the most effective action the HR director should take to resolve the questions arising around the employee's accommodation?

A) A. Obtaining more information about the employee's limitations to determine if the current schedule adjustment is appropriate
B) B. Documenting the details of the request for a modified schedule along with the manager's actions to date
C) C. Allowing the manager to work out a reasonable resolution without any further guidance from HR
D) D. Discontinuing the modified schedule until more information is gathered and validated by a medical professional



3. Negotiating An HR staff person is negotiating fees with a number of meeting venues. The lowest bid is much lower than the average of the rest of the bids. What should the HR staff person do?

A) Throw out the lowest bid and focus on the higher ones since they are more plausible.
B) Take the lowest bid. It is the venue's responsibility to run its business.
C) Be frank with the lowest bidder and ask a lot of questions.
D) Start the bidding process again with a different set of venues.



4. Negotiations between an executive at a company and a prospective new international partner have stalled. How can the organization's global HR expert contribute to a better negotiation outcome for this executive?

A) Share the cultural perspective of the other side with the executive.
B) Offer to take the place of the executive at the negotiating table.
C) Negotiate with finance on behalf of the executive to secure additional funding.
D) Coach the executive on hard negotiating tactics committed to winning.



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

A) An HR manager and a vendor openly discuss their needs and expectations for a project. 
B) An HR manager identifies enough potential qualified vendors to ensure competitive bids.
C) Both sides in a negotiation for outsourcing an HR project agree to act in each other's best interests.
D) An HR manager determines internal costs to produce an orientation manual before speaking with a vendor.



1. Right Answer: D
Explanation: D is the best response, because it pulls HR into the initial discussion about the employee's needs. If situations present the potential for a more formal leave process, it will be identified earlier in the discussion. The information to support the request will be captured by consulting with HR at the start. This option also involves all necessary parties: the manager, HR, and the employee. A is incorrect. HR should be a part of the discussion, assessment, and coordination of any agreed-upon adjustment due to a medical issue. At the time of an initial request, it may not be necessary to contact the legal department. It will be important to alert them once more information has been gathered during the investigation. B is incorrect. It does not represent a collaborative approach with the manager. In some circumstances, requests may be directed to HR, but eventually HR will need to engage the department manager in the discussion. It is better to start with all necessary parties involved in the discussion. C is incorrect. Although the verification of the employee's limitations will be needed to assess whether the employee's request can be granted, it is best that HR direct the request, as the private details that a medical professional would provide should not be shared with the manager.

2. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best response, because it includes gathering data about the current situation to review and evaluate. It is possible that the adjustment made was not the best way to handle the employee's specific needs, so this evaluation of the current adjustment is necessary to determine the next steps. It is during this evaluation stage that an update to legal would be helpful. If actions are taken in the future, legal will have already been notified. B is incorrect. It is a more defensive response to this situation. This documentation of the process taken to resolve the situation is important to capture. However, simply documenting the actions would not move this closer to resolution. C is incorrect. At this juncture, the manager has requested guidance and support from HR; therefore, HR will need to take a more active role in finding a resolution to the matter. D is incorrect. Immediate discontinuation of the modified schedule may not be the best decision. Once more information is captured, that determination can be made. If there is not sufficient data to support the request, it would then be considered.

3. Right Answer: C
Explanation: It is not sustainable or ethical to encourage a vendor to lose money. In principled negotiation, both sides receive the value they seek. The low-bidding venue may have its own reasons, however. If the HR person ensures that the meeting will receive the promised accommodations, the negotiation could proceed.

4. Right Answer: A
Explanation: By sharing the cultural perspective, HR will help the executive understand the implicit norms and values and basic assumptions of the other side as well as what they hope to achieve through negotiation. Differences can be used to craft agreements that allow both sides to 'win.'

5. Right Answer: D
Explanation: BATNA stands for 'best alternative to a negotiated agreement.' This entails knowing what your options are and what the other side may propose during negotiation. In this case, knowing internal costs allows the HR manager to know if a bid delivers the needed value.

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