SHRM Exam Prep - The Common Trap Candidates Fall Into
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SHRM-CP Competencies Questions - Part 30
1. What action should HR take to improve morale after the implementation of efficiencies occur and the resulting reductions in force take place?
A) A. Implementing team building that focuses on communication and redesigning the group structure and process for the remaining employees
B) B. Providing employees with specific examples of behaviors that are appreciated as well as those that will not be tolerated
C) C. Tracking annual employee survey results for significant changes in employee attitudes over the course of the next two years
D) D. Ensuring that the company's wages and benefits are internally equitable at all locations, increasing them as necessary
2. Refer to the following scenario for the next 4 questions. An organization is experiencing a problem with new hires for a specific position leaving the company within the first six to nine months. They previously had several long-term employees in this position, but those employees have retired. The HR director performs research and determines that several of the employees have joined a competitor. The HR directorΒ decides to employ a third-party firm to conduct a salary survey and do a complete review of the job description and a job analysis for the position. Additionally, the HR director performs an internal employee opinion survey in which employees share their belief that the current benefits package lags that of other companies in the area. The results from the third-party survey confirm that the company is lagging the competitor by a large margin in terms of compensation and that the benefits package is no longer competitive. The departure of the new hires, many going to a competitor, shortly after starting the job is a cause for concern. Which recommendation should the HR director make in order for the organization to see an immediate reduction in the turnover?
A) A. Increasing new-hire starting salaries by 20% because the competitor is paying its employees more
B) B. Reviewing the job description for accuracy since that is the only important factor
C) C. Reviewing the hiring process and ensuring that hiring managers are interviewing correctly
D) D. Partnering with managers to review the job description and conducting interview and onboarding training
3. The HR director recommends to the executive team that increasing pay and benefits is necessary to remain competitive in the market. They agree. Which action should the HR director take to determine if the organization is realizing benefit from the proposed solution?
A) A. Monitoring the employee departure rate to see if it declines in six months
B) B. Communicating to managers that a plan has been implemented to reduce departures
C) C. Conducting stay interviews with employees to periodically review benefit offerings and track retention rates
D) D. Reviewing the next cycle of performance evaluations to confirm whether goals are being achieved
4. It has also been discovered that managers are not providing candidates with an accurate representation of the day-to-day activities in the positions they are interviewing for. Which action should the HR director take to help hiring managers understand the criticality of a realistic job preview?
A) A. Recommending that all hiring managers be placed on a performance improvement plan for their interviewing shortcomings
B) B. Conducting refresher training for experienced managers and more in-depth training for new managers on effective interviewing
C) C. Partnering with managers to review current job descriptions to create a representation of the typical workday
D) D. Discussing with managers the importance of accurate representations in the interview,Β turnover costs, and their questions
5. While a need to offer additional employee benefits in order to be competitive in the market has been identified, the HR director is concerned that not all employees willΒ value or make use ofΒ them. Which first step should the HR director take in determining the most appropriate benefits to include?
A) A. Waiting for more input from departing employees, because they won't leave a job based solely on benefits
B) B. Conducting a company-wide survey to identify which benefits employees express interest in, value, or would likely use
C) C. Choosing to eliminate or offer some of the benefits based on cost savings only
D) D. Offering all benefits in question and later reviewing and modifying or dropping programs based upon interest
A) A. Implementing team building that focuses on communication and redesigning the group structure and process for the remaining employees
B) B. Providing employees with specific examples of behaviors that are appreciated as well as those that will not be tolerated
C) C. Tracking annual employee survey results for significant changes in employee attitudes over the course of the next two years
D) D. Ensuring that the company's wages and benefits are internally equitable at all locations, increasing them as necessary
2. Refer to the following scenario for the next 4 questions. An organization is experiencing a problem with new hires for a specific position leaving the company within the first six to nine months. They previously had several long-term employees in this position, but those employees have retired. The HR director performs research and determines that several of the employees have joined a competitor. The HR directorΒ decides to employ a third-party firm to conduct a salary survey and do a complete review of the job description and a job analysis for the position. Additionally, the HR director performs an internal employee opinion survey in which employees share their belief that the current benefits package lags that of other companies in the area. The results from the third-party survey confirm that the company is lagging the competitor by a large margin in terms of compensation and that the benefits package is no longer competitive. The departure of the new hires, many going to a competitor, shortly after starting the job is a cause for concern. Which recommendation should the HR director make in order for the organization to see an immediate reduction in the turnover?
A) A. Increasing new-hire starting salaries by 20% because the competitor is paying its employees more
B) B. Reviewing the job description for accuracy since that is the only important factor
C) C. Reviewing the hiring process and ensuring that hiring managers are interviewing correctly
D) D. Partnering with managers to review the job description and conducting interview and onboarding training
3. The HR director recommends to the executive team that increasing pay and benefits is necessary to remain competitive in the market. They agree. Which action should the HR director take to determine if the organization is realizing benefit from the proposed solution?
A) A. Monitoring the employee departure rate to see if it declines in six months
B) B. Communicating to managers that a plan has been implemented to reduce departures
C) C. Conducting stay interviews with employees to periodically review benefit offerings and track retention rates
D) D. Reviewing the next cycle of performance evaluations to confirm whether goals are being achieved
4. It has also been discovered that managers are not providing candidates with an accurate representation of the day-to-day activities in the positions they are interviewing for. Which action should the HR director take to help hiring managers understand the criticality of a realistic job preview?
A) A. Recommending that all hiring managers be placed on a performance improvement plan for their interviewing shortcomings
B) B. Conducting refresher training for experienced managers and more in-depth training for new managers on effective interviewing
C) C. Partnering with managers to review current job descriptions to create a representation of the typical workday
D) D. Discussing with managers the importance of accurate representations in the interview,Β turnover costs, and their questions
5. While a need to offer additional employee benefits in order to be competitive in the market has been identified, the HR director is concerned that not all employees willΒ value or make use ofΒ them. Which first step should the HR director take in determining the most appropriate benefits to include?
A) A. Waiting for more input from departing employees, because they won't leave a job based solely on benefits
B) B. Conducting a company-wide survey to identify which benefits employees express interest in, value, or would likely use
C) C. Choosing to eliminate or offer some of the benefits based on cost savings only
D) D. Offering all benefits in question and later reviewing and modifying or dropping programs based upon interest
1. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best response. HR can best intervene with an organizational development intervention (such as team building), since the organization is experiencing low trust among employees following the downsizing. B is incorrect. Following the downsizing, employees need to know what behaviors are acceptable and which are not. But providing examples of appropriate behavior does not address the issue of low morale. C is incorrect. Tracking survey results is not going to address low employee morale. D is incorrect. Ensuring that company wages and benefits are internally equitable will not address low employee morale.
2. Right Answer: D
Explanation: D is the correct response. Partnering with management to confirm accurate job descriptions andΒ conducting interview training will help to reduce the rapid departure of new employees. A is incorrect. It is not addressing the root causes of why new hires are departing. Increasing salary by an arbitrary number does not solve the issue and may not be anΒ accurate amount. B is incorrect. Accurate job descriptions will begin the process of making sure that candidates are applying based on the skills and qualifications they possess. However, the interview process is an important factor that needs to be evaluated. C is incorrect. This alone does not solve the issue of the departures.
3. Right Answer: C
Explanation: C is the correct answer. Stay interviews allow for a connection with current employees and an opportunity to obtain feedback and answer any concerns or issues they may have. A is incorrect. Six months is not a sufficient time frame to accurately reflect effectiveness. B is incorrect. It does not address how the plan will be implemented or what the hoped-for reduction will be. D is incorrect. This does not address whether the solution was effective, nor was there any prior indication that employee performance was an issue.
4. Right Answer: D
Explanation: D is the correct answer, as this will explain the business impact that the recruitment and interview process has on the company and will help increase managers' knowledge and their buy-in. A is incorrect. Placing employees on performance improvement plans cannot be done without first researching and noting the deficient behaviors. B is incorrect. It fails to explain the business impact that the recruitment and interview process has on the company, nor does it obtain buy-in from the managers. C is incorrect. It does not take the answer to its conclusion. Partnering to create a realistic job preview from the existing job descriptions may be helpful; however, nothing is described regarding what to do with ensuring that the job descriptions are accurate.
5. Right Answer: B
Explanation: B is the correct answer. A company-wide survey will provide the HR director with quantitative data to use when deciding if the new benefits will be valued and useful to the employees and the organization. A is incorrect. Waiting to gather more data or for something more compelling to happen will not resolve the issue at hand. C is incorrect. While cost is an important factor to consider, it is also important to determine the needs of the employees. D is incorrect. To simply offer all the benefits first is not cost-effective. In addition, modifying or removing existing benefits may be viewed as a take-away or loss.
Explanation: A is the best response. HR can best intervene with an organizational development intervention (such as team building), since the organization is experiencing low trust among employees following the downsizing. B is incorrect. Following the downsizing, employees need to know what behaviors are acceptable and which are not. But providing examples of appropriate behavior does not address the issue of low morale. C is incorrect. Tracking survey results is not going to address low employee morale. D is incorrect. Ensuring that company wages and benefits are internally equitable will not address low employee morale.
2. Right Answer: D
Explanation: D is the correct response. Partnering with management to confirm accurate job descriptions andΒ conducting interview training will help to reduce the rapid departure of new employees. A is incorrect. It is not addressing the root causes of why new hires are departing. Increasing salary by an arbitrary number does not solve the issue and may not be anΒ accurate amount. B is incorrect. Accurate job descriptions will begin the process of making sure that candidates are applying based on the skills and qualifications they possess. However, the interview process is an important factor that needs to be evaluated. C is incorrect. This alone does not solve the issue of the departures.
3. Right Answer: C
Explanation: C is the correct answer. Stay interviews allow for a connection with current employees and an opportunity to obtain feedback and answer any concerns or issues they may have. A is incorrect. Six months is not a sufficient time frame to accurately reflect effectiveness. B is incorrect. It does not address how the plan will be implemented or what the hoped-for reduction will be. D is incorrect. This does not address whether the solution was effective, nor was there any prior indication that employee performance was an issue.
4. Right Answer: D
Explanation: D is the correct answer, as this will explain the business impact that the recruitment and interview process has on the company and will help increase managers' knowledge and their buy-in. A is incorrect. Placing employees on performance improvement plans cannot be done without first researching and noting the deficient behaviors. B is incorrect. It fails to explain the business impact that the recruitment and interview process has on the company, nor does it obtain buy-in from the managers. C is incorrect. It does not take the answer to its conclusion. Partnering to create a realistic job preview from the existing job descriptions may be helpful; however, nothing is described regarding what to do with ensuring that the job descriptions are accurate.
5. Right Answer: B
Explanation: B is the correct answer. A company-wide survey will provide the HR director with quantitative data to use when deciding if the new benefits will be valued and useful to the employees and the organization. A is incorrect. Waiting to gather more data or for something more compelling to happen will not resolve the issue at hand. C is incorrect. While cost is an important factor to consider, it is also important to determine the needs of the employees. D is incorrect. To simply offer all the benefits first is not cost-effective. In addition, modifying or removing existing benefits may be viewed as a take-away or loss.
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