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SHRM-CP Competencies Questions - Part 44
1. 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?
A) A. Host a meeting when the new program is ready to be implemented in order to educate all the supervisors.
B) B. Conduct a communication campaign that includes ongoing communications for all employees and training for supervisors to reinforce with their direct reports.
C) C. Create a web page with details about the performance management program available to employees once the new program is ready to roll out.
D) D. E-mail all employees to inform them to chat with their supervisor about the company changes or to talk to HR about any questions.
2. Sales has made an unrealistic commitment to a customer. In order to meet the commitment, the CEO suggests that all salaried employees work ten-hour days, six days a week, for a minimum of one year. How should HR respond?
A) By finding another alternative that will not take advantage of employees but will meet sales and customer needs
B) By supporting the CEO's decision but suggesting that sales not promise so much in the future
C) By implementing the schedule and rewarding those people who go the extra mile
D) By implementing the schedule but disassociating themselves from it
3. How can HR best partner with managers to implement a newly developed performance management tool?
A) Require managers to fill out their new evaluation forms and submit them to HR to be checked before reviewing them with employees.
B) Have the CEO clarify to managers the consequences if they fail to complete employee evaluations in a timely manner.
C) Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions.
D) Offer to fill out the forms for managers the first time so that they can review HR's work and see how they should be completed.
4. HR meets with team leaders to analyze the pros and cons of a suggested change. As a group, they brainstorm about factors that could positively or negatively influence the outcome of the change. 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?
A) Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)
B) Cost-benefit analysis
C) Force-field analysis
D) SWOT analysis
5. Refer to the following scenario for the next 3 questions. A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. How should the HR director address the managers' resistance to using a more structured hiring process?
A) A. Conduct a management training session to explain the business needs driving the process changes.
B) B. Create a hybrid approach between the old and new methods to show that HR is a partner to the business.
C) C. Send an e-mail to the managers encouraging them to embrace the changes as they work with the HR business partner.
D) D. Invite the managers to escalate any concerns regarding the new process to the head of HR.
A) A. Host a meeting when the new program is ready to be implemented in order to educate all the supervisors.
B) B. Conduct a communication campaign that includes ongoing communications for all employees and training for supervisors to reinforce with their direct reports.
C) C. Create a web page with details about the performance management program available to employees once the new program is ready to roll out.
D) D. E-mail all employees to inform them to chat with their supervisor about the company changes or to talk to HR about any questions.
2. Sales has made an unrealistic commitment to a customer. In order to meet the commitment, the CEO suggests that all salaried employees work ten-hour days, six days a week, for a minimum of one year. How should HR respond?
A) By finding another alternative that will not take advantage of employees but will meet sales and customer needs
B) By supporting the CEO's decision but suggesting that sales not promise so much in the future
C) By implementing the schedule and rewarding those people who go the extra mile
D) By implementing the schedule but disassociating themselves from it
3. How can HR best partner with managers to implement a newly developed performance management tool?
A) Require managers to fill out their new evaluation forms and submit them to HR to be checked before reviewing them with employees.
B) Have the CEO clarify to managers the consequences if they fail to complete employee evaluations in a timely manner.
C) Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions.
D) Offer to fill out the forms for managers the first time so that they can review HR's work and see how they should be completed.
4. HR meets with team leaders to analyze the pros and cons of a suggested change. As a group, they brainstorm about factors that could positively or negatively influence the outcome of the change. 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?
A) Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)
B) Cost-benefit analysis
C) Force-field analysis
D) SWOT analysis
5. Refer to the following scenario for the next 3 questions. A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. How should the HR director address the managers' resistance to using a more structured hiring process?
A) A. Conduct a management training session to explain the business needs driving the process changes.
B) B. Create a hybrid approach between the old and new methods to show that HR is a partner to the business.
C) C. Send an e-mail to the managers encouraging them to embrace the changes as they work with the HR business partner.
D) D. Invite the managers to escalate any concerns regarding the new process to the head of HR.
1. Right Answer: B
Explanation: B is the best response. When managing a 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 individuals' roles and the degree of impact the new program will have. The centralized messages are generic and relevant to the entire organization. Training the supervisors and managers enables them to deliver specific messages to each of their direct reports individually to help them understand the impact and what the change means to them. A is incorrect. Although all-employee meetings are helpful, a one-time approach to announce changes of this magnitude will leave employees with many questions unanswered. C is incorrect. Web-based information is likely helpful support after the rollout of the changes, but it is not a stand-alone option for communication. D is incorrect. Sending an e-mail communication and offering the employees a chance to ask questions can be a part of the two-pronged communication strategy; however, this will not suffice as a stand-alone option.
2. Right Answer: A
Explanation: While it may be tempting to do the expedient thing and meet the company's promises, this action will have a negative effect on employee morale and retention, and it could invite union-organizing activity. Using the Consultation competency, HR canΒ explore other alternatives that will be more effective and acceptable to employees.
3. Right Answer: C
Explanation: HR professionals should function as consultants to managers, which would involve getting their input and offering to support them and/or answer questions as needed. It would not involve having their bosses make threats, micromanaging, or overstepping boundariesβparticularly not in a way that would suggest that HR would do a better job of evaluating their employees than they would.
4. Right Answer: C
Explanation: Based on this force-field analysis, the group can decide to pursue opportunities with scores showing favorability for change or 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. Force-field analysis tries to identify conditions neededΒ to make change possible.
5. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best answer, as it provides an opportunity for the HR director to use the Consultation competency to discuss how the changes in the business and the marketplace affect the hiring process, thus providing guidance on how to navigate those challenges. B is not the best answer, because it does not provide a viable solution to the problem or an opportunity to provide guidance to the managers. C is not the best answer, because it does not provide the opportunity for the HR director to address the concerns and provide education. D is not the best answer, since it delegates the responsibility to the HR director's boss and the HR director is not demonstrating competency.
Explanation: B is the best response. When managing a 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 individuals' roles and the degree of impact the new program will have. The centralized messages are generic and relevant to the entire organization. Training the supervisors and managers enables them to deliver specific messages to each of their direct reports individually to help them understand the impact and what the change means to them. A is incorrect. Although all-employee meetings are helpful, a one-time approach to announce changes of this magnitude will leave employees with many questions unanswered. C is incorrect. Web-based information is likely helpful support after the rollout of the changes, but it is not a stand-alone option for communication. D is incorrect. Sending an e-mail communication and offering the employees a chance to ask questions can be a part of the two-pronged communication strategy; however, this will not suffice as a stand-alone option.
2. Right Answer: A
Explanation: While it may be tempting to do the expedient thing and meet the company's promises, this action will have a negative effect on employee morale and retention, and it could invite union-organizing activity. Using the Consultation competency, HR canΒ explore other alternatives that will be more effective and acceptable to employees.
3. Right Answer: C
Explanation: HR professionals should function as consultants to managers, which would involve getting their input and offering to support them and/or answer questions as needed. It would not involve having their bosses make threats, micromanaging, or overstepping boundariesβparticularly not in a way that would suggest that HR would do a better job of evaluating their employees than they would.
4. Right Answer: C
Explanation: Based on this force-field analysis, the group can decide to pursue opportunities with scores showing favorability for change or 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. Force-field analysis tries to identify conditions neededΒ to make change possible.
5. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best answer, as it provides an opportunity for the HR director to use the Consultation competency to discuss how the changes in the business and the marketplace affect the hiring process, thus providing guidance on how to navigate those challenges. B is not the best answer, because it does not provide a viable solution to the problem or an opportunity to provide guidance to the managers. C is not the best answer, because it does not provide the opportunity for the HR director to address the concerns and provide education. D is not the best answer, since it delegates the responsibility to the HR director's boss and the HR director is not demonstrating competency.
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