Q&A Hero

Q: The ________ HR group operates like a specialized HR consulting firm. A) transactional B) corporate C) embedded D) centers of expertise

Q: The ________ HR group focuses on being HR business partners to specific departments. A) embedded B) corporate C) centers of expertise D) transactional

Q: The ________ HR group focuses on assisting top management in strategic planning. A) corporate B) centers of expertise C) embedded D) transactional

Q: The ________ HR group focuses on using call centers and outsourced vendors to provide specialized support to the company's employees. A) corporate B) centers of expertise C) transactional D) embedded

Q: ________ organize the training opportunities for a company. A) Trainings specialists B) Change managers C) EEO representatives D) Communication directors

Q: ________ plan training activities. A) Training specialists B) Corporate teachers C) Managers D) Job analysts

Q: ________ handle the employee benefits program. A) Trainers B) Benefits planners C) Compensation managers D) EEO representatives

Q: ________ develop pay grades and compensation plans. A) Compensation managers B) Recruiters C) Job analysts D) Trainers

Q: ________ use detailed information to prepare job descriptions. A) EEO representatives B) Compensation managers C) Job analysts D) Recruiters

Q: A(n) ________ collects detailed information about job duties. A) EEO representative B) job analyst C) compensation manager D) recruiter

Q: A(n) ________ examines current organizational practices for potential action violations. A) EEO representative B) training specialist C) job analyst D) compensation manager

Q: ________ investigate EEO grievances. A) EEO representatives B) Training specialists C) Recruiters D) Job analysts

Q: ________ search for qualified job applicants. A) EEO representatives B) Job analysts C) Recruiters D) Training specialists

Q: ________ maintain contact within the community and publicize openings. A) Job Analysts B) EEO representatives C) Recruiters D) Compensation managers

Q: From a legal standpoint, if performance appraisal information is to be used in the retention management and termination process for an organization, the organization needs to ensure that the information is ______. A. organizationally relevant B. sufficiently general to cover a variety of situations C. communicated in advance to the employee D. all of these

Q: In many cases, the post-layoff environment for those who remain is marked by ______. A. reductions in trust of management B. stress among those who remain C. reductions in workforce quality D. all of these

Q: Which of the following is the most commonly pursued alternative to layoffs for reducing staffing levels? A. Attrition B. Retraining C. Benefits reductions D. Job sharing

Q: One problem that has been shown to accompany downsizing is ______. A. increased payroll costs B. decreases in employee health and motivation C. most companies fail to downsize sufficiently D. insufficient attention to issues of seniority

Q: The typical penalty for a first major offense by an employee is ______________. A. suspension or discharge B. written reprimand C. verbal reprimand D. none of these

Q: Which of the following is an example of a major employee offense? A. sabotage B. theft C. drug/alcohol abuse at work D. all of these

Q: Which of the following is not a part of normal progressive discipline? A. Give employees notice of the rules of conduct B. Provide employees with alternative employment if performance problems persist C. Allow for full investigation of alleged employee misconduct D. Give employees the right to appeal a decision

Q: ______ includes the completion of job tasks that are specifically included in the job description. A. Citizenship B. Task performance C. (low) Counterproductivity D. All of these

Q: Recommendations for the effective design and use of a performance appraisal or management system include _____________. A. evaluations should be in writing B. the employee should receive timely feedback about the evaluation and an explanation for any outcome decision C. there should be agreement among different raters in their evaluation of the employee's performance D. all of these

Q: As assessment of employee success in reach goals, ratings of competencies, and suggestions for improvement are all part of ______. A. performance planning B. performance appraisal C. performance execution D. progressive discipline

Q: To increase the cost of leaving, employers _____. A. reduce headcount B. provide deferred compensation C. increase workloads D. provide free stock to employees

Q: Research on organizational justice suggests that _____. A. justice only influences turnover in highly industrialized Western countries B. communication has little impact on employee attitudes or turnover intentions C. employees are typically well-informed about organizational policies D. none of these

Q: Work-life balance programs are an example of ______. A. communal distribution B. intrinsic rewards C. instrumentality D. a completely ineffective retention strategy

Q: Organizations that link extrinsic rewards to employee performance (i.e. that use incentive compensation plans) find that ______. A. turnover of high performers decreases and turnover of low performers increases B. turnover is increased across the board C. turnover is decreased across the board D. turnover rates are largely unaffected

Q: Organizations can use compensation to reduce turnover by ______. A. providing deferred compensation B. giving specific rewards for seniority C. increasing pay levels to surpass the market D. all of these

Q: Which of the following factors leading to turnover cannot usually be addressed by the organization? A. Poor social environment at work B. Low levels of job satisfaction C. Employee shocks D. All of these can be addressed by organizational policy

Q: Research most clearly suggests that when organizations wish to increase retention they need to ______. A. provide team-building B. convince employees that there are few alternatives C. offer "bundles" of HR practices that complement one another D. demonstrate executive commitment to outreach

Q: Which of the following is an attribute of a low value employee that an organization would not want to prevent from leaving? A. little intellectual capital B. high seniority C. high performance D. all of these

Q: Which of the following is an attribute of a high value employee that an organization would want to prevent from leaving? A. low training investment B. strong KSAOs C. retirement D. low seniority

Q: Guidelines for increasing job satisfaction and retention include ____________. A. establish a lag pay policy for all employees B. link rewards to retention behaviors C. keeping core operations information secret D. none of these

Q: The first strategy for improving employee retention is to ______________. A. redesign employee jobs B. increase pay C. improve job satisfaction D. none of these

Q: Which of the following is a potential benefit associated with downsizing? A. focus on core businesses, eliminating peripheral ones B. spreading risk by outsourcing activities to other organizations C. lower payroll and benefit costs D. all of these

Q: Economic costs associated with downsizing include ____________. A. threat to harmonious labor-management relations B. decreased employee morale C. higher unemployment insurance premiums D. difficulty in attracting new employees

Q: Which of the following makes involuntary turnover potentially more costly than a similar level of voluntary turnover? A. Accrued paid time off B. Possibility of a lawsuit C. Staffing costs for a new hire D. Formal training

Q: Which of the following is a potential benefit associated with voluntary employee turnover? A. lowered replacement costs B. savings from not replacing an employee C. vacancy creates an open job that must be staffed D. all of these

Q: Replacement costs associated with voluntary turnover include ___________. A. HR staff induction costs B. mentoring C. severance pay D. contagion

Q: Economic separation costs associated with voluntary turnover include _________. A. hiring inducements B. rehiring costs C. manager's time D. more than one of these

Q: Which of the following is a common tool to assess employee reasons for leaving? A. Position analysis B. Job rotation C. Exit interview D. Discharge notification

Q: Which of the following is a suggestion for conducting an appropriate exit interview? A. the interviewer should be the employee's immediate supervisor. B. there should be an unstructured interview format. C. the interviewer should prepare for each interview by reviewing the interview format and the interviewee's personnel file. D. none of these

Q: Exit interviews can be used to explain _________ to departing employees. A. rehiring rights B. benefits C. confidentiality agreements D. all of these

Q: Downsizing is typically a reflection of ___________. A. overstaffing B. understaffing C. an appropriate staffing level D. none of these

Q: Ease of leaving is greater when _____. A. employees are highly embedded B. employees possess ample employer-specific KSAOs C. when labor markets are loose D. all of these

Q: An employee's intention to leave an organization is influenced by ___________. A. perceived desirability of movement B. perceived ease of movement C. alternatives available to the employee D. all of these

Q: The desirability of leaving an organization is often an outgrowth of __________. A. poor person/organization match B. favorable labor market conditions C. general, transferable KSAOs D. none of these

Q: Turnover due to organizational downsizing is classified as _______. A. voluntary B. involuntary C. supplemental D. it depends on the circumstances of the downsizing

Q: Discharge turnover is usually due to ____________. A. a site or plant closing B. permanent layoff C. poor employee performance D. none of these

Q: The types of employee turnover include ____________. A. voluntary B. discharge C. downsizing D. all of these

Q: Legal experts usually advise organizations to avoid documenting performance problems because the "paper trail" is likely to just lead to problems in court.

Q: No-layoff policies cannot be implemented effectively by organizations.

Q: Research shows that downsizing has negative impacts on employee morale and health, workgroup creativity and communication, and workforce quality.

Q: Data shows dramatic decreases in organizational stock price following a downsizing, especially if the downsizing organization restructures assets during downsizing.

Q: Discharge turnover targets groups of employees and is also known as reduction in force. (RIF).

Q: Employee termination is the final step in progressive discipline, and ideally it would never be necessary.

Q: In progressive discipline, termination is seen as a viable early option to avoid having to work through a potentially fruitless cycle of improving a low-ability worker.

Q: Poor task performance is the result of insufficient ability, knowledge, skills, or motivation.

Q: Performance management systems are used primarily to detect individuals whose performance is unsatisfactory and should be terminated.

Q: One recommendation for an effective performance appraisal or management system is that appraisal criteria should be job-related, specific, and communicated in advance to the employee.

Q: Performance management systems enable organizations to ensure that an initial person/job match yields an effectively performing employee.

Q: Because employees quit companies, not jobs, internal staffing systems are usually seen as a poor substitute for a job at another company. As such, they do little to reduce intentions to leave.

Q: Evidence suggests that personality dispositions have little or no impact on employee tendencies to turnover.

Q: Some employees who do not take advantage of work-life balance options resent their coworkers who are more likely to use work-life programs.

Q: Employees may not like a supervisor who speaks in a derogatory way towards them, but evidence suggests they seldom actually turnover as a result of these feelings.

Q: Employee perceptions of injustice are often rooted in misunderstanding or ignorance of company policies that could be resolved with increased communication.

Q: One guideline for increasing job satisfaction and retention is to ensure that fairness and justice exist in the workplace.

Q: Providing employees increased autonomy and a requiring them to learn a variety of skills increases stress significantly, which leads to greater turnover rates.

Q: Of the factors that influence an employee's desirability of leaving, job satisfaction is the one that cannot be influenced to a significant degree by organizations.

Q: Research has shown that the best performers are least likely to quit when an organization either rewards performance with higher compensation or widely communicates its compensation practices; doing both adds little to these independent effects.

Q: In general, most employees report that the opportunity for higher compensation is a more powerful predictor of turnover than conflict with supervisors.

Q: To have the power to attract and retain employees, rewards must be unique and unlikely to be offered by competitors.

Q: Increased investment in training as a practice by itself is usually associated with decreases in turnover rates.

Q: A recent comprehensive examination of retention initiative effectiveness found that the most effective organizational strategy for retaining employees is the provision of concierge services.

Q: Downsizing costs are concentrated in separation costs for permanent reductions in force.

Q: One potential benefit of employee discharges is the development of improved performance management and disciplinary skills.

Q: Many turnover costs are hidden in the time demands placed on the many employees who must handle the separation, replacement, and training activities.

Q: Turnover cost estimates are very precise and accurate in most cases.

Q: Compared to discharge turnover, voluntary turnover is usually more costly.