Question 1

Which best describes employees in an entitlement-oriented culture?

Options :

A : Assuming shared responsibility for benefits

B : Feeling less a part of the organization

C :

Reducing individual pressure to contribute

D : Paying a bonus for exceptional performance

Answer: C

Question 2

A health-care delivery organization has experienced significant and rather sudden growth in membership over the last year. Because this fast pace of growth is forecast to continue, HR and finance complete a labor demand analysis. They determine that the organization must increase its current employee base by approximately 30% in the next two years to properly manage the growth and to handle upcoming voluntary and involuntary separations.

The analysis also indicates that approximately 30% of the current employees are either eligible for retirement now or will be in the next few years. Many of those eligible for retirement have been in leadership roles for many years and are considered key employees. High-potential employees have been identified within the organization, but not all are aligned with the departments that will be impacted most by upcoming retirements.

The increase in the workload, along with the challenges associated with managing the changing demographics of members, has placed a burden on employees across the organization. Morale has declined as employees are feeling more stress. The positive message of growth in the organization is being overshadowed by the discontent of overworked employees. The senior leadership team has decided to coordinate a strategy session with executives and regional leads to assess current organizational strategies and to ensure that the business is on track to manage upcoming human capital challenges.

Which is the best approach the HR leadership team can take to manage the current labor shortage?

Options :

A : Secure an outside professional employment organization (PEO) to provide temporary employees.

B :

Research and forecast the duration of the labor shortage and then prepare recommendations.

C : Establish agreements with additional recruiting firms to ensure that there is a robust candidate pool.

D : Recommend the use of temporary employees to bridge the gap during the recruiting process.

Answer: B

Question 3

An HR director is hired to address the executive team's concerns about negative workplace culture and its impact on financial performance. During an initial investigation the HR director discovers that the two division directors often fail to communicate with each other and their employees. Each division maintains separate workplace policies, and the workspaces for the divisions are spread out across multiple floors. For employee management, the director of the client services division is assisted by a small HR team. The director of operations does not work with the HR team and instead uses company funds to seek employee management advice from an executive coach, who has no official coaching training. The HR director suspects facilitating change at the company will be challenging because engagement data indicates many employees distrust the company’s leadership and HR. The HR director discovers that many employees lost trust in HR after an HR manager read sensitive emails from employees out loud during a company meeting. How should the HR director address this?

Options :

A : Meet with the HR manager to discuss the effects of these actions on employee morale.

B : Mentor the HR manager about effective communication techniques.

C : Issue a companywide statement that describes the company-s privacy practices.

D : Document a formal warning in the HR manager-s personnel file.

Answer: A

Question 4

A company operates domestically and has approximately 5,000 employees. It has been in operation for over 30 years.The company's HR team includes the senior HR leader, three HR directors, three HR managers, three HR business partners, and centers of excellence for total rewards, employee relations, and recruitment.

When the senior HR leader joined the organization four years ago, she was able to persuade her peers on the senior leadership team to support a shared services model. This model was supposed to revolutionize the way HR did business and better support the organization in achieving its goals and objectives.

The implementation has taken close to two years. After the first full year of operation, there was a 25% increase in the number of complaints from the business leaders and employees. The senior HR leader is determined to identify the root cause of the complaints and demonstrate the value of HR activities in supporting organizational success. She also wants to be able to confirm to the leadership team that they made the right choice in switching to a shared services model, as a few are now questioning the change.

The senior HR leader wants to determine if the original assumptions made are still valid. Which first step should she take to begin this evaluation?

Options :

A : Review the business case and project status based upon the original needs, risks, opportunities, costs, and time frames.

B : Ask her HR team what they believe are the major issues and improvements needed for the shared services model.

C : Ask the senior leadership team about the concerns they are hearing from employees and any new issues.

D : Focus only on the employee complaints because they provide critical information about the success of the model.

Answer: A

Question 5

A domestic airline rapidly gains market share through an innovative business model, a charismatic leader, a unique work environment, and sound HR practices. This has led to a global strategic plan of aggressively acquiring small local airlines in neighboring countries.

The VP of HR has been with the airline for 15 years and is an active member of its leadership team. He is a big believer in the benefits of an inclusive and multicultural workforce. This is the VP of HR's first experience with globalizing HR practices. An immediate conflict between headquarters and local policies emerges when a country HR manager raises the issue of discounted tickets for exempt U.S. management in the total rewards package. In the headquarters country, exempt management is paid on a salary basis, but in some of the new countries of operation, management is paid contractually on an hourly basis. The VP of HR is concerned that expanding the benefit globally to all management will create excessive costs and has not taken action after several requests. Frustrated, a country HR manager writes directly to the CEO about the issue, arguing that limiting this benefit may lead to legal challenges or employee relations issues that could damage the company's reputation, the work climate, and the ability to attract talent in the future.

The issue is complicated by the fact that the country HR manager is herself paid hourly as a manager.

Which method should the VP of HR use to best communicate the final policy on this matter to the organization?

Options :

A : Distribution of the policy with a video message from the CEO to be played at staff meetings throughout the entire organization

B : CEO announcement at a shareholders' meeting, well covered by the press, with e-mail links to a video for all employees

C : Release of new employee handbook that places this policy in the context of all updated and new, globalized policies

D : Global distribution of total rewards policy with notice of interim employee handbook update noting date/revision changes

Answer: A