Answers.
Internal Factors That Affect Job Performance correct answers 1. Career goals not being met with
job
2. Conflict with other employees/manager
3. Goals or expectations not in line with abilities of employee
4. Employee views unfairness in workplace
5. Employee manages time poorly
6. Employee is dissatisfied with the job
External Factors That Affect Job Performance correct answers 1. Employee doesn't have correct
equipment or tools to perform the job
2. The job design is incorrect
3. External motivation factors are absent (pay, benefits, other rewards)
4. Lack of management support
5. Employee's skills and job are mismatched
Discipline correct answers Process that corrects undesirable behavior
Process for Handling Performance Issues correct answers 1. Mandated Issue
2. Single Incident
3. Behavior Pattern
4. Persistent Pattern
5. Disciplinary Intervention
Performance Issues - Mandated Issue correct answers -Serious, must be addressed immediately.
Typically goes beyond company, could be a law
Performance Issues -Single Incident correct answers -Employee may misspeak and insult some
colleagues, could be over budget or late on a project
-Best solved with a casual conversation
-Can be development for employee
Performance Issues - Behavior Pattern correct answers -Employee doesn't think incident is a big
deal because they haven't been corrected or may not realize they do anything wrong
Performance Issues - Persistent Pattern correct answers When an employee has been corrected
for a behavior pattern but continues exhibiting the same behavior
Documenting Performance Issues correct answers 1. Date of Incident
2. Time of Incident
3. Location (if applicable) of incident
4. A description of the performance issue
5. Notes on the discussion with the employee on the performance issue
,6. An improvement plan, if necessary
7. Next steps, should the employee commit the same infraction
8. Signatures from both the manager and employee
Investigative Interview correct answers -When manager and employee meet about infraction
once issue has been documented
-Used to make sure employee is fully aware of discipline issue
-Should always be done in private
Interest Based Bargaining correct answers In a unionized organization, employee can have union
representative at investigative interview
Progressive Discipline Process* correct answers -Series of steps to correct nonperformance
issues
-Does not demand immediate dismissal
1. First Offense: Unofficial verbal warning. Counseling & restatement of expectations
2. Second Offense: Official written warning, documented in employee file
3. Third Offense: Second official warning. Improvement plan may be developed, documented in
employee file
4. Fourth Offense: Posible suspension or other punishment documented in employee file
5. Fifth Offense: Termination and/or alternative dispute resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) correct answers -Unbiased third party looks at facts in the
case & tries to help parties come to an agreement
-Lower cost, more flexible since issue doesn't go to court
Mediation correct answers -Third party facilitates the resolution process, but results of process
are not binding for either party
Arbitration correct answers Person reviews the case and makes resolution/decision on situation
Step-Review System correct answers Performance issue is reviewed by higher levels of
management fi there is a disagreement from employee during discipline
Peer Resolution System correct answers Committee of management and employees is formed to
review complains & issues
Ombudsman System correct answers Person is elected to be designated individual for employees
to go to should they have a complaint/issue with discipline procedure
Absconding correct answers Employee decides to leave organization without resigning following
the normal process
Things to include when developing a severance package (preferably before anyone is terminated)
correct answers -How severance will be paid
, -Which situations will pay a severance and which will not (if someone is fired for sexual
harassment, is it still paid?)
-Formula for how severance will be paid based on work groups, years with the organization, etc
-Legal documents (releases/noncompete agreements)
-How accrued vacation and/or sick leave will be paid, if at all
How to deal with an absconded employee correct answers -Contact this person (first priority)
-If after 3 days, they still are not reachable, company should stop pay/seek legal help to recover
company items (laptops, parking passes)
Rightsizing/Downsizing correct answers Process of reducing total size of employees to save on
costs
Things to consider when downsizing correct answers -Is downturn temporary? Don't lay off
people to find that you will soon need to hire again
-Can expenses be cut in other ways?
-Consideration for offering temporary sabbaticals, voluntary retirement, or changing from full-
time to part-time
Why is it important to establish criteria for who gets laid off? correct answers -Determined
which jobs will be cut to make it more fair
-Can avoid managers trying to "save" certain people
-Then determine who does and doesn't meet criteria
Employment-at-will principle (EAW) correct answers -Right of an employer to fire an employee
or an employee to leave an organization at any time without any specific cause
-Gives both parties freedom to terminate relationship at any time
Three Main Exceptions to EAW correct answers -Public policy exception
-Implied contract exception
-God faith/fair dealing exception
Public Policy Exception correct answers Employer may not fire employee if it would violate
individual state's doctrine or statute.
-Law can protect you from being fired in PA for refusing a drug test due to invasion of privacy
Implied Contract Exception correct answers -Discharged employee can prove that the employer
indicated that the employee has job security
Good Faith & Fair Dealing Exception correct answers Discharged employee contends that he/she
was not treated fairly
-Less common than other 2 exceptions
Wrongful Discharge correct answers -Must show just cause for termination of employment