HRCI- SPHR Employee Relations and Engagement Q&A

HRCI- SPHR Employee Relations and Engagement Which of the following should you recommend as a last step when building an ADR process for your employer? A. Establish formal complaint procedures. B. Engage an ombudsman to help resolve disputes. C. Allow disciplinary appeals to be assigned to a peer review panel. D. Train supervisors to utilize open-door techniques for employee feedback. - C. There are many tools HR may use to build an effective alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process. A peer review panel may be an effective way to fairly hear the grievances of employees, reducing the likelihood of lawsuits. The production manager has filed a complaint with you, the HR director. He is upset that he was recently disciplined for failing to turn in his credit card receipts and that his company credit card was consequently suspended. He thinks the consequences were too extreme. This is the best example of which of the following? A. Distributive justice B. Procedural justice C. Discrimination D. Lack of equity - A. Distributive justice addresses employees' perceptions of fairness in the distribution of outcomes. In this case, the production manager does not believe that the punishment is appropriate for the offense. Employee contractual rights may be which of the following? A. Implied in an employee handbook or policies B. Entered into only by a senior executive C. Terminated by either the employee or employer at any time, and for any reason D. Entered into by a formal, written agreement - A. Contractual rights granted to employees can be entered into formally in writing using tools such as employment contracts, separation agreements, and collective bargaining agreements. However, courts have ruled that employee contractual rights may also be implied in employee handbooks and policies that create an expectation of continued employment or termination only for cause. A separation agreement is a type of which of the following? A. Risk management tool B. Employment contract C. Executive retention tool D. All of the above - D. A separation agreement is a type of employment contract that spells out the terms and conditions related to employee or executive termination or separation. More often than not, it includes some type of severance pay and, by signing the employee, exchanges the right to sue the employer for a grievance. While monitoring employee email is currently a legal practice, which of the following risk management steps should an employer take prior to doing so? A. Monitor work-related emails but not personal emails received on company computers. B. Monitor emails only if there are productivity concerns. C. Write clear policies that are reviewed by a labor attorney prior to implementation. D. Obtain signed releases from employees. - C. Federal and state laws regarding workplace privacy concerns can vary significantly. For this reason, HR should write clear policies that have been reviewed by the company attorney prior to engaging in any workplace monitoring efforts. In the middle of contract negotiations, the union representatives in the room request a time-out to confer together. They are using which negotiation technique? A. Stalling B. Brainstorming C. Caucusing D. Both A and B - C. The practice of caucusing by union representatives can be used for several reasons. This includes when there may be a disagreement between the union members that needs to be resolved outside of the presence of the employer negotiator. It is also an effective tool to control the pace of negotiations or to take a break if emotions begin to run high at the bargaining table. Which of the following can be accomplished with a robust employee attendance strategy? A. Reduced workers' compensation claims B. Increased productivity C. Improved retention D. All of the above - D. Senior HR professionals must build effective attendance strategies that meet the needs of both the employer and the employee. Efforts such as tracking attendance, understanding the cause of absenteeism, and quantifying the costs of absenteeism can help HR build response plans to the underlying reasons for attendance issues in the workplace. Which of the following is most important for a company evaluating employee experiences? A. Consistency B. Averages C. Trends D. Historic comparisons - A. When it comes to the evaluation of employee experiences at work, HR should look for consistency across all employee demographics. Employees should not be having different experiences in an organization with effective performance and behavioral standards. Positive employee relations strategies must first and foremost focus on which of the following? A. The bottom line B. The relationship between management and supervisors C. The people D. The customer - C. Positive employee relations strategies are organizational efforts that focus first on the people. This focus allows for greater engagement and trust, which in turn fosters productivity and customer service quality. Which of the following statements is true regarding employers that prohibit employees from all video recording and photography? A. It can be an effective way to protect employee privacy. B. It is reasonable in environments where trade secrets must be protected. C. It may be a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. D. All of the above - D. The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that prohibiting all video recordings or photography at work may violate an employee's right to engage in protected concerted activity. For example, a reasonable employee may construe that taking a picture of a wage schedule on a bulletin board is prohibited. The company for which you are HR director is having trouble with discourteous behavior, lack of management trust, and employees who were disconencted from the company's mission. Which of the following intervention strategies should you recommend? A. Diversity and harassment prevention initiatives B. Organizational culture initiatives C. An initiative to train managers and supervisors D. An employee survey to identify needs - B. A combination of issues such as the ones described illuminates the need for a company culture that is driven by company strategy that includes creation and support of a positive, inclusive company culture. This includes defining the proper way for both managers and employees to behave. Of the following steps, which should happen first when establishing an affirmative defense against a charge of sexual harassment? A. Write a policy. B. Prohibit retaliation. C. Prompt investigations. D. Train managers and supervisors. - A. The first step toward establishing an affirmative defense against a charge of sexual harassment is to write a zero tolerance policy for unlawful behaviors. Which of the following is a senior-level, strategic initiative in the area of employee and labor relations? A. Embedding corporate culture initiatives into HR systems B. Participating in the collective bargaining process C. Coordinating harassment prevention training for supervisors D. Conducting employee job satisfaction surveys - A. Strategic HR in the area of employee and labor relations are broad—not narrow—in scope. Embedding corporate culture initiatives into all HR systems requires a top-level view along with the marshaling and management of the resources necessary to execute. When should an employer give an arbitration agreement to an employee? A. At the time of hire B. Prior to a grievance being filed C. When the policy is developed D. Both A and C - D. An arbitration agreement is an effective tool employers may use to help resolve grievances outside of the justice system. For an agreement to be enforceable, current employees must receive (and return a signed copy of) the agreement when the policy is developed and at the time of hire for new employees. What is the European equivalent to American labor unions? A. Local governments B. Work councils C. National commissions D. All of the above - B. Works councils are most often found in European countries. They function like trade unions in that they are designed to represent the rights of workers through collective action and agreements (such as work agreements or covenants). During collective bargaining, the union is demanding that the safety shoe allowance for employees be increased by $10 per year. Of the following strategies, which would be the most effective if the company disagrees? A. Industry comparisons on the price of safety shoes B. Employee testimonials as to why safety shoes are not important C. Company financials D. Statistics showing that only 12 percent of the employees buy new safety shoes every year - D. HR must be prepared with data to counterbalance demands from the union that the company does not want to meet. Using in-house, real-time information can help persuade a union that their demands are unreasonable or unnecessary. Which of the following prenegotiation activities is the most helpful for HR when preparing for collective bargaining? A. Building a good relationship with the union representative B. Reviewing financials with the executive team to identify the available budget for employee demands C. Conducting an HR survey to identify what employees want D. Preparing with a labor attorney for all possible challenges - A. Ultimately, the collective bargaining process is supposed to improve the working environment or benefits of the employees. For this reason, HR should seek to build a positive relationship with the union representative to ensure the collective bargaining process achieves what it needs to achieve without acrimony from either side. Which of the following policies is often crafted by employers to avoid union organizing activity? A. Time-off policies B. Policies describing mandated leave laws C. Policy prohibiting political activity D. Policies addressing employee code of conduct - C. Policies that prohibit political activity at work are often designed to be part of a larger union avoidance strategy. The National Labor Relations Board prohibits overly broad policies, so HR must be sure that this and other types of policies do not unintentionally violate the law.