SHRM-CP Exam Practice Questions With Correct Answers

Which method is initially used to resolve disputes regarding interpretation of a clause in a current union contract? - Answer Grievance procedures The creation of a global compensation and benefits strategy that ignores local differences in culture is most likely to occur in what global management approach? - Answer Ethnocentric Which activity is part of the assessment and selection step of the global assignment process? - Answer Development of data-gathering instruments How has the talent acquisition process been affected by social media? - Answer There is an increased ability to find and connect with passive candidates. An organization has four generations working side-by-side in the workplace. Which practice could alleviate management concerns that intergenerational tensions and a lack of camaraderie could undermine organizational success? - Answer Succession planning A knowledge-based organization is highly decentralized, with many small offices and many employees who are highly task-oriented working remotely. Which would be the best way to measure employee attitudes in this organization? - Answer Administering a brief online survey An organization has decided to use a random drug testing program for all current employees. What should the organization do prior to implementing the program and testing employees? - Answer Verify that the proposed program complies with applicable local, state, and federal laws. Which is a potential advantage of using Internet recruiting? - Answer Fast and effective distribution of listings What is the primary reason for developing workforce diversity programs? - Answer To enhance productivity. A consulting company recently changed its vacation and leave policies and wants to know how employees feel about the changes. Its 500 employees are located in 40 locations throughout the U.S. and western Europe. What survey method is likely to yield the highest response rate and the best data? - Answer Online survey Which organizational structure is best described as being divided according to a linear process? - Answer Functional organization What are the basic steps in crisis management planning and readiness? - Answer Identify risks, develop plan, test and drill, evaluate. HR has been approached by a manager in a host country stating that activities being conducted by an employee are different than those in the home country and must be unethical. What should HR advise as the first step for this manager? - Answer Remind the manager that just because the activities are being conducted differently does not mean that they are unethical. Under which circumstances would it be important for an HR manager to age data? - Answer When trying to understand the organization's current pay competitiveness and where it needs to be What is meant by the sustainability sweet spot? - Answer The overlapping area of the triple bottom line perspectives Which assessment approach would provide the deepest insight into the potential of a manager for a position of global leadership at corporate headquarters? - Answer Panel interviewing conducted by senior managers from various locations, including host-country managers A manufacturer assembles commercial equipment in its host country, using components purchased from small manufacturers in other countries. Pursuing a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, the manufacturer has reviewed its own processes for potential environmental improvements related to energy and waste. HR has been directed to survey employees' workplace impressions, implement engagement practices, and initiate volunteer programs with local community groups. What else is HR in a good position to do to advance the CSR program? - Answer Conduct workplace compliance audits for supply chain partners. An organization fears that it has become less competitive. Which should an OED assessment of this issue identify? - Answer Internal and external factors that impact organizational success How does replacement planning differ from succession planning? - Answer Replacement planning ensures the continuity of business operations; succession planning provides deep bench strength throughout the organization. Which HR metric provides an indication of the efficiency of the recruiting process? - Answer Days to fill The HR director and the CEO of a mid-sized company each receive a letter from an employee that accuses a company executive of bullying, misrepresenting funds, and openly criticizing other executives during conversations with lower-level employees. The letter states that the employee has chosen to remain anonymous because the employee mistrusts the HR department and fears retaliation. Which step should the HR director take first to address the accusations in this letter? - Answer Review the executive's personnel file for information that suggests that a pattern of behavior exists. The HR director and the CEO of a mid-sized company each receive a letter from an employee that accuses a company executive of bullying, misrepresenting funds, and openly criticizing other executives during conversations with lower-level employees. The letter states that the employee has chosen to remain anonymous because the employee mistrusts the HR department and fears retaliation. Which action should the HR director take to most effectively address the employee's reason for reporting the issue anonymously? - Answer Review the company's policies and procedures to protect employees who report issues at the next all-employee meeting. The HR director and the CEO of a mid-sized company each receive a letter from an employee that accuses a company executive of bullying, misrepresenting funds, and openly criticizing other executives during conversations with lower-level employees. The letter states that the employee has chosen to remain anonymous because the employee mistrusts the HR department and fears retaliation. Which action should the HR director take to best ensure that executives understand and comply with the company's expectations of leaders? - Answer Implement regular training that emphasizes behavioral expectations for all employees, including executives. The IT Director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT Director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT Director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT Director about this because there is no contingency plan if he were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, he has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR Manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting, intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR Manager learns that the IT Director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR Manager discovers that the IT Director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which solution should the HR Manager suggest to reinforce the organization's commitment to being a learning organization? - Answer Request that the leadership hold a company-wide meeting to reiterate the mission of being a learning organization, and build performance metrics and incentives around the mission. The IT Director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT Director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT Director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT Director about this because there is no contingency plan if he were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, he has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR Manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting, intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR Manager learns that the IT Director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR Manager discovers that the IT Director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which strategy would help assess and correct the collaboration issues the IT department is facing? - Answer Evaluate work relationships between employees and departments, clarify work expectations and reporting relationships, and assess the gap in operating expectations. The IT Director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT Director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT Director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT Director about this because there is no contingency plan if he were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, he has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR Manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting, intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR Manager learns that the IT Director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR Manager discovers that the IT Director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which key problems affecting the IT department should the HR Manager present to the organization's leadership? - Answer Behavioral and cultural problems, specifically related to communication, leader-employee relationships, workplace atmosphere, and collaboration The IT Director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT Director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea. Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT Director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT Director about this because there is no contingency plan if he were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, he has no direct supervisor. Recently, the HR Manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting, intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR Manager learns that the IT Director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR Manager discovers that the IT Director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not. Which approach should the HR Manager recommend to the organization's leadership to address the IT Director's behavior? - Answer Provide both verbal and written feedback to the IT Director, hold consistent meetings, stress the importance of accountability, and ensure that the IT Director's job description is aligned with the organization's mission. A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate HR team with all functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the VP's of HR, who report to the Senior VP of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A HR Manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. How should the team start the process of determining the appropriate HR servicing model? - Answer By determining a structure that will align with the company's strategic plan and objectives A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate HR team with all functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the VP's of HR, who report to the Senior VP of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A HR Manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. How should the team best use the HR Manager's experience with the organization? - Answer They should use the HR Manager to provide balanced input into the structure and delivery approach. A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate HR team with all functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the VP's of HR, who report to the Senior VP of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A HR Manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. What should the team do to gain buy-in for its recommendations? - Answer The team should develop a business case outlining its recommendations to present to the leadership team. Previous Question Next Question Review A highly matrixed, decentralized international company has six business units in various locations. Although there's a corporate HR team with all functions represented, each business unit also has its own HR department that functions independently. All operate in a polycentric fashion; only the VP's of HR, who report to the Senior VP of HR, interact on a periodic basis. A downturn in the economy has impacted the company and has led corporate HR to explore the possibility of using a new centralized service model to combine one or more of the HR functions into corporate. Other reasons for this include a reduction in practitioners, cost savings, improved consistency, and elevated expertise. A HR Manager who has been with one business unit for the last seven years has been asked to join a team pulled together by corporate HR to design and implement an appropriate servicing model. He is the only one from outside of the corporate function participating on the team. For the past month, the team has been looking at the pros and cons of different HR structures, and they are discussing a shared services approach. Changes to the HR structure or delivery model can create frustration and anxiety among employees. What is the best approach the team should take to ensure a smooth adoption by employees? - Answer Develop an impactful communication plan outlining the team's purpose, the need for change, and a high-level overview of the upcoming changes. A hospital has recently seen a significant increase in the turnover of nurses. Many recent hires have left to work at a nearby privately run clinic. This is puzzling since there have been rumors about this clinic's financial outlook. The HR business partner for the hospital has been asked to design and oversee a recruitment campaign to attract ten new nurses and an additional five nurse trainees. One of the measures of success that has been given to the HR business partner is that these new hires need to remain with the hospital for a minimum of 18 months. The hospital is looking to have these individuals onboarded within six weeks. While trying to manage recruiting and hiring, the HR business partner keeps thinking about the hospital's retention issue. In reviewing exit interview information, the business partner has noticed a trend: Many of the nurses who have left indicated that the private clinic has a more modern location, better hours, and great employee facilities that include a gym. Hospital leadership has also been criticized, in particular, the hospital administrator, for her negative attitude and lack of recognition. Over lunch with an HR acquaintance who works at the private clinic, the business partner inquires about how the clinic has been so successful in attracting and retaining staff. To the HR business partner's surprise, the colleague shares that much of the feedback she hears as to why people leave the hospital is the hospital's wage and benefits structure. The business partner realizes that he has his hands full in addressing the many issues in order to achieve his hiring objectives, improve retention, and decrease turnover. What is the first step the HR business partner needs to take to attract and hire for the vacant positions? - Answer The HR business partner needs to establish a time line for meeting the six-week due date that includes when and how he will advertise the positions and create an advertisement to attract individuals whose values align with those of the hospital.