Knowledge Items Flashcards
An HR manager prepares for a budget meeting with multiple teams to determine departmental budget allocations. Which bargaining strategy should the HR manager use to achieve a mutually beneficial decision?
A - Distributive
B - Integrative
C - Zero-Sum
D - Positional
The correct answer is “B: Integrative.”
An integrative negotiation strategy uses an added-value approach to find mutually beneficial tradeoffs or a “win-win” strategy.
Distributive bargaining and zero-sum bargaining both involve traditional “win-lose” thinking in which one party gains only if the other party loses something. Positional bargaining involves each party taking a position, arguing for it, and making concessions to reach a compromise. It can result in negative feelings among the parties because it is an adversarial approach.
After the recent implementation of a new human capital management platform, a CEO requests people analytics data. Which action should the HR manager take first?
A - Direct the HR analyst to extract and summarize relevant data.
B - Develop a suite of analytical reports that focus on employee performance.
C - Train interested stakeholders on self-service options and decentralized capabilities.
D - Ask business partners to identify key metrics that link business strategy to outcomes.
The correct answer is “D: Ask business partners to identify key metrics that link business strategy to outcomes.”
By asking the business partners to identify key metrics that link business strategy to outcomes, the HR manager understands the most important information that is needed from the analytics data. The HR manager can then make an informed decision about the best way to extract, analyze, and communicate that data. Summarizing data, developing analytical reports, and training stakeholders are important actions to take after first identifying the key metrics that should be measured.
In addition to projected cost savings, which should be a primary consideration when determining whether to outsource a business function?
A - Rate of customer acquisition
B - Effect on employee morale
C - Timeline and action plan
D - Organization size
The correct answer is “B: Effect on employee morale.”
An HR professional primarily considers the effects of outsourcing on employee morale. Outsourcing can cause employees to feel betrayed. Long-term consequences include increased voluntary turnover and decreased innovation, which create additional costs that can offset projected cost savings.
Rate of customer acquisition should be considered when a vendor is selected and the service contract is drafted. This will ensure the vendor is able to appropriately meet the needs of the organization and its customer base. The outsourcing timeline and action plan is a logistical effort that would be planned after the organization determines whether outsourcing is appropriate. Organizations of all sizes use outsourcing, so size does not dictate whether outsourcing is an appropriate business decision.
Situational Judgment
An HR manager meets with the area supervisor and an employee who has limited head mobility due to a work-related injury to discuss potential accommodations. The employee suggests building steps at one of the workstations in an assembly line so the employee does not have to look upward. After considering other workers’ traffic patterns, everyone except the employee concludes adding stairs will introduce a tripping hazard and decrease the safety of other workers. The employee threatens to file a lawsuit claiming the company did not adequately explore the employee’s suggested accommodation.
Which action should the HR manager take to reduce the likelihood that the employee will file a lawsuit?
A - Place stairs on the assembly line temporarily so the worker can see the danger they pose to other workers.
B - Obtain a professional safety engineering analysis of the impact and feasibility of building the steps.
C - Ask other workers whether they think the steps will be a hazard before concluding the review.
D - Allow the employee to use the stairs under the condition that they will be removed if other employees complained about them.
The correct answer is “B: Obtain a professional safety engineering analysis of the impact and feasibility of building the steps.”
Situational judgment items require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond to the situation, but SJIs require thinking and action based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization’s approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the “best” answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.
An HR manager meets with the area supervisor and an employee who has limited head mobility due to a work-related injury to discuss potential accommodations. The employee suggests building steps at one of the workstations in an assembly line so the employee does not have to look upward. After considering other workers’ traffic patterns, everyone except the employee concludes adding stairs will introduce a tripping hazard and decrease the safety of other workers. The employee threatens to file a lawsuit claiming the company did not adequately explore the employee’s suggested accommodation.
Senior management instructs the HR manager to develop a plan for legally terminating other injured employees to prevent them from filing suits. How should the HR manager respond?
A - Inform senior management that this action could result in the filing of wrongful termination suits.
B - Explain that other employees will observe the common theme among the terminated employees, which will lower morale and trust of leadership.
C - Advise senior management to have the issue reviewed by a different team to see whether they can suggest alternate solutions.
D - Examine the employees’ HR files to see whether there are any violations of company policy.
The correct answer is “A: Inform senior management that this action could result in the filing of wrongful termination suits.”
Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each SJI response option, and the “best” answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.
A CEO asks the VP of HR to recommend talent-rich countries to consider for global expansion and to consider cost as part of the recommendation. When identifying potential countries, which is most important for the VP of HR to consider?
A - Each country’s employment laws and regulations
B - Availability and compatibility of HRIS platforms
C - The company’s readiness to deploy expatriates
D - Culture and language training needs
The correct answer is “A: Each country’s employment laws and regulations”
The VP of HR should assess each country’s legal requirements to determine the total cost of salaries, benefits, work obligations, etc. This will ensure the organization avoids significant and long-term unanticipated expenses.
The availability and compatibility of HRIS platforms is a technology concern that can be mitigated, such as by adopting an HRIS platform. The one-time cost associated with a migration is significantly lower than potential recurring expenses associated with employee salaries, benefits, etc. The company’s readiness to deploy expatriates is not applicable because transborder expansion into a talent-rich country does not dictate the use of expatriate personnel. The need for culture and language training is also not applicable because transborder expansion into a talent-rich country does not generally require language and culture training.
A talent director at a global apparel company is designing an employee value proposition (EVP) to grow the external candidate pipeline. Which action should the talent director take first?
A - Develop separate and distinct branding for the EVP that is different from the marketing brand to avoid confusing candidates.
B - Create a unique EVP brand and recruitment campaign materials for each region across the global organization to appeal to local audiences.
C - Engage with external vendors to minimize bias and ensure cultural sensitivity in EVP recruitment campaign materials.
D - Partner with the marketing team to build an EVP and associated recruiting campaigns that align with the company’s core brand.
The correct answer is “D: Partner with the marketing team to build an EVP and associated recruiting campaigns that align with the company’s core brand.”
The talent director should partner with the marketing team to build an EVP and associated recruiting campaigns that align with the company’s core brand to sustain the brand and ensure consistency over time.
Developing separate and distinct branding for either the EVP or for each region will dilute the brand and create an inconsistent message. Engaging with external vendors to ensure the EVP materials are culturally sensitive is an important step to take, but it is not the first step to take.
When developing leave plans, which factors are the most critical to consider?
A - Objectives and legal requirements
B - Types and employment eligibility
C - Cost and budgetary implications
D - Policies and procedures for use
The correct answer is “A: Objectives and legal requirements”
When developing leave plans, HR should first consider why the organization is considering a paid leave program (i.e., the objectives) and applicable legal requirements that mandate the employer to provide paid leave.
Identifying leave types, employment eligibility, policies and procedures for use, cost, and budgetary considerations should be considered after the leave objectives and legal requirements are identified.
An organization’s outdated HRIS is difficult to use and involves a paper-and-pen performance rating process. The organization is headquartered in a storm-prone area. During a recent weather-related evacuation, employees were unable to complete and submit performance ratings in a timely manner. The HR department selects a new online HRIS vendor to mitigate this issue in the future.
Leadership agrees to fund the new HRIS, which includes employee self-service features. Which action should the HR director take to encourage employees to use the HRIS?
A - Reinforce the benefits of using the self-service features, including immediate access to information.
B - Show employees how to use the self-service features when they ask HR to provide basic information.
C - Explain that the employee self-service features will save time for the HR department.
D - Provide in-person and virtual trainings on the new HRIS employee self-service features.
The correct answer is “A: Reinforce the benefits of using the self-service features, including immediate access to information.”
Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each SJI response option, and the “best” answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.
An organization’s outdated HRIS is difficult to use and involves a paper-and-pen performance rating process. The organization is headquartered in a storm-prone area. During a recent weather-related evacuation, employees were unable to complete and submit performance ratings in a timely manner. The HR department selects a new online HRIS vendor to mitigate this issue in the future.
At performance review time, employees express anxiety over the security of their online ratings. Which action should the HR director take in response to these concerns?
A - Share statistics about the likelihood and effects of a cybersecurity breach in the new HRIS.
B - Allow concerned employees to complete their ratings with paper forms rather than online.
C - Create a contingency plan that outlines corrective actions the company will take if a breach occurs.
D - Ask a representative from the HRIS company to describe the company’s data security processes and protections.
The correct answer is “D: Ask a representative from the HRIS company to describe the company’s data security processes and protections.”
Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each SJI response option, and the “best” answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.
Which selection tool should be used to fill a vacancy that requires managing multiple priorities and working under pressure?
A - Cognitive ability test
B - Background check
C - Behavioral assessment
D - Academic transcript
The correct answer is “C: Behavioral assessment.”
Behavioral assessments provide a systematic evaluation of candidate personality profiles used to gauge the viability of a candidate based on things like work style and potential, which are useful when trying to gauge whether a candidate can manage multiple priorities and work under pressure. This is based on the assumption that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.
Cognitive ability tests measure intelligence, verbal ability, math skills, spatial perception, or inductive and deductive reasoning. Background checks are used to verify prior employment, education, criminal background information, and/or other pertinent data to ensure candidates are being honest about their experience and credentials. Academic transcripts outline academic performance, which does not necessarily align with workplace performance.
Which action best fosters high ethical standards in an organization?
A - Establishing an anonymous reporting hotline
B - Adopting a corporate social responsibility policy
C - Providing manager training on codes of conduct
D - Distributing the employee handbook annually
The correct answer is “C: Providing manager training on codes of conduct.”
Training managers on codes of conduct helps managers understand and promote ethical behavior and therefore foster high ethical standards.
Establishing an anonymous reporting hotline does not help employees understand the company’s ethical standards, so they are not necessarily able to effectively use the hotline. Corporate social responsibility policies generally focus on a company’s external commitment to operate ethically and contribute to economic development. Distributing the employee handbook annually does not guarantee that employees read or understand the contents of it.
When developing an emergency disaster plan, which activity occurs during a vulnerability analysis?
A - Determining the likelihood of potential hazards and their effects on the business
B - Identifying key products, services, and operations and evaluating their reinforcements
C - Assessing available internal and external resources and establishing emergency contacts
D - Working with an insurance carrier to analyze exclusions and areas of exposure
The correct answer is “A: Determining the likelihood of potential hazards and their effects on the business.”
To conduct a vulnerability analysis, a company must examine the hazards within the company and the community in which the business is located and consider crises that have occurred in the past or which may result from the geographic location of the business or from technological or human error. Business should then determine the likelihood of facing those hazards and the severity of the consequences they would have on the business.
The other response options are appropriate risk management activities to execute but do not specifically support a vulnerability analysis.
A VP of talent development requests a two-day communication skills training for the team. The VP and the trainer meet for a planning session. The VP explains the department is working on several key projects and it needs to improve its effective communication to be successful. During the training session, the trainer observes an apparent lack of trust and openness among team members, which causes some team members to withdraw from the training activities. The VP receives feedback from managers that indicates the session did not go well, so the VP requests a meeting with the trainer.
After the training session is complete, which step should the trainer take?
A - Review the training evaluations for the session.
B - Debrief the VP on observations during training.
C - Meet with the team’s supervisor to disclose findings.
D - Calculate the return on investment for the session.
The correct answer is “A: Review the training evaluations.”
Situational judgment items require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond to the situation, but SJIs require thinking and action based on the best of the available options.
Do not base your answer on your organization’s approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the “best” answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.
A VP of talent development requests a two-day communication skills training for the team. The VP and the trainer meet for a planning session. The VP explains the department is working on several key projects and it needs to improve its effective communication to be successful. During the training session, the trainer observes an apparent lack of trust and openness among team members, which causes some team members to withdraw from the training activities. The VP receives feedback from managers that indicates the session did not go well, so the VP requests a meeting with the trainer.
Which action should the trainer take to improve group dynamics?
A - Conduct a team performance appraisal.
B - Provide coaching to high-performing team members.
C - Assess levels of trust among team members.
D - Schedule an offsite team-building activity.
The correct answer is “C: Assess levels of trust among team members.”
Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each SJI response option, and the “best” answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.
