People - Employee Engagement & Retention (Developing) Flashcards
An employee life cycle describes all of the activities associated with an employee’s tenure in the organization. What is the impact of HR’s understanding of the employee life cycle on the organization?
Supporting employee performance and engagement
For HR practitioners, employee life-cycle phases influence the inputs and types of developmental activities the employee needs to support his or her optimum performance and engagement.
How should HR improve an organization’s onboarding program to reduce voluntary turnover during the first 90 days of employment?
By conducting in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause of turnover
The HR professional should evaluate the organization’s onboarding strategies using a variety of metrics. In this situation, in-depth exit interviews to determine the cause(s) of voluntary turnover could determine any areas of dissatisfaction with the onboarding process and/or other negative organizational issues the new hire may have encountered.
An engineering company aspires to have a culture that supports a family-friendly environment. What work/life program would support such a culture?
Family assistance program
Work/life programs help employees balance the demands of their work and home lives. Family assistance programs provide a variety of family resources and support, including child-care and elder-care assistance.
An organization recognizes the benefit of long-tenured employees—they provide valuable experience that is key to its success. What practice can HR use to help ensure that employees remain with the organization for a longer period of time?
Conducting realistic job previews
By conducting realistic job previews, the organization can help ensure that new hires are well prepared for the job duties and understand the organizational culture before they enter it. This can help keep employees engaged over time and may result in retaining them for a longer period of time. Performing salary reviews and improving benefit plans can help ensure that the total compensation for the position is competitive in the market, but that will not address other issues that may cause employees to exit the organization prematurely. Streamlining HR processes may not have any impact on the employee retention rate.
A manufacturing organization’s office employees are arriving late to work on a consistent basis. A focus group is conducted, and it is discovered that the employees’ morning commute has changed significantly due to highway construction. Which of the following should HR recommend the organization implement to support the temporary needs of employees?
Introduce a flextime policy with bandwidth hours.
Since this is a manufacturing organization, employees need to be at the organization’s facility. Therefore, allowing employees to work on a flextime schedule is the best answer.
Senior management has determined that a reduction in force (RIF) is the only way it can address financial difficulties. Which action would best minimize the impact of the downsizing on the organization and employee morale?
Allow employees to volunteer to be separated.
A reduction in force in which employees in selected task areas are allowed to volunteer for layoff has the potential to benefit both the organization and the employees. For the organization, a voluntary RIF creates opportunities for restructuring and assists in meeting the organization’s fiscal responsibilities. For employees, it may facilitate a transition to retirement. Also, in some countries, an early “at will” separation can provide the employee with access to federal or local financial assistance for the pursuit of other career opportunities.
A manager wants to implement a paid-time-off program for employees to volunteer in their local communities. What is the best way to respond to his request?
Initiate a joint management-employee committee to develop a policy for this type of program.
The concept is good. The more employees are integrated into their organization and the local community, the greater the commitment to the organization. However, the concept needs to be explored further and a clear policy developed by a group that represents various perspectives. Implementing the idea without this examination, consensus, and definition will lead to inconsistencies and complaints.
In the final round of hiring, an employer invites candidates to spend half a day working alongside an employee and an hour with HR reviewing total rewards and company policies. The employees who work with the candidates are chosen because of their tenure with the company and their strong performance ratings. The employees may or may not be performing the job that is being filled. This practice has not increased retention levels. What might be wrong?
The job preview may not be realistic.
The job preview experience may not be representative of what a new hire would be doing in the first months of employment, since candidates are not necessarily experiencing a typical workday in the position they might be entering. Candidates at this stage should be fully informed about the employer’s offerings, culture, and policies. It would be a poor use of resources to implement the process with an entire group of candidates invited for an interview. There is no indication that the information given to candidates about career paths and opportunities is incorrect.
Which of the following recommendations should the HR manager be sure to make to managers to help ensure a successful remote working arrangement?
Determine the kind of work and the work style of employees who would likely be successful.
To ensure a successful remote working arrangement, the specific work role should be reviewed for the appropriateness of working off site, and the individual employee’s performance and work style should be evaluated to ensure that remote working can be successful.
Leaders of a new high tech organization are seeking HR’s expertise in retaining their highly skilled workforce, especially as the organization expands. When should HR start the employee retention strategies and practices?
During the organization’s branding and recruitment efforts
Retention strategies and practices start with the organization’s branding and recruitment efforts and continue on through the employment experience.
What must HR do to overcome the biggest challenge in implementing an effective workplace flexibility strategy?
Confirm that the immediate supervisor understands the requirements of the work role and its duties.
One of the biggest challenges to implementing successful alternative work programs is ensuring that the immediate supervisor is on board. While overall culture is also important, the supervisor must be trained and supported to manage remote employees.
