Situational Judgement Items

Correct

1. A manufacturing company was recently acquired, and the corporate headquarters

has now moved to another location. An HR generalist, who worked at the previous
headquarters, is assigned to the HR director at the new headquarters as a new
supervisor. The HR generalist’s former supervisor has been demoted from an HR
VP to a manager position and now reports to the HR director as well. All HR policy
decisions are now made at the new headquarters, with one of the first immediate
changes being to only accept online applications from job candidates in the
recruiting process. The HR manager is upset about the demotion and new policy
and, one day, tells the director that the new policy is resulting in fewer applicants
for a critical position, making it hard for the HR generalist to fill it.
Furthermore, the HR manager tells the director that the new online recruiting
system is too slow, which is making the HR generalist’s search and response time
slower. None of these statements are factual. The director asks the HR generalist if
these statements are true.

How should the HR generalist respond to the director’s inquiry about the efficiency
of the new system?

Download a summary report from the applicant tracking system, proving that there
are multiple qualified candidates and that the new online system is actually more effi‐
cient in screening people.

Conduct a comparative cost-benefit analysis between old and new systems.

Refer to the company’s key performance indicators to demonstrate the need for a new
policy and system.

Reason with the director that the new system is better aligned with the company’s strate‐
gic direction.
 Revealed correct answer

2. A manufacturing company was recently acquired, and the corporate headquarters

has now moved to another location. An HR generalist, who worked at the previous
headquarters, is assigned to the HR director at the new headquarters as a new
supervisor. The HR generalist’s former supervisor has been demoted from an HR
VP to a manager position and now reports to the HR director as well. All HR policy
decisions are now made at the new headquarters, with one of the first immediate
changes being to only accept online applications from job candidates in the
recruiting process. The HR manager is upset about the demotion and new policy
and, one day, tells the director that the new policy is resulting in fewer applicants
for a critical position, making it hard for the HR generalist to fill it.
Furthermore, the HR manager tells the director that the new online recruiting
system is too slow, which is making the HR generalist’s search and response time
slower. None of these statements are factual. The director asks the HR generalist if
these statements are true.

How should the director attempt to improve the HR manager’s attitudes regarding
the new recruiting system?

Tell the former VP about the observed advantages of the new system and emphasize
the shortcomings of the old system.

Request that the HR manager explore the new system in greater detail to better under‐
stand the added functionality.

Require the HR manager to adhere to the new policy and utilize the new system without
further complaint.

Counsel the HR manager on the negative impact of a poor attitude on the team.

Correct

3. A manufacturing company was recently acquired, and the corporate headquarters

has now moved to another location. An HR generalist, who worked at the previous
headquarters, is assigned to the HR director at the new headquarters as a new
supervisor. The HR generalist’s former supervisor has been demoted from an HR
VP to a manager position and now reports to the HR director as well. All HR policy
decisions are now made at the new headquarters, with one of the first immediate
 changes being to only accept online applications from job candidates in the
recruiting process. The HR manager is upset about the demotion and new policy
and, one day, tells the director that the new policy is resulting in fewer applicants
for a critical position, making it hard for the HR generalist to fill it.
Furthermore, the HR manager tells the director that the new online recruiting
system is too slow, which is making the HR generalist’s search and response time
slower. None of these statements are factual. The director asks the HR generalist if
these statements are true.

After several months, the online tracking system shows that the number of
applicants has actually decreased slightly since the new policy was put in place.
What should the HR director suggest to help solve this problem?

Suggest installing kiosks to allow candidates without computers to apply for positions.

Reach out to the developer to ensure that system data is accurate.

Seek the perspective from the HR employees about the reason for the decrease in
applicants.

Provide clearer instructions to applicants on how to apply using the new system.

Correct

4. An enterprise software company recently designed a new compensation system to

enable a large retail company to better manage its employee costs. Additionally,
the new system allows employees flexibility in deciding how their pay is structured.
The HR director is tasked by the CEO to implement the new compensation system
by the end of the financial year, which requires the project to be completed within
a three-month period. The HR director reviews the project charter and believes
that, given the scope of the project, the introduction of the new pay system is not
achievable within a three-month time frame and shares this concern with the CEO.
The finance director tells the CEO that if the finance department had been tasked
with the implementation, then the three-month time frame would be easily
achievable.
In order to implement the new pay system, the company’s IT director mentions
that additional IT capacity is needed at a cost that exceeds the project’s IT budget.
The HR director is concerned that the CEO might not approve the implementation
of the new pay system given the cost of upgrading the company’s IT systems. The
HR director learns that employees have become aware of the anticipated changes
 to the pay system and are concerned with the impact it will have on their pay.
Through their representatives, the employees contact the CEO to request a
meeting to discuss the new system.

How should the HR director respond to the finance director’s claim that the project
could be completed within three months?

Discuss with the CEO the practicality of the finance director’s completion of the project
within the estimated time frame.

Arrange for a meeting with the finance director to find a compromise on who should man‐
age the project.

Invite the finance director to be part of the process to help determine implementation
timing.

Ask the enterprise software company to provide records of project completion times for
other customers.

Revealed correct answer

5. An enterprise software company recently designed a new compensation system to

enable a large retail company to better manage its employee costs. Additionally,
the new system allows employees flexibility in deciding how their pay is structured.
The HR director is tasked by the CEO to implement the new compensation system
by the end of the financial year, which requires the project to be completed within
a three-month period. The HR director reviews the project charter and believes
that, given the scope of the project, the introduction of the new pay system is not
achievable within a three-month time frame and shares this concern with the CEO.
The finance director tells the CEO that if the finance department had been tasked
with the implementation, then the three-month time frame would be easily
achievable.
In order to implement the new pay system, the company’s IT director mentions
that additional IT capacity is needed at a cost that exceeds the project’s IT budget.
The HR director is concerned that the CEO might not approve the implementation
of the new pay system given the cost of upgrading the company’s IT systems. The
HR director learns that employees have become aware of the anticipated changes
to the pay system and are concerned with the impact it will have on their pay.
Through their representatives, the employees contact the CEO to request a
meeting to discuss the new system.
 Which action should the HR director take to manage the possible unbudgeted
costs associated with the increase in IT infrastructure that is needed to implement
the new pay system?

Ask the IT director for a full report justifying the costs associated with the implementation
of the new IT infrastructure.

Verify with a contractor the need and cost associated with the required IT infrastructure
and meet with the CEO to discuss next steps.

Send an email to the CEO indicating that the project cannot proceed given IT infrastruc‐
ture issues, copying the IT director.

Meet with the IT and finance directors to review the costs and explore alternative so‐
lutions to reduce costs.

Revealed correct answer

6. An enterprise software company recently designed a new compensation system to

enable a large retail company to better manage its employee costs. Additionally,
the new system allows employees flexibility in deciding how their pay is structured.
The HR director is tasked by the CEO to implement the new compensation system
by the end of the financial year, which requires the project to be completed within
a three-month period. The HR director reviews the project charter and believes
that, given the scope of the project, the introduction of the new pay system is not
achievable within a three-month time frame and shares this concern with the CEO.
The finance director tells the CEO that if the finance department had been tasked
with the implementation, then the three-month time frame would be easily
achievable.

In order to implement the new pay system, the company’s IT director mentions
that additional IT capacity is needed at a cost that exceeds the project’s IT budget.
The HR director is concerned that the CEO might not approve the implementation
of the new pay system given the cost of upgrading the company’s IT systems. The
HR director learns that employees have become aware of the anticipated changes
to the pay system and are concerned with the impact it will have on their pay.
Through their representatives, the employees contact the CEO to request a
meeting to discuss the new system.
How should the HR director address the employees’ concerns about the lack of
 consulting opportunity for the new pay system?

Communicate that employee concerns will be addressed once the IT infrastructure con‐
cerns have been resolved.

Meet with employee representatives to advise them that a new pay system will be intro‐
duced within three months.

Discuss the possibility of a new pay system being introduced with the employees’
representatives.

Issue a newsletter to all employees advising them of the new pay system and why it is
required.

Correct

7. The HR department in a college is developing a plan to restructure the

organization and reduce operating costs. The plan integrates several possible
strategies including the elimination of non-essential jobs, increased leave without
pay, reduction in staffing levels, an early retirement incentive plan, and repeal of an
initiative focused on hiring retirees. HR presents the strategies and their potential
consequences to the board. The board and HR determine that all employees
affected by the restructuring should be notified in person by their managers with
an HR representative present. Several board members are concerned that
managers will refuse to support the board’s decision to restructure the
organization or will not be skilled in conducting difficult conversations with their
employees.
They are also worried that, as the notifications begin, employees will talk to each
other and cause disruption to normal operations across the college. The board and
HR decide that all notifications will occur in the same week.

After the first day of notifications, HR learns that several managers blame HR for
the restructuring and refuse to comply with the decision. What should HR do to
gain the managers’ cooperation?

Notify the dissenting managers in person that failure to comply may result in disciplinary
action.
 Hire a contractor to mediate a discussion between HR and the dissenting managers about
the managers’ refusal to comply.

Share success stories of other restructuring efforts that are based on business
decisions.

Ask the board to send an organization-wide email clearly stating expectations of all
managers.

Correct

8. The HR department in a college is developing a plan to restructure the

organization and reduce operating costs. The plan integrates several possible
strategies including the elimination of non-essential jobs, increased leave without
pay, reduction in staffing levels, an early retirement incentive plan, and repeal of an
initiative focused on hiring retirees. HR presents the strategies and their potential
consequences to the board. The board and HR determine that all employees
affected by the restructuring should be notified in person by their managers with
an HR representative present. Several board members are concerned that
managers will refuse to support the board’s decision to restructure the
organization or will not be skilled in conducting difficult conversations with their
employees.

They are also worried that, as the notifications begin, employees will talk to each
other and cause disruption to normal operations across the college. The board and
HR decide that all notifications will occur in the same week.
What should the HR representatives do to prevent employees who have already
attended meetings from telling their colleagues about the topics covered in the
notification meetings?

Ask employees to maintain confidentiality and provide a timeline of when important

events will occur.

Require all employees to sign a formal non-disclosure agreement.

Offer the employees an incentive for refraining from speaking with their colleagues.

Meet with the employees to identify reasons why they might tell their colleagues.
 Correct

9. A large company hires a new VP of HR to oversee the HR department. The HR

department has 30 employees with over 10 years of service. The employees are
comfortable with their daily routines and work independently with minimal
supervision. The new VP of HR conducts an examination of the HR department’s
current operations. The examination reveals gaps in the department’s workflow as
a result of the HR employees’ independent work practices and lack of
accountability. The VP of HR also discovers that the HR employees follow policies
and procedures from the company’s 10-year-old employee handbook, which
requires significant updates. The examination also highlights that few HR
employees take advantage of formal workforce development training and
continuing education opportunities. In addition, the HR department currently uses
seven different HRISs to support the HR and payroll functions.
The systems lack the ability to interface with each other and require numerous
manual data entries that are time-consuming and prone to employee error. The
CEO and COO expect several reports from the HR department on the first of each
month. The VP of HR questions the integrity of the data, given the potential for
error during the data-entry process.

What first step should the VP of HR take to draft a plan to address the current
HRIS issues?

Contact the company’s current HRIS vendors to determine what other products they offer.

Meet with the IT and finance departments to develop a list of HRIS requirements.

Organize a team from HR and payroll to conduct a rapid improvement event on HRIS
processes.

Schedule a variety of vendor presentations on comprehensive HRISs.

Correct

10. A large company hires a new VP of HR to oversee the HR department. The HR

department has 30 employees with over 10 years of service. The employees are
comfortable with their daily routines and work independently with minimal
supervision. The new VP of HR conducts an examination of the HR department’s
current operations. The examination reveals gaps in the department’s workflow as
 a result of the HR employees’ independent work practices and lack of
accountability. The VP of HR also discovers that the HR employees follow policies
and procedures from the company’s 10-year-old employee handbook, which
requires significant updates. The examination also highlights that few HR
employees take advantage of formal workforce development training and
continuing education opportunities. In addition, the HR department currently uses
seven different HRISs to support the HR and payroll functions.

The systems lack the ability to interface with each other and require numerous
manual data entries that are time-consuming and prone to employee error. The
CEO and COO expect several reports from the HR department on the first of each
month. The VP of HR questions the integrity of the data, given the potential for
error during the data-entry process.

Which action should the VP of HR take to have the greatest impact on the
company’s workforce development outcomes?

Collect data from similar companies on their workforce development best practices.

Conduct customized in-house training within each department on a weekly basis.

Partner with consultants to offer online and classroom continuing education courses.

Institute individual employee development plans to build skills and competencies.

Correct

11. A large company hires a new VP of HR to oversee the HR department. The HR

department has 30 employees with over 10 years of service. The employees are
comfortable with their daily routines and work independently with minimal
supervision. The new VP of HR conducts an examination of the HR department’s
current operations. The examination reveals gaps in the department’s workflow as
a result of the HR employees’ independent work practices and lack of
accountability. The VP of HR also discovers that the HR employees follow policies
and procedures from the company’s 10-year-old employee handbook, which
requires significant updates. The examination also highlights that few HR
employees take advantage of formal workforce development training and
continuing education opportunities. In addition, the HR department currently uses
seven different HRISs to support the HR and payroll functions.
 The systems lack the ability to interface with each other and require numerous
manual data entries that are time-consuming and prone to employee error. The
CEO and COO expect several reports from the HR department on the first of each
month. The VP of HR questions the integrity of the data, given the potential for
error during the data-entry process.
What is the most effective action the VP of HR can take to engage the HR team in
resolving the department’s workflow gaps?

Create short-term HR process improvement teams.

Allow team members to select a role on the team.

Encourage a groupthink mentality.

Ask HR employees to define departmental goals.

Correct

12. An HR manager has been asked to fill a management position that has recently
become vacant. The company’s policy is to consider qualified internal candidates
first, before considering external candidates. After posting the job, two internal
candidates are identified. Candidate #1 has been with the company for 22 years,
arrives to work on time, and is friendly to everyone. In addition, it is well known
that this candidate and the HR manager are close friends. Candidate #2 has been
with the company for five years and is currently successfully overseeing a critical
large-scale organizational change for the company. Candidate #1 was once
assigned as a mentor for Candidate #2; however, that relationship is no longer
active. Both candidates are aware of each other's interest in the position.
Which action should the HR manager take to ensure the best selection for the
position is made?

Conduct a company-wide employee survey.

Review personnel files of the employees to compare performance.

Analyze candidates using the paired-comparison method.

 Conduct behavioral style interviews with both candidates.

Correct

13. An HR manager has been asked to fill a management position that has recently
become vacant. The company’s policy is to consider qualified internal candidates
first, before considering external candidates. After posting the job, two internal
candidates are identified. Candidate #1 has been with the company for 22 years,
arrives to work on time, and is friendly to everyone. In addition, it is well known
that this candidate and the HR manager are close friends. Candidate #2 has been
with the company for five years and is currently successfully overseeing a critical
large-scale organizational change for the company. Candidate #1 was once
assigned as a mentor for Candidate #2; however, that relationship is no longer
active. Both candidates are aware of each other's interest in the position.

Which action should the HR manager take to ensure that the unselected candidate
remains engaged and productive?

Ask for the employee’s input on handling the difficult situation.

Identify special developmental opportunities to expand the employee’s skill set and
capabilities.

Ensure the employee is given every opportunity to excel in their current position.

Encourage the employee’s supervisors and peers to recognize and praise the employee’s
work.

Correct

14. The new HR director at a metropolitan hospital receives a complaint from a group
of 13 nurses alleging that a senior surgeon harassed each of them on different
occasions over the past year. The complaint indicates that the nurses, through
informal conversation, discovered they each reported their incident to the previous
HR director immediately. Each nurse was told that it was the surgeon’s first offense
and that the surgeon would receive a warning. The nurses suspect other hospital
staff members may be affected as well. The nurses do not trust the HR department
 or senior management and want the HR director to take direct responsibility for
resolving the problem.

The HR director finds concrete evidence of the senior surgeon’s repeat harassment
of other employees, but senior leadership is hesitant to terminate the senior
surgeon’s employment because the senior surgeon is well known and brings
business to the hospital. What action should the HR director take in response to
senior leadership’s hesitation?

Inform the 13 nurses of the results of the investigation and that senior leadership makes
the final decision on what happens with the senior surgeon.

Provide senior leadership with cost estimates of the potential legal fees and lower em‐
ployee engagement that could result from continuing the senior surgeon’s employ‐
ment with the hospital.

Warn senior leadership that retaining the senior surgeon at the hospital sets an example
to other employees that the senior surgeon’s behavior is acceptable at the hospital.

Meet with the board of directors to inform them of the policy violation and leadership’s
hesitation to terminate the senior surgeon’s employment.

Correct

15. The new HR director at a metropolitan hospital receives a complaint from a group
of 13 nurses alleging that a senior surgeon harassed each of them on different
occasions over the past year. The complaint indicates that the nurses, through
informal conversation, discovered they each reported their incident to the previous
HR director immediately. Each nurse was told that it was the surgeon’s first offense
and that the surgeon would receive a warning. The nurses suspect other hospital
staff members may be affected as well. The nurses do not trust the HR department
or senior management and want the HR director to take direct responsibility for
resolving the problem.

Which is the most effective action the HR director should take to change the
hospital’s culture around harassment?

Present senior leadership with research demonstrating that cultures that tolerate ha‐
rassment are related to negative organizational outcomes.
 Require that all employees take a test regarding the harassment policy and obtain a mini‐
mum passing score.

Ensure all employees attend a mandatory anti-harassment training.

Send monthly HR emails reminding employees of what constitutes harassment and the
procedures for reporting it.

Correct

16. An HR manager is employed in the Food Services Division at an international

airline. The division employs about 150 people of various ethnicities and cultures,
many of whom speak English as a second language. Employees are required to
complete an annual online food safety training course with a passing score of 80%
or better. However, the HR manager discovers that several employees who
correctly apply the training knowledge on the production line are failing the
training course. After speaking with managers and employees, the HR manager
learns that English reading comprehension is negatively impacting training scores.

A new training course that reduces the influence of English reading

comprehension on test scores is implemented, but several employees complain
that the new training course is more time-consuming than the old training course.
What is the most effective action for the HR manager to take to address these
employees’ concerns?

Tell those employees that HR will review the contents of the new course and discuss their
concerns with the training manager.

Tell those employees that HR will re-implement the old course until another, more efficient
course is developed.

Tell those employees that HR will use their feedback to develop recommendations to
improve the training course.

Tell those employees that HR will replace the training course with on-the-job training
evaluations.
 Revealed correct answer

17. An HR manager is employed in the Food Services Division at an international

airline. The division employs about 150 people of various ethnicities and cultures,
many of whom speak English as a second language. Employees are required to
complete an annual online food safety training course with a passing score of 80%
or better. However, the HR manager discovers that several employees who
correctly apply the training knowledge on the production line are failing the
training course. After speaking with managers and employees, the HR manager
learns that English reading comprehension is negatively impacting training scores.

Which action should the Food Services Division take to assure employees that it is
committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce?

Conduct focus groups with non-native English speakers to uncover other barriers to
success.

Employ a monthly scorecard encompassing metrics supporting diversity and inclusion.

Design and implement a global job rotation program to enhance cross-cultural awareness.

Publicly acknowledge and celebrate various cultural observances.

Correct

18. After one week of employment, a newly appointed HR manager is asked by the
CEO to present recommendations at the next executive committee meeting for
improving the service and morale of the HR department. The company terminated
its previous HR manager for poor performance. The termination resulted in low
overall morale within the HR department. Also, the former HR manager responded
to the termination with a letter threatening to take legal action unless the
company pays the equivalent of an annual salary as compensation for the alleged
unfair termination of employment. The HR supervisor reporting to the new HR
manager has demonstrated unsatisfactory performance. For instance, the
manufacturing manager complains about HR’s lack of service quality. Furthermore,
the HR supervisor is disgruntled about the new HR manager’s appointment.

The new HR manager reviews the HR supervisor’s personnel file and discovers that
 the HR supervisor was nominated by the former HR manager as a successor. The
CEO believes that the HR supervisor’s potential has reached its plateau and the HR
supervisor is not considered a future successor to the position of the HR manager.

How should the new HR manager handle the company’s decision to maintain the
HR supervisor in the current position rather than promote them to the position of
HR manager?

Arrange a meeting with the HR supervisor to identify how to improve performance.

Withhold discovery of the information in the HR supervisor’s personnel file to avoid nega‐
tive reactions from the HR supervisor.

Ask the CEO if it is possible to reassess the performance and career path of the HR super‐
visor at a later point in time.

Address the career path of the HR supervisor at the HR supervisor’s next performance
review.

Correct

19. After one week of employment, a newly appointed HR manager is asked by the
CEO to present recommendations at the next executive committee meeting for
improving the service and morale of the HR department. The company terminated
its previous HR manager for poor performance. The termination resulted in low
overall morale within the HR department. Also, the former HR manager responded
to the termination with a letter threatening to take legal action unless the
company pays the equivalent of an annual salary as compensation for the alleged
unfair termination of employment. The HR supervisor reporting to the new HR
manager has demonstrated unsatisfactory performance. For instance, the
manufacturing manager complains about HR’s lack of service quality. Furthermore,
the HR supervisor is disgruntled about the new HR manager’s appointment.

The new HR manager reviews the HR supervisor’s personnel file and discovers that
the HR supervisor was nominated by the former HR manager as a successor. The
CEO believes that the HR supervisor’s potential has reached its plateau and the HR
supervisor is not considered a future successor to the position of the HR manager.
What action should the HR manager take to improve the morale within the HR
department?
 Schedule time to meet individually with HR staff members to listen to their concerns.

Arrange team-building events for HR staff members.

Hire an external consultant to build an objective strategy for improving levels of

enthusiasm.

Meet with the HR team to discuss department goals.

Correct

20. A multinational consulting firm hires a new project director to lead an important
new initiative. The project director has not worked for a global company before
and holds citizenship in a country that is not where the firm’s headquarters is
located. Six months after being hired, the project director emails the firm’s HR
director to convey feelings of frustration and disappointment with the
organization. The project director claims that staff in the firm’s payroll department
refused to set up direct deposit for the project director’s monthly paycheck
because they received the required forms after the submission deadline. The email
also indicates that the project director was given rigorous performance goals that
require working 70 hours per week and frequent international travel.
During a phone call with the HR director, a senior payroll officer states that the
project director did not pay attention to the information provided during
orientation. How should the HR director respond to engage the payroll officer in
solving the problem?

Question the payroll officer to identify the most likely causes of the project director’s dis‐
traction during the orientation.

Offer to provide payroll staff with training on effective facilitation techniques.

Ask the payroll officer to consider the situation from the project director’s perspective.

Prompt the payroll officer to communicate with the project director on the importance of
complying with payroll deadlines.
 Revealed correct answer

21. A multinational consulting firm hires a new project director to lead an important
new initiative. The project director has not worked for a global company before
and holds citizenship in a country that is not where the firm’s headquarters is
located. Six months after being hired, the project director emails the firm’s HR
director to convey feelings of frustration and disappointment with the
organization. The project director claims that staff in the firm’s payroll department
refused to set up direct deposit for the project director’s monthly paycheck
because they received the required forms after the submission deadline. The email
also indicates that the project director was given rigorous performance goals that
require working 70 hours per week and frequent international travel.

The HR director discovers that much of the pre-arrival information provided to the
project director uses acronyms and terminology that are undefined or hard to
understand. What should the HR director do to help new hires navigate the
onboarding process?

Meet with the project director and complete the direct deposit form together.

Instruct HR staff members to revise the pre-arrival information to ensure industry jargon is
excluded.

Train the new employees on the acronyms and terminology.

Hire employees who are familiar with industry-wide acronyms and terminology.

Correct

22. A multinational consulting firm hires a new project director to lead an important
new initiative. The project director has not worked for a global company before
and holds citizenship in a country that is not where the firm’s headquarters is
located. Six months after being hired, the project director emails the firm’s HR
director to convey feelings of frustration and disappointment with the
organization. The project director claims that staff in the firm’s payroll department
refused to set up direct deposit for the project director’s monthly paycheck
because they received the required forms after the submission deadline. The email
also indicates that the project director was given rigorous performance goals that
require working 70 hours per week and frequent international travel.
 The email suggests that other newly hired employees have experienced similar
frustration with the payroll department. What should the HR director do to engage
senior department leaders in restructuring the organization’s onboarding process?

Invite senior department leaders to a meeting to discuss the payroll department’s

performance.

Meet with the payroll department director to identify service areas that are problematic
for new hires.

Obtain more feedback about the onboarding process from newly hired employees to
provide to senior department leaders.

Undertake a payroll process reengineering activity to identify redundancies and complex

areas in the process.

Correct

23. A midsize manufacturing organization has sites distributed around the country.
Operations division staff work on variable schedules and are compensated on an
hourly basis. The organization’s incentive structure rewards employees who devise
efficient methods to complete their work in less time than scheduled. During the
process of updating the pay policies for the division, the HR director learns that
some of the employees have been recording their scheduled hours rather than
actual hours worked. Managers approved the recorded time without verifying
whether the hours were accurate. Labor law requires employees to record their
actual hours worked.
The HR director has been in the position for two weeks and does not have a
working relationship with any of the operations division managers. During the HR
director’s onboarding meeting with one of the organization’s VPs, the VP confides
that operations division managers are difficult to work with and tend to be very
protective of their employees. The VP also indicates that most of the senior
leadership team are former operations division managers.

Several HR business partners (HRBPs) are frustrated because operations division

managers refuse to listen to the HRBPs’ advice on improving the timekeeping
system. What should the HR director do to ensure the managers implement the
timekeeping system in a manner compliant with labor laws?
 Direct the HRBPs to continue meeting with and providing consultation to the managers.

Offer to attend the next meeting the HRBPs hold with the managers.

Secure the commitment of executive leaders to abide by the legal requirements for
timekeeping, and hold managers accountable for compliance.

Develop a company-wide training program outlining the company’s expectations and le‐
gal requirements for accurately recording time worked.

Correct

24. A midsize manufacturing organization has sites distributed around the country.
Operations division staff work on variable schedules and are compensated on an
hourly basis. The organization’s incentive structure rewards employees who devise
efficient methods to complete their work in less time than scheduled. During the
process of updating the pay policies for the division, the HR director learns that
some of the employees have been recording their scheduled hours rather than
actual hours worked. Managers approved the recorded time without verifying
whether the hours were accurate. Labor law requires employees to record their
actual hours worked.
The HR director has been in the position for two weeks and does not have a
working relationship with any of the operations division managers. During the HR
director’s onboarding meeting with one of the organization’s VPs, the VP confides
that operations division managers are difficult to work with and tend to be very
protective of their employees. The VP also indicates that most of the senior
leadership team are former operations division managers.

The HR director believes the organization’s incentive structure promotes

inaccurate timekeeping practices. What should the HR director do to obtain
support from senior leaders to revise the incentive structure?

Meet with senior leaders and ask for their recommendations on revising the incentive
structure.

Send the senior leaders evidence-based research supporting an alternative incentive

approach.

Identify the annual cost savings from correcting the inaccurate timekeeping.
 Explain the risks and costs of continuing the current incentive approach and propose
an alternative incentive system.

Correct

25. A midsize manufacturing organization has sites distributed around the country.
Operations division staff work on variable schedules and are compensated on an
hourly basis. The organization’s incentive structure rewards employees who devise
efficient methods to complete their work in less time than scheduled. During the
process of updating the pay policies for the division, the HR director learns that
some of the employees have been recording their scheduled hours rather than
actual hours worked. Managers approved the recorded time without verifying
whether the hours were accurate. Labor law requires employees to record their
actual hours worked.
The HR director has been in the position for two weeks and does not have a
working relationship with any of the operations division managers. During the HR
director’s onboarding meeting with one of the organization’s VPs, the VP confides
that operations division managers are difficult to work with and tend to be very
protective of their employees. The VP also indicates that most of the senior
leadership team are former operations division managers.

A recent article in a peer-reviewed research journal provides evidence-based

support for a new method for incentivizing hourly employees. What is the first
thing the HR director should do to determine whether the method is appropriate
for the organization?

Compare the study sample characteristics to the organization’s industry and demo‐
graphic profile.

Evaluate the potential cost and time frame for implementation.

Survey employees to assess the potential impact of the incentive on their motivation.

Present the study outcomes to the senior leadership to obtain their feedback.
This content is created by the owner of the form. The data you submit will be sent to the form owner. Microsoft is not
responsible for the privacy or security practices of its customers, including those of this form owner. Never give out your
password.
Microsoft Forms | AI-Powered surveys, quizzes and polls Create my own form
Privacy and cookies | Terms of use