Which action should an HR manager take in response to a new employee requesting accommodations for religious practice during work?

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A large retail store has 150 employees, of which 50 are supervisors. Whereas 60% of the employees are women, only 20% of the supervisors are women. This is much lower than the industry average of 40% female supervisors. The company does not have a consensual relationship policy. In the past six months, the company has received four complaints of insensitive behavior. In the first complaint, a female employee reports that her supervisor has repeatedly asked her for sexual favors in exchange for better assignments. On her refusal, the supervisor began making unreasonable assignments and started critiquing her work through written memos. The employee is concerned she will lose her job. In the second complaint, an employee reports that two of her coworkers are dating and that it bothers her. In the third complaint, a female worker reports that a male supervisor is making sexually derogatory comments at work. In the fourth complaint, a male worker reports that his female supervisor asked him out on a date and that he wants a transfer to a different department if it happens again. The HR director decides to have the employees for whom he is responsible go through a two-day diversity training program. As a part of their diversity training, all managers are required to complete a module on sensitivity training. During one such program, the trainer asks the class to form groups based on gender. The trainer then asks the men to behave the way they perceive women to behave at the workplace and vice versa. Unfortunately, during this exercise, the women start using vulgar words and physically touching the men. This indicates that sexual harassment against women is a major problem in the organization.
How should an HR employee respond to the second complaint in which the employee filed a complaint against two of her coworkers who are dating?
Answers
Send a warning letter to the two employees in the relationship.
Inform the complainant that the relationship does not violate any company policy or employment laws.
Ask the complainant if there has been a negative impact on her performance.
Meet with the two employees who are dating to discuss the complaint.

A large retail store has 150 employees, of which 50 are supervisors. Whereas 60% of the employees are women, only 20% of the supervisors are women. This is much lower than the industry average of 40% female supervisors. The company does not have a consensual relationship policy. In the past six months, the company has received four complaints of insensitive behavior. In the first complaint, a female employee reports that her supervisor has repeatedly asked her for sexual favors in exchange for better assignments. On her refusal, the supervisor began making unreasonable assignments and started critiquing her work through written memos. The employee is concerned she will lose her job. In the second complaint, an employee reports that two of her coworkers are dating and that it bothers her. In the third complaint, a female worker reports that a male supervisor is making sexually derogatory comments at work. In the fourth complaint, a male worker reports that his female supervisor asked him out on a date and that he wants a transfer to a different department if it happens again. The HR director decides to have the employees for whom he is responsible go through a two-day diversity training program. As a part of their diversity training, all managers are required to complete a module on sensitivity training. During one such program, the trainer asks the class to form groups based on gender. The trainer then asks the men to behave the way they perceive women to behave at the workplace and vice versa. Unfortunately, during this exercise, the women start using vulgar words and physically touching the men. This indicates that sexual harassment against women is a major problem in the organization.
Which is an appropriate action for the fourth complaint in which a male employee states his supervisor propositioned him for a date and if it occurs again then he will submit a transfer request?
Answers
Keep in touch with the male worker to determine if the same thing happens again.
Suspend the supervisor immediately.
Ignore the issue until it is repeated.
Speak to the supervisor and ensure it does not happen again.

An HR generalist is assigned to support a scientific organization. Those in leadership positions in the organization are highly educated, most with doctorates. Some are Nobel Prize winners. Those in supporting positions tend to have jobs that are clerical in nature. Most do not have college degrees. In addition, the leadership and support teams have strong ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic differences among them that result in cultural conflicts. The leadership team is highly critical of the level and quality of support it receives from the support staff and has gradually eliminated, outsourced, or automated large segments of support tasks. The size of the support team has dwindled to half the size it was five years earlier. An administrative analyst from the human factors division asks to meet with the HR generalist to discuss bias in the division. The administrative analyst complains that the scientists do not respect administrative analysts, do not utilize them fully, and do not share critical information with them. The administrative analyst wants to file a complaint. The following week a scientist in the human factors division calls the HR generalist and says he wants to fire the administrative analyst for incompetence. Later, the scientist contacts the HR generalist again to say he wants to eliminate the administrative analyst's job. He explains that if and when the leadership team needs support for the tasks that the administrative analyst performs, it will contract for that support.
Which is the HR generalist's best response to the scientist's request to eliminate the administrative analyst's job?
Answers
Tell the scientist that it is very important to keep process integrity intact and that HR will investigate the situation but eliminating the job is not appropriate at this time.
Ask the scientist if he is eliminating the job simply to get rid of the administrative analyst because of a cultural conflict.
Explain to the scientist the process for eliminating a job and how long it will likely take.
Tell the scientist that HR needs to talk with the legal department first because of the diversity issues that have been raised.

An HR generalist is assigned to support a scientific organization. Those in leadership positions in the organization are highly educated, most with doctorates. Some are Nobel Prize winners. Those in supporting positions tend to have jobs that are clerical in nature. Most do not have college degrees. In addition, the leadership and support teams have strong ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic differences among them that result in cultural conflicts. The leadership team is highly critical of the level and quality of support it receives from the support staff and has gradually eliminated, outsourced, or automated large segments of support tasks. The size of the support team has dwindled to half the size it was five years earlier. An administrative analyst from the human factors division asks to meet with the HR generalist to discuss bias in the division. The administrative analyst complains that the scientists do not respect administrative analysts, do not utilize them fully, and do not share critical information with them. The administrative analyst wants to file a complaint. The following week a scientist in the human factors division calls the HR generalist and says he wants to fire the administrative analyst for incompetence. Later, the scientist contacts the HR generalist again to say he wants to eliminate the administrative analyst's job. He explains that if and when the leadership team needs support for the tasks that the administrative analyst performs, it will contract for that support.
What is the HR generalist's best immediate response to the administrative analyst's complaint?
Answers
Explain to the administrative analyst that HR will alert management to the problem and facilitate a solution.
Ask the administrative analyst specific questions about the incidents and the impact on the work environment.
Validate the administrative analyst's feelings by agreeing that the administrative analyst is being left out and isolated.
Counsel the administrative analyst on how to file a complaint.

An HR generalist is assigned to support a scientific organization. Those in leadership positions in the organization are highly educated, most with doctorates. Some are Nobel Prize winners. Those in supporting positions tend to have jobs that are clerical in nature. Most do not have college degrees. In addition, the leadership and support teams have strong ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic differences among them that result in cultural conflicts. The leadership team is highly critical of the level and quality of support it receives from the support staff and has gradually eliminated, outsourced, or automated large segments of support tasks. The size of the support team has dwindled to half the size it was five years earlier. An administrative analyst from the human factors division asks to meet with the HR generalist to discuss bias in the division. The administrative analyst complains that the scientists do not respect administrative analysts, do not utilize them fully, and do not share critical information with them. The administrative analyst wants to file a complaint. The following week a scientist in the human factors division calls the HR generalist and says he wants to fire the administrative analyst for incompetence. Later, the scientist contacts the HR generalist again to say he wants to eliminate the administrative analyst's job. He explains that if and when the leadership team needs support for the tasks that the administrative analyst performs, it will contract for that support.
A different manager in the human factors division asks the HR generalist for ideas on how to improve the climate in the organization. Which is the HR generalist's best response?
Answers
Give the manager a book about managing a diverse workforce.
Ask the manager to describe the issues with the organizational climate and the impact of those issues on the team.
Suggest a listening session so that administrative support personnel can openly share their feelings and concerns with leaders and scientists.
Provide the manager with a copy of a diversity study conducted two years earlier for the organization.

A mid-level HR specialist has been tasked to revise and implement the organization's new supervisor training program to accommodate the onboarding of new supervisors by the end of the month. In the past, this training has been provided by an external consultant, who has worked with the HR specialist to tailor the consultant's existing training content to include information specific to the organization. Now, to cut costs, the HR director has asked the HR specialist to bring the program in-house. The HR director has specified that the existing content is to be used as a starting point. The HR specialist has also been asked to benchmark best practices in supervisory training and review applicable laws and regulations that are important for new supervisors to understand. In addition, the HR director wants the HR specialist to study the effectiveness of the existing training in preventing discrimination complaints and other unfair treatment claims. Finally, the HR specialist has also been directed to add a diversity and inclusion module to the program.
What is the first step the HR specialist should take to incorporate diversity and inclusion content in the new supervisor training program?
Answers
Benchmark diversity and inclusion programs in other organizations.
Develop content about how to work with people of different religions, races, nationalities, genders, and sexual orientations.
Develop a definition of what diversity and inclusion means to the organization.
Ask individuals representing different demographic groups to come speak as part of the training program.

The HR director of a midsized organization provides HR services to 15,000 employees and is an outsourced HR system provider to a cluster of smaller companies that are suppliers to his organization. The legacy HR system used by the organization operates using an outdated computer programming language. Recently, the chief information officer told the HR director that the legacy HR system is out of date and should be replaced by more modern technology. Therefore, the HR director decides to buy an HR module from an enterprise resources planning (ERP) vendor. Through discussions with the vendor, the HR director learns that the HR module is undergoing a re-engineering process that is not yet complete, and as such the organization would be the first new customer. The HR director also learns that the new system would require hardware changes to run the new software, but the vendor promises to customize it for the organization. Ultimately, the HR director is concerned about the implementation costs quoted by the ERP vendor. As a result, the HR director does not accept the ERP's implementation cost proposal and engages a different, small business IT provider with lower rates to handle the implementation. The HR director also decides to use HR employees in his office that have an aptitude for technology to provide project management support. Unfortunately, when the new HR system launches, it has multiple problems including a high error rate, lost data, inefficient screen navigation, and a poorly designed user interface.
Which action should the HR manager take to determine the system's efficiency?
Answers
Measure the number of screens that are required to enter each major type of transaction.
Survey the HR employees about the amount of time required to enter a transaction in the new system compared to the legacy system.
Measure the amount of time required by the system to enter the major types of transactions.
Ask the implementation vendor the amount of time required to enter major transactions.
Previous Question

The HR director of a midsized organization provides HR services to 15,000 employees and is an outsourced HR system provider to a cluster of smaller companies that are suppliers to his organization. The legacy HR system used by the organization operates using an outdated computer programming language. Recently, the chief information officer told the HR director that the legacy HR system is out of date and should be replaced by more modern technology. Therefore, the HR director decides to buy an HR module from an enterprise resources planning (ERP) vendor. Through discussions with the vendor, the HR director learns that the HR module is undergoing a re-engineering process that is not yet complete, and as such the organization would be the first new customer. The HR director also learns that the new system would require hardware changes to run the new software, but the vendor promises to customize it for the organization. Ultimately, the HR director is concerned about the implementation costs quoted by the ERP vendor. As a result, the HR director does not accept the ERP's implementation cost proposal and engages a different, small business IT provider with lower rates to handle the implementation. The HR director also decides to use HR employees in his office that have an aptitude for technology to provide project management support. Unfortunately, when the new HR system launches, it has multiple problems including a high error rate, lost data, inefficient screen navigation, and a poorly designed user interface.
The HR director asks an HR manager to prepare a report on the implementation of the new HR system. What should be the HR manager's first step?
Answers
Log onto the system and review each module and screen.
Conduct a survey of employees using the system and ask them about the system's strengths and weaknesses.
Interview the small business IT contractors to find out how well they think the system is working.
Interview the project manager at the ERP provider to gather information on how well the system was implemented.

A department executive notifies the VP of HR that an involuntary termination needs to occur the following day, when the VP of HR is scheduled to leave on a planned vacation. The VP of HR immediately meets with the only other HR staff member, an HR analyst who was promoted two months ago from an office administrator position, to summarize the situation and offer guidance on how to handle the termination. The next day during the termination meeting, the department executive informs the employee about the termination, says that HR will explain the rest of the process, then quickly leaves the room. The company's management believes terminating employees is HR's responsibility, and management team members reluctantly participate. However, company policy states it is a dual responsibility of HR and management. The HR analyst can only remember some key points from the meeting with the VP of HR to explain the reason for the termination, prompting the employee to comment about its unfairness. The HR analyst ignores these comments and escorts the employee to collect personal belongings before departing the building. The employee spends a significant amount of time removing electronic files, collecting belongings, and explaining the situation to coworkers. The HR analyst quietly waits for the employee to finish, not knowing how to expedite the uncomfortable situation. Eventually, the employee leaves without incident. Upon the VP of HR's return, the HR analyst explains the situation and associated challenges. The VP of HR praises the analyst, but provides no additional feedback.
In retrospect, what was the best action for the VP of HR to have taken to more effectively manage the termination given the HR analyst's lack of experience?
Answers
Participate remotely by telephone to ensure the termination conversation was properly handled.
Meet with the HR analyst and the executive together to review the termination process and prepare for the meeting with the employee.
Postpone the termination until after vacation so an experienced HR member would have been present.
Request that the executive present the termination documents, arrange for the return of the personal belongings, and escort the employee from the building.

A department executive notifies the VP of HR that an involuntary termination needs to occur the following day, when the VP of HR is scheduled to leave on a planned vacation. The VP of HR immediately meets with the only other HR staff member, an HR analyst who was promoted two months ago from an office administrator position, to summarize the situation and offer guidance on how to handle the termination. The next day during the termination meeting, the department executive informs the employee about the termination, says that HR will explain the rest of the process, then quickly leaves the room. The company's management believes terminating employees is HR's responsibility, and management team members reluctantly participate. However, company policy states it is a dual responsibility of HR and management. The HR analyst can only remember some key points from the meeting with the VP of HR to explain the reason for the termination, prompting the employee to comment about its unfairness. The HR analyst ignores these comments and escorts the employee to collect personal belongings before departing the building. The employee spends a significant amount of time removing electronic files, collecting belongings, and explaining the situation to coworkers. The HR analyst quietly waits for the employee to finish, not knowing how to expedite the uncomfortable situation. Eventually, the employee leaves without incident. Upon the VP of HR's return, the HR analyst explains the situation and associated challenges. The VP of HR praises the analyst, but provides no additional feedback.
Which would have been the best response from the HR analyst to the employee regarding the unfairness of the termination?
Answers
Ask additional questions to understand why the employee felt the termination was unfair.
Acknowledge the employee's comments, then reiterate the rationale for the decision expressed in the earlier conversation.
Redirect the conversation to focus on possible next steps for the employee.
Suggest that the employee can provide additional comments in a letter to the VP of HR.

A department executive notifies the VP of HR that an involuntary termination needs to occur the following day, when the VP of HR is scheduled to leave on a planned vacation. The VP of HR immediately meets with the only other HR staff member, an HR analyst who was promoted two months ago from an office administrator position, to summarize the situation and offer guidance on how to handle the termination. The next day during the termination meeting, the department executive informs the employee about the termination, says that HR will explain the rest of the process, then quickly leaves the room. The company's management believes terminating employees is HR's responsibility, and management team members reluctantly participate. However, company policy states it is a dual responsibility of HR and management. The HR analyst can only remember some key points from the meeting with the VP of HR to explain the reason for the termination, prompting the employee to comment about its unfairness. The HR analyst ignores these comments and escorts the employee to collect personal belongings before departing the building. The employee spends a significant amount of time removing electronic files, collecting belongings, and explaining the situation to coworkers. The HR analyst quietly waits for the employee to finish, not knowing how to expedite the uncomfortable situation. Eventually, the employee leaves without incident. Upon the VP of HR's return, the HR analyst explains the situation and associated challenges. The VP of HR praises the analyst, but provides no additional feedback.
How can the HR analyst most effectively use this experience to improve the termination process in the future?
Answers
Follow up with the department executive to understand how interactions with the employee could have been improved.
Contact other HR professionals for advice on handling involuntary terminations.
Ask the VP of HR specific questions about handling these types of situations in the future.
Solicit feedback from the legal department after a couple of days have passed.

A department executive notifies the VP of HR that an involuntary termination needs to occur the following day, when the VP of HR is scheduled to leave on a planned vacation. The VP of HR immediately meets with the only other HR staff member, an HR analyst who was promoted two months ago from an office administrator position, to summarize the situation and offer guidance on how to handle the termination. The next day during the termination meeting, the department executive informs the employee about the termination, says that HR will explain the rest of the process, then quickly leaves the room. The company's management believes terminating employees is HR's responsibility, and management team members reluctantly participate. However, company policy states it is a dual responsibility of HR and management. The HR analyst can only remember some key points from the meeting with the VP of HR to explain the reason for the termination, prompting the employee to comment about its unfairness. The HR analyst ignores these comments and escorts the employee to collect personal belongings before departing the building. The employee spends a significant amount of time removing electronic files, collecting belongings, and explaining the situation to coworkers. The HR analyst quietly waits for the employee to finish, not knowing how to expedite the uncomfortable situation. Eventually, the employee leaves without incident. Upon the VP of HR's return, the HR analyst explains the situation and associated challenges. The VP of HR praises the analyst, but provides no additional feedback.
The HR analyst is asked to suggest improvements to the current termination process. Which is the best recommendation to make as a first step to quickly and effectively improve the process?
Answers
Provide the option for HR to conduct all terminations without having a member of the employee's management team present.
Designate a trained HR staff member to oversee all future terminations to ensure all aspects of the actions are managed appropriately.
Distribute a memo to all management staff outlining their responsibilities in the termination process.
Provide a mandatory briefing on the entire termination process, including the specific roles and responsibilities of HR and the management staff.

The marketing department of a manufacturing company launches several new initiatives to increase the company's sales and profit margin. Strong promotion of these initiatives generates excitement throughout the company. Employees discuss the creativity of these efforts, and their expectations for the company to exceed forecasts. Several weeks after the launch of these new initiatives, there are reports of a 70% increase in the number of unanswered calls in the customer service call center. The call center's general manager is distressed about this report and believes the increase in unanswered calls is due to failure to include the call center in communications regarding the new initiatives. As a result, the call center was not prepared to handle the volume of calls and unable to resolve customers' issues in a timely manner. The call center's poor service decreases customer loyalty and satisfaction, and negatively impacts the company's sales and profit margins. The company's president, disappointed with the call center's minimal support for the new initiative, asks the HR manager to observe the call center's procedures and determine why calls are not handled effectively. The president expects call center employees to understand the time sensitivity of the new initiatives, work cohesively, and learn to address new types of customer issues. Additionally, employees in the headquarters office seek reassurance that the initial drop in profits, when compared to targets, is temporary and that the company will achieve its original projections.
What action should the HR manager take to address the call center employees' lack of awareness of and involvement in the company's new initiatives?
Answers
Provide the call center employees with documentation on how to respond to customer calls that pertain to the new initiatives.
Collaborate with call center managers to conduct an in-person information session explaining the importance of the call center for the new initiatives.
Create new targets for the call center employees' performance based upon the new initiatives and reward those who meet the new targets.
Inform the call center manager of the new initiatives and how to communicate future strategic initiatives to employees.

The marketing department of a manufacturing company launches several new initiatives to increase the company's sales and profit margin. Strong promotion of these initiatives generates excitement throughout the company. Employees discuss the creativity of these efforts, and their expectations for the company to exceed forecasts. Several weeks after the launch of these new initiatives, there are reports of a 70% increase in the number of unanswered calls in the customer service call center. The call center's general manager is distressed about this report and believes the increase in unanswered calls is due to failure to include the call center in communications regarding the new initiatives. As a result, the call center was not prepared to handle the volume of calls and unable to resolve customers' issues in a timely manner. The call center's poor service decreases customer loyalty and satisfaction, and negatively impacts the company's sales and profit margins. The company's president, disappointed with the call center's minimal support for the new initiative, asks the HR manager to observe the call center's procedures and determine why calls are not handled effectively. The president expects call center employees to understand the time sensitivity of the new initiatives, work cohesively, and learn to address new types of customer issues. Additionally, employees in the headquarters office seek reassurance that the initial drop in profits, when compared to targets, is temporary and that the company will achieve its original projections.
The HR manager wants to send a message to call center employees as a step toward restoring their confidence in the new initiatives. Which is the most effective information to include in the message?
Answers
Explanation for the errors and commitment to correcting them in the future
Strategies for correcting the errors and an invitation to employees to express their concerns
Company's support for, and confidence in, the call center manager
Importance of the call center employees meeting their targeted call volume

157. What is the correct progression of evaluation levels in Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model?
Answers
Behavior, reaction, learning, and results
Learning, reaction, results, and behavior
Behavior, learning, results, and reaction
Reaction, learning, behavior, and results

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