Which term refers to actions intended to place physical or psychological distance between employees and their work environment?

Human Resources Management, 13e (Dessler)

Chapter 10 Employee Retention, Engagement, and Careers

1) Which of the following terms refers to educating, instructing, and training subordinates?

A) mentoring

B) coaching

C) appraising

D) grading

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Coaching means educating, instructing, and training subordinates. Mentoring means advising, counseling, and guiding. Recruiting refers to searching for job candidates.

Diff: 1

Chapter: 10

Objective: 4

Skill: Concept

2) The rate at which employees leave a firm is best known as ________.

A) downsizing

B) retirement

C) turnover

D) retention

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Turnover is the rate that workers leave an employer. Turnover occurs for many reasons including downsizings, retirements, and firings. Retention refers to how many workers stay with a firm.

Diff: 1

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

3) Which of the following industries has one of the highest turnover rates?

A) food services

B) financial services

C) healthcare services

D) educational services

Answer: A

Explanation: A) The turnover in many food service organizations is around 100% per year. In contrast, voluntary turnover in the educational services industry is about 12%.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

4) As an employer, what is the primary benefit of cutting a high turnover rate?

A) selling stock

B) saving money

C) attracting applicants

D) meeting legal obligations

Answer: B

Explanation: B) High turnover rates have tangible and intangible costs for employers. Recruiting, screening, testing, and training are costly. Intangible costs, such as correcting errors and supervising a new worker, waste time.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

5) Which term refers to actions intended to place physical or psychological distance between employees and their work environments?

A) employee disengagement

B) workplace separation

C) job withdrawal

D) attrition

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Job withdrawal has been defined as "actions intended to place physical or psychological distance between employees and their work environments." Poor attendance and voluntary turnover are two job withdrawal examples.

Diff: 1

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

6) Which of the following best describes the purpose of the 9-box matrix method?

A) selecting new employees

B) identifying effective coaches

C) assessing promotion potential

D) analyzing employee engagement

Answer: C

Explanation: C) In assessing candidates for promotions, it's not just current performance but performance potential that's important. That idea is at the heart of the 9-box matrix approach to assessing current employees' promotional prospects. Selection, coaching, and engagement are not relevant to a 9-box matrix method.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 5

Skill: Concept

Learning Outcome: Define human resource management and describe modern trends in the field

7) Robin, the HR manager at Rightway Enterprises, believes that job withdrawal has become a significant problem at the firm. Robin most likely came to this conclusion after observing all of the following employee behaviors EXCEPT ________.

A) frequent vacation time requests

B) idle employee conversations

C) undeserved work breaks

D) excessive absences

Answer: A

Explanation: A) Poor attendance and voluntary turnover are two job withdrawal examples. Other types of job withdrawal include "taking undeserved work breaks, spending time in idle conversation and neglecting aspects of the job one is obligated to perform." Requesting vacation is not necessarily indicative of job withdrawal.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Application

8) Which of the following would most likely reduce voluntary turnover?

A) performance appraisal systems

B) high unemployment rates

C) numerous job opportunities

D) downsizing requirements

Answer: B

Explanation: B) High unemployment reduces voluntary turnover, and some locales have fewer job opportunities (and thus turnover) than do others. Performance appraisal systems are less relevant to turnover rates. Downsizing is often a reason for turnovers.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

9) What is the first step in retaining employees?

A) providing employees with proper training

B) discussing career plans with workers

C) selecting the right workers

D) identifying worker goals

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Retention starts up front, in the selection and hiring of the right employees. Selection refers not just to the worker but to choosing the right supervisors as well. Training, career planning, and goal-setting are follow-up steps to retaining workers.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

10) According to surveys, high levels of employee engagement are LEAST frequently associated with ________.

A) fewer repeat customers

B) higher performance levels

C) lower turnover rates

D) better corporate earnings

Answer: A

Explanation: A) Based on surveys by the Gallup organization, business units with the highest levels of employee engagement have an 83% chance of performing above the company median while those with the lowest employee engagement have a 17% chance of performing better than the company median. A survey by consultants Watson Wyatt Worldwide concluded that companies with highly-engaged employees have 26 percent higher revenue per employee.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 2

Skill: Concept

11) According to research cited in the text, what is the primary reason that top-performing/high commitment employees gave for voluntarily leaving an organization?

A) career development

B) work-life balance

C) promotions

D) salary

Answer: D

Explanation: D) The five top reasons high commitment/top-performing employees gave for leaving (ranked from high to low) were pay, promotional opportunities, work life balance, career development, and health-care benefits. In contrast, employers ranked the top five reasons employees left as promotion, career development, pay, relationship with supervisor, and work-life balance.

Diff: 1

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

12) What is one of the results of IBM's on-demand staffing strategy?

A) increased resignations

B) expanded market share

C) increased telecommuting

D) improved employee retention

Answer: D

Explanation: D) The on-demand staffing program at IBM is improving employee retention, by minimizing the sorts of layoffs and resignations that might occur if employees skill sets were inconsistent with IBM's needs. Resignations, market share, and telecommuting are less relevant.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Concept

Learning Outcome: Define human resource management and describe modern trends in the field

13) Apex Carpet has a very high voluntary turnover rate, which executives at the firm want reduced. What is the most effective way to retain top-performing employees at Apex?

A) conducting more performance reviews

B) developing new recruitment strategies

C) establishing a talent management program

D) revising the organization's mission statement

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Employers can address turnover issues by instituting effective and comprehensive talent management (recruitment, selection, training, appraisal, and compensation) practices. The manager should understand that retaining employees is a talent management issue, and that the best retention strategies are therefore multifunctional.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Application

Learning Outcome: Define human resource management and describe modern trends in the field

14) Apex Carpet has a very high voluntary turnover rate, which executives at the firm want reduced. Which of the following should Apex most likely do first in its attempt to retain top-performing employees?

A) administer attitude surveys to all employees

B) provide an across-the-board wage increase

C) evaluate the firm's promotion methods

D) develop online training courses

Answer: A

Explanation: A) Identifying the issues is an important first retention strategy. Many employers routinely administer attitude surveys to monitor employees' feelings about matters such as supervision and pay. Salary, promotions, and training may not necessarily be the reasons for high turnover.

Diff: 2

Chapter: 10

Objective: 1

Skill: Application

15) According to a TowersPerrin study, which of the following managerial actions would most likely foster employee engagement?

A) offering improved benefits packages

B) conducting regular performance appraisals

C) linking employee efforts to company goals

D) providing online training sessions to new hires

Answer: C

Explanation: C) According to a Tow

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