Multiple Choice Questions
1. Research most clearly suggests that when organizations wish to increase retention they need to _____.
A. provide team-building
B. convince employees that there are few alternatives
C. offer "bundles" of HR practices that complement one another
D. demonstrate executive commitment to outreach
2. Which of the following factors leading to turnover cannot usually be addressed by the organization?
A. Poor social environment at work
B. Low levels of job satisfaction
C. Employee shocks
D. All of these can be addressed by organizational policy
3. Organizations can use compensation to reduce turnover by _____.
A. providing deferred compensation
B. giving specific rewards for seniority
C. increasing pay levels to surpass the market
D. all of the above
4. Organizations that link extrinsic rewards to employee performance (i.e. that use incentive compensation plans) find that _____.
A. turnover of high performers decreases and turnover of low performers increases
B. turnover is increased across the board
C. turnover is decreased across the board
D. turnover rates are largely unaffected
5. Work-life balance programs are an example of _____.
A. communal distribution
B. intrinsic rewards
C. instrumentality
D. a completely ineffective retention strategy
6. Research on organizational justice suggests that ____.
A. justice only influences turnover in highly industrialized Western countries
B. communication has little impact on employee attitudes or turnover intentions
C. employees are typically well-informed about organizational policies
D. none of the above
7. To increase the cost of leaving, employers ____.
A. reduce headcount
B. provide deferred compensation
C. increase workloads
D. provide free stock to employees
8. As assessment of employee success in reaching goals, ratings of competencies, and suggestions for improvement are all part of _____.
A. performance planning
B. performance appraisal
C. performance execution
D. progressive discipline
9. Recommendations for the effective design and use of a performance appraisal or management system include that ____________.
A. evaluations should be in writing
B. the employee should receive timely feedback about the evaluation and an explanation for any outcome decision
C. there should be agreement among different raters in their evaluation of the employee's performance
D. all of the above
10. ______ includes the completion of job tasks that are specifically included in the job description.
A. Citizenship
B. Task performance
C. (Low) Counterproductivity
D. All of the above
11. Which of the following is not a part of normal progressive discipline?
A. Give employees notice of the rules of conduct
B. Provide employees with alternative employment if performance problems persist
C. Allow for full investigation of alleged employee misconduct
D. Give employees the right to appeal a decision
12. Which of the following is an example of a major employee offense?
A. sabotage
B. theft
C. drug/alcohol abuse at work
D. all of the above
13. The typical penalty for a first major offense by an employee is _____________.
A. suspension or discharge
B. written reprimand
C. verbal reprimand
D. none of the above
14. One problem that has been shown to accompany downsizing is _____.
A. increased payroll costs
B. decreases in employee health and motivation
C. most companies fail to downsize sufficiently
D. insufficient attention to issues of seniority
15. Which of the following is the most commonly pursued alternative to layoffs for reducing staffing levels?
A. Attrition
B. Retraining
C. Benefits reductions
D. Job sharing
16. In many cases, the post-layoff environment for those who remain is marked by _____.
A. reductions in trust of management
B. stress among those who remain
C. reductions in workforce quality
D. all of the above
17. From a legal standpoint, if performance appraisal information is to be used in the retention management and termination process for an organization, the organization needs to ensure that the information is _____.
A. organizationally relevant
B. sufficiently general to cover a variety of situations
C. communicated in advance to the employee
D. all of the above
18. In terms of who should participate in selection decision making (i.e., HR professionals vs. line managers), HR professionals would be least likely to ________.
A. make the hiring decision
B. establish selection procedures
C. ensure relevant laws and regulations are being followed
D. represent the interests of employees to management
19. In which of the following assessment procedures is the participation of line managers most needed?
A. initial assessment
B. substantive methods
C. discretionary methods
D. background investigations
20. Employees are most likely to be involved in hiring decision making if they are organized in __________.
A. solo work
B. functional harmony
C. teams
D. none of the above