SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Questions & Answers

• Question 901:

  The theory which asserts that motivation depends upon the strength of an employee having a tendency to act in a certain way, which is based on the strength of the employee's expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and how attractive the employee perceives the outcome to be, is called?

  A. Skinner's operant conditioning theory
  B. McClelland's three needs theory.
  C. Vroom's expectancy theory.
  D. Adams' equity theory of motivation
  C. Vroom's expectancy theory.

  ---

  Victor Vroom's expectancy theory (1964) explains that we are motivated to pursue an activity by appraising three factors:-Expectancy that assumes more effort will result in success-Instrumentality that sees a connection between activity and goal-Valence which represents the degree to which we value the reward or the results of success.

• Question 902:

  The HR director has just seen the data from the function's first internal customer satisfaction survey in ten years. Customers complain about hiring times they consider unreasonable. At an HR meeting, staff defends itself by arguing that they address every opening quickly, offer the hiring managers a good pool of candidates, and have a high rate of employee success in positions. How should the leader of the HR function approach this customer service problem?

  A. Compare the present HR head count with staffing levels from ten years ago
  B. Defend the HR department to the CEO, pointing out its successful metrics.
  C. Examine the recruiting and hiring process for inefficiencies.
  D. Develop a service level agreement with the hiring managers as a commitment to improve service.
  C. Examine the recruiting and hiring process for inefficiencies.

  ---

  The HR staff is doing its job of providing qualified candidates but not quickly enough. The first step is to map the process being used to determine if it can be made more efficient by using technology and/or giving staff more decision-making authority. Customer service is a metric as well as recruiting ratios or early attrition rates, and HR must address this gap in customer service. The staff's performance does not indicate that it is overwhelmed with work; jobs are opened quickly and quality candidates are being provided. A service level agreement is a good idea but not until HR has uncovered ways to improve its level of customer service.

• Question 903:

  A HR team member is working on a crucial systemic framework that must be done in an exact fashion with no room for invention or changes. Due to the critical nature of the framework, the team member's supervisor monitors the team member's activities closely and thoroughly. At the team member's appraisal, his results are found to be satisfactory and above average. However, the manager notes that the team member has low engagement levels, poor morale, and a depressed attitude. According to Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, what can the manager do to reduce job dissatisfaction?

  A. Give the team member the opportunities for growth by recommending him for training and coaching
  B. Help the team member follow the process but be creative in other ways.
  C. Recognize the team member's accomplishments publicly in the next team meeting.
  D. Refrain from supervising the team member so meticulously.
  D. Refrain from supervising the team member so meticulously.

  ---

  What Herzberg termed hygiene factors (also called dissatisfiers) are extrinsic elements of the work environment such as company policy, relationships with supervisors, working conditions, relationships with peers and subordinates, salary and benefits, and job security. Job dissatisfaction can be reduced for the team member by addressing the dissatisfier of the close watch the supervisor has the team member. Note that the other options focus on motivator factors.(image credit - indeed.com)

• Question 904:

  A law firm decides to open a secondary office to be closer to a client with whom the law firm performs dedicated services. All new associates for the secondary office were hired with the understanding that their full-time job would be exclusively for this client. However, the associates soon expressed frustration that the work does not offer sufficient career development opportunities compared to employees in the main office. The secondary office associates approach their supervisors to request more opportunities. These associates provide examples of how the associates in the law firm's home office earn a greater variety of experiential opportunities. The supervisors agreed to consult HR and the managing partners to discuss how to provide more developmental opportunities to the associates in the secondary office. The HR manager is tasked with leading the efforts with input from the managing partners.

  The HR manager compares the developmental opportunities across offices and determines that associates in both offices are not content with their current developmental opportunities. Which approach should the HR manager take first to address this situation?

  A. Suggest the managing partners prioritize resolving the issue in the secondary office before addressing the concerns in the home office.
  B. Survey associates across offices on their preferences about developmental opportunities.
  C. Meet with the associates from both offices to get a better understanding of their concerns.
  D. Form a subcommittee to review developmental options for all associates in both offices.
  C. Meet with the associates from both offices to get a better understanding of their concerns.

  ---

  Convening discussions with associates from both offices first uncovers the underlying issues and specific development needs, ensuring any broader solutions are grounded in their actual concerns.

• Question 905:

  At a regional power company, managers are in charge of assigning training and development opportunities to their employees. These opportunities are sponsored by the company, and employees are entitled to their regular pay while attending training and development sessions. Recently, there has been a growing number of complaints that managers were engaging in favoritism by only assigning these training and development opportunities to their favorite employees. Favoritism violates company policy, which states that all employees must be given equal opportunities. The HR director aims to address this issue.

  Upon reviewing employee training records, the HR director finds that some managers disproportionately assign training and development opportunities to female employees over male employees. How should the HR director handle this?

  A. Check whether this practice has violated any local laws regarding gender discrimination.
  B. Remind those managers of the company policy that all employees must be afforded equal opportunities.
  C. Further evaluate the training records to figure out how many managers actually engage in this behavior.
  D. Interview managers who engage in this behavior to understand their criteria for assigning training.
  A. Check whether this practice has violated any local laws regarding gender discrimination.

• Question 906:

  The Tent corporation has begun an outsourcing process of a business unit in its Human Resources department. The corporation has emphasized three processes that will have a major impact on a successful transition. These are due diligence, good contract performance and a positive outsourcing relationship. Which action should HR recommend to ensure due diligence in the outsourcing process?

  A. Balance cost efficiencies against calculated risk factors
  B. Business analysis of the competitive business environment
  C. Consistency and standardization of service level agreements (SLAs).
  D. Define the boundaries of control over core competencies.
  A. Balance cost efficiencies against calculated risk factors

  ---

  During due diligence of the outsourcing process, it is crucial to recognize possible risks and cost factors. Note that a company will not outsource its core competency, and SLAs do not have to be standardized across clients or offerings.

• Question 907:

  Which is a characteristic of an HRIS program that improves the value of an organization's data?

  A. Data storage procedures that encourage knowledge workers to retain data on an individual basis
  B. Data that supports decision-making through the sharing of information
  C. Data that can be shared and is widely accessible without many restrictions
  D. Data management procedures that prevent the editing, adjusting, and adding of information
  B. Data that supports decision-making through the sharing of information

• Question 908:

  Ted is a supervisor in the training and development unit. He is looking for a way to motivate his employees without having to expend company finances or go through the lengthy process of management scrutiny and endorsement. Which of the following is most appropriate for Ted?

  A. Recommend top talent for promotion
  B. Set chunk-sized weekly goals
  C. Provide incentives when targets are met
  D. Begin an employee-of-the-month reward program
  B. Set chunk-sized weekly goals

  ---

  Weekly goals are in the purview of the supervisor and will not require financial input or management endorsement.

• Question 909:

  A global securities organization is expanding and contracts an external vendor to assist with employee recruitment and selection. An HR manager for the organization is responsible for coordinating with the external vendor. During a meeting with the external vendor, the HR manager and vendor decide to divide the interviewing efforts such that internal recruiters will screen and interview half of the applicants, while the vendor handles the other half. After a few months, the HR manager receives several complaints from managers about the quality of newly hired employees. The situation escalates when the VP of security calls the HR manager screaming that a new security manager caused a breach that could hurt the organization's reputation. The VP demands the security manager be terminated immediately.

  The HR manager believes the vendor is using a different selection process than internal HR recruiters. Which action should the HR manager take?

  A. Recommend vendor employees shadow HR recruiters to observe how their processes work.
  B. Request that the vendor raise their standards for selecting job candidates.
  C. Collaborate with the vendor to share standard internal HR practices for hiring job candidates.
  D. Require the vendor to compare their hiring processes against the internal processes.
  C. Collaborate with the vendor to share standard internal HR practices for hiring job candidates.

  ---

  Collaborating to share internal hiring practices ensures the vendor understands and adopts the organization's standards, aligning their selection process with the quality expectations of internal recruiters.

• Question 910:

  Which of the following actions could improve the rigor of a succession planning program?

  A. Foster strong trusting relationships between employees and their managers.
  B. Identify pivotal jobs aligned to business drivers.
  C. Limit senior management involvement to HR.
  D. Initiate cross-functional training during the first month after entry
  B. Identify pivotal jobs aligned to business drivers.

  ---

  Succession planning is a strategic future-focused program that keeps talent in the pipeline. Organizations can benefit from identifying crucial job skills, knowledge, social relationships, and organizational practices for passing on to ensure an ongoing pool of talent and the seamless movement of talent within the organization. Business drivers are the key inputs and activities that drive the operational and financial results of a business. Common examples of business drivers are salespeople, number of stores, website traffic, number and price of products sold, units of production.