Solution Manual For Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 1e Talya Bauer (Author), Berrin Erdoga

Solution Manual For Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 1e Talya Bauer (Author), Berrin Erdogan (Author), David E. Caughlin (Author), Donald M. Truxillo Chapter 1-15

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 1: Human Resource Management Exercise 1.1: Seeking Information as a New Employee You have started work at a small company, Johnson Natural Shoes, which designs and produces children’s shoes. The company has an innovative approach and uses all-natural materials. Its product has been increasing in demand in the few short years since it began. The company was founded by Shannon McKenzie. You found out about the position because you are friends with Shannon’s daughter who is an old friend of yours from high school. You were hired after you met with the founder who remembered you from soccer games and birthday parties.

You do not have a job description or formal job title. But you are the only person in the organization with a degree in business, and Shannon mentioned to you that you were hired in the hopes you could help the company manage its rapid growth. At this point, the company is on track to double in size this year compared to last year when it only had 28 employees.

You notice from the first days on the job that employees enjoy collaborating and making decisions together, and you felt welcomed right away. You see great things in the company’s future and want to help make Johnson Natural Shoes an international brand. You can’t wait to start making a contribution.

Now it is your turn to decide how to help: 1. Given that you are still new to the company, how would you approach learning more about the company and its employees?

There are many examples to be learned by referencing back to the Chobani case. While student answers will vary, there should be a discussion about listening to the goals of Shannon McKenzie and other leadership and try to determine the current “pain points” that need to be addressed. A study of other successful firms that experienced rapid growth would also be beneficial.

2. What are specific key questions you might want to ask employees about the company?

While student responses will vary, it is important to try to determine what is being done right, in additional to potential problem areas. Ideas about long-term goals should also be considered.

3. Based on your knowledge of business, what would you advise Shannon to consider as HR priorities as the organization experiences high growth?

Shannon needs to consider how to attract and retain employees with expertise that will allow her to grow at the predicted pace. Turnover is costly in terms of dollars and error rates, and Shannon needs to make sure the company can meet the needs of customers while maintaining quality.

Exercise 1.2: The Changing Context of HRM Making HRM decisions is often a group activity as seldom does one person have all the required information, context, and expertise to tackle every HR issue. Working in a group, review the six trends we identified as impacting HRM today and into the future (changing demographics, the emerging gig economy, increasing globalization, technology, availability of data, and ethical and corporate social responsibility challenges).

1. Form your group.

2. Decide if there are additional trends your group believes might be as important or more important than these six.

The trends identified as most important by the group will depend on who is in the group and their goals. The trends identified might be subsets of the trends discussed in the text, such as alternative work environments (part of the gig economy trend) or be focused on legal issues such as health insurance and employee protection issues.

3. As a group, decide which trend your group collectively feels is the most important factor that will influence HRM. It is as important to justify your answer in terms of your selection of the most important factor as it is to defend why the others are not seen as equally important.

Responses will vary by group. Groups might have a difficult time narrowing it down to just one trend, as may realize that HR decisions impact a variety of areas.

Ethical Matters Exercise: SHRM Code of Ethics Ethics is critically important to the effective practice of HRM. Ethical decisions and actions lead to greater trust and engagement within organizations and allow for all types of information to emerge, which is important for effective decision-making. Given the importance of ethics to HRM, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), which is the world’s largest professional society for human resource management, developed a code of ethics. We encourage you to read this code of ethics whether you are an aspiring manager or HRM professional or one who is seasoned. The core principles noted are easily transferable to different organizational roles, and following them can help you avoid serious problems as you are faced with ethical dilemmas and decisions throughout your career. The six core principles described in the code provisions include the idea that professionals should engage

in their work with a focus on professional responsibility, professional development, ethical leadership, fairness and justice, conflicts of interest, and use of information.

Questions 1. Describe a hypothetical scenario in which you as an HR professional would need to apply certain principles from the SHRM Code of Ethics.

Responses will vary by students. There are many potential areas where ethics are an important part of the HR process. High standards of ethics lead to greater trust and engagement within the organization and can lead to a better decision-making process.

2. Choose a business situation from the news or the HR literature where principles from the SHRM Code of Ethics made a difference or could have made a difference. Specifically, what did the decision makers do right, or what could they have done better?

There are many examples of ethical violations in the news on a regular basis. Students may discuss whistleblower issues such as those at Enron and Arthur Andersen, or something more current such as the ethical violations that have surfaces in the U.S. gymnastics organizations and Michigan State University, cell phone recordings during confidential meetings, inappropriate postings on social media and consequent terminations, Facebook policies to monitor what users are posting, for example.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 2: Strategic HRM, Data-Driven Decision Making, and HR Analytics Exercise 2.1: Organizational Culture and the Success of HR 1. For which organization culture type do you think HR analytics will best integrate? That is, is there any ideal culture type to support HR analytics? Why?

A sustainable HR analytics function requires a number of important considerations. HR analytics should be integrated and embedded into HR and organizational strategies, and this requires taking a systems perspective of the organization and its various subsystems.

By gaining manager support and creating a culture that supports evidence-based practices, the HR analytics function will have a better chance of implementing changes.

HR analytics must be paired with good change management, where change management refers to the “systematic process of applying knowledge, tools, and resources to transform organization from one state of affairs to another.”

People have a natural tendency to resist change, and thus in addition to creating a culture supportive of data-driven decision-making, a culture of continuous change should be cultivated as well. The HR analytics team must comprise the right people with the right mix of competencies.

2. Which organization culture type will be least likely to accept HR analytics as a viable part of the organization’s strategy? Why? Many executives make major decisions based on their gut instincts, or intuition. As such, developing an HR analytics function in some organizations may be difficult, especially if the culture does not ostensibly value data and data-driven decisions.

Exercise 2.2: Building Your HR Analytics Team 4. Form your group.

5. As a group, create a series of jobs for which you will ultimately recruit and select new employees. A given job may cover more than one area of expertise, and multiple jobs may overlap in terms of some areas of expertise.

Jobs selected by students will most likely be based on their majors, experiences, and areas of interest.

6. For each job created in Step 2, identify the competencies and educational or professional experiences that are necessary for success on the job.

Students should develop a list of knowledge, skills, and abilities for each job they have identified. Are the competencies identified a “wish list” or are they really the competiencies needed to perform the job? This could be an important area of discussion as students begin to learn the difference between the two, and why it is important to understand those differences when working on job design.

7. Develop a brief recruitment and selection strategy for each job. In other words, where will you recruit individuals for these positions? Why? How and why will you select and hire individuals for these positions?

The recruitment strategies will often be those familiar to students, such as campus job placement sources, job fairs, referrals, and social media. Students should be able to identify why a specific recruitng source might be the best choice based on the job, and

identify the potential drawbacks to each source. KSAs should be considered when selecting and hiring.

Ethical Matters Exercise: The Case of The Body Shop Case Discussion Question: 1. How might The Body Shop’s ethical values influence its HRM policies?

The Body Shop must look both internally and externally to bring their mission and commitment to ethical values to life. While the choice of suppliers, vendors, and corporate mergers are not decided by HR, HRM will help train all employees of the goals of the organization, including its commitment to ethical values. HR can develop training programs that reinforce these ethical values. These values influence the idea of competitive pay programs and using benefit suppliers who support ethical values of employees. These values might also influence other HR policies such as paid and unpaid time off, and choice of insurance carriers, for example.

2. If you were a manager for a competitor of The Body Shop, how would you seek data about the implications of corporate social responsibility for the company’s success?

Surveys can be used to determine the levels of commitment to ethical values employees experience in the workplace. A competitor can use social media tools to determine why consumers choose their products and whether consumers are committed to the values supported

by The Body Shop. Interview questions can be designed to help determine commitment to values, and behavioral questions can be used to present hypothetical scenarios. Exit interviews might be used to see why employees are leaving and where they are going to work, and a study can be conducted based on those responses. These might be online, anonymous surveys that don’t tie to a specific individual, perhaps increasing the chances of good, honest feedback.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 3: Data Management and Human Resource Information Systems

Exercise 3.1: Determining Whether to Continue HRIS Consulting Share your approach to how the team might best respond to this request from the VP of HR. What specifically would you tell John to say to justify the continued investment in understanding the organization’s HRIS needs? Be specific and outline your recommendations for John being sure to include key points from this chapter.

There are several thoughts to share with John. John needs to be able to articulate the value of people data, and the types of data being collected with an HRIS system. Advantages of an HRIS system include consistency, accuracy, timely access to data, and integrations. Examples should be developed as to how this has been accomplished within the organization so far. Employee hiring, retention, training, and promotion should be considered, as should other aspects of employee-centered HR functionality. Initial goals should be reviewed to see the progress made toward those goals, and if needed, they should be revised and new goals can be identified. John should prepare the data so it is easily understood by the team. The goal of this exercise is to compare the cost of such systems with the results, which are often measured in terms of money saved.

Exercise 3.2: Organizational Attractiveness Audit 1. Develop a plan to examine why employees are hesitant to join the organization and always seem to be leaving. How can you assess why employees turn down job offers? How might you assess why employees are leaving? After you choose your method of measurement (i.e., focus groups, survey, interviews) develop an instrument, including the questions to be included. How would you analyze the data to identify the top reasons for employee departures?

Answers will vary by students. This might be a good group exercise, using a local company or researching a company on the Internet. Students need to understand how to create effective and valid surveys, focus groups, and so on.

2. Let’s assume that you found out the top three reasons for low job acceptance to your company are as follows: (a) Management is very authoritarian and not supportive of employees. When potential applicants read the comments on Glassdoor.com, it scares them off. (b) Compensation is below average compared to other similar organizations. (c) Employees feel they are working all the time with little downtime. This is especially true in the call center when calls can be stressful and plentiful at peak times.

3. What would be your proposed action plan to deal with these issues? Be specific, and make sure that your recommendations focus on recruitment, selection, training, compensation, and any other stages of employment cycle.

Answers will vary based on how students view the problem. However, to implement any real change, the support of top management must be garnered. The group should create a visual display of information and prepare reports to help managers understand the context of the feedback. Students should address all phases of the employement cycle including how these data affect recruitment, selection, training, compensation, retainment, promotability, and other stages of employment.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Fitness Trackers and Data Privacy Questions: 1. How does the use of a third-party vendor like Virgin Pulse make it more ethical to have employees wear monitoring devices than it would be if the employer did so directly?

If an organization decided to provide employees with wearable devices instead of working through a third-party vendor like Virgin Pulse, this could pose an ethical dilemma under certain circumstances. Without proper data privacy and compliance restrictions in place, the data could be used in ways that would compromise individuals’ privacy and other personal rights. Although perhaps not illegal, HR professionals may run dangerously close to committing discrimination under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) if they use these data to make employment decisions. Further, even if deemed to be legal, using employee health data in this manner could be construed as unethical, particularly if the data are used in a way that deviates from their intended use. Using a third-party vendor like Virgin Pulse would allow for the collection of data without compromising the employee’s or the employer’s rights and responsibilities.

2. Do you think the use of monitoring devices should be optional for employees? As an HR professional, how would you ensure that employees who opted out of using the device would not be penalized for nonparticipation?

Responses will vary by students, but one way to avoid penalizing an employee for nonparticipation would be to have the vendor provide a code for each employee instead of using their name, and to have the third-party vendor track all data. A discussion also must be held as to the purpose and goal of this type of collection data. If the data are not a direct aspect of the KSAs needed to do the job, there should not be any requirement as to the use of these devices.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 4: Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Employment Laws

Exercise 4.1: Workplace Diversity Dilemmas Imagine that you are working at a medium-size business as an HR professional. You are faced with the following dilemmas. Decide how you would handle each issue in the short term and long term. What additional information would help you decide? What changes seem necessary to the company given these dilemmas, if any?

1. An African American job applicant has just been offered a position as a customer service representative in the company’s call center. The job does not have any face-to-face customer contact and only involves phone interactions. The manager who conducted the interview just told the applicant that her hair, which is in dreadlocks, violates the company’s dress code, which requires “professional” hairstyles. The manager asked the employee to cut her hair. The applicant refused. The manager is considering revoking the job offer to the employee. What would you do?

Answer will vary by students. The discussion should include the employer’s right to institute a dress code, with a discussion about fair and reasonable accommodation. A discussion regarding legal compliance should be included, and potential outcomes of this dress code issue should be discussed.

2. An applicant for your janitorial services is hearing impaired and is unable to speak. He was invited for a job interview. However, when contacted, the applicant informed management that he would need a sign language interpreter for the interview, and he can bring his sister as an interpreter. The hiring manager canceled the job interview. What would you do?

Answers will vary by student. The discussion should be based on the Americans With Disabilities Act and the need for reasonable accommodation. There may also be discussion regarding the need for training for those making hiring decisions.

3. An employee in your department sent you an e-mail stating that he examined the salaries of over 100 employees working in the call center and found that male employees seemed to be paid more than female employees. What would you do?

Answers will vary by students. There are several issues here, including the potential for violating the privacy of other employees. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act should be part of the discussion along with the potential outcome for underpaying female employees. There should be a study of the roles of each of these employees to ensure that similar positions and lengths of service are being considered. Knowledge, skills, and abilities of all employees in the call center need to be compared to determine what has caused this pay issue. Statistical analysis is needed here to understand the cause of the pay discrepancy before an appropriate solution can be determined.

Exercise 4.2: Assessing Disparate Impact Recently, your organization advertised openings for sales associates. The selection process includes gathering and evaluating information on a personality test and in-person interview.

Here is a breakdown of who applied and who was hired:

Men Women

Applied 150 90

Hired 15 15

White Asian American African American Hispanic

100 50 30 60

10 10 5 5

1. Using 4/5ths rule, do you have prima facie evidence that disparate impact may have occurred?

Explain your rationale.

There is no prima facie evidence that disparate impact may have occurred. Ten percent of male applicants were hired, more than 10% of female applicants were hired. Ten percent of White applicants were hired, and more than 10% of applicants of other races were hired, with the exception of Hispanics.

2. If there is prima facie evidence for disparate impact, what information can you use as defense?

What would be your action plan for the future?

If there is a care of prima facie evidence, the overall hiring numbers should be considered. A plan of action for the future might be to target Hispanics in future recruiting efforts.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Applicants with Criminal Histories Questions 1.

As a manager, suppose you need to decide whether to hire a candidate with excellent qualifications for the position, but with a felony conviction in his or her background. What factors would you take into consideration to decide whether or not to hire this candidate?

While students will have various opinions about the hiring of ex-convicts in the workplace, there are a few key ideas students should consider.

There are certainly legitimate reasons for not hiring someone with a criminal record, particularly when public health and safety is a concern. If the ex-convict commits a crime and harms a coworker or customer, the organization may be responsible for negligent hiring. At the same time, the rehabilitation of ex-convicts depends on finding employment. Depending on when the crime occurred and what it was, the risks to the business may be minimal. In some cases, individuals choose to plead guilty instead of fighting a conviction, which helps them avoid incarceration but results in a criminal record.

2.

Think of a case, or find one in the literature, of a company that encountered legal trouble as a result of hiring an employee with a criminal record. What could have been done differently? What did the company do right?

Students will find a variety of examples of ex-convicts who could bring tremendous

value to the workforce. Some might include the governments hiring of ex-convicts in the areas of forgery. Corporations might hire who have committed white-collar crimes for their expertise in fraud prevention. Smaller companies, such as the baker in this example, can hire ex-convicts to create a loyal and hardworking workforce in an industry that typically pays low wages and has high employee turnover.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 5: The Analysis and Design of Work

Exercise 5.1: Job Analysis and KSAO Ratings Questions: 1. Based on your initial review of the mean criticality ratings for each KSAO, which KSAOs would you consider dropping from the job analysis? Explain why.

Most of the ratings are relatively high so if one had to be dropped, it appears the logical choice would be F--the ability to supervise a crew. Others that might be dropped include D--map reading, and G--fire suppression principles related to residential buildings.

2. You know that a key role of this job is driving fire equipment (e.g., fire trucks) to the fire scene.

But KSAO D has a fairly low mean and a high standard deviation. Why might this be? Rather than tossing out this KSAO, do you see any issue with the way that the KSAO is currently written and how it might be edited?

One reason KSAO D has a low mean but high standard deviation might be because of the actual wording. Some respondents might have focused on the need to memorize where city streets are and others on the need to read a map. With advances in GPS technology, some may consider the aspect of map reading to be obsolete and unimportant but still find it important to know where the street is, if it is a one-way street, what might the traffic pattern typically look like, if it is residential or a street with several lanes.

3. You learn that the city of Jasper collected most of the data for this job analysis from SMEs who are located in urban areas of the city rather than in the more suburban areas. Knowing this, would it affect any of your decisions about which KSAOs to remove from the job analysis? How might the city approach future data collections like this differently?

Where the respondents live could influence the value of the KSAOs. For example, those who live in urban areas might find less value in knowing how to handle fires in residential buildings. Those in suburban areas might find this more important.

Exercise 5.2: Using O*NET 1. Search for a job with which you are familiar. Were you able to find the job quickly, with the same job title you were using or did O*NET use a slightly different job title? Or did it suggest multiple possible job titles? If so, why do you think this is?

Responses will vary by student based on the type of job they researched. Each field might have several titles and variations of work within the field.

2. Now look at the Tasks, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities that O*NET notes as associated with that job.

Do these match your impression of the job? Why might there be some differences between the job title you used and the job title in the O*NET database?

Students should be able to find some KSAs that they had not considered on a practical level.

Perhaps they are currently the manager of a retail store, but they had not considered how that might be different that being a manager in a larger organization where the skill set moves beyond scheduling shifts and maybe ordering inventory.

3. Sometimes no single O*NET job title captures the job for which you are searching. In your case, did it require piecing together the information from two or more jobs listed in the O*NET database to adequately describe the job you’re looking for? If so, can you explain why this may have happened?

Responses will vary by student depending on the job title they searched for. This might lead to a discussion as to why the job titles are different and what that might mean in their job search or when working with customers, clients, or suppliers in an organization.

4. For most jobs you will search for, the O*NET job titles will not be a perfect fit for a particular job in a particular organization. More important, the content listed in the O*NET may not be a perfect match either. Given these challenges, what do you see at the value to HR professionals using the O*NET when conducting job analyses?

Responses will vary by students, but students should find value in using O*NET as a starting point when gathering data about the job market. They should also recognize that O*NET is a starting point, and will not be the solution to a job analysis.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Designing Ethics and Integrity Into Work Questions: 1. How would you define ethics and integrity? Do you see them as personal qualities, or can they also be characteristics of an organization?

Integrity is a characteristic and a personality trait. Integrity is viewed as having strong moral principles and works to promote decency and fairness. Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior and represent the moral correctness of a conduct.

2. Give some examples of events in the news involving ethics or integrity at the organizational level.

There have been many events in the news that involve integrity and ethics. Student answers will vary but might include any whistleblower case, almost anything to do with the federal governments (cell phone violations, misappropriation of money, political actions, and military involvement), or the “Me-too” movement, for example. This is a great discussion questions as one person’s ethics might be very different than their classmates.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 6: Workforce Planning and Recruitment

Exercise 6.1: Employee Turnover Rate 3. Who do you think you need to involve in this decision? Why? Going to the VP of human resources is a good first step. Once the data are collected and analyzed, other key leadership within the organization should become involved. This really cannot be answered until the problem is determined--Is it the recruiting process or a need for training or a result of the lack of a realistic job preview? The root of the problem must be determined before a response can be planned.

4. How should you begin to tackle this problem in terms of your approach and sources of information?

There are several ways to find this information. One place to start is to look at why employees are leaving and to what companies they are going. An online, anonymous survey might help to capture that data. Perhaps a focus group in the departments who experience higher than expected turnover should be established. Recruitment and selection processes should also be considered.

5. What data should you gather?

Students will suggest a variety of data that might be collected, and all of them are worth considering. Certainly data on why employees are leaving and recruitment issues should be

considered, and so should issues such as the work itself, pay and benefits, leadership practices, and commitment to ethics.

6. Are there experiments you might do to test potential causes and to identify different solutions?

Several issues certainly need to be studied, but students may not consider them “experiments.”

Labor market conditions and work conditions, for example, should be studied. A task analysis should be performed in areas where turnover is extremely high, and perhaps in areas where turnover is lower than average. The recruitment process and a realistic job preview should be studied, along with the onboarding process.

Exercise 6.2: Recruitment and Beyond 1. Should your company hire locally, hire expatriate employees, use a search firm, start developing a college recruiting program in Japan, or use a different recruiting approach? Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches.

There is a need for a variety of approaches here. Using an expat might be a good way to introduce Japanese leadership to how the U.S.-based company is organized and run. Using a search firm might help you identify local leaders who can manage a workforce. Using a college recruiting program in Japan can help you identify candidates who will be able to work with the customer base and who are more tuned in to what the local population wants out of a retail experience.

2. What additional information would help your team decide?

The team might want to look at how the firm expanded in to other countries and what went well, and what didn’t. If the company has not experienced international expansion before, perhaps look at competitors who did and study their outcomes. Local labor laws and compensation information needs to be considered, and realistic expectations about performance criteria and evaluation must be considered. Leadership skills and styles will be different and, of course, there will be differences in languages, cost of living, and product usage.

3. Where will your team begin its recruitment efforts?

The team has a few options. If this has been done in the past, perhaps it would be good to start with the group that led that project. If this has never been done before, perhaps the place to start would be with a host-country national who can be a strategic business partner and help lead this process.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Applicant Information Privacy Questions: 1. How would you discuss these ethical issues with the decision makers in your organization? Are there specific policies or practices you would recommend?

There are many ethical issues here. Cybercrime is a reality and is not always preventable. Even the government gets hacked. However, an organization is responsible for the information it collects on all employees and on candidates. Any corporate system must be protected with continuously updated technology. One potential practice might be to store various pieces of information in various levels of encryption. There should also be limited access to information; not every member of leadership needs to be able to access all files on an employee.

Organizations should also have a policy of not selling employee information. The bottom line is that an organization has an ethical obligation to all of its employees to maintain the highest level of security and protection for all personal information.

2. Beyond the issues described here, what other ethical questions might you ask about online job boards? Think of them from the perspective of the job applicant, the recruiting organization, the tech company that operates the board, and any other stakeholders.

Job applicants, and not just those who are recent college grads, provide a tremendous amount of personal information on the Internet without really thinking about it. A vacation photo, accessing medical records online, even posting a picture of your child’s first birthday with their name and birthday; all of these provide a cybercriminal an opportunity to steal data. Employers can easily search a candidate by name and access nonjob-related information; the tech company can sell information to clients. Online job boards and other Internet recruiting tools are tremendous assets to an organization, allowing key term searches or eliminating candidates who are not qualified. However, all stakeholders have an ethical obligation to minimize the personal information available online and protect the information that is there.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 7: Selection Processes and Procedures

Exercise 7.1: Selection Systems for Hiring You have been asked to propose a new selection system for hiring baristas. Consider the following questions: 1. Which selection procedures would make the most sense for hiring baristas? Weigh each of your suggested selection procedures in terms of (a) validity, (b) enhancing workforce diversity, (c) utility, and (d) applicant reactions.

Answers will vary by student but based on the skills set required of a barista, a variety of selection tools can be used. Work sampling would indicate the candidate’s ability to make the

required drink in a timely manner. This might be less valid, as people are capable of learning this skill and perhaps could be part of on-the-job training. Situational judgment is important if the job involves dealing with the public, and emotional intelligence can also be used as a predictor of job performance. Whichever selection procedure identified by the student, there must be job relatedness, an opportunity to perform, consistency, and applicants must receive fair interpersonal treatment and timely feedback.

2. Once you have chosen your selection procedures, how would you deploy them? For example, in what order would you administer the selection procedures? Would you administer them in person or online (or some combination)? Explain why.

Answers will vary by student. The goal should be to create a sequence where the selection procedure is consistent for all applicants, and each step in the process should be designed to eliminate those candidates who cannot perform the essential job functions. The process should move from a wide range of applicants to having a significantly more narrow range of applicants when making the actual selections.

3. Assuming that you would use an interview at some point in the process, what would be some good interview questions? Would you use an unstructured interview, a behavioral interview, a situational interview, or some combination? Explain why.

Answers will vary by student. Many will choose a combination of several interview types which will allow them to assess a variety of skills. Students should also be aware of the advantages and disadvantages, and the legal ramifications of each. The types of interview questions students will develop will range based on their interview experience and might tend toward behavioral types of questions.

4.

Which selection procedures would you definitely not use for the barista job?

Again, responses will vary by student based on their understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each. There should be a discussion about specific reasons why one interview format would or would not be specific, and that discussion might include legal ramifications, validity, and KSAs.

Exercise 7.2: Assessing the Validity of a New Test for Hiring Employees 1. What do you think about its construct validity (i.e., its pattern of correlations with other tests)?

Why? Responses will vary by student but should address the idea of how to measure construct validity and why construct validity is important. Construct validity involves the demonstration that a test actually measures a particular construct of interest, such as mechanical ability. This is typically shown through an accumulation of evidence about the test, including its pattern of relationships with other tests and measures that make sense from a theoretical or scientific point of view.

Construct validity can be thought of as overarching the entire concept of validity--which is the idea of establishing that a test measures what it is supposed to measure. Given that construct validity is demonstrated by showing a pattern of accumulated evidence of a test’s validity, we would also expect that the test would sample the content domain of conscientiousness (see content validity) and would correlate with supervisor ratings of an employee’s willingness to help their coworkers.

2. What is the evidence for the criterion-related validity of the new conscientiousness test?

Students must assess whether there is a correlation between the outcomes of the test and job performance, using current employees. If this can be shown, the test might be used to assess job candidates. The gold standard in selection research is to show that there is an empirical relationship (usually a statistically significant correlation) between a test and measures of job performance--using either a sample of current employees (concurrent validity) or job applicants (predictive validity). Showing this empirical relationship is called criterion-related validity, and this correlation between the test score and job performance is referred to as the validity coefficient.

3. What do you think about the content validity of the new conscientiousness test? (Hint: Is the information needed to answer this question available in Table 7.9?) Explain.

Content validity is actually an approach to test development, focused on sampling the domain such as the job. This is typically done via a job analysis and SME input. If you wanted to demonstrate that a selection procedure had good content validity, you would develop the test based on a job analysis and review by subject matter experts (SMEs, generally job incumbents and supervisors).

4. Would you recommend using the new test or the old test of conscientiousness for hiring workers? Why or why not?

Responses will vary by student but should be based on the idea that the conscientiousness test is really measuring what we need employees to be able to do in order to succeed at the job. If the test is measuring things not related to job success, then the test should be reconsidered.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Keeping Applicant and Employee Data Secure 1. What practices and cautions are you familiar with that would help to keep personal data secure, for yourself or for others such as job applicants, at your workplace or university?

Responses will vary by student.

2. Look up the McDonald’s or Coca-Cola data breach and read the details of what happened, how, and why. What could have been done differently? How did the employer respond once the breach happened?

Responses will vary.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 8: Training, Development, and Careers

Exercise 8.1: Evaluating Training Programs 1. Overall, based on these numbers, how effective would you say that the training program is?

Based on the numbers, it appears the training was successful. The scores of those in Atlanta who received training increased by .8, while the scores of those in Houston who did not receive training only increased by .2.

2. Based on these numbers, what would you say is the effectiveness of the training program with regard to each of the training outcomes?

With regard to sales performance, the training seems to be very effective. With regard to product knowledge, the training seems to be much less effective.

3.

If the company wanted to adjust the training program, what would you recommend to them?

Responses will vary by student, but most likely would include limiting training to increase product knowledge and continue training to increase performance. There should also be training offered to the Houston branch to increase their sales performance as well. Another option would be to compare two other locations and see if the results are similar. If they are, this might indicate a valid testing response. If they don’t support the results between Houston and Atlanta, further study might need to be done.

4. A colleague argues that sales numbers seem to be up as a result of the training program, so it doesn’t matter whether employees showed an increase in product knowledge. What would be your response to that argument?

This might be true based on the Hawthorne effect, and more study might need to be done. I would also make the argument that there was not a significant relationship between product knowledge pre- and posttest, and that the difference is in training for performance instead.

Exercise 8.2: Interpreting Training and Safety Knowledge Analytics Questions:

1. These data indicate a slight increase in the employees’ mean performance on the emergency safety procedures knowledge test at baseline and for the first 2 months after they are hired (prior to the online safety training). What are some possible reasons for this effect?

Possible reasons might include a better understanding of the work, the culture of the organization, how chemicals are used or stored, and an increased awareness of safety procedures.

2. There is a “bump” in the employees’ performance on the knowledge test immediately after they are trained. However, their knowledge then begins to decline over the next several months. What are some possible reasons for this effect?

This is an interesting trend. One reason might be a lack of safety reinforcement on the job, or the culture of taking shortcuts to meet production goals instead of safety goals.

3. Why would employees’ knowledge in this particular domain decline, even though they are on the job. Put differently, wouldn’t their working on the job continue to maintain their knowledge of emergency safety procedures? Why or why not?

There may be a need for regular training here. If knowledge is not used regularly, the employees are likely to forget critical steps in safety procedures. The type of testing used to measure knowledge might also be flawed.

4. Safety is a top priority in companies such as this one. If you were a manager, what could you do to remedy this decline in knowledge level among employees posttraining?

Some possibilities include looking at the type(s) of tests given to measure this knowledge. Is there a need for different levels of knowledge based on length of time on the job, and if so, is that being provided? Is there recurring safety training? What types of visuals are there to reinforce the idea of safety? Students are likely to determine other safety-related issues.

Ethical Matters Exercise: The Training of Ethics in Organizations Questions: 1. Do you think people violate ethics because they lack training (i.e., they don’t know what is ethical and unethical), or because they see some advantage to their unethical behavior? Give examples to support your opinion.

There may be a case where someone is unaware of what is ethical or unethical, but one would hope those are few and far between. Some will commit unethical acts to gain advantage, and ethics training may not change the way those people view ethics. Ethics training should be used to clarify what the organization finds unethical and provide employees with tools and responses for when they find themselves in situations that are uncomfortable and may lead to unethical actions.

2. Find an example in the news or in the HR literature of an organization charged with ethics violations.

There are many instances in the news and in HR literature where potentially unethical acts have occurred. This might be in politics, in buying from a supplier with the lowest price even though the quality of a product is substandard and may lead to injury or death, or a company that sells personal data collected on people.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 9: Performance Management

Exercise 9.1: Unfair Performance Reviews 1. What would you advise Orlando to do in this meeting?

Orlando needs to be able to document these contributions. If Orlando cannot prove these things (others took credit for his ideas, etc.), then a “he said–she said” scenario will develop and nothing will be accomplished. I would encourage Orlando to find documentation to prove dates and ideas, collect data from customers and clients, and perhaps even include the employees he worked with in the performance appraisal process.

2. What would you tell his manager, if anything?

Students will have a variety of opinions here. While many might suggest not telling the manager about the conversation with Orlando for fear of retaliation, most will agree something needs to be done. This might be an opportunity to train the manager on avoiding recency issues, collecting examples and data that supports the ratings, and getting feedback from customers. HR and the manager must also consider if a shy and quiet personality is an issue on this job by looking at the KSAs. Other ideas might include training for Orlando to improve in areas where his skill set falls short, setting mutually agreed upon goals.

3. Are there any systemic changes you could think of that may help prevent instances like these from happening in the future?

Many. There needs to be an understanding of KSAs for this position, and there needs to be goal setting. Objective measure of performance must be considered, and documentation should be included.

Exercise 9.2: Designing a Performance Management System If you were designing a performance management system for this company, what would it look like?

Assuming that the company is interested in providing feedback to employees on a regular basis, but

also tie pay to performance, propose a performance management system for the company. Please make sure that your answer includes specific details such as the forms to be used and the criteria with which performance will be measured.

Responses will vary by student. There are several different types of performance managememt systems to consider. Students should consider KSAs, rating systems, options for generating the information used on the review, and the ability to set specific employee goals. Students should also consider how often these reviews should be done, and the potential outcome of review ratings.

Ethical Matters Exercise: A Goal-Setting Scandal at Wells Fargo Questions: 1. How would you advise your organization if top management proposed an aggressive goal-setting policy for employee performance? How might the organization reap the benefits of goal setting while avoiding negative consequences?

Goals should be specific, measurable, relevant, time bound, and reasonable and attainable and must conform to the highest standards of ethics. Perhaps examples that include fines and prison time might inspire some managers to avoid unreasonable goals. Key performance indicators should be defined for various jobs, and the setting of goals should be a joint process. Many organizations use goal setting very successfully by using SMART goal processes.

2. In your own work, how do you set goals for yourself and measure your progress in attaining them?

What have you learned that might help you to gain more benefits from goal setting?

Responses will vary by students and their work experience. Some students might talk about personal goals if they have limited experience on the job. Students should talk about their goalsetting process and how they determine when a goal has been successfully achieved. Student should also consider how goals change over time.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 10: Managing Employee Separations and Retention

Exercise 10.1: Dismissing an Employee Questions:

4. What would you advise Eric to do? Should Eric dismiss Laura? Explain your rationale. What would be the consequences of dismissing and not dismissing Laura?

Care must be taken here. Terminating Laura could be a violation under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. One “average” performance review does not indicate poor performance, especially since other employees were likely rated the same, or worse. Before terminating Laura, a performance plan must be put in place. Laura should receive training on the new technology and be given a chance to improve. Many people resist change but that does not mean they cannot change. Laura needs to understand the plan and the consequences of the plan, and all parties must be proactive in the performance improvement process.

5. What additional information would be helpful to you in making your recommendation about this case?

Specific information on what Laura does well should be gathered, in addition to areas where improvement is needed. HR also needs to look at performance levels of other employees and see where Laura fits in comparison. While Laura might be vocal about how things have been done in the past, that is an irritant and not necessarily poor performance.

6. Let’s say you decided not to dismiss Laura in the short run. What would be your recommended action plan to solve this problem?

Laura needs to be made aware of her shortcomings and her need to improve. She should be placed on an action plan and should be given training in the new systems.

7. What type of procedures would be helpful to have in this company? Provide your recommendations for structural changes so that cases such as these are more easily resolved.

Procedural changes might include performance appraisals that take place more than once per year. Training must be available to employees. Goal setting might be implemented for individuals and for work groups that might help employees better embrace the changes taking place.

Exercise 10.2: Creating a Retention Management System 1. How would you assess why employees are leaving? After you choose your method of measurement (survey, interviews), develop questions to include in your instrument. How would you analyze the data to identify the top reasons for employee departures?

Students will develop a variety of assessment tools including surveys, interviews, and group meetings to brainstorm turnover. Data need to be collected on why employees are leaving and where their new jobs are. What might make this case unique is an underlying attitude of those who work in the surfing industry in Hawaii. After identifying a method of assessment, data about

job attitudes, how to retain top performers, and recruitment tools should be looked at. Work engagement and job satisfaction should be measured.

2. Let’s assume that you found out the top three reasons for turnover in this company: a. Management is very authoritarian and not supportive of employees. b. Employee schedules vary a lot and often announced with very short notice. c. Employees feel they are working all the time with little downtime.

What would be your proposed action plan to deal with these issues? Be specific, and make sure that your recommendations focus on recruitment, selection, training, compensation, and any other stages of employment cycle.

Students will develop a variety of ways to cope with these issues. They might develop a teambased approach, allowing team members to “cover” for each other. They might suggest better scheduling options and developing a more regular schedule to accommodate the needs of the employee to manage family, personal, and perhaps even second jobs. Students might also suggest identifying how many hours an employee wants to work on a regular basis and then hiring more employees to fill in the gaps. Students, who typically perform shift work, will use their experience to develop creative solutions that are not necessarily appropriate for a more formal corporate environment.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Compassionate Delivery of Layoff News Questions: 1. What reasons can you think of to explain why employers chose to use what can be perceived as insensitive layoff announcements like those described here?

There are very few valid reasons why a company should act insensitively during a layoff situation. There might be times where the safety and security of remaining employees might be jeopardized, or an employee has access to highly sensitive information. In these cases, layoffs might be handled in what is perceived to be in an insensitive way. Employees might also be told of impending layoffs in large groups that are impersonal, when laws such as the WARN Act dictate some of the process.

2. Find an example in the news or in the HR literature of a layoff that was handled with respect and compassion for the workers. Were there any problems nevertheless? What did the company do right, and what could have been done better?

Responses will vary by students based on their research. There would most likely be a discussion of problems during the layoff process, but there should also be a discussion of how those

problems, or potential problems, were minimized because of the proactive actions of the organization.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 11: Rewarding Employees

Exercise 11.1: Applying Expectancy Theory to Understand Pay for Performance 1. Based on the information provided, do you think that low perceived expectancy among sales associates explains the lack of motivation to sell old items with SPIFs attached? Why? Expectancy theory attached to a pay-for-performance program helps us understand how pay motivates an action. In this case, the goal might be reasonable and attainable, but it is not timely. Most associates will not wait a year to receive the bonus from the SPIF when they can sell other articles of clothing and receive rewards for those sales in their weekly paycheck.

2. Discuss whether sales associates’ perceptions of instrumentality explain the lack of motivation to sell items with SPIFs. Instrumentality refers to the perceived connection between performance and rewards. Higher instrumentality is achieved when employees perceive a direct link between the performance and receiving the reward. In this case, instrumentality is lacking. The reward for the sale does not take place until year end, so there is very little relationship between the desired action (selling the old clothing) and the reward.

3. Discuss whether sales associates’ perceptions of valence explain the lack of motivation to sell items with SPIFs. Valence is the extent to which individuals perceive a reward as being attractive or important.

This is the value individuals attach to a reward. In this case, there might be little perceived valence. The reward for selling the older style of clothing runs between $1 and $5, and the employee must wait a considerable period of time before collecting the reward. If the “bonus” is paid on top of the 7% commission, it should have valence, as it does offer an extra incentive.

Unfortunately, it is not a “realized” incentive because the reward does not have instrumentality.

Exercise 11.2: Conducting a Market Review 1.

Using O*NET, write a three- or four-sentence job description summaries for each benchmark job.

These will vary by student but should include the KSAs needed for each job. The information will serve as the foundation of the job structure.

2.

Using Salary.com and CareerOneStop.com as market review sources, gather pay data for as many of the benchmark jobs as you can and enter the data into a table. Be sure to match the job description summaries you created for Zenyah with the job description summaries in the market review sources to ensure you are making an appropriate comparison.

Results will vary by students. Students should consider the job description summaries within similar markets, so make sure the comparisons are realistic. This might help students to understand how issues such as supply and demand as well as cost of living variables factor in to pay plans.

3.

Imagine that the data in Salary.com and CareerOneStop.com were collected 1 month ago and need to be aged to 8 months from now. Use an annual aging factor of +3.5%.

Pay rates will vary by student based on the information they collected but should follow the seven steps discussed in the text to apply aging factors and Table 11.5.

4.

Calculate the market-based pay midpoint for each of the benchmark jobs.

Midpoints should be calculated by averaging two pay policy rates, as outlined in the text.

These rates will vary by student.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Merit Pay for Teachers Questions 1. Given the risk that low-performing teachers may do a poor job of preparing their students for eventual career success, do you think it is ethical to determine teacher pay without taking teacher performance into account?

Responses will vary by students. Students will have experienced many teachers by this point and will have strong feelings about those who they viewed as instrumental in their education as well as those who did little beyond the basics. Students are likely to indicate it is not “fair” to pay all of them the same, but need to look at the broader issues tied to teaching.

2. Do you think it is ethical to base teacher pay on performance indicators that may be, to some extent, beyond teacher control? Why or why not? Give some examples to support your opinion.

Responses will vary by students. Much of the discussion is similar to those ideas generated in the first question. One point of discussion is the unionization of teachers and what they are required to do, and what their reward system is. Another issue is the ability to control the environment and the students that you teach. Another issue could be based on the resources you have to be successful in reaching your teaching goals. What are the policies within the school district that will support and/or hinder the educational process? While some low-performing teachers may not be motivated to help students achieve success, some are. Without more parameters in place, it could be unethical to pay teachers based on performance.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 12: Managing Benefits

Exercise 12.1: Communicating the Value of Benefits Questions: 8. What can Trident Health System do to improve how it communicates benefits to job candidates? What about current employees?

Benefits are only important to those who understand them and use them. While new employees might have an orientation that talks about benefits, they may not realize the value of these benefits in the long term. Employees also tend to take benefits for granted and sometimes forget to consider their value in the overall compensation program. Trident can remind employees on a regular basis of the benefits available to them and how to take advantage of the benefits.

Employee might also receive a regular statement indicating the value of benefits they used within a specific time frame.

9. What communication methods would you recommend that Trident Health System use to communicate the value of its benefits offerings? Why? Employee websites, schedule locations, and paychecks can all be used to share information about the availability and value of benefits. Students should be able to generate a list of creative options.

10. What data collection method(s) can the HR leaders use to determine which benefits employees (a) say they want and (b) which ones they actually utilize?

Students can develop a list of several data collection methods including interviews, online surveys, and focus groups. There needs to be data collection regarding which benefits are used, which demographic is using them, and the value of those benefits. While childcare is a great benefit, that benefit is likely not meaningful to those working nights and weekends, and those who do not have small children; therefore the benefit has no value to them.

Exercise 12.2: Paid Parental Leave at Jembe Banks 4. Legally, does the company have to provide paid parental leave? Explain.

Legally, the company does not have to provide paid parental leave. They do have to provide maternity leave and have to provide unpaid leave under FMLA, but not paid leave to both parents.

5. If the company decides to provide paid parental leave, how many weeks of paid leave should the company provide? Why? Responses will vary by student. Some countries provide up to 1 year for both parents at a reduced rate of pay, other countries do not provide any leave for the father. The number of weeks and the percentage of pay could vary considerable within this discussion.

6. Should the company provide the same amount of paid parental leave to mothers and fathers alike? Why or why not?

Responses will vary by student. Many will focus on the needs of the mother. Childbirth is a physical condition, not a disability, and there are standards in place in terms of time off work for this medical condition. It is important to consider that fathers can take a leave under FMLA, but it is not paid. The percentage of pay received should be discussed in addition to the amount of time off work. Another consideration is how to cover the positions held by the parents while they are on leave. Is it reasonable to hold a position open for an extended period of time? These issues will contribute to the discussion.

7. Should a mother and father who are both employed by Jembe be allowed to take their paid leave concurrently? Why or why not?

While students might have a variety of opinions, they need to consider this issue as it relates to other leaves. Do both parents work in the same department or branch? Can both parents take vacations at the same time? What would happen if both had medical emergencies at the same time? Paid parental leave is no different. Jembe would have to make reasonable accommodations for other life events; paid parental leave really is no different.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Making Changes to Health Insurance Plans Questions: 1. In your opinion, to what extent are employers ethically obligated to provide employersponsored health insurance for their workers? Give examples to support your answer.

Responses will vary by students. Some may feel that this should be optional. They may not yet understand the value of such a benefit. Others many feel that employers should provide this benefit. They may not yet understand the dynamics of two-income families. Ultimately, this is an ethical decision designed to help ensure the well-being of the employees, not a legal obligation.

Health insurance is one of the most expensive aspects of optional employee benefits and employers continuously look for cost savings in this area.

2. In the scenario described, is there a way the company’s HR administrators might have intervened after the new five-tiered system was implemented to prevent employees from leaving due to reduced take-home pay?

HR had several options. They could have done a bit of analysis before implementing this program. They could contribute to the health insurance payments for those negatively affected by the plan until pay increases negate the effects of the plan. They could also “grandfather” current employees in the old plan until such a time as the new plan becomes a benefit.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 13: Employee and Labor Relations

Exercise 13.1: Growing Pains 11. What kind of actions are you legally able to take in this situation?

Legally, you can investigate complaints, talk to employees about negative aspects of forming a union such as potential wage cuts and cuts in benefits, and limits on promotions. You can hire specialist in this field to handle areas of this process where you may not have the expertise. More importantly, there are things you cannot do. If a union campaign has begun, you cannot threaten employees with the loss of job for joining or voting for a union; you cannot threaten to close the business or question employees about their thought about the union activities; you cannot promise benefits to discourage union support, or otherwise punish employees for their efforts in engaging in union activities.

12. What would you tell your boss, Kelvin, if anything?

Students might consider telling Kelvin why employees unionize, including job dissatisfaction, working conditions, and employee disengagement. Those issues should be analyzed and you should try to determine how those are affecting the company. You should consider the right to work laws within your state, and you should investigate who can and who cannot be unionized.

Employers need to know about types of unions, laws pertaining to labor relations, and procedures to form and dissolve a union.

13. How common or unique do you think this situation is? In other words, how likely is it that dealing with this type of situation might happen to someone taking an HRM course at some point in their career? Please discuss your rationale.

Students will have a variety of opinions here. In general, students who take HRM courses during their career are more likely to be in the position where they deal with employees who are unionized, or who work toward union certification. This might be true because their background in HRM allows them to deal with employment issues, and this is an area that falls under their

skill set. Those who work as support people in fields that are traditionally unionized (manufacturing, government, education) are more likely to experience this than those who work in traditional white-collar fields.

14. Are there any systemic changes you could think of that may help prevent more concerns like these from happening in the future?

Whether or not the organization is unionized, there should be a grievance process in place.

Sometimes employees just want to be heard or have their concerns addressed, and this process will help in that area. The collective bargaining process includes conflict management and alternative. Proactively managing employee relations in a way to keep employees satisfied is a key component to promoting and ensuring a more positive employee–employer relationship.

Exercise 13.2: A Tale of Two Training Programs Please answer the following questions. Be sure that your answer includes specific details such as what you think needs to be done and the goals you are trying to achieve.

1. Given the current trends you have observed, what do you think your training team should recommend to address this growing problem?

Training methods change over time. One reason the old training program is being given less often is that it could simply be out of date. It is interesting to note that professional trainers who are experts in training behaviors cannot be changed. This might be an important part of the issue. The current training team for the old program should consider ways to update the old program and begin to add elements of the new training program. The group with the new training program needs to have additional staff and begin training them before the current group gets burned out and leaves the organization.

2. What do you think they will recommend?

There appears to be a good amount of loyalty to the workforce here, and that should be protected. They might recommend adding staff to the new program and phasing out the old one, using those five individuals dedicated to the older program to train, hire, or create new programs.

3. How might you guide them?

While students will have a variety of ideas here, they should recognize that working with the five individuals who are dedicated to the older program could potentially be most difficult. Each of those employees has knoweldge, skills, and abilities that are an asset to the organizaiton. I would suggest identifying those skills that are transferable, conducting some retention of those five, and allowing them to work with the three employees on the new training program until those five are ready to be transferred to the new product line.

Ethical Matters Exercise: The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America Strike Questions: 1. What do you see as the ethical aspects of going on strike? Examine this question from the workers’ point of view and from the employer’s point of view.

Assumedly, the side with the most to lose will be more affected by the strike. In this case, writers were already losing money and were willing to sacrifice short-term benefits for long-term gain.

From the employer point of view, the strike was crippling for the industry and costly, potentially more costly than the cost of negotiation and settlement.

The ethical implications of going on strike could be greater depending on the industry. The television industry strike had minimal repercussions for the general public and would serve to resolve issues for the writers in a meaningful way. In other industries, a strike could result in great harm to the public, for example, when hospital workers, pilots, or those who provide public services go on strike. When these groups go on strike, the potential to harm the wider community great and the ethical aspects are more keenly felt.

2. Some categories of workers in the United States are legally prohibited from striking. What ethical grounds do you see for such laws?

Workers who are legally prohibited from striking are prohibited because going on strike would cause tremendous harm to the general population. Air traffic controllers, law enforcement, fire protection agencies all provide a national (and sometimes international) service and irreparable harm could be caused if they go on strike. Some students might feel that ethically, these groups should be allowed to strike for increases in pay and benefits. Often, employees are expressly prohibited from going on strike for pay increases.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 14: Employee Safety, Well-Being, and Wellness

Exercise 14.1: Safety for All 1. What concerns do you have with the safety climate of this company? In what ways might these issues have a negative impact on worker safety?

While there seems to be a desire for climate that supports safety, it does not seem to be supported by top management. Employees will notice that supervisors are not following required safety regulations and may soon feel they don’t need to follow them either. This is also seen in the desire to have work done quickly at the expense of safety precautions. A culture of safety must start from the top and continue to be supported by leadership.

2. What steps could you take in your role as safety officer to better illustrate to management the safety issues that you are observing in this company?

Students may have a variety of suggestions here. These might include finding data on the cost of on-the-job accidents, long-term disability insurance rates, the cost of OSHA violations, and even the potential to lose licensing.

3. What arguments could you make to these top managers about the importance of safety climate and the role they play in it? What suggestions would you make to them as to how they might foster a positive safety climate?

These leaders need to be made aware they are the first level of example for the safe and ethical actions of the company. They can foster a climate of safety by wearing safety equipment on the job sites, following safety procedures such as equipment lock-down procedures, and requiring all employees to do the same. They might also consider have OSHA inspectors conduct safety training for employees.

Exercise 14.2: Assessing the Value of a Wellness Program 1. How would you investigate the potential value of each of these components prior to implementation? Aside from company data, what specific sources would you use to the possible value of each component?

Government publications might supply some of the needed information. Other sources might be hospitals, large studies by independent sources, and other objective but verifiable research.

Students will be able to offer a variety of potential sources.

2. What types of company data would you use to determine if each of these components is needed? Be specific in describing both (a) the type of data you would want to review and (b) what data patterns would suggest a need for the specific component.

It might be difficult to determine which of the programs would be most used without conducting some internal research. Focus groups, online surveys, and anonymous self-reporting might be used. Students should be able to supply a variety of questions on each of these potential benefits and be able to group data into potential outcomes. Information should be collected based on locations.

3. Should you roll out the entire program at once, or should each component be rolled out separately? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of each approach? In crafting your response, consider whether the three company locations might be used differently for the rollout.

Again student responses will vary. Some might want to roll out the programs one at a time, starting with the one they think will be most popular. One potential advantage to this approach is that the organization can track the usage of the program before investing in others. One potential disadvantage is that if the data are not collected and analyzed properly, a program might be launched in a location where it is unsuccessful, causing leadership to question the value of launching any other program. Others might suggest offering all at once with the idea of determining which location uses specific benefits the most. The potential disadvantage would be tied to cost or the negative repercussion of ending programs that have low usage and benefit.

4. In the event that the program was implemented by the company, describe what types of data-from objective data to employee attitudes--the company should collect to evaluate whether each component is effective.

Students will develop a variety of measurements and data to collect. How the data are applied will vary by students and possibly their opinion about the stigma that is sometimes tied to some services such as mental health and financial literacy counseling. Certainly, the organization should track usage rates, but the tracking must be highly confidential as employees who are using some of these programs might be concerned about the ramification of personal problems on how they are viewed at the workplace. The company might conduct anonymous employee surveys at regular intervals to rate their ongoing interest in each of these programs and look for suggestions to improve the offering.

5. Are there any “intangible” outcomes that might be considered in assessing the value of the wellness program?

Responses will vary by students, but they might consider the opinions of coworkers when employees use these services, cost savings on health insurance programs, increased employee engagement, and lower turnover.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Privacy, Technology, and Human Error Questions: 1. Individuals working in HR have access to a great deal of private information about employees. If you had access to such data and someone approached you with an offer of money or other rewards in exchange for disclosing confidential employee information, what specific steps would you take to respond to the situation? What kind of training content should an employer provide for its employees so that they would know how to respond to such a scenario?

This is not only an ethical issue, but a legal issue. This action should immediately be reported to senior management and the IT department who can take steps to stop a breach before the system is compromised. All employees should be trained in the use of technology, e-mail safety, and password creation. This would include the types of websites they visit, searches they conduct, who they accept e-mail from; all employees should be made aware that their company provided electronics will be monitored. Employees should also be trained in how to respond to potential violations by customers, suppliers, vendors, other outside agencies, as well as coworkers. IT should be trained to have a routine approach to updating security measures, requiring the changing of passwords, monitoring data on the intranet, and proper usage of company equipment. Where this could become an interesting conversation with students is during a discussion of cell phone use at work (personal or company provided) and their ability to work from home on sensitive company information.

2. Describe some everyday situations in which an employee in HR or another area could accidentally compromise employees’ private data. How can workers prevent or contain the damage of such a lapse?

Students will develop a variety of ideas that might include taking notes during a conversation and leaving those notes in a place others can see them, to having confidential conversations that might be overhead by others. Students should also consider the ability to use the Internet to conduct work-related business in public spaces, hotspots such as airports, or even leaving a laptop in a place where it might get stolen. The ways to prevent such activities will depend on the issues the students will identify.

Sample Answer Answers to In-Text Questions Chapter 15: Opportunities and Challenges in International HRM

Exercise 15.1: Developing a Global Mindset What would you advise your CEO that the company do? Develop a concrete proposal about how to develop a global mindset in the company and provide justification for your plan. Be sure to include a discussion of the resource requirements of your plan.

First, you cannot send all senior leadership on an overseas assignment at the same time. Those who go first would, in theory, be promoted first, potentially causing dissatisfaction with those who have to wait years for this opportunity. While the idea of the overseas assignment as a basis for leadership, it will take

providing this training for all employees. Additionally, having an overseas assignment will not mean the assignment was successful or that leadership skills were gained.

While a global mindset and understand might be important, there might also be a variety of reasons, many personal in nature, why an employee cannot take a 6-month overseas assignment. The cost of relocating someone with his or family can be high. Cost of turnover for high-performing employees should also be considered. While the idea of placing employees on overseas assignments has value, placement can be difficult to manage and might make your employee even more attractive to a competitor who values those skills. When students work to justify their proposal, they should consider the KSAs of working on a global assignment and be able to tie those back to success as a manager of a multinational organization.

Exercise 15.2: Assessing the Effectiveness of Expat Management Questions: 15. How would you go about measuring the effectiveness of your expatriate program? What type of information would you collect and how? Develop a plan to collect the information you need.

Students will have a variety of ideas here. There are several measurements regarding the effectiveness of the program including the success while on the overseas assignment and how well the assignment goals were achieved. The assignment should also prepare the manager for more responsibility upon return to the home office, and the performance levels of returning employees might be looked at. Turnover is also important. Overseas assignments are costly investments in people and the company needs to reap the value of that investment. Focus group, studies, and a variety of metrics might be used.

16. How would you assess whether you are sending the right employees for these assignments?

Describe what steps you would follow.

Those who are sent on the assignments should have the KSAs needed to succeed and create meaning for the assignment. There should be a level of training before the employee leaves on assignment, and communication with the home office should be regular. Students will identify selection processes that include short-term goals for the assignment, long-term goals for when the employee returns, and create an effective onboarding process to help with the reintroduction to the home office.

17. Effectiveness of expatriates relies on their ability to cooperate with local employees, and perceived unfairness and resentment on the part of locals may hamper expatriate effectiveness.

What can you do to prevent such resentment?

Training before the assignment begins can help the expatriate become more culturally sensitive to these types of issues. Housing that is within the community and other methods of enculturation can be useful, and well as establishing a working relationship between the host

national and the home country offices. Those on the overseas assignment should realize the goal is not to have the host country employees convert to the home country way of doing things. The expatriates’ traditional way of getting things done may not work well in the host country.

Rather, the goal is to be able to solve problems and grow the host country office so that it better supports the home country office.

Ethical Matters Exercise: Managing Ethics Globally in Multinationals Questions:

1. As an HR professional, suppose you are assigned to arrange for your company’s international employees to receive ethics training to define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, and to know what to do when confronted with questionable requests. How would you develop a set of training objectives? Would you hire an outside training vendor, and if so how would you select the vendor?

Student responses might turn in to a discussion about ethics instead of how a multinational should incorporate ethics training. Training objectives should be ethical in nature and should be developed to support the long-term growth and well-being of the organization and its stakeholders rather than as a short-term solution to immediate issues. If using an outside vendor, the vendor should have experience in ethics as they apply to multinational organizations specifically.

2. Find an example in the news or in the HR literature of a global company that was accused of corruption. How was the case resolved? What did the individuals involved do right, and what could they have done better?

Responses will vary by student based on the company they chose and the ethics violations. These cases should show that each culture has its own beliefs about ethics, and that what we believe about ethics in our home country may not apply to other countries.