Deck 11: Employee Relations

Question 1

During the past 20 years, surveys about workforce contentment indicate

A) employees have never been more satisfied.
B) employees are increasingly disenchanted with their jobs and employers.
C) higher paid employees have never been more satisfied with their jobs.
D) nearly half of surveyed employees "trusted management to communicate honestly."

Answer 1

employees are increasingly disenchanted with their jobs and employers.

Question 2

In the first six months of 2012, nearly __________________ people lost their jobs.

A) 2,200
B) 77,000
C) 770,000
D) 1 million

Answer 2

770,000

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of what American workers have faced recently?

A) waves of downsizings and layoffs
B) widened gap between executive compensation and pay of common workers
C) actions by management that increase loyalty
D) corporate emphasis on globalization

Answer 3

actions by management that increase loyalty

Question 4

According to a well-regarded survey, what percentage of corporate CEOs reported spending more of their time communicating with employees?

A) 30%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 60%

Question 5

Because of what has happened to American workers in the first decade of the 21^st century, which of the following is NOT true?

A) There is increased value placed on "intellectual capital."
B) There is need for employee empowerment.
C) There is "trust gap" between management and workers.
D) There is less need than ever for meaningful, effective employee communication.

Question 6

There is no "general public," but there is an "employee public" that

A) has numerous subgroups.
B) has indistinguishable concerns.
C) has similar interests.
D) has concern only for a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a trait of today's employees?

A) They are younger than their predecessors.
B) They are said to be more diverse, ambitious and career-oriented than their predecessors.
C) They have more loyalty than their predecessors.
D) They are less complacent than their predecessors.

Question 8

Which of the following traits in today's employees requires managements to strive for candor?

A) their younger age
B) their being hard-nosed
C) their ambition
D) their increased complacency

Question 9

Which of the following leads employees to think "the grass is greener elsewhere"?

A) knowing what it takes to move ahead
B) understanding how compensation programs work
C) not knowing where they stand in the eyes of management
D) sensitivity to their peers' problems

Question 10

If communication is to reinforce a consistent management message, the message

A) must be complex.
B) must be credible.
C) must spell out in every detail the purpose behind the message.
D) must have a friendly tone.

Question 11

One of the six characteristics that the best companies to work for in America share is:

A) attention to clarity.
B) keeping upper management distant and behind the scenes.
C) prioritizing external over internal communication.
D) keeping a stern tone.

Question 12

The hands-down most effective method of employee communications is:

A) company wide emails.
B) company newsletter.
C) face-to-face communication.
D) evaluations.

Question 13

Managements can increase trust in their organizations by

A) involving employees in the process by asking for their ideas and opinions.
B) ways to demonstrate what a great workplace workers are in.
C) covering up any negative comments about an employee's performance.
D) advocating for employees who want anti-activist communication.

Question 14

In S-H-O-C, a four-step communications approach, what does the S stand for?

A) Strategic
B) Straight
C) Service
D) Separate

Question 15

In S-H-O-C, a four-step communications approach, what does the H stand for?

A) Hear
B) Honest
C) Hidden
D) Held

Question 16

In S-H-O-C, a four-step communications approach, what does the C stand for?

A) Communication
B) Confidence
C) Consistent
D) Celebrations

Question 17

Voice is a principle of good communications that can enhance "getting through" to employees. It refers to

A) speaking neither too loudly nor too softly when conveying negative news.
B) giving those with divergent opinions as much recognition as possible.
C) allowing those who wish to share their opinions to be heard and to be part of decision making.
D) recognizing that money and benefits are the ultimate motivator.

Question 18

One overriding principle for good internal communication is to

A) be truthful.
B) soften the blow of bad news.
C) use human resources jargon in explaining benefits .
D) squash dissent.

Question 19

Employees would trust management more if they

A) were less visible.
B) didn't seek to empower the workforce.
C) communicated more frequently and earlier.
D) avoided sharing bad news.

Question 20

Which of the following acronyms is indicative of how management can build trust through communication?

A) R-H-R-V
B) S-H-O-C
C) E-V-P-A
D) H-V-A-C

Question 21

For a well-conceived and well-designed employee communications program to work, it must

A) promise lots.
B) evoke passion.
C) be well-financed.
D) be steadily consistent.

Question 22

Critical questions to

A) When was the last time we did one of these?
B) Why should we do one of these now?
C) How responsive to employee needs and concerns are internal communications efforts?
D) Do we have enough money in the budget?

Question 23

Online communications vehicles include all of the following EXCEPT

A) blogs.
B) the intranet.
C) correspondence mailed to employees homes.
D) instant messaging.

Question 24

Which of the following would NOT be an advantage to online communications vehicles?

A) Online communications vehicles are more immediate than earlier print vehicles.
B) Online communications vehicles are more likely to be listened to, read, and acted on than print vehicles.
C) Online communications vehicles add to increased loss of employees' "voice" for people without a computer
D) Online communications vehicles reach employees where they are.

Question 25

An intranet is

A) an external vehicle that allows for exchange of information via a cooperatively run and globally distributed collection of computer networks.
B) an external vehicle that integrates communication with outsiders so they have more insight about workflow, process management, and infrastructure.
C) an internal vehicle that integrates communication with workflow, process management, and infrastructure.
D) a dynamic Web site to which all employees can add information.

Question 26

Defenders of print vehicles suggest

A) they are valuable as a link to the Internet.
B) they help create the "climate" management endorses.
C) they not be used to convey comprehensive information.
D) they be used to sell, sell, sell.

Question 27

The organization originally devoted just to internal communications was the

A) Public Relations Society of America.
B) International Associations of Business Communicators.
C) American Marketing Association.
D) American Advertising Federation.

Question 28

Traditional staples of employee communications have included all the following EXCEPT

A) bulletin boards.
B) suggestion boxes.
C) "town hall" meetings.
D) Delta lunches.

Question 29

Which of the following may be among the most "ancient" of employee communications vehicles?

A) town hall meetings
B) bulletin boards
C) suggestion boxes
D) internal videos

Question 30

Which of the following are not among the traditional staples of employee communications programs?

A) bulletin boards.
B) town hall meetings.
C) suggestion boxes.
D) internal videos

Question 31

Despite all the emphasis on social media, ________ communications, preferably from a supervisor, is considered the best communication vehicle to reach employees.

A) intranet
B) town hall
C) face-to-face
D) grapevine

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT required if social media are to be effective in a work environment?

A) They must adapt to the business culture.
B) They must be entertaining.
C) They must be informative.
D) They must have a business purpose.

Question 33

Although it may be treacherous at times, the ________ can be a valuable communications vehicle.

A) face-to-face communications
B) intranet communications
C) town hall meetings
D) grapevine

Question 34

An environmental scan of the workplace in the U.S. would lead to this conclusion: Overwhelmingly, employees are content with what they do for a living and with their employers.

Question 35

A well-regarded survey indicates that more than half of CEOs are spending more time communicating with their employees.

Question 36

Rapid changes in technology and globalization require that even more attention be paid to communicating honestly and openly with employees in order to gain their respect and loyalty.

Question 37

Once considered less important, glamorous, or critical than other functions, employee communications has become increasingly more important.

Question 38

Despite all the negative phenomena that have affected employees, there still isn't enough value placed on "intellectual capital."

Question 39

Because the new business environment is so complex, staff members are calling for less of a voice in decision-making-less empowerment.

Question 40

Especially in times of high unemployment, employees indicate their biggest concern is knowing where they stand.

Question 41

Management's giving priority to internal communication is NOT a characteristic common among the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America.

Question 42

The overriding challenge that confronts today's internal communicators is to convince employees that management not only wants to communicate with them, but also wants to do it in a truthful, candid, and succinct manner.

Question 43

An intranet is a dynamic Web site to which employees add pages, modify content, and comment on what's already on the site.

Question 44

To create a successful intranet, you must set clearly defined objectives while allowing for growth and evolution as new needs arise.

Question 45

Despite the growing use of online vehicles for internal communications, defenders of print argue that print helps create a "climate"
that has the stamp of management.

Question 46

Because they are a very old type of employee communications vehicles, bulletin boards have virtually disappeared.

Question 47

A suggestion box system still can provide employees a way to offer feedback to management.

Question 48

For internal video to be accepted by employees today, it must be of broadcast quality.

Question 49

Hands down, the most effective method of employee communications is face-to-face communication between supervisors and their subordinates.

Question 50

The best social media policies are based on common sense.

Question 51

Despite the diabolical image of the grapevine, the reality is that it can be a helpful vehicle in an effective employee communications program.

Question 52

Why is there a greater need for effective employee communications now than ever before?

Question 53

The 100 Best Companies to Work For in America each uphold six criteria that have stood the test of time. What are those criteria?

Question 54

Describe some ways management can increase trust among its employees.

Question 55

Describe the S-H-O-C approach to management communication.

Question 56

Name the growing online, internal communications vehicles and briefly describe how each is used.

Question 57

Name and briefly describe some things intranet creators should keep in mind.

Question 58

What is the "grapevine," and how is it used in employee communications?