Deck 12: Managing Workforce Flow

Question 1

Orientation provides employees with the knowledge and skills they need to do their jobs.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Exit interviews are done to inform employees why they are being let go.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

When a poor performer leaves,functional turnover has occurred.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

When a valued employee quits because his spouse takes a new job in another state,this is unavoidable turnover.

Question 5

Interacting with recruiters and future coworkers during the hiring process is the ________ phase of the socialization process.

A)anticipatory
B)encounter
C)settling in
D)onboarding

Question 6

Sequential socialization occurs when the steps in socialization occur in a specific order.

Question 7

Stock options that vest in the future create a mobility barrier for the employee receiving them.

Question 8

With disjunctive socialization,newcomers are left alone to develop their own interpretations of the organization and situations they observe.

Question 9

Attrition occurs when a company hires fewer new employees.

Question 10

Socialization programs putting newcomers through a common set of experiences as a group rather than individually are called ________.

A)one-time programs
B)collective programs
C)variable programs
D)tournament programs

Question 11

The first stage of the socialization process is ________.

A)settling in
B)anticipatory
C)encounter
D)expectation

Question 12

Having terminated employees sign a severance agreement that includes a release stating that the departing employee gives up some or all rights to sue reduces the risk of future litigation.

Question 13

When coworkers show a new employee how to do their job,formal socialization is taking place.

Question 14

Asking for volunteers in a global mobility move can increase engagement and be a good fit for the employee.

Question 15

Having options in a downsizing such as buyouts and early retirements reduces the negative impact on morale and reputation.

Question 16

Socialization programs help new employees understand the traditions of the company.

Question 17

Processing a new employee's employment-related paperwork,acquiring necessary keys and identification cards,and establishing an e-mail account for them is part of ________.

A)socialization
B)orientation
C)attrition
D)training

Question 18

Anticipatory socialization occurs when employees receive training and begin learning about the company culture and norms,and how to do the job.

Question 19

Investiture socialization programs try to strip away new hires' personal characteristics.

Question 20

Who usually has overall responsibility for conducting socialization programs?

A)coworkers
B)hiring managers
C)human resources
D)top management

Question 21

As an invaluable employee to her company,Emma has been given the freedom to choose her work hours.She can also opt to work from home for a maximum of 7 days in a month.Which of the following retention strategies is being used in this example?

A)creating work flexibility
B)challenging employees
C)clarifying promotion paths
D)creating mobility barriers

Question 22

Companies generally try to minimize turnover that is ________.

A)unavoidable,voluntary,and functional
B)voluntary and functional
C)voluntary,dysfunctional,and avoidable
D)dysfunctional and involuntary

Question 23

Asking a departing employee why he or she is leaving the firm is a(n)________.

A)unstructured interview
B)structured interview
C)behavioral interview
D)exit interview

Question 24

Which of the following are generally well received by employees?

A)reneging
B)buyout incentives
C)downsizing
D)layoffs

Question 25

After a wave of retirements,new employees hired to replace the retirees are likely to experience what type of socialization?

A)disjunctive
B)serial
C)informal
D)transitory

Question 26

________ has been found to enhance new hires' loyalty and reduce their turnover..

A)Socializing new employees as a group
B)Using random socialization methods
C)Disjunctive socialization
D)Informal socialization methods

Question 27

Holding managers accountable for turnover of the employees under them is an effective retention strategy because ________.

A)managers become stressed about being laid-off
B)managers know which employees to retain
C)employees have most grievances about their supervisors
D)employees cannot complain about miscommunication

Question 28

A socialization program that requires new hires to "pass" different stages of socialization or be removed from the organization is a ________.

A)one-time program
B)collective program
C)variable program
D)tournament program

Question 29

Workforce redeployment applies the ________ principles used to optimize inventory management,planning,and production to optimize the utilization of a firm's employees.

A)product innovation
B)customer management
C)supply chain
D)competitive advantage

Question 30

When a call center fires an employee who cannot meet her call volume goals,which of the following types of turnover has occurred?

A)dysfunctional
B)functional
C)avoidable
D)voluntary

Question 31

In order to reduce turnover rates,Sigma Corp.offers middle and high-ranking employees stock options in the company.This is an example of which retention strategy?

A)job challenge
B)strong culture
C)accountability
D)mobility barriers

Question 32

Working from 6 a.m.to 2 p.m.is an example of ________.

A)job sharing
B)flextime
C)telecommuting
D)homesourcing

Question 33

The Wolverines are a leading university soccer team.All new recruits to the team must go through certain "rites of passage" which include shaving their heads,swimming in cold water,getting a tattoo of the team's emblem,and other tests of servitude and obedience.This is an example of ________.

A)investiture socialization
B)disjunctive socialization
C)divestiture socialization
D)tournament socialization

Question 34

Which of the following is true of voluntary turnover?

A)It occurs especially if employees' job duties are well-defined.
B)It has been proven that average performers are most likely to quit.
C)It reduces when the economy is good and vice versa.
D)It can be reduced by giving new hires a realistic job preview.

Question 35

A layoff is an example of which type of turnover?

A)dysfunctional
B)voluntary
C)involuntary
D)avoidable

Question 36

Earlene Gibson,the HR manager of BioMd,a manufacturer of high-end medical diagnostic equipments,is planning to implement a socialization program in the organization.She designs a program in which each stage of socialization is an "elimination tournament," and a new hire is out of the organization if he or she fails.Earlene submits the program draft to the CEO for approval.Which of the following,if true,would be the strongest counterargument for the implementation of this plan?

A)BioMd has a strong R&D orientation and innovation and risk taking are the major values that the company promotes.
B)The management is intending to develop a homogeneous workforce that is highly cohesive and goal oriented.
C)One of the goals of the socialization program is to exercise more discipline and control in the organization.
D)The company is characterized by a vertical organizational structure and centralized decision making.

Question 37

Exit interviews should be directed at ________.

A)finding out which rivals are poaching talent from the firm
B)areas in which the company feels it could improve
C)informing ex-employees of their shortcomings
D)optimal turnover and should measure the loss to the firm

Question 38

When IBM extensively trains employees in processes and procedures that are unique to the company,it is creating ________.

A)job challenge
B)strong culture
C)accountability
D)mobility barriers

Question 39

What is optimal turnover?

A)It is the lowest turnover that a firm can achieve.
B)It produces lowest level of long-term productivity.
C)It produces the highest level of long-term business improvement.
D)It sees any employee turnover as a loss for the company.

Question 40

Denise,the human resource manager of a manufacturing company found that the company's socialization process was too overwhelming for new hires.It consisted of presentations,meetings,and seminars packed into the first week of joining the company.She decided to switch into a(n)________ approach to socializing so that new employees did not suffer from information overload.

A)investiture
B)staggered
C)sequential
D)formal

Question 41

What is downsizing and how is it best done? List and describe four ways of choosing who gets targeted during a downsizing.

Question 42

Describe some alternatives to layoffs.

Question 43

Firms that do not have proper documentation to terminate an employee but want to end the employment relationship,and at the same time reduce the possibility of a lawsuit,offer the employee a(n)________.

A)non-compete agreement
B)non-disclosure agreement
C)employment at will statement
D)release

Question 44

Moving employees to other parts of the company or to other jobs the company needs filled to match its workforce with its talent needs is ________.

A)socialization
B)workforce redeployment
C)mobility barriers
D)golden handcuffs

Question 45

Which of the following is true about downsizing?

A)It works best when done regularly.
B)It is never constrained by a collective bargaining agreement.
C)It enhances employees' perceptions of fairness.
D)It can improve shareholders' return.

Question 46

Which of the following,if implemented,would reduce the number of less productive workers in a firm?

A)across the board downsizing
B)performance-based downsizing
C)competency-based downsizing
D)business-based downsizing

Question 47

In which of the following cases is asking employees to take a leave without pay a good idea?

A)The company is planning to expand its operations.
B)The company is relocating abroad and needs foreign workers.
C)The company needs to cut down costs for a specific period.
D)The company has decided to conduct mass downsizing.

Question 48

How is orientation different from socialization?

Question 49

List and describe the six types of turnover.

Question 50

BioMd is a manufacturer of high-end medical diagnostic equipments.The company's revenues and profit margins have come under pressure during the last two years because of decline in product demand.Daisy Howell,the CEO of the company,calls for a senior management meeting to finalize the strategies to be adopted to tackle the dip in profit margins.In the meeting,most managers argue in favor of using downsizing as a means to reducing costs and improving margins.However,Daisy strongly argued for the use of layoffs instead of downsizing.Which of the following,if true,would most strengthen Daisy's argument?

A)The organization has a business-based target for reducing the number of employees.
B)Major hospital chains have announced plans to open up more facilities in the coming year.
C)An internal demographics review has shown that about ten percent of the firm's employees would retire within three years.
D)Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act applies to the organization as it has more than hundred employees.

Question 51

Assume you are a high-ranking manager in a firm who has to discharge a middle-ranking employee.Plan how you would go about this task.Who are the other members of the organization whom you would involve?

Question 52

________ downsizing targets specific locations for headcount reduction,perhaps due to the loss of an important customer.

A)Seniority-based
B)Business-based
C)Geographic
D)Across the board