Employee Relations & Engagement Flashcards
7 cards from real SHRM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Employee Relations & Engagement flashcards as text
An organization is experiencing high conflict between two work teams. Which HR intervention is most appropriate as a first step?
Answer: Conduct separate listening sessions to understand each team's perspective
Gathering information through separate listening sessions helps HR understand the root causes of the conflict before selecting an appropriate intervention.
What is the primary legal risk of maintaining inconsistent disciplinary practices across different employee groups?
Answer: Claims of disparate treatment discrimination under Title VII or similar statutes
Applying discipline differently based on protected characteristics (race, gender, etc.) can constitute disparate treatment discrimination, exposing the organization to legal liability.
Which element is most essential when designing an employee pulse survey to ensure actionable results?
Answer: Committing in advance to share results and take visible action
Employees lose trust in surveys when nothing changes afterward; committing to share results and act on them drives participation and meaningful change.
Under WARN Act provisions, how much advance notice must employers with 100+ employees provide before a mass layoff?
Answer: 60 days
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires covered employers to provide 60 calendar days of advance notice before a qualifying mass layoff or plant closing.
A newly promoted manager is struggling with their team's morale. Which HR approach best addresses this situation long term?
Answer: Provide targeted coaching and leadership development for the manager
Investing in the manager's leadership skills through coaching addresses the root cause and builds sustainable team performance.
What distinguishes employee involvement from employee engagement?
Answer: Involvement refers to participation in decisions and processes; engagement is an emotional and motivational state
Employee involvement describes structural mechanisms (committees, task forces) while engagement describes the psychological connection employees feel toward their work and organization.
Which scenario most clearly illustrates constructive discharge?
Answer: An employer deliberately makes working conditions intolerable to force an employee to quit
Constructive discharge occurs when an employer intentionally creates unbearable working conditions that effectively compel an employee to resign, which courts treat as an involuntary termination.