Psychology data bank

Question

Psychology data bank

Question # 00005010 Posted By: spqr Updated on: 12/09/2013 02:51 AM Due on: 12/30/2013

Subject Psychology Topic General Psychology Tutorials:

Question

76. The simplified turnover costing model for a particular job requires the following data: the typical annual pay for the job, percentage of pay for benefits multiplied by the annual pay, the number of voluntary quits in the last year and ____ as well as other information.

a.	average recruiting costs for this job
b.	average cost of pre-employment medical and drug tests
c.	average training and development costs for a new hire in this job
d.	the number of months it takes for one employee to become fully productive

77. All of the following should be included as replacement costs when calculating the cost of turnover EXCEPT

a.	advertising expenses.
b.	reference checking costs.
c.	relocation costs.
d.	orientation time.

78. Carlos, the director of HR for a large paper manufacturing company, is studying the financial costs of turnover of plant personnel at all levels. The easily calculable costs are sobering, but Carlos is also concerned about the hidden costs of turnover including

a.	co-worker coaching and salaries.
b.	turnover of other employees.
c.	the cost of pre-employment medical tests.
d.	the overtime for employees covering the separated employees’ jobs.

79. A consumer market research firm has high turnover at its call center in suburban Minneapolis. It is paying competitive wages and benefits and the HR department has instituted the best turnover management practices available. But, the level of voluntary and uncontrollable turnover remains high. In order to cope with this rate of turnover and minimize productivity losses, the firm needs to

a.	increase performance standards.
b.	convey a stronger leadership image.
c.	overstaff.
d.	strengthen its absenteeism management policies.

80. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

a.	One of the benefits of running call centers from countries such as India is that turnover is reduced to only that which is uncontrollable by the individual.
b.	Monotonous jobs, such as many call center jobs, generate high levels of turnover regardless of the country in which the call center operates.
c.	A disadvantage of running call centers from countries such as India is that poor performing employees tend to stay, rather than quitting, which results in dysfunctional retention.
d.	Workers in different countries are motivated by different core elements of jobs. Consequently, monotonous work, such as call center jobs, are considered motivating in some countries such as India.

81. Alice, a chronically tardy server at a moderately-priced restaurant, who consistently gets the lowest tips from customers, has announced that she is quitting to take another job at a newly-opened casino. This could be categorized as ____ turnover.

a.	disruptive
b.	functional
c.	involuntary
d.	predictable

82. In a/an ____ interview, individuals are asked to identify their reasons for leaving the organization.

a.	departure
b.	appraisal
c.	exit
d.	retention

83. With regard to exit interviews, which of the following statements is FALSE?

a.	Departing employees are eager to use the exit interview to unburden themselves about the real reasons for their leaving.
b.	HR typically conducts exit interviews.
c.	It is often more useful to contact departing employees a month or so after departure when they may be more willing to provide information.
d.	About half of organizations use exit interviews to make changes to aid retention.

84. Why should employers use attitude surveys?

a.	to identify employee needs and/or preferences
b.	to identify employees who are unmotivated and/or likely to quit
c.	as a psychological tool to assure employees that the employer cares about their opinions
d.	to identify jobs that can be eliminated or automated

85. Only surveys that are ____ can measure attitudes accurately.

a.	internally developed
b.	valid and reliable
c.	custom-designed for the specific organization
d.	user-friendly

86. The COO of ButtonVox is unwilling to authorize an attitude survey of employees that has been proposed by the director of HR. The COO has used several aphorisms to counter the HR director’s arguments: “Let sleeping dogs lie.” “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” and “This will just open up a can of worms.” The HR director suspects that the COO is most concerned that

a.	it will be difficult to keep employee responses to the survey confidential.
b.	employees will suspect an organizational restructuring is being considered.
c.	the survey results will reveal that employee compensation is not competitive.
d.	employees will expect action will be taken on the concerns identified.

87. HR managers should view absenteeism and turnover as

a.	unavoidable dysfunctional behaviors.
b.	largely out of the organization’s control.
c.	unrelated forms of withdrawal.
d.	symptoms of problems within the organization.

88. Ideally, interventions to improve retention

a.	should be implemented simultaneously across the organization.
b.	implemented in the departments least likely to have negative consequences.
c.	pilot tested before being implemented in the entire organization.
d.	initially implemented in the departments with the worst retention problems.

89. The employee attitude survey conducted by a financial services firm three months ago has been analyzed. Although employees are generally satisfied with their pay, the survey revealed strong and generalized dissatisfaction with the organization’s management style, promotion practices and training programs. As director of HR, you recommend

a.	sending an internal e-mail thanking employees for their cooperation and valuable feedback in the survey.
b.	announcing the positive survey results, while beginning to work on solutions to the problems revealed by the negative results.
c.	announcing the hiring of a consulting firm to address issues raised by the survey.
d.	communicating the positive and negative survey results to employees along with an action plan to move toward solutions of the problems revealed.

TRUE/FALSE

1. A major factor in whether an employer wants to retain an employee is the employee’s performance.

2. During a merger, people are so concerned about job security that the top quality employees who survive the layoffs have low intention to quit.

3. Psychological contracts include both tangible items (such as wages, benefits, employee productivity, and attendance) and intangible items (such as loyalty, fair treatment, and job security).

4. In most organizations today, employees expect to exchange their efforts and capabilities for a secure job that offers rising wages, comprehensive benefits and career progression within the organization.