SHRM Employee Relations & Engagement — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to SHRM competency standards, what is the most important factor in building a positive employee relations culture?
- Trust between management and employees (Correct answer)
- Competitive compensation packages
- Strict disciplinary policies
- Mandatory team-building events
Correct answer: Trust between management and employees
SHRM identifies trust as the foundation of positive employee relations, enabling open communication, collaboration, and organizational commitment.
Question 2: What is the correct order of progressive discipline steps in a typical U.S. organization?
- Verbal warning, written warning, suspension, termination (Correct answer)
- Termination, suspension, written warning, verbal warning
- Written warning, verbal warning, termination, suspension
- Suspension, termination, verbal warning, written warning
Correct answer: Verbal warning, written warning, suspension, termination
Progressive discipline follows an escalating sequence: verbal warning, written warning, suspension, and finally termination, giving employees opportunities to correct behavior.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of an employee engagement survey?
- To measure employee commitment, motivation, and connection to the organization (Correct answer)
- To evaluate individual employee performance
- To determine salary increases for the next fiscal year
- To identify candidates for layoffs
Correct answer: To measure employee commitment, motivation, and connection to the organization
Engagement surveys measure employees' emotional commitment and connection to the organization, providing actionable data for improving workplace culture and retention.
Question 4: Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which employee activity is protected?
- Discussing wages and working conditions with coworkers (Correct answer)
- Refusing to perform assigned job duties
- Sharing company trade secrets with competitors
- Engaging in workplace sabotage
Correct answer: Discussing wages and working conditions with coworkers
Section 7 of the NLRA protects employees' rights to engage in concerted activities, including discussing wages, working conditions, and other terms of employment with coworkers.
Question 5: What is a stay interview and when should it be conducted?
- A proactive conversation with current employees to understand what keeps them engaged (Correct answer)
- An exit interview conducted when an employee resigns
- A performance review held annually
- A disciplinary meeting following a policy violation
Correct answer: A proactive conversation with current employees to understand what keeps them engaged
Stay interviews are proactive conversations with current employees to identify factors that keep them engaged and potential issues that might cause them to leave, conducted regularly rather than at exit.
Question 6: What is the best approach for handling a workplace conflict between two employees?
- Mediate the dispute privately, focusing on interests rather than positions (Correct answer)
- Immediately terminate the employee who started the conflict
- Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves itself
- Send a company-wide email addressing the situation
Correct answer: Mediate the dispute privately, focusing on interests rather than positions
Effective conflict resolution involves private mediation that focuses on underlying interests rather than stated positions, seeking a mutually acceptable solution.
SHRM Employee Relations & Engagement
According to SHRM competency standards, what is the most important factor in building a positive employee relations culture?