Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Chapter 10: Managing Employee Separations and Retention
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Catalina let her manager know that she was offered a better position at another
company and that she would be leaving her current job. What is this scenario an
example of?
A. involuntary turnover
B. voluntary turnover
C. retirement
D. layoff
2. Frank has been at the same company for the past 15 years, he just turned 65 and is
now ending his work life. What is this scenario an example of?
A. leave of absence
B. layoff
C. retirement
D. involuntary turnover
3. Hector was placed on a performance improvement plan after his last performance
review. He did not make the necessary improvements and now is being dismissed from
his job. What is this scenario an example of?
A. retirement
B. layoff
C. voluntary turnover
D. involuntary turnover
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
4. ______ are a form of involuntary turnover that involves separation due to economic
or strategic reasons.
A. Retirements
B. Resignations
C. Layoffs
D. Notifications
5. Anton is worried about replacing several employees who have left the company. He
knows his budget will be impacted by the cost of replacing, onboarding, and training
replacements. This problem is an example of costs associated with ______.
A. voluntary turnover
B. absenteeism
C. tardiness
D. employee retention
6. ______ refers to being late to work without giving advance notice.
A. Voluntary turnover
B. Absenteeism
C. Layoff
D. Tardiness
7. ______ refers to unscheduled absences from work.
A. Tardiness
B. Absenteeism
C. Voluntary turnover
D. Shortages
8. Nell has a poor relationship with her manager and decides to find a new job. Based
on the information provided, Nell’s relationship with her manager is causing ______.
A. absenteeism
B. tardiness
C. a desire to leave
D. work–life conflict
9. When employees use social media platforms such as LinkedIn to find jobs, assess
the market, and examine the availability of jobs that are at least as good as their current
job, they are trying to determine ______.
A. qualifications
B. ease of movement
C. the rate of unfolding turnover
D. job embeddedness
10. The ______ recognizes that employees often leave without lining up a new job.
A. job embeddedness model
B. employment at will model
C. unfolding model of turnover
D. bridge employment model
11. Kathleen recently found out her mother is ill. The shock of the illness caused
Kathleen to rethink her immediate career plans, and she decided to quit her job to be
available to her mother. This is an example of the ______ model of turnover.
A. unfolding
B. shock
C. job embeddedness
D. classic
12. Derek has thought about looking for a new job, but then considers his benefits,
social network, short commute, and the fact that his family is settled in their community
with connections to the school and neighborhood organizations. Why does Derek opt to
stay at his job rather than leave?
A. engagement
B. upper management support
C. unfolding model
D. embeddedness
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
13. Lee decides he is not going into work today, even though he is scheduled to go into
the office. What is this an example of?
A. tardiness
B. absenteeism
C. voluntary turnover
D. loss of human capital
14. Craig decided he wants to find a new job and is in the process of looking for one. In
the meantime, at his current job, he finds himself calling in sick when in fact he just does
not want to go in to work, and he has accumulated several incidences of tardiness for
the same reason. What might this mean for Craig?
A. Craig is risking his social capital at work.
B. Craig no longer cares about policies.
C. Craig has a time management problem.
D. Craig has withdrawn from the job.
15. When unemployment is high, turnover is usually ______.
A. high
B. low
C. unexpected
D. unpredictable
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
16. The retention rate is equal to ______.
A. the number of employees who stayed during the entire period divided by the number
of employees at the beginning of the period multiplied by 100
B. the number of employees who left during the entire period multiplied by the number
of employees at the beginning of the period divided by 100
C. the number of employees at the beginning of the period multiplied by the number of
employees who stayed during the entire period divided by 100
D. the number of employees at the beginning of the period divided by the number of
employees who stayed during the entire period multiplied by 100
17. The turnover rate is equal to ______.
A. the number of departures divided by the number of employees who stayed during the
entire period multiplied by 100
B. The number of employees at the beginning of the period divided by the number of
employees who departed during the year divided by 100
C. the number of employees who stayed during the entire period divided by the average
number of employees during the year multiplied by 100
D. the number of departures during the year divided by the average number of
employees during the year multiplied by 100
18. Replacing an employee who leaves a company may cost anywhere from ______ of
the annual salary of the departing employee.
A. 70% to 100%
B. 80% to 125%
C. 90% to200%
D. 100% to150%
19. In an engagement survey, asking employees to respond to a statement such as, “I
intend to leave my job in the next year” is an example of ______.
A. descriptive analytics
B. reporting turnover
C. predictive analytics
D. involuntary turnover
20. Krysta, a human resource professional, is analyzing engagement survey results.
She uses the data to help her manage retention by predicting who is ______.
A. most disruptive
B. likely to leave
C. likely to perform well
D. most qualified
21. ______ surveys are short, frequent questionnaires that can help predict and
manage turnover.
A. Pulse
B. Desire to leave
C. Turnover
D. Annual
22. Barbara, a human resource professional, meets with employees after they resign,
before they leave their job. What is this an example of?
A. feedback
B. exit interview
C. data analysis
D. dismissal interview
23. An interview with an employee who is not leaving the organization in which
questions such as “Are you happy on the job and with your career?” are asked is called
a(n) ______ interview.
A. desire to leave
B. stay
C. ease of movement
D. pulse
24. Exit interviews help organizations make changes to increase ______.
A. feedback
B. control
C. power
D. retention
25. Once data from exit interviews are analyzed, the results must be shared with
______ in order to be useful.
A. decision makers
B. employees
C. mentors
D. shareholders
26. Marek is asked to participate in an exit interview after resigning from his job. He is
leaving because he is unhappy with some things his boss has done. His boss agreed to
give him a positive reference. Marek worries that if he shares the real reason for leaving
during an exit interview, his boss may withhold his reference. What does this exemplify?
A. why a person might distrust human resource professionals
B. why a person secures a positive reference before leaving
C. why a person may be reluctant to share the reason for their departure
D. why a person has little motivation to perform
27. In addition to exit interviews, human resource professionals also conduct ______ to
find out why people are not leaving their jobs.
A. retention interviews
B. face-to-face interviews
C. stay interviews
D. telephone interviews
28. Providing job candidates with information about their tasks, responsibilities, level of
autonomy, job demands, and expected degree of change and stability are among the
issues that would be included in a(n) ______.
A. performance appraisal
B. realistic job preview
C. employability assessment
D. job specification
29. When human resource practice shows commitment to employees and increases
embeddedness of employees, turnover is ______.
A. higher
B. steady
C. faster
D. lower
30. Which person is most likely to leave their job?
A. Someone who was recently promoted.
B. Someone who just returned to school.
C. Someone who recently completed a graduate degree.
D. Someone who wants to make a career change.
31. James returned to school and is using his tuition reimbursement benefit from the
company to pay for his degree. What is BEST thing his employer can do to ensure they
retain James after he graduates?
A. praise his accomplishment
B. provide a one-time bonus after graduation
C. give him a raise after graduation
D. provide a job that matches his new skill set
32. Employees expect their current work to enhance their ______. In other words, they
expect to gain skills and abilities that will help them find a job and be successful in their
careers.
A. job embeddedness
B. job satisfaction
C. employability
D. work engagement
33. ______ refers to an employee’s contentment with different facets of their work,
including the work itself, supervision, pay, and advancement opportunities.
A. Job satisfaction
B. Work engagement
C. Ease of movement
D. Employability
34. Roberto is happy at his new job. He likes the work, and the pay is good. His
supervisor is supportive, and he sees opportunities for advancement. Roberto is likely
experiencing ______.
A. job satisfaction
B. work engagement
C. job hopping
D. employability
35. ______ refers to feelings of emotional connection to work and a state of being
where employees bring their personal selves to work.
A. Job satisfaction
B. Work engagement
C. Ease of movement
D. Employability
36. Cathy feels emotionally connected to her work. What is this a sign of?
A. employability
B. engagement
C. positive feedback
D. work–life balance
37. Lei has small children at home and is caring for her ill mother while trying to work
full-time. Which option would be good for the company and the employee?
A. if Lei left her job
B. offering tuition reimbursement
C. providing Lei with a promotion
D. allowing Lei to work remotely
38. Kevin is offered a job at another company that interests him, but he decides to stay
where he is because he has a strong bond with his manager. Steve, on the other hand,
is also offered another job and decides to take it because he does not like the way his
manager treats people and has a low trust in him. Kevin staying is an example of
______.
A. boomeranging
B. employability
C. management driving retention
D. bridge employment
39. Marion manages a team in an industry with high turnover. She makes sure that
everyone is aware of what is going on with the work and that knowledge is accessible
across the team. Marion is trying to ensure ______.
A. minimal loss of organizational knowledge
B. reduced need for onboarding of new hires
C. increased work engagement after an employee leaves
D. reduced loss of social capital
40. Because an organization’s former employees may provide useful business
intelligence, serve as brand ambassadors, and even become customers of the
organization, some companies deliberately invest in ______ relations and stay in touch
with them.
A. boomerang
B. seniority
C. alumni
D. engagement
41. Felix’s manager, Cory, is disappointed that Felix is leaving his job but understands
that he has a good opportunity with another company. Cory is happy that Felix will be
leading a team for one of the company’s best prospective customers. He knows it will
be important to maintain a good relationship with Felix as he will be instrumental in
signing the new customer. What is this an example of?
A. leveraging alumni network
B. business intelligence
C. interpersonal tactics
D. company strategy
42. Judith left a job but after some time returned. Judith is referred to as ______.
A. a risk
B. unstable
C. engaged
D. a boomerang
43. One benefit of hiring boomerang employees is that ______.
A. they probably will not stay long due to family obligations
B. their personal issues are resolved
C. onboarding takes less time due to mutual experience
D. they probably will not need another break from work
44. Departing employees are more likely to come back to a company if they left ______.
A. for personal reasons
B. due to boredom
C. due to interpersonal issues
D. related to a trust violation
45. Retirement is normally a type of ______.
A. voluntary turnover
B. involuntary turnover
C. satisfaction
D. dismissal
46. Many older workers are embracing ______ in the form of reducing one’s hours or
reducing job demands within the same or a different organization instead of exiting the
workforce.
A. voluntary turnover
B. boomerangs
C. bridge employment
D. employment at will
47. ______ systems aim to ensure that employees have a chance to correct their
behavior before being dismissed from the organization.
A. Employment at will
B. Job embeddedness
C. Employability
D. Progressive discipline
48. Baldwin was fired from his job and afterward posted negative comments online
about the company. This is an example of ______.
A. a blog
B. poor person–job fit
C. a cost of dismissal
D. poor work ethic
49. An employee who is dismissed in a harsh way from an angry manager is MOST
likely to respond with ______.
A. regret
B. anger
C. remorse
D. surprise
50. Bella is a human resource professional working with Jane, a manager. Jane is
concerned that she may need to dismiss Carlo for performance issues. What is the first
question Bella should ask Jane?
A. What is root cause of the performance issues?
B. When do you want to fire Carlo?
C. What does the team think about dismissing Carlo?
D. How do you want to tell Carlo about the dismissal?
51. Mario filed a discrimination complaint against his employer. The following week he
was terminated from his job for harassing other employees. The timing of dismissal may
look like ______, even though Mario has been disruptive.
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
A. bias
B. retaliation
C. negligence
D. poor judgment
52. ______ means that organizations have the right to terminate the employment of
anyone at any time, and employees have the right to quit at any time.
A. Employment at will
B. Voluntary turnover
C. Unemployment insurance
D. Bridge employment
53. Carissa decides to quit her job. She investigated the laws in her state and found out
that she is not required to give a 2-week notice. What is this an example of?
A. a bargaining agreement
B. unemployment insurance
C. implied contract
D. employment at will
54. Claude was dismissed from his job after performing jury duty. This suggests a
violation of the ______ of employment at will.
A. implied contract
B. public policy exception
C. statutory exception
D. covenant of good faith
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
55. Suzette closed a deal for her company that should have resulted in a large
commission payment. Her manager did not want to pay her and she was dismissed
without her earned commission being paid. This is a violation of ______.
A. implied contract
B. covenant of good faith
C. statutory exception
D. verbal contract
56. Ultimately, it is up to the employee’s ______ to communicate the news about a
dismissal to the employee.
A. human resource partner
B. team
C. manager
D. coach
57. It is best to be straightforward when conducting a dismissal interview. According to
the textbook, thanking an employee or mentioning strengths may seem ______.
A. apologetic
B. dishonest
C. helpful
D. patronizing
58. When layoffs are based on ______, the organization retains the workers who have
been with the organization the longest and dismisses newer workers.
A. performance
B. pay
C. seniority
D. desire to leave
59. When ______ is used as the layoff criterion, the organization will retain those with
high scores on their annual appraisals.
A. job embeddedness
B. pay
C. performance
D. employability
60. Why might a company decide to lay off employees?
A. financial pressures
B. to get rid of bad employees
C. to avoid paying bonuses
D. to avoid retraining
61. When John’s company decided to offshore, his job was eliminated. This is
considered a(n) ______.
A. notification
B. layoff
C. voluntary turnover
D. early retirement
62. What is it called when a company lays off employees due to a strategic decision to
purchase some of its operation from a vendor?
A. turnover
B. offshoring
C. outsourcing
D. retirement
63. Liza is being asked to pick up extra work after part of her team was laid off. What is
a term used to describe Liza in relation to the layoff?
A. victim
B. survivor
C. volunteer
D. loyal
64. Lucida is a manager who recently had to lay off several people from her team. She
has been feeling depressed and irritable lately. What could explain this change in
relation to the layoffs?
A. Lucida is having a psychological reaction to the layoffs.
B. Lucida is tired from working extra hours.
C. Lucida is having a physiological reaction to the layoffs.
D. Lucida does not have a good work–life balance.
65. Raul was laid off but quickly found another job similar to his old job. Raul does not
have any complaints about the new company. However, he soon left that job because
he was unable to form a strong attachment with the new employer. Why might this
scenario occur after a person has been laid off?
A. because layoffs result in a psychological contract violation
B. because layoffs contribute to a false sense of security
C. because layoffs result in poor dependability
D. because layoffs contribute to future disappointments
66. Individuals who are laid off are eligible for ______ to provide a temporary source of
income.
A. a payroll tax
B. a tax refund
C. a bonus
D. unemployment insurance
67. Unemployment insurance is a federal program administered by the ______.
A. local municipality
B. county
C. states
D. federal government
68. Brycin was dismissed from his job due to misconduct. Although states’ laws vary, in
most states, Brycin would be ______.
A. ineligible for unemployment insurance
B. eligible for unemployment insurance after a 30-day period
C. eligible for unemployment insurance for only 30 days
D. eligible for unemployment only if he had been employed full time
69. Capri left her job voluntarily to travel. Is she eligible for unemployment benefits?
A. Yes, anyone who is unemployed is eligible.
B. Yes, if she worked at her job for more than 1 year.
C. Yes, if she will be unemployed for more than 60 days.
D. No, people who leave voluntarily are not eligible.
70. Colt is worried about layoffs at his company and fears he may lose his job. What is
this an example of?
A. turnover
B. unhealthy work–life balance
C. an attitude problem
D. job insecurity
71. Job insecurity is often associated with an employee’s past experience with layoffs.
However, it may also be due to an employee’s ______.
A. personality
B. sociability
C. emotionality
D. vulnerability
72. Having a zero-layoff policy is one way a company can build ______.
A. company debt
B. payroll expense
C. employee attachment
D. relationships with employees
73. Drake is a human resource professional at a large company with impending layoffs
due to a facility shutdown. As a result, he familiarizes himself with WARN and learns
that employees must be given ______ written notice.
A. 30–day
B. 45–day
C. 60–day
D. 90–day
74. ______ pay refers to payments made to departing employees during
organizationally initiated turnover.
A. Severance
B. Performance
C. Unemployment
D. Bridge
75. When an employee is laid off, he or she may receive severance pay. Typically,
severance pay is based on ______.
A. performance
B. regulations
C. length of service
D. unemployment tax rate
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
True/False
1. A strategic reason for layoff could be related to technology-related productivity
improvements.
2. Dismissal is a form of voluntary turnover.
3. One of the manifestations of withdrawal is early retirement.
4. Knowing the turnover rate is not mandatory to manage turnover.
5. Some employees worry that being honest during an exit interview may cost them a
positive reference.
Bauer, Human Resource Management, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
6. Best practice is to have an employee’s direct manager conduct an exit interview.
7. Even when an employee’s behavior is egregious, there are still important
considerations to be accounted for when making a decision to fire her.
8. All organizations are required to have a progressive discipline system in place.
9. Some employees who are laid off may see it positively.
10. Employees who leave voluntarily are eligible for unemployment benefits.
1. Discuss three reasons why voluntary turnover is problematic for a company.
2. Examine the reasons why people stay in their job, even when they may be interested
in leaving.
3. Explain how effective human resource professionals utilize exit interviews.
4. Provide a scenario where you are a human resource professional terminating an
employee. Analyze the dismissal interview, your role, and how you would tell the team
about the termination in a way that helps them make sense of the change.
5. Examine at least five ways a company might avoid layoffs.