Chapter 3—Workforce, Jobs, and Retention
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is true of the labor force participation rate?
a.
It is the percentage of the population working or seeking work.
b.
It is the percentage of the population that is eligible to work legally.
c.
It is the percentage of the population that is constantly changing jobs.
d.
It is the percentage of the population with graduate degrees.
2. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies people working _____ hours per week as part-time
employees.
a.
at least 45
b.
at least 35
c.
between 35 and 45
d.
less than 35
3. Which of the following is true of work?
a.
Work is effort directed toward accomplishing results.
b.
A job needs to be divided into types of work so that it can be coordinated in some logical
way.
c.
Ideally, the work to be done in any organization should be significantly less than the
amount of work that the organization needs to have done.
d.
Work is the output that comes from the accomplishment of tasks.
4. Which of the following is true of a job?
a.
A job is the output that comes from the accomplishment of tasks.
b.
A job is a grouping of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that constitutes the total work
assignment for an employee.
c.
Even if the tasks, duties, and responsibilities change over time, a job should not change.
d.
A job needs to be divided into types of work so that it can be coordinated in some logical
way.
5. _____ is the study of the way work moves through an organization.
a.
Job process
b.
Workflow analysis
c.
Work process
d.
Transfer of responsibility
6. _____ refers to organizing tasks, duties, responsibilities, and other elements into a productive unit of
work.
a.
Job planning
b.
Job analysis
c.
Job design
d.
Job redesign
7. _____ refers to changing an existing job to improve it.
a.
Job planning
b.
Job analysis
c.
Job design
d.
Job redesign
8. A _____ is composed of individuals who are separated geographically but linked by communications
technology.
a.
vertical team
b.
special-purpose team
c.
self-directed team
d.
virtual team
9. Which of the following situations is an example of a compressed workweek?
a.
Employees working for ten hours, four days a week
b.
Employees working for eight hours, five days a week
c.
Employees working for seven hours, six days a week
d.
Employees working for eight hours, seven days a week
10. Part-time jobs are used when less than _____ hours per week are required to do a job.
a.
40
b.
50
c.
60
d.
70
11. Which of the following is typically the responsibility of the HR unit in job analysis?
a.
To provide information to outside experts
b.
To coordinate job analysis
c.
To help complete job analysis information
d.
To request new analyses as jobs change
12. Which of the following is typically the responsibility of managers in job analysis?
a.
To periodically review job descriptions and specifications
b.
To coordinate job analysis
c.
To review efforts of the HR unit
d.
To write job descriptions and specifications
13. A _____ is a distinct, identifiable work activity composed of motions.
a.
duty
b.
responsibility
c.
job
d.
task
14. A(n) _____ is a larger work segment composed of several tasks that are performed by an individual.
a.
duty
b.
obligation
c.
job
d.
responsibility
15. Which of the following is typically the first stage in the job analysis process?
a.
Preparing for and introducing job analysis
b.
Planning the job analysis
c.
Conducting the job analysis
d.
Developing job descriptions and job specifications
16. Which of the following is typically the last stage in the job analysis process?
a.
Developing job descriptions and job specifications
b.
Conducting the job analysis
c.
Maintaining and updating job descriptions and job specifications
d.
Preparing for and introducing job analysis
17. Identifying jobs and methodologies is a subtask of _____.
a.
developing job descriptions
b.
conducting the job analysis
c.
planning the job analysis
d.
preparing for and introducing the job analysis
18. Gathering job analysis data is a subtask of _____.
a.
developing job descriptions
b.
conducting the job analysis
c.
planning the job analysis
d.
preparing for and introducing the job analysis
19. Reviewing drafts with managers and employees is a subtask of _____.
a.
developing job descriptions
b.
conducting the job analysis
c.
planning the job analysis
d.
preparing for and introducing the job analysis
20. Periodically reviewing all jobs is a subtask of _____.
a.
developing job descriptions
b.
conducting the job analysis
c.
maintaining and updating job descriptions
d.
preparing for and introducing the job analysis
21. Jack, who works with BluClu LLC., is responsible for performing the job analysis in his organization.
He has introduced and communicated the job analysis process to all his managers. Which of the
following will typically be Jack’s next step?
a.
Developing job descriptions and job specifications
b.
Maintaining and updating job descriptions and job specifications
c.
Planning the job analysis
d.
Conducting the job analysis
22. Jill, who works with SunFun LLC., is responsible for handling the job analysis in her organization.
She has developed job descriptions and job specifications. Which of the following will typically be
Jill’s next step?
a.
Preparing for and introducing job analysis
b.
Maintaining and updating job descriptions and job specifications
c.
Planning the job analysis
d.
Conducting the job analysis
23. Max, who works with HiFi LLC., is responsible for managing job analysis in his organization. He is
currently planning the job analysis. Which of the following should typically be Max’s next step?
a.
Preparing for and introducing job analysis
b.
Conducting the job analysis
c.
Developing job descriptions and job specifications
d.
Maintaining and updating job descriptions
24. Dave, who works with GoPhone LLC, is responsible for managing job analysis in his organization. He
is currently gathering and reviewing data. Which of the following should typically be Dave’s next
step?
a.
Preparing for and introducing job analysis
b.
Conducting the job analysis
c.
Developing job descriptions and job specifications
d.
Maintaining and updating job descriptions
25. The _____ requires that organizations identify the essential job functions, which are the fundamental
duties of a job.
a.
Americans with Disabilities Act
b.
Civil Rights Act
c.
Fair Labor Standards Act
d.
Disabilities Discrimination Act
26. A _____ identifies the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job.
a.
job analysis
b.
job description
c.
job specification
d.
job review
27. _____ list the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) an individual needs to perform a job
satisfactorily.
a.
Job analyses
b.
Job descriptions
c.
Job specifications
d.
Job reviews
28. _____ is a goal-directed drive and is defined as the desire within a person causing that person to act.
a.
Attention
b.
Motivation
c.
Caliber
d.
Aptitude
29. A(n) _____ refers to the unwritten expectations that both employees and employers have about the
nature of their work relationships.
a.
employment contract
b.
psychological contract
c.
non-compete agreement
d.
effort-performance linkage
30. Which of the following is an intangible item in a psychological contract?
a.
Wages
b.
Benefits
c.
Attendance
d.
Fair treatment
31. Which of the following is an intangible item in a psychological contract?
a.
Salary
b.
Benefits
c.
Attendance
d.
Loyalty
32. Which of the following is a tangible item in a psychological contract?
a.
Loyalty
b.
Nondiscriminatory treatment
c.
Job security
d.
Wages
33. Which of the following is used by employers to address the issue of job satisfaction among
employees?
a.
The halo affect
b.
The Hawthorne effect
c.
A whistle-blower survey
d.
An attitude survey
34. A financial services firm conducted an attitude survey. It was found that although employees were
generally satisfied with their pay, they were dissatisfied with the organization’s management style,
promotion practices, and training programs. To manage these concerns, it is recommended that the
director of HR:
a.
work toward finding the employees who had given the negative feedback and increase
their salaries.
b.
announce the positive results of the survey, while beginning to work in private on
solutions to the problems revealed in the survey.
c.
hold group meetings with employees to convey the positive and negative survey results
and get suggestions for improvements.
d.
communicate the positive survey results, and argue against the negative results.
35. Which of the following is a direct cost of absenteeism?
a.
Replacement for absent worker
b.
Overstaffing
c.
Replacement training
d.
Slower work pace
36. In which of the following cases is an employer applying the principles of positive reinforcement to
curb absenteeism?
a.
He is conducting a company-wide session on the leave policy of the company.
b.
He is issuing a written warning to an employee for taking a lot of uninformed leaves of
absence.
c.
He is giving cash to employees for meeting attendance standards.
d.
He is offering supportive guidance and personal counseling for employees who do not
meet the attendance standards of the company.
37. CLASS, a newly-opened real estate agency, has twenty employees on its payroll. In June 2012, Jane
and Selin, each took four days of leave of absence from work. What was the absenteeism rate of the
company in June 2012?
a.
3
b.
6
c.
1
d.
2
38. Which of the following cases exemplifies involuntary turnover?
a.
Jane worked hard on a project for four months, but when the project got shelved, she felt
demotivated and quit the company.
b.
Lisa loved her job but quit when she noticed that a lot of employees were being laid off.
c.
Mary announced her retirement a day after her 40th birthday.
d.
Pauline was asked to leave the company due to poor performance on a project that
incurred huge losses for her firm.
39. Which of the following exemplifies voluntary turnover?
a.
Jake, a student intern at CL Corp., leaves the organization after his internship period is
over.
b.
Paul, an employee of NML Corp. for five years, was fired owing to noncompliance with
company policies.
c.
Karen is asked to resign by her manager due to her deteriorating performance.
d.
Gerald gets passed over for promotion twice despite being good at his job. Therefore, he
decides to leave the organization.
40. A software firm plans to reduce the number of talented designers in its workforce who leave their jobs.
In this case, the firm seeks to focus on _____ turnover among the designers.
a.
uncontrollable
b.
positive
c.
functional
d.
voluntary
41. Mark was terminated by his company because of his poor client relations skills that resulted in a major
client leaving the firm for a competitor. This is an example of:
a.
involuntary turnover.
b.
positive turnover.
c.
uncontrollable turnover.
d.
dysfunctional turnover.
42. Which of the following statements is true about turnover?
a.
It is illegal for an employer to continue to hire new employees while laying off other
employees.
b.
When key individuals leave the firm, the turnover is often functional because they no
longer act as a brake on the introduction of new technology and new work processes.
c.
The turnover of poor performers is considered functional.
d.
Organizations have little control over involuntary turnover.
43. Alice, an efficient waitress at a moderately-priced family restaurant, consistently gets the lowest tips
from customers. She announces that she is quitting to take another job at a newly-opened casino. This
best exemplifies a(n) _____ turnover.
a.
dysfunctional
b.
controllable
c.
involuntary
d.
positive
44. 50 employees of Glow Corp. quit the company in 2012; 35 of them quit on their own ,while the rest
were asked to leave the company due to poor performance on the job and high absenteeism. The total
number of employees in the corporation was 270 in January 2012. The mid-year employee count was
250, and the number became 220 at the end of the year. The turnover rate at Glow Corp. in 2012 was
_____.
a.
50%
b.
35%
c.
25%
d.
20%
45. Lumina Corporation began operations in 2011 with 4900 employees. During the first half of that year,
the company did not see any attrition. Profits were high, and the training and orientation programs
were efficient. New hiring continued at a healthy pace, and by mid-year, the employee strength of the
company was 5000. However, in the second half of that year, 200 employees were laid off, and no new
hiring took place. The turnover rate at Lumina Corporation in 2011 was _____.
a.
50%
b.
25%
c.
4%
d.
2%
46. At Piaffe Products 15 employees had quit, and an additional 10 were fired for poor performance in the
year during 2010. The mid-year employee count was 50 for that year. Piaffe’s turnover rate for the
year 2010 was _____.
a.
10%
b.
20%
c.
30%
d.
50%
47. Jane quit Cover Corp. without completing a high-priority project that she was handling. Due to her
unavailability, the four remaining members of her team had to work overtime, and they demanded
adequate compensation to justify their extra hours of work. In this case, the amount subsequently paid
to them best exemplifies:
a.
separation costs.
b.
vacancy costs.
c.
replacement costs.
d.
training costs.
48. Which of the following is a replacement cost that is caused by turnover in a company?
a.
Cost of training materials
b.
Employee referral fees
c.
Overtime paid to existing employees
d.
Time spent in an exit interview
49. Carlos, the HR director of 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 that generally include:
a.
missed project deadlines.
b.
co-worker coaching and salaries.
c.
the cost of pre-employment medical tests.
d.
the overtime paid to employees covering the separated employees’ jobs.
50. Arden Insurance’s claims processing facility has been a major employer in the town of Arbor for over
20 years drawing mainly on workers with minimal skills and education. A large telemarketing firm is
about to set up its business at Arbor, and it is planning to employ low-skilled workers. Which of the
following statements is true in this case?
a.
As Arden and the marketing firm belong to different industries, the impact on Arden’s
workforce will be minimal since workers rarely switch between industries.
b.
The trained workforce will not leave even if the telemarketing firm offers higher pay than
Arden.
c.
If Arden cannot offer higher wages, it needs to make sure that its current employees are
satisfied with the intangible aspects of their jobs in order to retain them.
d.
Workers in small towns tend to be loyal to their employers hence, Arden’s current
employees are likely to stay with Arden.
51. In the current year, many talented teachers have submitted their resignation notices in Sunnydale High
School. The president of the school management board is in a fix at this attrition even when the school
pays competitive wages to its teachers. In this case, which of the following is the best recommendation
for the president to follow?
a.
Money is the main reason people stay in a job, so the school needs to consider how to raise
salaries even higher.
b.
When pay is competitive, other job factors have more impact on turnover and need to be
considered and improved.
c.
In service sector jobs, people are motivated more by the psychological aspects of the work
than by tangible rewards.
d.
Teachers usually leave their jobs due to involuntary turnover, so pay is not a big factor in
their retention.
52. _____ is an intangible reward for performance.
a.
Promotion to a new position
b.
Verbal praise from one’s supervisor
c.
A performance bonus
d.
An opportunity for training
53. _____ is defined as the percentage of employees at the beginning of a period who remain at the end.
a.
Retention rate
b.
Turnover rate
c.
Absenteeism ratio
d.
Productivity rate
54. Which of the following is the first step in the process of managing retention?
a.
Measurement and assessment
b.
Management intervention
c.
Evaluation and follow up
d.
Tracking of intervention results
TRUE/FALSE
1. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to the labor force of the past, today’s workplace
force is “younger and composed of more men.”
2. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population working or seeking work.
3. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies people working between 35 and 40 hours per week as part-
time workers.
4. Work is effort directed toward accomplishing results.
5. A job is a grouping of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that constitutes the total work assignment for
an employee.
6. Workflow analysis is the study of the way work moves through an organization.
7. Job design refers to organizing tasks, duties, responsibilities, and other elements into a productive unit
of work.
8. Contingent workers are full time employees.
9. A virtual team is composed of individuals who are separated geographically but linked by
communications technology.
10. Telework means that employees work via electronic, telecommunications, and Internet technology.
11. Shift differential is the additional pay that employees receive for working the evening or night shifts.
12. A duty is a distinct, identifiable work activity composed of motions.
13. Responsibilities are obligations to perform certain tasks and duties.
14. Competencies are individual capabilities that can be linked to performance by individuals or teams.
15. Drafting job descriptions and specifications is typically the first step in the job analysis process.
16. Reviewing existing job documentation is typically the last step in the job analysis process.
17. Marginal job functions are duties that are part of a job but are incidental or ancillary to the purpose and
nature of the job.
18. A job description identifies the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job.
19. Job specifications list the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) an individual needs to perform a job
satisfactorily.
20. One of the determinants of employees’ willingness to exert effort is the degree to which they value the
rewards offered by an organization.
21. Employee productivity is a tangible aspect of psychological contracts.
22. Employers can address job satisfaction by regularly surveying employees.
23. Higher unemployment rates usually mean more dissatisfied employees in the workforce.
24. Older employees tend to have lower job satisfaction than younger employees.
25. A no-fault policy in organizations allows employees to manage their own attendance.
26. Work rule violation is the most common reason for voluntary turnover.
27. A major reason for categorizing an employee’s departure as functional rather than dysfunctional is
his/her performance level.