Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Sample Answers
Chapter 10: Employee and Labor Relations
Answers to Applying the Concept Exercises
Applying the Concept 10-1: Communications
Identify whether each strategy listed below is an effective or ineffective aid to
communications.
a. effective
b. ineffective
1. When listening to instructions, if you don’t understand something being said, you should
not do or say anything until you have received the entire set of instructions.
2. You should repeat back what the other person said word-for-word when you paraphrase.
3. After you finish giving instructions, you should ensure understanding by asking the
person, “Do you have any questions?”
4. When giving instructions, you should tell the receiver your communication objective
before giving the details of what is to be done to complete the task.
A. Effective. This is the 2nd step of the message sending process.
5. We should multitask while receiving messages face-to-face so that we can get more than
one thing done at a time.
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Applying the Concept 10-2: Job Satisfaction
Correctly match each statement with its determinant of job satisfaction, writing the letter
corresponding to each determinant before the statement associated with it.
a. personality
b. work itself
c. compensation
d. growth
e. coworkers
f. management
g. communications
6. There is a job opening in the metal fusion shop, and I am going to apply for the position.
7. I really enjoy fixing cars to help people get around.
B. Work itself. Enjoying fixing cars is the work itself.
8. I’m mad at my manager because he didn’t give me the good performance review that I
deserved.
9. Of course I can do that task for you.
10. The thing I like best about my job is the people I work with.
Applying the Concept 10-3: Labor Laws
Identify each statement by the law it is discussing, writing the letter corresponding to each
law before the statement discussing it.
a. RLA of 1926
b. NLRA of 1935
c. LMRA of 1947
d. LMRDA of 1959
e. WARN of 1988
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
11. Featherbedding is illegal. The union can’t put in the contract that we have to pay for
services that we really don’t get. We should call in the National Labor Relations Board to
investigate.
12. The union president is afraid that I will speak up at the discussion to vote on the contract
and influence the members to vote it down. So I think he had a few of his boys warn me to
keep my mouth shut.
D. LMRDA 1959. This law helps to protect union members by giving the “freedom of
speech,” which is being violated.
13. I think we should call in the National Labor Relations Board to investigate the action that
management is taking to stop us from unionizing.
14. The company can’t give us a notice today, with our paychecks, that our factory is being
closed next week and all 500 of us will be without a job.
15. As pilots, we shouldn’t go on strike. Let’s get the National Mediation Board to help us.
A. RLA 1926. The NMB was created to help mediate labor-management disputes without the
use of an illegal strike.
Applying the Concept 10-4: Labor Contracts
Identify each statement by the type of contract being discussed, writing the contract type’s
letter before the statement(s) describing the contract type.
a. express contract
b. implied contract
c. quasi-contract
16. You must sign the standard 1-year contract if you take the job. You can join the union if
you want to, but it is not a requirement to get the job.
17. If you can get the task done today, I will let you leave an hour early tomorrow.
18. Neal, you have been doing a good job. Keep it up and I will give you a raise during your
next performance review.
19. After 3 months of negotiations, the union president and CEO have signed the new
collective bargaining agreement.
20. I know I told you we are changing our health insurance carrier and that you have our
business. Sorry, but I changed my mind—plus, we never signed anything.
C. Quasi. This is an agency relationship that creates a quasi-contract.
Applying the Concept 10-5: Conflict Management Styles
Identify the most appropriate conflict management style to use in each situation, writing the
letter corresponding to each style before the situation(s) where it is appropriate.
a. avoiding style
b. accommodating style
c. forcing style
d. negotiating style
e. collaborating style
21. As you leave your office, you see at the other end of the work area your employee Ricky,
who is goofing off instead of working. You’re on your way to an important meeting and
running late.
22. You’re overbudget for labor this month. The work load is light, so you ask Terri, a part-
time employee, to leave work early. Terri says she doesn’t want to go because she needs the
money.
23. You have joined a committee to make contacts. You have little interest in what the
committee actually does. At a meeting, you make a recommendation that is opposed by Jim.
You realize that you have the better idea, but Jim is using a forcing style.
24. You are on a task force that has to select a new computer cloud service. The three
alternatives will all do the job, but team members disagree about the company, price, and
service they need.
25. As the sales manager, one of your competent salespeople, Anna, is trying to close a big
sale. The two of you are discussing the sales call she will make. You disagree on the strategy
to use to close the sale.
E. Collaborating style. This is an important issue that requires an optimal solution. Anna
Answers to Skill Builder Exercises
Skill Builder 10.1 Ideas
Conflict Resolution
Total Time (30 min)
Since this exercise requires role-playing, times can vary considerably based on the
preparation and maturity of the students to role-play and discuss the role-play through
feedback. Based on your students’ maturity, you can use groups of two or three to shorten or
expand the time.
Recommended approximate time for a 50-min period:
8:00 Procedure 1 2 min
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
8:18 Procedure 4 8 min
Doing Skill Builder 10-2 in Class
Negotiating
Preparation
Students should have completed the conflict information questions in the preparation for this
exercise.
Experience
Students will initiate, respond to, and observe a conflict role-play, and then evaluate the
effectiveness of its resolution.
Have students role-play the conflict resolution. Number 3, the observer, writes his or her
observations on the feedback sheet at the end of this exercise.
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Procedure 3 (8–15 min)
Same as Procedure 2, only Number 2 is now the initiator, Number 3 is the responder, and
Number 1 is the observer.
Sharing
Volunteers give their answers to the Apply It section.
Testing on Skill Builder 10-2
I tell students that they will be given a conflict situation on the exam. They will have to list
Test Questions and Answers (Also found in Test Bank)
Instructions
Write the first step in the collaborative conflict resolution model, followed by what you plan
to say to Chris as your BCF statement. Be sure to label the B, C, and F parts of the statement.
Then, list Steps 2–4 without any statement following the steps.
Initiating Conflict Resolution. You have been bringing in snack food and drinks and putting
them in the refrigerator at work. Your coworker, Chris, has been taking them without asking.
You don’t think it’s fair for Chris to take your food and drinks.
Solution
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Solution
Step 1. State the problem in a BCF statement.
(B) Chris, when we clean up, it seems I always get the machine side to clean. (C) I get the
dirty, longer job to do. (F) I feel as though you are taking advantage of me.
Solution
Step 1. State the problem in a BCF statement.
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Feedback Form for In Class Use
Try to have positive improvement comments for each step in initiating conflict resolution.
Remember to be descriptive and specific, and have an alternative positive behavior (APB) for
all improvements (i.e., if you would have said/done . . ., it would have improved the conflict
resolution by . . .).
Initiating Conflict Resolution Model Steps
Step 1. State the problem in a BCF statement. (Did the initiator have a well-planned,
effective BCF statement?)
_________________________________________________________________________