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SHRM-SCP SHRM Senior Certified Professional Question and Answers

Question # 4

Which is a component of a total rewards system?

A.

Company profitability

B.

Organization reputation

C.

Career development

D.

Agile IT systems

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Question # 5

The HR VP of a firm is leading an effort to implement a risk management plan and establishes an internal team to assess the risks involved in the event there is a disruption in the supply chain. What should be the team’s first step in confidently evaluating this risk?

A.

Identify alternative supply chain suppliers.

B.

Assign managers to address their departments' supply chain risks.

C.

Review the firm's strategic objectives.

D.

Identify recurring readiness reports from its suppliers.

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Question # 6

The HR manager at a consulting firm notices a rapid increase in the demand for experienced leaders. The increase is making it difficult to hire managers at the same rate of pay compared to one year ago. The firm presently has three open manager positions and the three top candidates are demanding annual salaries higher than current managers’ salaries. This morning the firm’s CEO sent a companywide email announcing that staffing the job openings is a top priority to meet business demands. The email also indicated the firm is willing to pay a referral bonus. The HR manager knows that staffing the job openings will completely exhaust HR's budget, leaving no money to pay referral bonuses or make salary adjustments for incumbents. While reviewing the candidates' resumes the HR manager receives an email from an incumbent manager stating that the manager discovered the firm is offering higher salaries to applicants with less experience. The email also states the incumbent manager no longer trusts the leadership team and is going to seek other employment opportunities.

Which action should the HR manager take to communicate the hiring challenges HR is experiencing?

A.

Send an email to all staff explaining how job market changes are making it difficult to hire experienced managers.

B.

Notify the firm's current managers they should not expect to receive salary adjustments this year.

C.

Ask the CEO to provide all staff with a detailed explanation of the business need for experienced leaders.

D.

Notify the CEO that HR's budget will be completely exhausted if the firm hires the three top candidates.

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Question # 7

An HR director wants to show the leadership team how HR promotes the goals and values of the organization. Which would be the most effective strategy to demonstrate this?

A.

Show the turnover rate of employees over the past year.

B.

Create an organizational chart identifying key HR roles.

C.

Report the number of hires the HR department achieved in the last quarter.

D.

Develop an HR mission statement that mirrors that of the company.

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Question # 8

A small organization recently hired a new CEO with a strong marketing background. The CEO establishes a new sales approach focused on expanding business opportunities through the creation of new products, which will be marketed and sold by the sales force. The CEO believes her effectiveness is impaired by having too many direct reports. The CEO meets with the CFO and HR director. They decide to reduce the CEO's number of direct reports to those most relevant to the CEO's vision for the organization. The remaining employees are reassigned to the CFO who already oversees a team of three. This change allows the CEO to more effectively focus on the vision HR releases a memo informing employees of the change in reporting structure.

The CEO learns that the change in reporting structure has resulted in disappointment for the employees who are no longer direct reports and asks the HR director for advice. What action should the HR director advise the CEO to take?

A.

Meet individually with employees affected by the new reporting structure.

B.

Send an organizationwide email that highlights the CEO's vision.

C.

Ask the CFO to explain how the new reporting structure benefits the organization in a companywide meeting.

D.

Ask the CFO to explain the benefits of the new reporting structure to the new team.

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Question # 9

The executive leadership team at a global IT company with over 300,000 employees in 140 countries decides they want more information about the state of the talent at the organization. They are concerned that they do not have enough insight about the talent pool across the organization. This has prevented HR from identifying and planning for retention risks and has caused delays in filling critical positions. Additionally, leaders across the organization lack an effective way to identify the best staff for their teams and must rely on recommendations from others. The VP of HR is asked to identify a talent management software solution and oversee its companywide implementation.

After the talent management software is implemented which action should the VP of HR take to assess whether it is helping leaders identify needed talent?

A.

Administer a survey to all leaders asking about their perceptions of the new talent management software.

B.

Ask the talent management team if the workload has changed since implementing the software.

C.

Send an email to all users asking them to share success stories of how the software helped them identify talent.

D.

Meet with leaders to ask how the software has changed their ability to identify the best performers.

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Question # 10

Which recruitment method yields applicants that have the best understanding of the advertised job opening and what it entails?

A.

Career fair

B.

Direct mailing

C.

Third-party recruiting

D.

Employee referrals

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Question # 11

After witnessing an employee violation, a manager discusses the violation with HR and other managers before preparing a documented description. The manager informs the employee of the disciplinary action at a performance appraisal meeting. What is the mam problem with the manager’s procedure?

A.

The employee should be given the opportunity to respond.

B.

There should be at least two witnesses to the violation.

C.

The manager breached confidentiality by discussing it with other managers.

D.

Feedback should be provided immediately after the violation.

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Question # 12

A global company plans to expand into two new international markets next year. Which is the first step the chief human resource officer should take to determine what training the new workforce will need for successful expansion?

A.

Business needs assessment

B.

Gap analysis

C.

Cost-benefit analysis

D.

Risk assessment

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Question # 13

Which is the best example of using strategic management to create a competitive advantage?

A.

Retaining compensation records for analytical purposes

B.

Providing safety training to all employees

C.

Eliminating work processes that do not add value to the end customer

D.

Enforcing a workplace flexibility policy to help employees achieve work/life balance

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Question # 14

A start-up technology company is growing rapidly, and senior leadership would like the company to be publicly traded in the near future. The company regularly exceeds its financial goals, but outside analysts express concerns about the inconsistent practices and procedures within the company. The company values innovation, and very little attention is paid to documenting or standardizing work processes. This provides employees with a great deal of freedom to experiment in their roles, but it also leads to confusion about individual assignments and areas of responsibility. In preparation for a public offering, the company's leadership asks the HR director to gather information on best work practices in every functional area and create the required documentation.

The HR director does not have the technology knowledge necessary to understand many of the best work practices recommendations provided by employees. What should the HR director do to ensure all information included in the best work practices documentation is accurate?

A.

Create teams of employees in each department that can create, edit, and approve all best work practices documentation relevant to the department.

B.

Ask the employees' managers to proofread all best work practices documentation to ensure they reflect accurate information.

C.

Contact administrative assistants in each department to answer technical questions.

D.

Conduct online research to verity that the company's best work practices meet industry standards.

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Question # 15

A company is looking to launch an employee volunteer program as a creative recruiting tool. Which benefit should the HR director stress when creating a business case for this program?

A.

Goodwill

B.

Present benefits

C.

Future benefits

D.

Philanthropy

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Question # 16

An HR business partner (HRBP) in a large organization has recently been dealing with various issues with the chief human resource officer (CHRO). The HRBP reports to the CHRO. The CHRO does not consistently and clearly communicate information regarding business and strategic issues to the HRBP. The lack of communication has been presenting problems, as the HRBP's internal clients look to the HRBP for information and guidance on all HR topics and initiatives. As a result, the HRBP is often uninformed and unable to assist the clients. The lack of communication and transparency by the CHRO has been negatively impacting the HRBP and the HRBP's clients. The HRBP spends a lot of time trying to get information and often is unprepared to address client issues. In some cases, clients have received HR-related information ahead of the HRBP. Unfortunately, the CHRO has operated in this manner for years, with HR employees often feeling isolated from information and not feeling like they are part of a coherent unit. Despite this, the CHRO has expressed to the HRBP a belief that they have a very effective working relationship with one another.

The HRBP wants to provide suggestions to the organization’s executives about how to improve communication within the company, but the CHRO does not include the HRBP in strategic discussions that the CHRO has with other executives. What should the HRBP do?

A.

Write an email to the CHRO explaining the suggestions of the HRBP.

B.

Schedule a meeting with the CHRO to explain the HRBP's suggestions.

C.

Email the CHRO asking if the HRBP may attend the next strategic discussion meeting.

D.

Meet with other executives informally to share the HRBP’s suggestion.

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Question # 17

A company prepares to implement a system that requires employees to use their mobile phones to submit hours worked. Before implementing the system, which should the HR team consider first?

A.

Effects of automation on the payroll processing team

B.

Security and encryption of the transmitted information

C.

Technology skills of the employees who will use the system

D.

Training needed for managers to approve time recorded in the system

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Question # 18

An HR manager wants employees to acquire the skills to respond appropriately to practical situations. Which training style would be most effective?

A.

Instructor-led

B.

Competence-based

C.

Knowledge content

D.

Blended learning

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Question # 19

Which best describes the components of a dual career path?

A.

The potential ratings and the promotability ratings

B.

The realistic routines and the plausible length of time

C.

The management paths and the non-management tracks

D.

The vertical sequences and the horizontal sequences

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Question # 20

A global manufacturing organization is dealing with a high level of attrition among machine operators as well as difficulty recruiting machine operators at a recently acquired factory. The HR director is attempting to address the issue. During exit interviews, multiple employees mention they are leaving to take higher-paying jobs at other companies in the area. The HR director of the factory in that country believes that the company needs to raise the salaries of the machine operators to address this. The HR director contacts the chief human resource officer (CHRO) to discuss the need for a salary adjustment. The CHRO is located in another country and has never been to the country where the factory is located. The CHRO reviews the most recent salary study for the region and indicates that the salaries the company is paying are competitive with other companies in the region. The CHRO also says that due to recent increases in operating expenses and declines in revenue, it would be financially irresponsible to provide raises.

If the HR director does secure a salary raise for the machine operators, how should the HR director assess whether it is effective in dealing with the machine operator recruitment and retention problem?

A.

Conduct monthly pulse surveys with machine operators to gauge the overall morale of the machine operators.

B.

Compare machine operator turnover statistics in the year following the raise to the year before the raise.

C.

Conduct focus groups with machine operators to gauge their sentiments regarding the raise.

D.

Review time-to-fill statistics for all machinist vacancies both before and after the raise.

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Question # 21

An HR department at a midsize company hosts regular manager meetings to provide updates regarding company structure practices, and policies. During the recent meeting, the HR director notified all managers of the company's new code of conduct policy and plans for an upcoming training about the policy. The policy explicitly states that managers must not form personal relationships with their direct reports. The HR director explains that the policy was created because concerns about fairness related to promotions and rumors about favoritism were beginning to cause conflict within some departments. Some of the managers express that training is not necessary, but they all agree to attend it. A few days after the training, the HR director receives a complaint from an HR employee who claims to have seen a manager and one of the manager’s direct reports at a restaurant. The HR director was already concerned about this manager's judgment because the manager approved a promotion for the same direct report even though the direct report has documented performance-related issues. The HR director discusses the issue with the manager. In response, the manager criticizes the new policy and insists the relationship did not impact the direct report's promotion recommendation. The manager also states that the training was unclear and that other managers have the same opinion.

Which action should the HR director take first to reduce favoritism from managers when making promotion decisions in the future?

A.

Collaborate with managers to develop objective criteria for promotion decisions.

B.

Hire an external consultant to further tram managers on the code of conduct and ethical practice.

C.

Remind managers in writing of the company's expectations for fair employee treatment.

D.

Mandate that managers provide comprehensive justification for promotion.

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Question # 22

Which payment system disrupts the standard payroll cycle?

A.

Flexible earned wage access

B.

Pay advance programs

C.

Adaptable work arrangements

D.

Retirement account loan programs

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Question # 23

A company wants to use artificial intelligence (AI) in its candidate selection process. Which next step should the HR director take to evaluate this decision?

A.

Compare the time-to-fill metrics with and without the Al feature.

B.

Verify the company's cloud-based software supports the Al feature.

C.

Evaluate recruitment labor dollars saved versus time-to-fill with the Al feature.

D.

Ensure the Al feature validates why the decisions are optimal.

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Question # 24

Which best describes a conflict in the workplace?

A.

Social conflict includes disagreement between peers such as competition.

B.

Horizontal strain is when negotiations have failed between the union and management.

C.

Intraorganizational conflict involves a formal dispute such as litigation.

D.

Subjective conflict cannot result in more than one solution.

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Question # 25

When evaluating potential employee systems using the CARVER system, what six criteria should be used during the risk assessment?

A.

Criticality, accessibility, recuperability. vulnerability, effect and recoverability

B.

Credibility, accountability recognizability, vacancy edge and reliability

C.

Compatibility acceptability reliability variability, exposure, and relativity

D.

Changeability, alterability, results, viability, expertise, and redundancy

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Question # 26

The president of a large company is planning to retire soon. The president has been with the company for 40 years, the longest tenure of any employee in the company, and has been president for the last 10 years. In addition to replacing its top leader, the company is also in the midst of conducting strategic planning for the next three years. The HR director has been placed in charge of overseeing the selection and transition process for the new president and has organized a search committee consisting of external board members. The search committee has identified three internal candidates for the position and must move forward with the process of selecting one to be president.

The candidates for the position are all engineers with limited experience in business management. What is the best indicator that the candidates will be able to succeed in the position despite a lack of business background?

A.

Consistently high ratings by colleagues on interpersonal skills

B.

Commitment to pursue an executive master's of business administration soon after assuming the position

C.

Demonstrated success in making sound business decisions in recent positions

D.

Scoring highly on a competency-based managerial assessment of business skills

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Question # 27

A small company in the energy industry has a policy that states that employees who work overtime hours will be compensated with leave rather than with cash. Due to the nature of the industry, overtime work is common for employees who work in departments within the company’s core areas of operations. Employees throughout the company have been unhappy with this policy for many years, but have remained willing to work overtime hours when asked. However, managers are becoming increasingly reluctant to approve the leave that employees have earned because it leads to staffing shortages. As a result, more and more employees are refusing to work overtime hours. Senior leaders ask the company's HR business partner (HRBP) to investigate the problem further and to provide a solution. Senior leaders accept a recommendation from the HRBP to amend the current overtime policy to provide overtime pay to employees in the core areas of operations. Because they work so little overtime no change is recommended for employees in the administrative areas.

Senior leaders are concerned that the new policy will provide an opportunity for employees to abuse the system in order to earn more pay. What should the HRBP do?

A.

Set a monthly limit on overtime hours, and require any employee going over the limit to provide justification in writing to senior leadership.

B.

Distribute overtime hours among eligible employees on a rotating basis.

C.

Recommend senior leaders define an annual overtime budget based on past and anticipated demand.

D.

Train staff and managers on the values of integrity personal ethics, and fiscal responsibilities.

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Question # 28

A newly hired chief human resource officer (CHRO) discovers a flaw in the time-keeping policy that allows senior executives to receive full salaries and benefits without working the expected full-time hours. The CHRO reviews corporate data and identifies three senior executives in the sales department who regularly worked half the expected full-time hours for the past two years. The CHRO also discovers that the sales department has the lowest levels of employee engagement and morale across the corporation. However, the CHRO knows these three senior executives have been with the corporation for over a decade and have established strong alliances with the CEO. The CHRO presents the issue to the CEO and learns the CEO was unaware of the flaw in the policy. The CHRO and CEO agree to discuss the issue during the next executive team meeting.

Prior to the executive team meeting, the three sales department senior executives confront the CHRO in person. The executives state that working less than the expected full-time hours is justified because the CEO has made them return early from vacation on multiple occasions. How should the CHRO respond?

A.

Offer to schedule a meeting with the executives to discuss their concerns.

B.

Suggest the senior executives speak to the CEO about their concerns.

C.

Advise the senior executives to start working the expected full-time hours to avoid disciplinary action.

D.

Explain to the senior executives why it is unfair for them to work less than the expected full-time hours.

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Question # 29

The original deadline for a project was shortened by two weeks. Subsequently, the project manager learns that the project schedule must be shortened by another two weeks. Which action by the manager would best motivate the team to take on the new schedule?

A.

Conduct a workforce analysis to assess if there is a need to hire more people for the team.

B.

Send the project staff to training to efficiently and effectively conduct the work.

C.

Conduct a team-building session to encourage greater working relationships among project staff.

D.

Offer an incentive to project staff if the new schedule is met.

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Question # 30

A small organization recently hired a new CEO with a strong marketing background. The CEO establishes a new sales approach focused on expanding business opportunities through the creation of new products, which will be marketed and sold by the sales force. The CEO believes her effectiveness is impaired by having too many direct reports. The CEO meets with the CFO and HR director. They decide to reduce the CEO's number of direct reports to those most relevant to the CEO's vision for the organization. The remaining employees are reassigned to the CFO who already oversees a team of three. This change allows the CEO to more effectively focus on the vision HR releases a memo informing employees of the change in reporting structure.

The CFO proposes a plan to improve process efficiency within the organization and asks the HR director to implement it. Some employees dislike the plan and refuse to follow it. What should the HR director do?

A.

Hold a meeting with employees and listen to their concerns about the plan.

B.

Invite the CFO to reinforce the need for employees to follow the plan.

C.

Focus on telling the employees about the benefits of implementing the plan.

D.

Conduct interviews with the employees who are refusing to follow the plan.

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Question # 31

A manager accepts a position relocation to a foreign country. Which service should the company provide upon arrival to help the employee in the new environment?

A.

Foreign language instruction

B.

Cross-cultural training

C.

Host country sponsor

D.

Realistic job preview

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Question # 32

A large retail company opens a distribution center directly across the street from a small competing firm's distribution center and posts a sign advertising open entry-level positions. The plant manager of the small firm notices that the sign indicates the advertised salary is higher than what the firm pays its entry-level employees. The plant manager is concerned employees will leave the firm to seek work at the competing company. The plant manager notifies the HR manager of the pay differences and requests immediate pay matching for all entry-level employees. The HR manager sets up a meeting with the plant manager, compensation manager, and HR business partner to discuss the issue. They decide to increase base pay to match the competitor's base pay but only for a subset of entry-level roles identified as critical. They also decide to put the pay increase into effect immediately, and the HR manager agrees to monitor the situation over the next three months.

How should the HR manager communicate the new pay increase to current entry-level employees?

A.

Send an email to supervisors of impacted employees requesting that they explain the change to their direct reports.

B.

Hold in-person group meetings with impacted employees to announce their increased pay.

C.

Send a mass email to all impacted employees explaining the pay increase.

D.

Schedule a meeting with each impacted employee to communicate the pay increase and rationale.

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Question # 33

A company creates a foundation to award grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to fund projects aimed at uplifting the living conditions of the local communities. Aside from the grants, the company will also assign key employees to help manage the projects. This is an example of which type of community engagement?

A.

Joint community project

B.

Community board representation

C.

Employee volunteerism

D.

Financial grant

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Question # 34

An organization increased its workforce by 50% over the past six months, and 90% of the positions were filled by employees working remotely. Which action best supports the organization's increased workforce?

A.

Providing on-demand computer training for the employees

B.

Including a technology proficiency requirement in job descriptions

C.

Coaching midlevel leadership on how to reduce the sense of isolation

D.

Ensuring that all remote employees acknowledge job expectations

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Question # 35

A start-up technology company is growing rapidly, and senior leadership would like the company to be publicly traded in the near future. The company regularly exceeds its financial goals, but outside analysts express concerns about the inconsistent practices and procedures within the company. The company values innovation, and very little attention is paid to documenting or standardizing work processes. This provides employees with a great deal of freedom to experiment in their roles, but it also leads to confusion about individual assignments and areas of responsibility. In preparation for a public offering, the company's leadership asks the HR director to gather information on best work practices in every functional area and create the required documentation.

Many team managers do not believe that documentation is necessary and they do not want to spend time creating it. How can the HR director convince them that this initiative is worthwhile?

A.

Distribute a memo to managers informing them that senior leadership would like them to participate in the process of developing documentation.

B.

Schedule a group meeting with all managers to answer their questions about why documenting work practices is necessary.

C.

Send out a companywide memo explaining that having work practices and standards documented will lead to less work for employees in the future.

D.

Present case studies to the managers that describe how other organizations have successfully implemented similar initiatives.

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Question # 36

The HR manager at a consulting firm notices a rapid increase in the demand for experienced leaders. The increase is making it difficult to hire managers at the same rate of pay compared to one year ago. The firm presently has three open manager positions and the three top candidates are demanding annual salaries higher than current managers’ salaries. This morning the firm’s CEO sent a companywide email announcing that staffing the job openings is a top priority to meet business demands. The email also indicated the firm is willing to pay a referral bonus. The HR manager knows that staffing the job openings will completely exhaust HR's budget, leaving no money to pay referral bonuses or make salary adjustments for incumbents. While reviewing the candidates' resumes the HR manager receives an email from an incumbent manager stating that the manager discovered the firm is offering higher salaries to applicants with less experience. The email also states the incumbent manager no longer trusts the leadership team and is going to seek other employment opportunities.

Which action should the HR manager take first to respond to the incumbent manager's email?

A.

Ask the incumbent manager to stay with the firm until the job openings are staffed.

B.

Meet with the incumbent manager to discuss the non-monetary benefits offered by the firm.

C.

Explain to the incumbent manager how the changes in the job market have made it difficult to hire experienced managers.

D.

Advise the incumbent manager to compare the firm's total compensation and benefits package to competitors' packages.

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Question # 37

Which is a strategic role of HR in merger & acquisition (M&A) due diligence?

A.

Helping the company carry out the process faster.

B.

Setting a timeline for the M&A project.

C.

Analyzing the cultural aspects of the company to be acquired.

D.

Communicating the steps of the process to employees.

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Question # 38

A multinational company is installing a new HRIS. Working with the VP of IT, which is the first thing the VP of HR should consider when developing a data retention policy?

A.

Regulations regarding privacy and data retention in the company's home country

B.

Data protection requirements for all jurisdictions where the company transacts business

C.

Restricting the collection of information to only items that are job-related

D.

Developing an information security training program for all system users

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Question # 39

Which describes an appropriate use of a personality assessment during the hiring process?

A.

Encourages similarity among members serving on a team.

B.

Assists managers in evaluating the performance of employees.

C.

Helps job applicants determine their potential ability to perform certain job tasks.

D.

Provides employers with information on job seekers' compatibility with job requirements.

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Question # 40

An HR business partner (HRBP) in a large organization has recently been dealing with various issues with the chief human resource officer (CHRO). The HRBP reports to the CHRO. The CHRO does not consistently and clearly communicate information regarding business and strategic issues to the HRBP. The lack of communication has been presenting problems, as the HRBP's internal clients look to the HRBP for information and guidance on all HR topics and initiatives. As a result, the HRBP is often uninformed and unable to assist the clients. The lack of communication and transparency by the CHRO has been negatively impacting the HRBP and the HRBP's clients. The HRBP spends a lot of time trying to get information and often is unprepared to address client issues. In some cases, clients have received HR-related information ahead of the HRBP. Unfortunately, the CHRO has operated in this manner for years, with HR employees often feeling isolated from information and not feeling like they are part of a coherent unit. Despite this, the CHRO has expressed to the HRBP a belief that they have a very effective working relationship with one another.

The HRBP recognizes that internal clients are frustrated by the HRBP's inability to assist with issues. The HRBP is concerned internal clients are losing trust in the HR function. What should the HRBP do to address this, given that the HRBP is still trying to address the CHRO’s poor communication?

A.

Send each client an email accepting full responsibility for the problems and promising to improve.

B.

Meet with each client individually to discuss what each client would like the HRBP to do to improve.

C.

Ask the CHRO to meet with each client to explain the reason for the frequent miscommunication.

D.

Conduct a survey of internal clients to measure the level of trust in the HR function.

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