Archive for the 'Human Resources Questions' Category

Apr 24th 2006 Exit Interview Questions

Exit interviews provide insights you can use to keep others from leaving. Here’s what every manager should ask:

  • If the CEO left unexpectedly today and you were put in charge, what are the first things you would change?
  • What could have changed six months ago that would have prevented you from looking for a new job?
  • If you weren’t looking, what factors tipped the scale when an opportunity came up?
  • Who do you think is next to resign? And why?
  • If one person leaving the firm would cause you to think twice about leaving, who would that person be?
  • Why didn’t you leave us sooner than now?
  • How did your manager communicate your responsibilities? Do you think he or she was fair and reasonable?
  • Describe any areas of conflict that have affected either your performance or morale, or that you believe affected other employees.

Source: Burning Questions (sidebar to article, Goodbye and Good Luck) / Scott Westcott / Inc. Magazine, April 2006

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Apr 13th 2006 Workplace Diversity Focus Items

These seven questions, taken together, indicate respondents’ perceptions of their workplaces’ diversity focus (WDF), which correlates highly with important workplace attitudes. Employees whose companies have lower WDF scores are less likely to feel satisfied with or loyal to their company — and they’re also less likely to stay with their employer — than employees whose companies have higher WDF scores.

  • I am aware of my company’s efforts to create diversity in the world
  • I believe that my company is adequately striving for diversity in the workplace
  • I value my company’s diversity efforts in making a welcome and tolerant work environment for all employees
  • I believe that my company’s workforce diversity contributes to our competitiveness in the marketplace
  • I trust senior management of my company or organization to deal with issues concerning equal treatment at my workplace
  • The head of my company or organization is committed to diversity at my workplace
  • If I experienced discrimination at my workplace, I am confident that my employer would be able to resolve it in a fair and just manner, once I raised the issue

Source: When Equal Opportunity Knocks / David C. Wilson / Gallup Management Journal, April 2006

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Mar 8th 2006 Inquire Before You Fire

Below is a sampling of the kinds of questions you should ask before you make a final decision to fire an employee.

  1. Does the firing violate discrimination laws or other federal, state or local statutes?
  2. Is the reason for firing in line with company policies and procedures?
  3. Have any assurances, written or oral, been given to the employee about length of employment or job security?
  4. Has the reason for discharge happened in the past, and have other employees been handled in a similar manner?
  5. How long has the employee worked for the company, and how does the reason for termination stack up against the employee’s overall performance record?
  6. Has the reason for discharge been progressively documented in the employee’s performance reviews?
  7. Has the employee been informed of substandard performance, violation of work rules, or other conduct that could lead to termination? Have warnings and disciplinary actions been adequately documented?
  8. Has the employee had an opportunity to correct the problem behavior? Has the employee been told that failure to correct the problem behavior could result in termination?
  9. Has the employee been given the opportunity to present his or her side of the story? Are there any extenuating circumstances that might explain substandard performance or misconduct and alter the decision to fire?
  10. Is the employee about to receive financial benefits, like a pension, which will be lessened or eliminated if the employee is fired?

Source: A Kinder, Gentler (Legal) Way of Firing / Carol Orsag Madigan / Controller Magazine, June 1997

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Jan 3rd 2006 Addressing the Implications of an Aging Workforce

  • Workforce planning and workforce analysis: Which employees are eligible for retirement in the next two to five years? Do they possess critical skills? Which jobs and skill sets will be impacted? How will you replace these skills once these employees retire? What are the critical skills for the future that will need to be recruited or developed?
  • Learning management: Do your current training and learning programs focus on the critical skills needed for the future? Are your delivery systems designed to provide training in ways that meet older or new employee learning needs?
  • Recruiting: Do the current recruiting processes operate effectively so that you can quickly hire top talent as the competition for skilled resources continues to increase?
  • Succession planning: Which employees can assume leadership roles when the current leaders retire?
  • Rewards and recognition: Do you offer creative and flexible rewards to employees eligible for retirement in order to encourage them to stay? Do you offer competitive rewards in order to attract and retain new talent?
  • Employee relations: Do you have an environment where employees feel valued and respected in order to make sure both older and younger employees stay?
  • Knowledge management: Are you able to capture and make accessible the unique knowledge possessed by workers who are retiring?
  • Workplace design: Are the workplace and jobs designed so that they are sufficiently flexible to accommodate the needs of employees considering retirement or new workers seeking flexibility, such as job-sharing, telecommuting and part-time work?

Source: Achieving High Performance in a Rapidly Aging World / Rajan Srikanth, James Benton, and Yvonne Herrera / Accenture

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