Deck 14: Managers and Employee Problems

Question 1

All employees can be successfully taught how to leave their home problems at home and their work problems at work.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A terminated employee's eligibility for unemployment compensation is determined not by the human resources department but rather by an external agency.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

When an employee exhibits behavior problems, it is not part of the manager's role to analyze the cause of the errant behavior but rather to address the results of that behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Performance problems are difficulties that arise when employees violate an organization's personnel policies or work rules.

Question 5

Since the stated objective of disciplinary action is correction of behavior, all employees who violate personnel policies always get at least a second chance.

Question 6

Any employee who appears to be getting close to a level of absenteeism that could result in a warning should be counseled in an effort to avoid formal disciplinary action.

Question 7

People-related problems and the frustrations accompanying them are a significant part of a first-line manager's job.

Question 8

A first-line manager has the responsibility to determine what is behind a troubled employee's problem and to provide advice for resolving the difficulty.

Question 9

Once in a while that which appears to be a performance-related problem can in reality be a behavior related problem.

Question 10

Many first-line managers fail to deal with problem employee behavior because of their discomfort with traditional disciplinary processes and their hesitancy to criticize others.

Question 11

Why should problems related to employee performance should be addressed differently from behavior issues?

A) Performance problems involve difficulty meeting the expectations or requirements of a job while behavior problems involve violations of policies or work rules
B) An employee can ordinarily not be faulted for behavior problems while performance problems are usually the result of willful actions.
C) Behavior problems are always much more difficult to address.
D) Behavior issues are usually a sign of the need for dismissal.

Question 12

What should department managers do when using the progressive discipline process?

A) Use their best judgment in applying disciplinary policies forward any resulting documentation to human resources
B) Postpone significant disciplinary action until a problem can no longer be ignored because of the potential long-term effects on an individual's employment
C) Remember the punitive purpose of disciplinary action and proceed accordingly
D) Proceed with the understanding that the underlying purpose of most disciplinary action is corrective rather than punitive

Question 13

What is true for problems that certain employees experience in performing as required and in meeting the minimum standards of a job?

A) Caused or aggravated by childhood trauma
B) The fault of a manager for failing to do everything reasonable to help employees succeed
C) Caused by employees' mental health issues
D) A sign of failure by managers

Question 14

What should a department manager do to appropriately address employee absenteeism?

A) Maintain a zero tolerance attitude toward all absenteeism and encourage employees to strive for perfect attendance
B) Attempt to head off an employee's developing pattern of absenteeism before it reaches the stage of disciplinary action
C) Not discuss absenteeism with employees while keeping accurate attendance records
D) Consider focusing on one or two employees who have the poorest attendance records and holding them up as examples of inappropriate conduct

Question 15

What is true for documentation of most occurrences of disciplinary action?

A) When grievances, appeals, or complaints about disciplinary action arise, the only valuable documents in a personnel file are warnings.
B) Documents may be forwarded to human resources at a manager's convenience as long as they are supplied when requested in a legal action.
C) Once an individual's employment is terminated, the only important document that must be on file is the termination notice.
D) If the documentation of a supposed action does not appear to exist, the action is assumed to have never occurred.

Question 16

Why should a manager avoid probing into an employee's personal life if an apparent personal problem is affecting the person's work?

Question 17

Why does it make economic sense to make use of an employee assistance program (EAP)?

Question 18

If a so-called "oral warning" is truly oral, why should it be documented?

Question 19

Why should disciplinary action be delivered in as timely manner as practical?

Question 20

If, as claimed here, disciplinary action should be progressive and be intended to correct behavior, why do some infractions deserve immediate discharge?