SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) — Question 10

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?

Answer options

• 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.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is D because it addresses the fairness issue directly, making the executives aware of the impact of their actions on the organization and their colleagues. Options A and B avoid confronting the issue, while option C focuses on compliance without addressing the core unfairness of the situation.