NOTE: CONTENT FOR THE 2021 GLOBAL CHALLENGE WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY - BELOW IS A SAMPLE FROM 2017

2017 SAMPLE

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Start Playing - Six Categories with three Board Comments requiring a response from a choice of three scenarios

Tick the box next to the scenario that you, or your team, believe is the best strategic course of action. Tick one box only and submit.

1. Risk Avoidance (RA)

RA1

Here is the issue -

"Operations have been disrupted recently by a shortage of staff to perform critical functions, mainly due to unscheduled absenteeism. What do you suggest we do?".

.What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

RA 1 Scenario (a) RA 1 Scenario (b) RA 1 Scenario (C)
Work overtime to compensate for lost time and see if situation improves Advise staff that continued absence will lead to termination of services and re-publish company policy Drill down to identify instances and talk with supervisors to determine reasons and counsel individuals concerned

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RA2

Here is the issue -

"Members of a key union are threatening to take strike action because of delays in answering their approaches to the company on major issues. Is that right and, if so, what strategy can we adopt to turn things around?".

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

RA 2 Scenario (a) RA 2 Scenario (b) RA 2 Scenario (c)
Immediately clear back log of outstanding issues Consult with union leaders and deny there is an unreasonable delay Consult with line managers and determine financial impact of a strike

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RA3

Here is the issue -

"There seems to be a lot of staff injured in falls on a slippery surface lately. How bad is the situation and what do you suggest we do to fix it?

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

RA 3 Scenario (a) RA 3 Scenario (b) RA 3 Scenario (c)
Issue all staff with rubber slip-proof footwear and resurface the danger areas Advise staff to take care when walking near slippery areas and put up signage Examine the details associated with each incident and interview injured staff to see if any other factors were involved, such as running, fatigue, carelessness, accident prone people, etc. before deciding what action to take.

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2. Employee and Organisation Effectiveness (EOE)

EOE1

Here is the issue -

"Profits are starting to decline and it looks like the company has become a little top heavy and we have too many staff in our supervisory layer. What is the best strategy to manage this situation?".

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

EOE 1 Scenario (a) EOE 1 Scenario (b) EOE 1 Scenario (c)
Offer staff in the non-revenue generating classifications the option of voluntary retrenchment Demote some line supervisory staff to operator status to correct the imbalance, but let them retain their current salary Request supervisory staff to take outstanding leave entitlements and freeze promotion/recruitment in the non-revenue generating classification until the balance is restored through normal attrition

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EOE2

Here is the issue -

"We seem to be increasing our employee numbers and human capital investment but our profits and return on investment is not going up. What can we do?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

EOE 2 Scenario (a) EOE 2 Scenario (b) EOE 2 Scenario (c)
Advise management to freeze recruitment until the ratio reaches an acceptable level Recommend a retrenchment program to reduce costs or process improvement initiative to lift productivity Freeze investment levels and suggest employees take a cut in salary

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EOE3

Here is the issue -

"We are making a profit but some areas of the company appear to be doing better than others. What strategy should we adopt to make other areas improve their contribution to profitability?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

EOE 3 Scenario (a) EOE 3 Scenario (b) EOE 3 Scenario (c)
Suggest a trial incentive scheme for one year based on performance levels to see if productivity / profits improve Check for anomalies in the performance results between individual assessments and business unit performance and review the performance criteria / methodology before recommending an incentive scheme Suggest an incentive scheme for the business units doing well (performance levels and meeting targets) and encourage poor performing units to manage out individual non-performers

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3. Talent Attraction (TA)

TA1

Here is the issue -

"We don’t seem to be attracting the right type of person for our sales operation in Singapore. Is our remuneration strategy working?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TA 1 Scenario (a) TA 1 Scenario (b) TA 1 Scenario (c)
Check where other staff categories are in relation to the mid-point of their salary range and suggest sales staff be offered the same level in relation to their job family's surveyed compensation rates Check what the company’s competitors are paying their sales staff in relation to the surveyed data and pay the same Check the company’s employer brand and image in the marketplace and see if there are other factors than money turning the right people away

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TA2

Here is the issue -

"I would like to offer a higher rate of pay to new staff than we are paying our current staff in order to attract the right talent: Would that be an acceptable strategy?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TA 2 Scenario (a) TA 2 Scenario (b) TA 2 Scenario (c)
If the current CSI (Compensation Satisfaction Index) indicates people are not happy with their current salary we should not offer new staff more. It will only upset current staff. If the current CSI indicates there is a high level of satisfaction with current salaries suggest a small margin above current rates be offered. Current staff probably will not object. Caution management against offering rates that could disturb salary equity and if higher rates are required then make sure the jobs appear to have some differentiating factor to the current job, supported by job measurement

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TA3

Here is the issue -

"I have been told that LinkedIn and social networks are the best place to recruit staff. Should social media be part of our recruitment strategy?".

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TA 3 Scenario (a) TA 3 Scenario (b) TA 3 Scenario (c)
Different jobs require different recruitment sources to find the right people. Produce statistics to support the view. Identify the most successful source (from report information) and, if social networks, advise management that the source will be used exclusively Explain to management what recruitment source information indicates and if not social networks explain why

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4. Talent Retention (TR)

TR1

Here is the issue -

"We seem to be losing all of our good workers. Is there a problem? Are we providing sufficient benefits or should we review our strategy?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TR 1 Scenario (a) TR 1 Scenario (b) TR 1 Scenario (c)
Suggest a review of benefit entitlement and check the reason for termination data to see if “unhappy with benefits” is a reason stated Suggest a link be made between benefit entitlement and personal performance rating to ensure the company’s top performers are rewarded If the benefit survey result indicates a positive position recommend a study into reasons for leaving to confirm benefits are not a factor

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TR2

Here is the issue -

"I believe our on-boarding process is not working. What can we do to fix it?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TR 2 Scenario (a) TR 2 Scenario (b) TR 2 Scenario (c)
Drill down to find the names of new employees terminating and perform a post-termination interview to determine the “real” reason for leaving and whether it was connected to the on-boarding process Check the business unit and location data from the New Hire Termination report to see if there is a pattern and if so suggest a focus study on the areas affected to see if there is a supervisory or other reason contributing to the terminations Check the recruitment process material to see if the selected employees were considered a good fit against selection criteria and whether there is a flaw in the recruitment process

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TR3

Here is the issue -

"We spend a lot of money recruiting staff to replace people leaving. What can we do to reduce the number of new recruits who do not stay?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TR 3 Scenario (a) TR 3 Scenario (b) TR 3 Scenario (c)
Commission a report into the reasons people are leaving. Focus on the factors causing the most concern in the report and recommend remedial programs Introduce an incentive scheme based on tenure to encourage staff to stay longer Recommend fixed term contracts with penalty clauses for early exits as a means of ensuring people fulfil their commitment to the company

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5. Talent Enhancement (TE)

TE1

Here is the issue -

"What happens if we lose some of our key managers? Do we have a strategy to ensure suitably trained replacements are available when needed?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TE 1 Scenario (a) TE 1 Scenario (b) TE 1 Scenario (c)
Focus on key jobs that do not have a successor identified: Check the external job market to see if there is a potential pool to draw from if the key staff member resigns Check to see what jobs do not have successors identified: Immediately search the talent database to identify potential successors and determine training needs Review the key staff’s compensation package to ensure the risk of losing the person is minimised

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TE2

Here is the issue -

"I have been told there is very little promotion in the company and staff are leaving due to lack of prospects. Is that an indication our career progression strategy is not working?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TE 2 Scenario (a) TE 2 Scenario (b) TE 2 Scenario (c)
Review the latest employee performance data and organisation chart to see if there are any “roadblocks” preventing promotion in any areas of the company If the report does not support the anecdotal evidence that there is a problem suggest to management that the observation comes from a disgruntled employee and there may be some other underlying factors Check the reasons for termination and see if the stated reason for leaving was lack of promotional opportunities

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TE3

Here is the issue -

"We seem to be spending more on training and yet we do not see the improved performance ratings to suggest this is money well spent. Is there something wrong with our training and development strategy?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

TE 3 Scenario (a) TE 3 Scenario (b) TE 3 Scenario (c)
If the report shows the training hours per FTE have not changed substantially suggest to management the performance problem may be in other than training attended. It may be training effectiveness or lack of on the job experience If the report indicates a decline in training hours suggest to management additional funds be allocated to the training budget If the training hours have increased over the five year period suggest a study into the training content and delivery methods to ensure the training effort is relevant to current roles and has responded to any change in the last five years

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6. Improved Productivity and Service Delivery (IPSD)

IPSD1

Here is the issue -

"Employees are complaining that their pay is always wrong. Should we review our service delivery strategy for payroll?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

IPSD 1 Scenario (a) IPSD 1 Scenario (b) IPSD 1 Scenario (c)
Refer to a report setting out the number of errors and the level of importance. If error rate is unacceptably high recommend re-training of payroll staff Suggest a study into working conditions in the pay office to see if errors are due to work related stress, insufficient timeframe to process payroll activity, or if deadlines for payroll input needs to be reviewed to allow time for checking, etc. Suggest a focus study on the type of errors and the contributing factors to determine if carelessness, time constraints or staff capability were involved

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IPSD2

Here is the issue -

"There appears to be a decline in productivity over the last twelve months and it has been suggested employees feel less motivated and engaged. Should we review our employee engagement strategy? "

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

IPSD 2 Scenario (a) IPSD 2 Scenario (b) IPSD 2 Scenario (c)
Conduct focus interviews to determine the cause of employee engagement decline and suggest that the company take steps to remedy Introduce an employee enterprise productivity-based wages agreement to lift productivity rates Introduce a bonus scheme based on achieving productivity targets

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IPSD3

Here is the issue -

"I have heard that HR takes too long to answer simple inquiries and never get back to you with answers. Is this impacting our HR service delivery strategy and, if so, what can we do about it?"

..What advice would you give Management? Tick one box only

IPSD 3 Scenario (a) IPSD 3 Scenario (b) IPSD 3 Scenario (c)
If response times are outside acceptable levels suggest retraining of staff to make sure operators understand the business issues and know where to direct enquiries Implement a call centre to take first level enquiries and measure response times . If not acceptable check the knowledge database to ensure the content is up-to-date and the technology support is appropriate Review service delivery methods are aligned to customer needs and make changes to organisation structure, staffing levels and technology tools, where appropriate
 
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