Single choice · #408
A company plans to pilot a four-day workweek in two departments, and the HR director requires that exit conditions be set in advance. Which of the following, if used as an exit condition, is the most testable and binding?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: C
- AIf employees generally report feeling more tired than before, end the pilot early.✗ Incorrect. "Generally report feeling more tired" is subjective and cannot be measured or adjudicated. The misconception is using emotional feedback instead of a testable stop-loss metric.
- BIf employees in other departments generally envy and ask to join, adjust the pilot.✗ Incorrect. Whether other departments envy is unrelated to the pilot's goals (efficiency and output); it mistakenly treats "popularity" as an effectiveness indicator.
- CTerminate if the pilot departments' quarterly per-capita output drops by more than 5%, or customer complaint rate rises by more than 10%.✓ Correct. It has clear metrics (per-capita output, complaint rate), clear thresholds (5%, 10%), and a clear consequence (termination), allowing objective adjudication during review, satisfying stop-loss condition requirements.
- DIf management feels that efficiency has not improved significantly, do not continue.✗ Incorrect. "Feels" and "significantly" rely purely on subjective impression, with no measurement or threshold, equivalent to having no boundary. The misconception is handing judgment to feelings rather than data.
Explanation:The exception and boundary in step five must be testable: with clear metrics, clear thresholds, and clear consequences, the condition triggers an action. The correct option has all three; "employees report fatigue" and "management feels no improvement" rely on subjective feelings, while "other departments envy" is irrelevant to the goal—none can be objectively judged during review as to whether to stop.