DHL Assessment Tests

DHL Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are an analyst at a market-research agency. A client’s marketing director is building a product-launch presentation for Thursday around survey results you are producing. Today, Tuesday, you find your fieldwork supplier has so far delivered only half the promised responses; the remainder arrive tomorrow night, and the headline figures may shift once they are in. The marketing director has just emailed asking for the figures today so she can start building her presentation. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send the preliminary figures now, stating clearly they are based on half the sample and flagging which headline numbers may move when the remaining responses arrive tomorrow night.
   2. Hold the figures back until the full sample has arrived and been checked tomorrow night, so the marketing director only ever sees numbers that will not change.
   3. Reply that the results are in good shape, and send the figures today without mentioning the missing half of the sample, since the final numbers will probably be close.
   4. Raise the problem with your own account manager first and leave it to them to decide what, if anything, the client should be told about the sample.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Send the preliminary figures now, stating clearly they are based on half the sample and flagging which headline numbers may move when the remaining responses arrive tomorrow night.

   Least effective: C. Reply that the results are in good shape, and send the figures today without mentioning the missing half of the sample, since the final numbers will probably be close.

   B: Delays the message: the marketing director has asked for the figures today to start building a Thursday presentation, and withholding everything until tomorrow night costs her a full day of preparation when a clearly-caveated interim answer would serve her now.

   C: Falsely reassures the stakeholder: telling the client her results are in good shape while knowingly omitting that half the sample is missing is dishonesty about reliability. She may lock claims you know are unstable into a launch presentation, a different kind of wrong from being slow or indirect.

   D: Tells the wrong audience first: briefing the account manager is sensible, but leaving the whole decision with them delays a straightforward factual caveat the marketing director needs today, while her request for the figures sits unanswered.

   The most effective response is to send the preliminary figures now, stating clearly that they rest on half the sample and flagging which headline numbers may move: the marketing director asked for figures today, and a plainly caveated interim answer lets her start building the presentation without locking in claims that could change tomorrow night. It beats holding everything back until the full sample is checked, because that costs her a full day of preparation against a Thursday deadline when a clearly caveated answer meets her stated need now. It beats routing the issue through your account manager first, because that delays a simple factual caveat the client needs today, and her request goes unanswered in the meantime. The least effective response is telling her the results are in good shape and sending the figures without mentioning the missing half: unlike holding them back, which is slow but honest, and unlike escalating internally, which at least surfaces the problem to someone, it assures the client of a reliability you know the numbers do not have. If the headline figures shift tomorrow night, she has built her launch on numbers you knew were unstable. The principle: give stakeholders what they need on time, with an honest statement of how reliable it is, never certainty you do not have.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a trainee at an accountancy practice, working with a colleague on a client’s year-end file due to the manager on Friday. You have finished your sections. Your colleague, who joined a month ago, has fallen behind on hers and tells you privately that she does not understand the fixed-asset schedule and has been guessing. It is Wednesday afternoon. Your manager is available and approachable. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take her fixed-asset sections and complete them yourself alongside your own work, so the file is right and she is not exposed as struggling in her first month.
   2. Sit with her now, work through the fixed-asset schedule together so she can do it herself, and agree that she tells the manager today if it still will not be ready for Friday.
   3. Tell her she needs to speak to the manager today, since guessing at a fixed-asset schedule on a client file is not something you can help her with, and get on with your own review work.
   4. Say nothing and let the file go to the manager on Friday as it stands, since the sections are hers and it is the manager's job to review the work and pick up any errors.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Sit with her now, work through the fixed-asset schedule together so she can do it herself, and agree that she tells the manager today if it still will not be ready for Friday.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing and let the file go to the manager on Friday as it stands, since the sections are hers and it is the manager's job to review the work and pick up any errors.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it saves her embarrassment this week and leaves her unable to do the schedule next time, while the manager still believes she can.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: the advice is right and delivered as a handoff. A month into the job, being told to go and confess alone is the likeliest way to ensure she does not.

   D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: you know a client file contains guessed figures and let it reach the manager as finished work. Relying on review to catch what you already know is wrong is silence, not delegation.

   The most effective response is to sit with her now and work through the fixed-asset schedule together, agreeing that she tells the manager today if it still will not be ready: there are two days left, the gap is a teachable one, and doing it together fixes both the file and the reason it went wrong, with a clear trigger if time runs out. It beats taking her fixed-asset sections and completing them yourself, because that gets Friday’s file right and leaves her exactly as unable to do a fixed-asset schedule as she was on Monday. It beats telling her she needs to speak to the manager today and getting on with your own review, because a month-old trainee told to go and explain herself alone will very often not do it, so the advice is correct and the outcome is unchanged. The least effective response is letting the file go to the manager on Friday as it stands: it is the only response that knowingly lets guessed figures reach a manager as completed client work, and it justifies that by calling it someone else’s job to catch. That is worse than doing her sections, which produces a correct file, and worse than sending her to the manager, which at least points her at help. The principle: help a colleague become able to do the work, and agree who tells the manager if it still will not be ready.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You work for a tour operator. A group of twenty-four is flying out on Saturday on a walking holiday. On Wednesday the mountain hut booked for two nights closes after a water supply failure. An alternative hut is available but is four hours’ walk further on, which changes two days of the itinerary. The group leader is contactable. Your operations manager is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Rebook the alternative hut and send the group leader a revised itinerary, so the holiday is secured and everyone knows the new plan before they fly.
   2. Wait until the water supply position is clearer later in the week, since the hut may reopen before Saturday and a change of itinerary would unsettle the group unnecessarily.
   3. Let the group travel as booked and have the guide explain the change of route when they reach the mountain, since the alternative hut will be arranged by then anyway.
   4. Ring the group leader today, explain the hut closure and what the alternative would mean for two days of walking, and agree the plan before anything is rebooked.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ring the group leader today, explain the hut closure and what the alternative would mean for two days of walking, and agree the plan before anything is rebooked.

   Least effective: C. Let the group travel as booked and have the guide explain the change of route when they reach the mountain, since the alternative hut will be arranged by then anyway.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: adding four hours' walking to two days changes what the group signed up for, and some members may not be able to do it. That is the group leader's call, not a booking amendment.

   B: Delays the decision: the alternative hut may be taken by another group while you wait, and the leader loses the days in which walkers could have prepared or withdrawn.

   C: Hides the problem: twenty-four people are told on the mountain that two days now involve four hours' more walking, when some may be unable to manage it and none of them can do anything about it there. That is concealment with a safety dimension.

   The most effective response is to ring the group leader today, explain the hut closure and what the alternative would mean for two days of walking, and agree the plan before anything is rebooked: four extra hours on two days is a material change, some of twenty-four people may not manage it, and only he can judge that for his group. Wednesday leaves time to prepare, adjust or withdraw. It beats rebooking the alternative hut and sending a revised itinerary, because that presents the change as settled when its acceptability depends on the group. It beats waiting until the water supply position is clearer later in the week, because that risks losing the alternative hut and burns the days the group needs. The least effective response is letting them travel as booked and having the guide explain the change of route on the mountain: it tells twenty-four walkers the route has lengthened substantially at the one point where nobody can opt out. That is worse than the other two, which decide or delay but do not spring it on people in the field. The principle: when a change affects what people are physically committing to, tell whoever speaks for them while they can still choose.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are an account executive at a video production company. Your client’s marketing director, Elena, is launching a product at a trade show on Friday and opens her presentation with a film you are producing, promised for Wednesday so her team can rehearse with it. Today, Monday, your animator tells you the final effects cannot be finished before Thursday evening. Your account director is due at Elena’s offices on Thursday for the final run-through. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hold the news until Thursday's run-through, when the account director can explain the delay face to face and walk Elena's team through how the finished film will arrive that evening.
   2. Phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, apologise, and ask what would help most: a simpler cut for rehearsals or trimming the effects to deliver sooner.
   3. Email Elena today that the final effects are taking slightly longer than planned but the film will be with her in good time for Friday, so her team is not alarmed while the animator catches up.
   4. Say nothing to Elena, press the animator to finish faster, and deliver whatever is ready on Wednesday, treating the delay as an internal production matter unless her team notices and asks.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, apologise, and ask what would help most: a simpler cut for rehearsals or trimming the effects to deliver sooner.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing to Elena, press the animator to finish faster, and deliver whatever is ready on Wednesday, treating the delay as an internal production matter unless her team notices and asks.

   A: Delays the message: a senior person explaining difficult news in person is appealing, but Elena's team spends Monday to Thursday rehearsing around a Wednesday delivery that is not coming, and by the run-through there is no time left to adapt the launch plan.

   C: Over-reassures the stakeholder: it contacts Elena promptly, which is right, but "in good time for Friday" dresses a Thursday-evening delivery as comfortable, so her team keeps rehearsal plans built on Wednesday and the real impact lands later, when nothing can be adjusted.

   D: Hides the problem: handing over incomplete work as though it were the promised film, and telling the client nothing unless she notices, conceals a delay that directly affects her launch, a concealment failure unlike the other options, which all inform her eventually.

   The most effective response is to phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, and ask what would help most: she is relying on Wednesday to rehearse the opening of a Friday launch, so the delay is her news now, and a call delivers it with an apology and real choices while four days remain to adapt. It beats holding the news until Thursday’s run-through, because that buys a better messenger at the cost of the four days in which she could actually re- plan; by Thursday the information is accurate but useless. It beats emailing that the effects are taking slightly longer but the film will arrive in good time, because that tells her promptly and trades accuracy for comfort: it invites her team to keep a rehearsal schedule you already know is broken, so the honesty is only partial. The least effective response is saying nothing and delivering whatever is ready on Wednesday: unlike waiting for the run-through, which ensures she hears the truth from a senior person before the launch, and unlike the softened email, which at least discloses that a delay exists, it conceals the problem entirely and passes off incomplete work, leaving her to discover at the trade show what you knew on Monday. The principle: transparency before comfort. Give a stakeholder bad news while they can still act on it, stated at its real size, with options.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a ward clerk at a hospital. Your colleague Anita, who covers discharges, has been off sick for two days and returns tomorrow. Discharge summaries have piled up, and the ward sister asks you to work through them today on top of your own admissions work. You have done the task before but are slower at it. You cannot complete both by the end of the shift. The ward sister is on the ward. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing about the clash, do what you can of both, and leave the rest for Anita to pick up when she is back tomorrow since discharges are her responsibility.
   2. Tell the ward sister you can clear either the admissions or most of the discharge summaries today but not both, and ask which she wants prioritised before you start.
   3. Work on the discharge summaries first since the sister has asked for them, and leave any admissions paperwork you cannot finish for whoever is on the ward tomorrow morning.
   4. Start the discharge summaries and work through as many as you can alongside admissions, switching between the two so that both piles go down over the course of the shift.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell the ward sister you can clear either the admissions or most of the discharge summaries today but not both, and ask which she wants prioritised before you start.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing about the clash, do what you can of both, and leave the rest for Anita to pick up when she is back tomorrow since discharges are her responsibility.

   A: Hides the problem: the sister believes the summaries are being handled, and a colleague returning from sick leave walks into a backlog nobody has flagged. The silence is the failure, not the workload.

   C: Abandons own committed work: admissions paperwork left undone lands on tomorrow's ward with nobody told it is coming, so the pile simply moves rather than shrinking.

   D: Splits effort so nothing finishes: alternating between two unfamiliar and familiar tasks leaves both partly done at the end of the shift, and a half-processed discharge is of no use to anyone.

   The most effective response is to tell the ward sister you can clear either the admissions or most of the discharge summaries but not both, and ask which she wants prioritised: she does not know that taking on the summaries means the admissions work will not be finished, and she is the person who can weigh those against each other. Asking before you start costs a minute and makes the rest of the shift deliberate. It beats working on the discharge summaries first and leaving unfinished admissions paperwork for tomorrow, because silently dropping admissions leaves tomorrow’s ward with a backlog nobody warned them about. It beats switching between the two so both piles go down, because that leaves both half done, and a partly completed discharge summary releases nobody. The least effective response is saying nothing about the clash and leaving the rest for Anita tomorrow: it leaves the sister believing both are in hand, and a colleague back from sick leave to discover the pile, with nobody having said anything to either of them. That is worse than the other two, which mismanage the work but do not conceal it. The principle: when you cannot do everything asked, say so before you start and let the person who owns the priorities choose.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a finance assistant at an engineering company. Yesterday you emailed the monthly departmental spending report to six department heads. Today you notice a formula error pulled last month’s figures into two columns, overstating several budgets. The department heads hold separate budget meetings tomorrow morning, where they will set spending plans using your report. It is now mid-afternoon and you have already prepared a corrected version. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Plan to explain the correction in person at the start of tomorrow's meetings rather than emailing today, so the department heads hear it directly from you with the right context.
   2. Replace the report on the shared drive with the corrected version without telling anyone, since anyone who opens the file again before their meeting will see the right figures.
   3. Email all six department heads now, state plainly that yesterday's report contained an error, attach the corrected version, and highlight which columns changed so they use the right figures tomorrow.
   4. Tell your own manager about the error first and wait for their advice on how to word the correction before contacting any of the department heads.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Email all six department heads now, state plainly that yesterday's report contained an error, attach the corrected version, and highlight which columns changed so they use the right figures tomorrow.

   Least effective: B. Replace the report on the shared drive with the corrected version without telling anyone, since anyone who opens the file again before their meeting will see the right figures.

   A: Delays the message: the department heads may prepare tonight using the overstated figures, and with six separate meetings running tomorrow morning you cannot be in the room to deliver the correction at every one.

   B: Hides the problem: silently swapping the file conceals that an error ever existed, and anyone working from yesterday's email or a saved copy keeps the wrong figures with no warning. That is concealment, not just a slower or clumsier correction.

   D: Tells the wrong audience first: briefing your manager is sensible, but waiting for advice before contacting anyone leaves the six people who actually rely on the figures uninformed while a simple factual correction sits ready to send.

   The most effective response is to email all six department heads now, state plainly that yesterday’s report contained an error, and attach the corrected version: they are the people relying on the figures, the correction is ready, and an email this afternoon reaches all of them before they prepare for tomorrow, highlighting exactly which columns changed. It beats waiting to explain the correction in person at tomorrow’s meetings, because that leaves the heads working from overstated figures overnight and depends on you being present at six separate meetings you cannot all attend. It beats telling your own manager first and waiting for advice on the wording, because a straightforward factual correction needs no approval, and waiting leaves the affected people uninformed for hours when you could simply copy your manager in. The least effective response is replacing the file on the shared drive without telling anyone: unlike correcting it in person, which does eventually tell everyone, and unlike checking with your manager, which at least starts an open correction, it relies on people happening to reopen the file and conceals that a mistake was ever made. The failure is the concealment, not the speed. The principle: when you have sent out wrong information, correct it quickly, openly, and directly to everyone relying on it.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a project administrator for a shopfitting contractor. A retail client’s store refit is due to complete on Friday for a Saturday opening. On Wednesday the flooring subcontractor tells you the specified floor is not available and a visually similar alternative could be laid in time. The client chose the original floor to match its other stores. The client’s project lead is contactable. Your contracts manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hold the flooring and tell the client the opening may have to move, since the specified floor is what they chose and substituting it is not something the contractor should propose.
   2. Ring the client's project lead today, explain the specified floor is unavailable and the alternative could still meet Saturday, and let them decide which matters more.
   3. Email the client's project lead setting out the problem and asking how they would like to proceed, then wait for a written instruction before doing anything.
   4. Instruct the subcontractor to lay the alternative floor so Saturday's opening is protected, and tell the client once the store is finished.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ring the client's project lead today, explain the specified floor is unavailable and the alternative could still meet Saturday, and let them decide which matters more.

   Least effective: D. Instruct the subcontractor to lay the alternative floor so Saturday's opening is protected, and tell the client once the store is finished.

   A: Withholds the workable alternative: it puts only the option that costs them their Saturday opening, when a floor that could still be laid in time exists and the client is never told of it.

   C: Delays the decision: an email and a wait for written instruction is the right formality on the wrong clock, with a Saturday opening and a floor that has to be laid before it.

   D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's and hides it: the client chose that floor to match its other stores, and both the decision and the disclosure are withheld until the floor is down and cannot be changed.

   The most effective response is to ring the client’s project lead today, explain the specified floor is unavailable and the alternative could still meet Saturday, and let them decide: they chose that floor to match their other stores, and only they can weigh that against opening on time. Wednesday still leaves room for either route if they decide today. It beats holding the flooring and telling them the opening may have to move, because offering only a delay hides a workable alternative from the person entitled to choose it. It beats emailing the problem and waiting for a written instruction, because that exchange spends the narrow window the flooring needs. The least effective response is instructing the subcontractor to lay the alternative and telling the client once the store is finished: it substitutes a different floor in a store designed to match others, and discloses it only when it is irreversible. That is worse than the other two, which are too slow but leave the choice with the client. The principle: when a substitution touches something the client chose deliberately, put both options to them at once and let them decide.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a receptionist at a dental practice. Part of your job is logging each patient’s arrival time, which the practice uses to report waiting times to the health board. A patient arrives forty minutes late for a check-up and is seen straight away. Your colleague on the desk, who joined the practice last month, says the waiting figures are already poor and suggests offhand that you log the arrival as on-time, since the patient was not kept waiting. She has never suggested anything like it before. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Log the correct arrival time and tell the practice manager that your colleague asked you to record it falsely so that she can deal with it as she sees fit.
   2. Log the arrival as on-time as your colleague suggests, since the patient was seen immediately and an accurate entry would make the practice's figures look worse than the service it actually gave.
   3. Leave the arrival time blank rather than enter either figure, so that the record is not falsified and the practice's monthly waiting figures are not dragged down by one late patient.
   4. Log the actual arrival time, and tell your colleague you are not willing to record something you know is untrue, whatever it does to this month's figures.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Log the actual arrival time, and tell your colleague you are not willing to record something you know is untrue, whatever it does to this month's figures.

   Least effective: B. Log the arrival as on-time as your colleague suggests, since the patient was seen immediately and an accurate entry would make the practice's figures look worse than the service it actually gave.

   A: Escalates prematurely: the entry is right and the point is made by making it. Turning a colleague's bad suggestion into a report before telling her what you think skips the conversation that would probably settle it.

   B: Falsifies a business record: the log is the practice's evidence to the health board, and entering a time you know is wrong is a deliberate misstatement. That is dishonesty, not a judgement call about presentation.

   C: Hides the problem: a blank is a quieter way of removing an inconvenient fact. The health board's figures still end up wrong, and nobody can see that a decision was taken.

   The most effective response is to log the actual arrival time and tell your colleague you are not willing to record something untrue: the log is a record the health board relies on, so it gets the true time, and saying so plainly settles the matter where it arose. It beats logging it correctly and telling the practice manager your colleague asked you to falsify it, because the record is already correct and the disagreement is one sentence away from being resolved; going straight to the manager makes a formal matter of something a direct answer handles. It beats leaving the arrival time blank, because an empty field achieves the same distortion your colleague asked for, only without leaving fingerprints, so the figures are still wrong and nobody can tell why. The least effective response is recording the arrival as on-time because the patient was seen immediately: it is the only response that puts a figure you know to be false into a record the practice reports externally, and the reasoning offered for it, that the service was fine, is exactly the reasoning that makes small falsifications easy. That is worse than the blank field, which at least refuses to write the lie, and worse than going to the manager, which is clumsy rather than dishonest. The principle: record what happened, and say plainly that you will not record what did not.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a support worker at a supported living service. A resident tells you that another member of staff has been shouting at him and that he is frightened of her. He asks you not to tell anyone because he does not want trouble. You have not witnessed anything. Your service manager is on duty. The service has a written safeguarding procedure that you have been trained on. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Keep an eye on the situation over the next few shifts and report it if you see the behaviour yourself, so that any report is based on something you have witnessed.
   2. Explain gently that you cannot keep this to yourself, and report it to your service manager today under the safeguarding procedure.
   3. Speak to the member of staff concerned first to hear her account of it, so that you can decide whether there is anything that genuinely needs to be reported.
   4. Respect the resident's wish and say nothing, since he has asked you not to, he is an adult entitled to make his own choices and you did not see anything yourself.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Explain gently that you cannot keep this to yourself, and report it to your service manager today under the safeguarding procedure.

   Least effective: D. Respect the resident's wish and say nothing, since he has asked you not to, he is an adult entitled to make his own choices and you did not see anything yourself.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: the procedure asks you to report what is disclosed, not what you have seen, and waiting to witness it leaves a frightened resident in the same position for days.

   C: Breaches confidentiality or process: approaching the person a disclosure is about, before it is reported, warns her and puts the resident at risk of exactly the trouble he is afraid of.

   D: Breaches a safeguarding duty: a disclosure of frightening behaviour by a staff member cannot be held in confidence, and framing silence as respecting his choice leaves him alone with the person he is afraid of. That is a different order of failure from reporting it clumsily.

   The most effective response is to explain gently that you cannot keep this to yourself, and report it to your service manager today under the safeguarding procedure: the procedure exists for exactly this disclosure, confidentiality cannot be promised where a resident says he is frightened of a member of staff, and she is on duty. Telling him honestly that you must pass it on keeps his trust better than a promise you would have to break. It beats keeping an eye on it over the next few shifts and reporting only what you witness, because that substitutes your own evidence threshold for the procedure’s and leaves him frightened meanwhile. It beats speaking to the member of staff first to hear her account, because that alerts her and exposes him to the very consequence he fears. The least effective response is respecting his wish and saying nothing: it leaves a resident who has disclosed being frightened alone with the person concerned, and dresses that up as respecting his autonomy. That is worse than the other two, which act too slowly or in the wrong order but do act. The principle: a safeguarding disclosure goes to the person the procedure names, today, and you never promise a confidence you cannot keep.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You volunteer at a food bank warehouse. Your fellow volunteer Grace is sorting a large donation alone against a 4pm van collection for the distribution centres, and it is 3pm. The sorting needs two people to be finished in time. You have completed the task you were given and nothing else is outstanding. The warehouse coordinator is on a call in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Wait for the warehouse coordinator to finish her call and suggest that someone is put on to help Grace with the donation before the van arrives.
    2. Tidy your own area until someone asks you to help, since the donation was assigned to Grace and she has not said she is struggling with it.
    3. Ask Grace whether she would like help and find something else to do if she says she is managing, since she has her own way of sorting the donations into categories.
    4. Go over to Grace, tell her your own task is done, and sort alongside her until the donation is ready for the 4pm collection.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: D. Go over to Grace, tell her your own task is done, and sort alongside her until the donation is ready for the 4pm collection.

    Least effective: B. Tidy your own area until someone asks you to help, since the donation was assigned to Grace and she has not said she is struggling with it.

    A: Delays the decision: waiting for the call to end spends part of the only hour available to arrange what you could simply start doing.

    B: Waits to be asked: a two-person job is being done by one against a van collection, and the reason for not helping is that nobody has asked. Waiting to be asked is what makes the van leave short.

    C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: a volunteer an hour from a collection will usually say she is managing, so the offer is courteous and predictably leaves her sorting alone.

    The most effective response is to go over to Grace, tell her your own task is done, and sort alongside her until the donation is ready for the 4pm collection: the sorting needs two people, there is an hour, and your task is finished, so joining her is what actually makes the collection. Saying your work is done removes any need for her to ask. It beats asking whether she would like help and finding something else if she says she is managing, because a volunteer under time pressure will usually decline a general offer, and the donation is no further sorted. It beats waiting for the warehouse coordinator to finish her call and suggesting someone helps, because that spends part of the hour arranging what you could begin immediately. The least effective response is tidying your own area until someone asks you to help: it leaves a two-person job with one person against a van collection. That is worse than waiting for the coordinator, which at least seeks help, and worse than offering, which at least asks. The principle: when your own work is finished and a colleague plainly cannot finish alone, start helping rather than waiting to be asked.