1、原文SMALLFIRMRESPONSESTOEMPLOYMENTREGULATIONLYNETTEHARRISTHEAUTHORLYNETTEHARRISISASSOCIATEHEADOFHRM,DEPARTMENTOFHUMANRESOURCEMANAGEMENT,NOTTINGHAMBUSINESSSCHOOL,THENOTTINGHAMTRENTUNIVERSITY,ANDNOTTINGHAM,UKKEYWORDSPROCEDURES,SMALLTOMEDIUMSIZEDENTERPRISES,LEGISLATION,REGULATION,COSTSABSTRACTEXAMINESTHE
2、IMPACTOFEMPLOYMENTREGULATIONONOWNERMANAGERAPPROACHESTOTHEEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSHIPATTHELEVELOFTHEINDIVIDUALFIRMWHILETHEREWASNOREPORTEDPRINCIPLEDOPPOSITIONTOEXTENDINGEMPLOYMENTRIGHTSASSUGGESTEDBYANUMBEROFEARLIERSTUDIES,THECUMULATIVEEFFECTOFRECENTLEGISLATIONWASPERCEIVEDBYOWNERMANAGERSTOBEREDUCINGTHEIRCOM
3、PETITIVENESSBYPLACINGCOSTLYANDTIMECONSUMINGDEMANDSONTHESMALLERBUSINESSTHECASESTUDYCOMPANIESWEREINCREASINGLYFORMALIZINGTHEIREMPLOYMENTPROCESSESLARGELYTODEFENDTHEIRDECISIONSAGAINSTPOTENTIALLITIGATIONDESPITECERTAINACKNOWLEDGEDBENEFITS,THISINCREASINGPROCEDURALISATIONWASHELDTOBEDETRIMENTALTOTHEINFORMALIT
4、YANDFLEXIBILITYVIEWEDASESSENTIALTOEFFECTIVEWORKINGRELATIONSHIPSINTHESMALLERENTERPRISECONTINUINGRECRUITMENTDIFFICULTIESCOMBINEDWITHTHECOSTSASSOCIATEDWITHEXPANDINGREGULATIONLEDTHEMAJORITYOFTHECASESTUDYCOMPANIESTOIDENTIFYANINVESTMENTINAUTOMATIONANDLABORSAVINGEQUIPMENTASAPREFERABLELONGTERMOPTIONTOTHEEXP
5、ANSIONOFTHEWORKFORCEMANAGERIALANDPOLICYIMPLICATIONSTHEREISLITTLEEVIDENCEOFAPRINCIPLEDOBJECTIONTOINCREASINGEMPLOYMENTREGULATIONAMONGOWNERMANAGERSBUTTHEYHAVEGROWINGCONCERNSABOUTITSCUMULATIVEIMPACTONCOMPETITIVENESSANDMUCHOFITSAPPROPRIATENESSTOTHEOPERATIONALREALITIESOFSMESAPPROACHESTOREGULATIONANDTHEEMP
6、LOYMENTRELATIONSHIPAMONGOWNERMANAGERSTENDTOBEFIRMSPECIFICANDEMBEDDEDINTHEINDIVIDUALORGANIZATIONALCONTEXTLEVELSOFREACTIVITYORPROACTIVELYAREHIGHLYDEPENDENTONTHEVALUESANDKNOWLEDGEOFINDIVIDUALOWNERMANAGERS,ORGANIZATIONALHISTORY,ATRADEUNIONPRESENCEANDAWARENESSOFTHEWORKFORCETHECOSTIMPLICATIONSANDTIMECONSU
7、MINGNATUREOFINCREASINGREGULATIONANDLITIGATIONARELIKELYTOENCOURAGETHEADOPTIONOFMINIMUMREQUIREMENTSASTHEMAXIMUMRATHERTHANDEVELOPINGMORE“CUSTOMIZED“APPROACHESTOEMPLOYMENTISSUESSUPPORTSERVICESFORSMESAREREQUIREDWHICHHAVETHECAPABILITYTOENCOURAGEINNOVATIVEEMPLOYMENTSOLUTIONSANDOFFERABALANCEBETWEENINFORMALI
8、TYANDFORMALITYINAPPROACHESTOEMPLOYEERELATIONSINCREASINGLEVELSOFEMPLOYMENTREGULATION,COMBINEDWITHCONTINUINGSKILLSHORTAGESANDRECRUITMENTDIFFICULTIES,WILLIMPACTUPONTHESMESECTORSCONTRIBUTIONTOJOBCREATIONINTRODUCTIONSTATISTICALLY,SMALLFIRMSHAVEBEENFOUNDTOBEDISPROPORTIONATELYREPRESENTEDINTHEUKSESCALATINGE
9、MPLOYMENTTRIBUNALSTATISTICSTRIPLETTANDBANERJI,1994DESPITEINCREASINGTHERISKOFLEGALREPERCUSSIONS,SMALLFIRMSTUDIESHAVECONSISTENTLYREPORTED“INFORMALITY“ASTHEDEFININGCHARACTERISTICOFTHEIRAPPROACHESTOEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSRAINNIE,1989LANE,1994MATLAY,1999THEEXPANSIONOFLITIGATIONQUESTIONTHESUSTAINABILITYOFTHIS
10、INFORMALAPPROACHACHIEVINGABALANCEBETWEENFORMALPROCEDURESANDINFORMALRELATIONSHIPSPRESENTSAPARTICULARCHALLENGETOASECTORWITHLESSACCESSTOINTERNALHUMANRESOURCEHREXPERTISEMATLAY,1999ATTHEHEARTOFMUCHOFTHEDISCUSSIONINTHISPAPERISHOWREGULATIONWASPERCEIVEDBYSMEOWNERMANAGERSINTHECASESTUDYCOMPANIESASIMPACTINGONT
11、HEDELICATEBALANCEBETWEENLEVELSOFCONTROLANDTHEFREEDOMTOEXERCISEDISCRETIONINTHESMALLFIRMCONTEXTWATSON1999,P29DESCRIBESTHISASTHESTRATEGICCHOICEINEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSHIPSBETWEEN“DIRECTCONTROL/LOWCOMMITMENTANDINDIRECTCONTROL/HIGHCOMMITMENT”JEFFERSON1997SUGGESTSTHATEMPLOYMENTLAWHASBEENONEOFTHEMOSTIMPORTANT
12、AREASOFCONFLICTINGECONOMIC,POLITICALANDSOCIALTHEORIESOVERTHEPAST30YEARSTHELEVELOFLEGALINTERVENTIONINTHEWORKPLACEPLAYSASIGNIFICANTPARTINHOWAPPROACHESTOHUMANRESOURCINGDEVELOPANDCHANGEOVERTIMEITCANBEACRITICALFACTORINSTRATEGICHRPLANNINGANDLEADTORADICALSHIFTSINPRACTICEONEEXAMPLEOFTHISHASBEENTHEGROWTHOFVA
13、RIEDFLEXIBLEEMPLOYMENTCONTRACTSASSOCIATEDWITHTHEHEAVILYCRITIQUED“CORE/PERIPHERY”APPROACHTOEMPLOYMENTATKINSON,1987BEATSON,1995ITISNOTTHEPURPOSEOFTHISPAPERTOREVISITTHEARGUMENTSFORANDAGAINSTREGULATINGTHEEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSHIPORTOEXAMINETHEAPPROPRIATENESSOFTHEEUCONSTITUTIONALMODELOF“DEMOCRATICLEGITIMACY
14、”PERCUSSION,1999ASAREPLACEMENTFORTHEUKSTRADITIONALMODELOFINDUSTRIALRELATIONSBUTRATHERTOCONSIDERTHEIMPACTINCREASINGEXTERNALREGULATIONCANHAVEONAPPROACHESTOMANAGINGTHEEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSHIPINSMALLFIRMSTHISHASBEENTHESUBJECTOFMUCHDISCUSSIONINAVARIETYOFCONTEXTSINTHEACADEMICLITERATUREANDISPARTICULARLYDOMIN
15、ANTINTHEDEBATESSURROUNDINGLABORMARKETFLEXIBILITYANDTHEPARTEMPLOYMENTREGULATIONPLAYSINTHEGROWTHOFDIFFERENTWORKINGPATTERNSBREWSTER,1998COUSINS,1997THEAIMOFTHESTUDIESDISCUSSEDINTHISPAPERANDTHEINITIALSURVEYREPORTEDONINAPREVIOUSVOLUMEOFTHISJOURNALHARRIS,2000WASTOEXPLORETHEACTUALIMPACTOFREGULATIONONSMALLF
16、IRMSWHERETHEREISANOBSERVEDLACKOFCURRENTEMPIRICALEVIDENCETHEINITIALSURVEYOF200SMESWASUNDERTAKENIN1999THROUGHANACASREGIONALENQUIRYTOIDENTIFYTHESOURCESOWNERMANAGERSUSEDTOOBTAINSPECIALISTADVICEONEMPLOYMENTMATTERS,THEIRPREFERREDSOURCESANDTHOSEISSUESCURRENTLYCAUSINGTHEMOSTCONCERNSIGNIFICANTCONCERNSWEREREV
17、EALEDAMONGOWNERMANAGERSABOUTTHEEXTENTANDIMPACTOFEMPLOYMENTLEGISLATIONANDRAISEDQUESTIONSABOUTSMALLFIRMCAPABILITYTODEVELOPPROACTIVEHRPRACTICESTHATREFLECTEDTHESPIRITASWELLASTHELETTEROFTHELAWITIDENTIFIEDTHENEEDFORFURTHERRESEARCHINTOHOWREGULATIONWASIMPACTINGONAPPROACHESTOTHEEMPLOYMENTCONCERNSREVEALEDBYTH
18、ESURVEYSUGGESTEDTHATSMEOWNERMANAGERSCOULDBEFACINGSOMETHINGOF“AWATERSHED“INTERMSOFTHEIROBSERVEDRELIANCEONINFORMALITYINMANAGINGEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSHIPCULLYETAL,1999）THELIMITATIONSOFSURVEYEVIDENCEOFTHETYPEGENERATEDBYTHEINITIALSTUDYARERECOGNIZEDCURRANETAL,1991）ITESSENTIALLYREPRESENTEDA“SNAPSHOTINTIME“FUR
19、THERMORE,THESURVEYHADBEENUNDERTAKENIMMEDIATELYPRIORINTRODUCEDBYTHEEMPLOYMENTACT1999ANDBEFORETHELOWERINGOFTHEQUALIFYINGSERVICEFORCLAIMINGUNFAIRDISMISSALCOULDHAVEANIMPACTRECOGNIZINGTHENEEDFORMORE“INDEPTH“RESEARCHINTOTHEIMPACTOFREGULATIONONSMES,THEAIMSOFTHESECONDSTAGEOFTHERESEARCHWASTOEXPLORETHROUGHASE
20、RIESOFCASESTUDIESTHEEXPERIENCEOFEMPLOYMENTREGULATIONATTHELEVELOFTHEINDIVIDUALFIRMRESPONSESTOINCREASINGREGULATIONOFTHEEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSHIPTHEREGULATORYIMPACTDESPITEALIMITEDDEGREEOFPOLICYINTERESTBUTRATHERGREATERMEDIAATTENTIONINTHESUGGESTEDADVERSEEFFECTSOFESCALATINGEMPLOYMENTRIGHTSONSMALLERBUSINESSES
21、BECKET,1999BROWN,2001,THERECONTINUESTOBELITTLEACADEMICRESEARCHONTHESUBJECTGOODMANETAL,1998MARLOWANDSTRANGE,2001INTHEMID1970S,CLIFTONANDTATTONBROWN1979）UNDERTOOKASURVEYFORTHEDEPARTMENTOFEMPLOYMENTINTOTHEEFFECTSOFTHELASTMAJOREXPANSIONOFEMPLOYEERIGHTSLEGISLATIONON300SMALLFIRMSINOVERHALFTHEPARTICIPATING
22、COMPANIESTHEREWASNOATTEMPTTOKEEPABREASTOFTHELEGISLATIONANDTHISFIGUREROSETOTWOTHIRDSINTHESMALLESTCOMPANIESEVANSETAL1985CONDUCTEDAREVIEWOFTHEIMPACTOFUKUNFAIRDISMISSALLAWONEMPLOYMENTPRACTICEATTHEHEIGHTOFTHE“PUSH“FORDEREGULATIONTHISSUGGESTEDTHATSMESWEREOVERREPRESENTEDININDUSTRIALNOWEMPLOYMENTTRIBUNALSTA
23、TISTICSDUETOAPROPENSITYTODISMISSWITHOUTFOLLOWINGADEQUATEPROCEDURESANDMAKINGINSTANTANEOUSDECISIONSWHICHBREACHEDEMPLOYEESCONCEPTSOFNATURALJUSTICESCOTTETAL1989OBSERVEDTHATTHE“MINIMALISTMANAGEMENT“APPROACHTOLABORRELATIONSREMAINEDTHEPREFERREDOPTIONFORSMEOWNERMANAGERSWITH18OUTOF30CASESTUDYCOMPANIESFORMALL
24、YINFRINGINGEMPLOYERSLEGALDUTIESLARGELYDUETOIGNORANCEOFLEGISLATIVEREQUIREMENTSEARNSHAWETALSSTUDYFORTHEDTI1998REPORTEDACONTINUINGPREFERENCEFORINFORMALAPPROACHESTOEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSINSMALLFORMSBUTAMARKEDABSENCEOFOBJECTIONSINPRINCIPLETOTHEINTRODUCTIONOFFORMALPROCEDURESTHEREWAS,HOWEVER,AREPORTEDRESENTME
25、NTOFTHETIMEANDCOSTSSTEMMINGFROMTHEEXPANSIONOFREGULATION,THEAUTHORSSURVEYHARRIS,2000SUPPORTEDTHISVIEWBUTFOUNDTHATTHEMAJOREMPLOYMENTCONCERNSOFOWNERMANAGERSREMAINEDTHOSEREPORTEDBYCLIFTONANDTATTONBROWNSSURVEYTWODECADESEARLIERHANDINGDIFFICULTEMPLOYEERELATIONSISSUESSUCHASDISCIPLINARYCASES,DISMISSALSANDRED
26、UNDANCIESCONTINUEDTOBETHEMAINPREOCCUPATIONNOTUNSURPRISINGLY,SMALLBUSINESSESWEREFOUNDTOBEPARTICULARLYDEPENDENTONEXTERNALADVISORYSERVICESBUTTHEREWASANIDENTIFIEDNEEDFOEADIFFERENTTYPEOFSUPPORTTHESUPPORTSOUGHTBYSMEOWNERMANAGERSPOLARIZEDINTOEITHERUSINGFREEADVISORYSERVICESASAQUICKSOURCEOFINFORMATIONORRELYI
27、NGONEXPENSIVEPAIDSPECIALISTLEGALASSISTANCEWHENPROBLEMSAROSEANAPPROACHWHICHENCOURAGESADVERSARIALRELATIONSHIPSBYPLACINGTHEEMPHASISON“WINNINGANDLOSING”CASESWHICHISHARDLYCONDUCIVETOTHEDEVELOPMENTOFPROGRESSIVEHRPOLICIESITINDICATEDTHATMOREATTENTIONNEEDEDTOBEPAIDTOBOTHTHETYPEOFSERVICESAVAILABLETOSMEOWNERMA
28、NAGERSTOSUPPORTTHEDEVELOPMENTOFMOREPROACTIVEEMPLOYMENTPOLICIESANDTHEIRWILLINGNESSTOAVAILTHEMSELVESOFSUCHSERVICESMETHODOLOGYASTHEOBJECTIVEOFTHESECONDPHASEOFTHESTUDYWASTOOBTAINMOREQUALITATIVEDATAONTHEEFFECTSOFREGULATIONONAPPROACHESTOEMPLOYMENTISSUESATTHELEVELOFINDIVIDUALSMALLFIRMS,ITWASDECIDEDTHATCOND
29、UCTING“INDEPTH”CASESTUDIESWOULDBELIKELYTOGENERATETHEMOSTINSIGHTSTHEADVANTAGEOFEXPLORINGREGULATORYIMPACTTROUGHACASESTUDYAPPROACHWASTHATTHEPARTICULARCHARACTERISTICSOFTHESMALLBUSINESSCONTEXTCOULDBEADDRESSEDTOADEGREENOTOFFEREDBYTHEMETHODSYIN,1993THEREPORTEDSTUDIESESSENTIALLYDESCRIBEHOWOWNERMANAGERSPERCE
30、IVEDTHELEGISLATIONWASIMPACTINGONTHEIRBUSINESSESANDEMPLOYMENTPROCESSESTHESELECTEDSMESAMPLEANDTHEISSUESTOBEEXPLOREDWERESIGNIFICANTLYINFORMEDBYTHEDATAPROVIDEDBYTHEEARLIERSURVEYINTHEABSENCEOFANYIDENTIFIABLESECTORALPATTERNS,ITWASDECIDEDTOCONCENTRATEONTHEEXTENTOFACOMMONAPPROACHTOREGULATIONAMONGFIRMSOFASIM
31、ILARSIZECHAPMAN,1999THESURVEYHADREVEALEDTHECRITICALTHRESHOLDFORAPPOINTINGADESIGNATEDHRSPECIALISTTOCOMPANIESWITH100EMPLOYEESORMOREINSUCHFIRMSTHERESPONSIBILITYFOREMPLOYMENTISSUESWASFOUNDTOBEEVENLYSPLITBETWEENADESIGNATEDDIRECTOR,MANAGERANDANHRSPECIALIST,WHILEINTHESMALLESTCOMPANIES,WITH25EMPLOYEESORLESS
32、,THERESPONSIBILITYLAYALMOSTUNIVERSALLYWITHTHEOWNERWITHTHISINMIND,THEINTENTIONWASTOLIMITTHESAMPLETOCOMPANIESWITH25TO100EMPLOYEESAFURTHERRATIONALEFORSELECTINGCOMPANIESWITH25TO100EMPLOYEESWASTHATCOMPANIESOFTHISSIZEACCOUNTFORAPPROXIMATELYHALFOFALLUKWORKPLACESCULLYETAL,1998THEYAREALSOTHEGROUPOFEMPLOYERSM
33、OSTLIKELYTOHAVETODEALWITHISSUESARISINGFROMEMPLOYMENTRIGHTSWITHOUTHAVINGACCESSTOINTERNALHREXPERTISEDISCUSSIONSWITHTHEFOURINITIALCOMPANIESREVEALEDASTRONGLYHELDPERCEPTIONTHATTHEBURDENOFLEGISLATIONFELLMOSTHEAVILYONFORMSOFTHEIRSIZE,WHEREASSMALLERENTERPRISESINTHESAMEOCCUPATIONALGROUPCOULD“AFFORDTORUNMORER
34、ISKS”ANDTHUSREMAINMORECOMPETITIVETOEXPLORETHISFURTHER,THESAMPLEWASEXTENDEDTOINCLUDETWOCOMPANIESWITHLESSTAN25EMPLOYEESTHESIXCASESTUDYCOMPANIESWEREENGAGEDINMANUFACTURING,PRINTINGANDRECRUITMENTSERVICESANDHALFHADRECOGNIZEDTRADEUNIONSTHISLASTCHARACTERISTICMADETHESAMPLERATHERUNTYPICALOFUKSMALLERCOMPANIESB
35、ASEDONTHELASTWORKPLACEEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSSURVEYEVIDENCECULLYETAL,1998WHICHREPORTEDTHATSMETRADEUNIONRECOGNITIONRANGEDFROM7PERCENTAT“STANDALONE”SITESTO25PERCENTINSMALLMULTIPLESTHEFOURLARGERCASESTUDYCOMPANIESWEREKNOWNTOTHEAUTHORTHROUGHPERSONALPROFESSIONALCONTACTTHISHADTHESIGNIFICANTADVANTAGEOFAFAMILIAR
36、ITYWITHTHECOMPANIESAPPROACHESTOEMPLOYMENTRELATIONSOVERAPERIODOFSEVERALYEARSTHROUGHCUMULATIVEPARTICIPANTOBSERVATIONITISACKNOWLEDGEDTHATADEGREEOFSEVERALYEARSTHROUGHCUMULATIVEPARTICIPANTOBSERVATIONITISACKNOWLEDGEDTHATADEGREEOFBIASISINEVITABLEINANYCASESTUDYSAMPLEPARTLYDUETOADEGREEOFSELFSELECTIONSTEMMING
37、FROMTHEWILLINGNESSTOPARTICIPATEFOREXAMPLE,ATEXTILECOMPANYWHICHHADORIGINALLYAGREEDTOPARTICIPATESUBSEQUENTLYEXPERIENCEDREDUNDANCIESANDARELATEDTRIBUNALCASESOWITHDREWDUETOA“SENSITIVEEMPLOYEERELATIONS”CLIMATEFIVEOUTOFTHESIXCOMPANIESHADBEENATTHERECEIVINGENDOFPOTENTIALEMPLOYMENTTRIBUNALCASESALTHOUGHONLYONE
38、HADACLAIMWHICHHADPROCEEDEDANDTHEBEENFOUNDAGAINSTTHEEMPLOYERATTHETRIBUNALHEARINGNONEOFTHECOMPANIESEMPLOYEDAFULLTIMEQUALIFIEDPERSONNELSPECIALIST,ALTHOUGHTHREEOFTHECOMPANIESHADADESIGNATEDSENIORPERSONINTHATROLE,ALLOFWHOMREPORTEDTHATTHISASPECTOFTHEIRWORKWASNOWSUBSUMINGMOSTOFTHEIRTIMETHEMETHODOFENQUIRYWAS
39、“INDEPTH”SEMISTRUCTUREDINTERVIEWSWITHEITHERTHEOWNERORADESIGNATEDSENIORMANAGERRESPONSIBLEFOREMPLOYMENTMATTERSINTWOINSTANCES,THEREWASTHEOPPORTUNITYTOCONDUCTINTERVIEWSWITHTHEEMPLOYEEREPRESENTATIVESRECOGNIZEDBYTHECOMPANYRESPONDENTSWEREENCOURAGEDTODESCRIBETHEIREXPERIENCESOFREGULATIONASTHEYHADEXPERIENCEDI
40、TWITHINTHEIROWNORGANIZATIONALCONTEXTBURGESS,1982THEENSUINGNARRATIVESNOTONLYPROVIDEDARICHNESSOFDETAILGEERTZ,1973BUTALSOREFLECTIONSONTHERATIONALEOFORGANIZATIONALDECISIONMAKINGTHROUGHARECONSTRUCTIONOFPASTEMPLOYEERELATIONSSCENARIOSJOUMALOFSMALLBUSINESSANDENTERPRISEDEVELOPMENT2002P296306译文小公司应对雇佣改革琳内特哈里斯
41、本文调查了从业主经理模式到雇佣关系模式的雇员调整给私营企业带来的影响。之前的许多研究报告没有提出原则性针对雇佣权力扩张的反对意见。新近立法带来的累积影响在业主经理们看来正在削减他们的竞争力，因为它给小企业提出了很多费钱费力的要求。很多案例研究表明公司的雇佣手续早已走上了越来越正规化的道路，这在很大程度上是为了保护其决议不受可能发生的诉讼影响。撇开眼前的现实利益不说，这一与日俱增的程序化趋势被认定将有害于小企业的随意性和灵活性，而这是高效工作关系的两大决定性因素。持续的招聘困难，连同加大调整带来的成本攀升让大多数的案例研究公司更倾向于选择把钱投到自动化操作技术和节省劳力的设备上面，从而替代劳动力
42、数量的扩张。管理和政策指示改革雇佣体制的现象越来越多，但是几乎没有具体显示业主经理们对此有什么原则性的反对意见。不过，他们倒是越来越担心由此产生的累积效应会给中小企业的运营现状带来很大程度上的冲击，进而影响其竞争力和适应力。改革的方式以及业主经理之间的雇佣关系因企业而定，且与各个个体机构的具体环境紧密融合。反应性与先进性的水平很大程度上取决于每个业主经理的价值观和知识系统，取决于该机构的历史、工会的存在与否，并且还取决于劳动者本身的觉醒程度。随着改革的增多，成本指示、费时本质以及诉讼率的上升等情况很可能促使企业像采取最高标准那样去采取最低标准，而不是为雇佣问题寻找更契合实际的应对方式。中小企业
43、希望为其提供的支持型服务能够在雇佣问题上提供富有新意的解决之道，在雇员关系的正规与非正规之间提供一种平衡。雇佣体制改革的水准不断攀升，加之持续的技术人才短缺和招募困难，中小企业服务社会、创造就业的任务将面临困境。介绍据统计，在联合国逐步增长的就业审裁数据中，牵涉到小公司的比例高得离谱（狄更斯等，1995），并且小公司由于程序缺陷正在经历越来越多的败诉（特雷姆利特和班勒杰，1994）。针对小企业的研究不仅显示了判决后果风险有所增加，而且研究结果还显示“非正式”是小企业改善就业关系的显著特征（瑞妮，1989；雷恩，1994；马特里，1999）。就业法律管辖范围的扩大和诉讼问题成本的不断攀升极大地挑
44、战了这种非正式方式的可持续性。要实现正式程序和非正式雇佣关系的平衡，就必然给一个较难获得内部人力资源领域带来特殊挑战（马特里，1999）。本文讨论的核心是雇用改革在小企业中是如何对控制水平和自由行使裁量权之间的微妙平衡产生影响的。沃森（1999，P29）将此描述为在“直接控制/低承诺”和“间接控制/高承诺”之间做出的雇佣关系的战略选择。杰斐逊（1997年）提出，在过去的30年中劳动法已经成为了使经济、政治和社会理论相冲突的最重要领域之一。在工作场所，法律干预在人力资源如何发展和变化方面发挥了很大作用，它是战略人力资源规划中的一个关键因素，并导致实践中的根本转变。本文的写作目的既不是是回顾改革就
45、业关系的支持和反对意见，也不是审查欧盟“民主合法性”（贝尔卡森，1999），而是要考虑不断增加的外部监管会对管理小企业雇佣关系的方法会产生怎样的影响。这也一直是学术文献广泛讨论的主题，尤其在围绕劳动力市场灵活性的辩论中以及雇佣体制调整对不同工作格局的发展所起的作用方面处于主导地位（布鲁斯特，1998；卡曾斯，1997）。本文探讨的这些研究目的，以及在本期刊之前某一卷上报告的初步调查都是为了探寻改革对小企业的实际影响，但目前还存在观察到的经验证据不足的情况。对200家中小企业进行的最初调查是在1999年进行的，我们通过ACAS的区域查询以确定业主经理用来获取关于雇佣问题的专家建议的来源，他们的首
46、选来源，以及那些目前正在引发极大忧虑的问题。调查所产生的初步研究类型的证据予以确认（柯伦等，1991）。它本质上是一种“时间快照”。此外,调查还了就业状况，并在1999年创优质服务下降请求赔偿的不公平解雇中起到积极的作用和深远的影响。认识到有必要将更多的对中小企业影响的规定，运用到实践中去。该研究的第二阶段的目的是通过一系列案例“深入”地探索研究就业在个别企业水平调控的经验。对雇用关系的增长章程反应。管理的影响尽管有限程度的政策利益但是相当多的是媒介注意对小企业来说有不利影响（贝克特，1999，布朗，2001），但仍然仅存在于一些学术研究课题中（古德曼等，1998；马洛和奇异，2001）。70
47、年代中期，克利夫顿和塔顿布朗1979进行了一次调查在300家小企业中扩建立法劳工权益，其中招聘部门的影响较大。在超过一半的参展公司中，在是否试图保持的立法步伐这一问题进行统计，结果占参展公司的三分之二。埃文斯等人（1985）进行了对英国的不公平解雇法对就业的影响的调查。斯科特等人（1989）指出，中小企业业主仍采用“最低限度管理”的方式来处理劳资关系。恩肖等人研究的英国贸工部（1998）报告显示，持续偏爱雇佣关系的形式较为普遍，这样的雇佣方式形式比较小，但该种雇佣方式显然缺乏介绍等正式手续。据报作者的调查（哈里斯,2000支持以上这一观点，但是却发现主要管理人员的就业问题和克利夫顿和布朗的调查
48、二十年前的报告相同。例如违纪案件移交困难员工关系的问题，解雇和裁员仍然是主要关注的问题等等。研究结果表明需要支付两种更多关注性的服务,积极的支持中小企业所有者就业政策的发展，并充分利用这种服务。方法研究的第二个阶段的宗旨是获得对个人小企业而言影响就业问题规定的稳定性的数据,它决定开展的深入案例研究可能会创造更多地见解。探索管理影响个案研究法的优势是，小型企业的特殊特征可以不依赖于研究方法提供的程度发展殷，1993。研究报道从本质上描述企业所有者通过立法如何影响他们的业务和就业过程。早期调查提供的数据显示了SME的规模和有待探究的问题。在缺乏任何可辨认的口头模式的情况下，它决定在规模相同的公司集
49、中精力去规定一个共同的办法查普曼，1999。调查表明企业里委任指定的人力资源专家的关键人数有100名或更多。在这些公司，发现就业问题的责任在指定的董事、经理和人事专家之间被均匀地分割了，而在仅有25个员工甚至更少的小型公司，责任几乎普遍依赖业主，考虑到这一点，有意图地把公司的规模缩减到有25到100个员工。一个更进一步的理论依据，当选择有25到100员工的公司，这种公司的规模是所有英国工作场所的一半古累等，1998。没有人力资源专业知识的雇主团体也很有可能要用就业权利去处理产生的问题。四个初始公司在他们的规模上有很严重的立法负担，因此企业在同一群体中可以承担更多的风险和保持更多的竞争力。为了进一步探究这个问题，规模扩展到了包括少于25个员工的两家公司。据英国的最后一个工作场所雇佣关系证据调查报告显示（古累等。1998），中小企业工会的认可范围从7增长到25，这是经过几年的累积参与观察得以显现的。这一报告承认了一定程度的偏见是不可避免的,在任何情况下,研究样本的部分原因是由于某种程度的契约出于参与意愿而产生的。例如，一个纺织公司原先同意参加，但随后却经历了裁员和退出等“敏感的劳资关系”的相关法庭案例。六家公司的其中五家在接收潜在就业的情况下,只有一家被发现进行反对雇主在法庭参加听证会。大多数公司都没有雇用一位全职合格的专家，虽然三家公
