DDBA 8303 Small-Scale Qualitative Research Project Write-Up

by

Name

Doctor of Business Administration Prospectus – Name of DBA Specialization

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

of

Doctor of Business Administration

Walden University

Student ID: A0000000

 Small-Scale Qualitative Research Project Write-Up

Background of the Problem

In today's business world, HR laws and regulations form the ethical framework of

how HR professionals will work in an organization (Tursunbayeva et al., 2022). A good

HR professional with the proper support will lead the company well. In contrast, a lack of

a support system can make HR not efficiently administer their roles and responsibilities.

Both large and small businesses are required to be compliant with HR laws. However, in

both contexts, there exists a disparity in the challenges and complexities that each

business entity faces. Often, small businesses encounter more challenges and

complexities in navigating the regulatory environment. Small businesses have the highest

number globally than large businesses and have the highest number of employees

combined. Small businesses are the backbone of every country's economy (Das, 2021).

However, small businesses need more clarity regarding HR compliance. Small businesses

need to understand these challenges, explore how they can be solved, and apply the

necessary strategies to help these business entities be competitive in the marketplace.

HR professionals in large businesses have a relatively easy time navigating the

HR complexities due to their ability to sustain other departments with experts who help

them navigate the challenges and complexities that come while following HR laws and

regulations. Financial stability also contributes to large businesses maneuvering through

the HR challenges and complexities. Small businesses, on the other hand, need to have

these departments or experts who guide the company, which makes the company face

numerous challenges when trying to achieve its goals and navigating the HR rules and

regulations. Small businesses also need the financial ability to deal with or cope with the
challenges of HR rules and regulations. It further complicates the process. Financial

stability helps HR professionals stay updated on the laws and regulations of their work by

ensuring that they can get the proper support from internal or external forces, pay their

workers on time, and pay the necessary revenues to the authorities. Failure to comply

with HR laws can negatively impact an organization's operations. Both big and small

businesses can face legal liabilities, financial penalties, and damage to reputation when

they fail to observe the HR laws and regulations.

Research Problem

The research problem in this essay is to understand the challenges that small

businesses face in complying with HR laws and regulations and to examine the strategies

that can be used to ensure smooth compliance with the laws by the employees and

anyone working in the company. HR professionals need these guides to help them steer

their businesses in the right direction. Small businesses attract a diverse population of

employees; in the collection, these employees are numerous and can even be millions

globally. However, their ability to comply with the company's culture depends on how

well the HR administers the roles given. Effective HR laws and regulations make

employees' lives smooth and motivating, while poor HR administrations make employees

unmotivated and affect the general output of the small business. Recognizing the

challenges affecting HR professionals while trying to perform their roles and regulations

is essential in ensuring these businesses' excellent performance and sustainability.

Following HR laws and regulations helps in solving numerous issues.

Significance of Understanding the Challenges and Compliance Strategies for

HR Laws and Regulations in Small HR Businesses

 First, legal penalties are avoided when small business entities comply with HR

rules and regulations (Angeles, 2022). Often, local authorities make several visits to

small business entities to ensure that they have the necessary documentation and permits

that allow them to run the businesses. These permits include TAX compliances and if the

products produced align with the set standards. Also, when authorities visit a business

entity and find poor working conditions, the small businesses are always at risk of legal

charges. Noncompliance can result in costly lawsuits, fines, and damage to a company's

reputation, potentially leading to financial instability or even closure. By identifying and

addressing these challenges, this research can help reduce legal risks for small HR

businesses. Also, small businesses should be able to compete with big businesses. Small

businesses often face massive competition due to lacking resources and noncompliance

with HR roles and regulations (Das, 2021). Effective HR compliance allows small

businesses to attract and retain top talent, improving their competitiveness. By studying

the strategies employed by small HR businesses to comply with HR laws and regulations,

this research can offer insights into how these businesses can better position themselves

in the job market.

Interview Questions

Question 1

How familiar are you with the laws and regulations affecting small HR

businesses? This question aims to gauge the interviewee’s knowledge of the laws and

regulations of small HR businesses.

Question 2
 What are the HR laws and regulations that small HR businesses find hard to

comply with?

This question was asked purposely to identify every law and regulation that

causes a challenge for HR professionals when they are administering their duties.

Question 3

Can you provide some instances when you faced a challenge in complying with

the HR laws and regulations? How did you respond?

By asking this question, the research aimed to get a glimpse of practical situations

of challenges that the interviewee faced when administering their HR roles and

regulations.

Question 4

What resources are available to ensure you remain updated on the laws and

regulations to increase compliance?

This question explored the resources that increased HR professionals' ability and

continuous improvement of their roles and responsibilities in the HR landscape.

Data Collection (Interview Transcripts)

Interviewee 1

Interviewer

Thank you for taking your time and giving us attention to participate in our study.

We want to understand your experiences with HR laws and regulations in small HR

businesses. So, the first question is:

Question 1
 How familiar are you with the laws and regulations affecting small HR

businesses?

Interviewee 1 Response 1

I have been a member of this organization for five years now. During this

duration, I have learned a lot about the laws and regulations and their effects on small HR

organizations such as this one.

Question 2

What are the HR laws and regulations that small HR businesses find hard to

comply with?

Interviewee 1 Response 2

Some HR laws and regulations I find needing to be followed in my organization

include the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for employee health coverage, Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulations, and fair labor standards.

Question 3

Can you provide some instances when you faced a challenge in complying with

the HR laws and regulations? How did you respond?

Interviewee Response 3

Working in the HR department in a small-scale organization is sometimes

challenging, making it possible to find yourself unable to comply with HR laws and

regulations. One of the instances where I went against the law was during the review of

the compensation for overtime work. Due to the organization's inability to meet its

revenue targets, we were forced to pay the employees with their consent or full
explanation. I, however, responded by proposing a review of the compensation plan to

ensure no repeat of such violations.

Question 4

What resources are available to ensure you remain updated on the laws and

regulations to increase compliance?

Interviewee Response 4

To ensure I am updated, the resources I use include business journals and

documentaries. I also engage with people from different business backgrounds and

organizations to learn more about the changes in laws and regulations.

Interviewee 2

Interviewer: We appreciate your making time to participate in our study

Question 1

How familiar are you with the laws and regulations affecting small HR

businesses?

Respond 1:

I have been in this field for quite some time now, over seven years now, and I

have worked with several small HR businesses. I am familiar with the laws and

regulations that impact them.

Question 2

What are the HR laws and regulations that small HR businesses find hard to

comply with?

Response 2
 Small HR businesses often need help with various aspects of HR compliance,

particularly the intricacies of wage and hour laws, employee classification, and

documentation requirements.

Question 3

Can you provide some instances when you faced a challenge in complying with

the HR laws and regulations? How did you respond?

Response 3

There was a situation where the Department of Labor audited our organization.

During the audit, it was revealed that we had misclassified some employees as exempt

from overtime when they were non-exempt. We faced a significant financial penalty due

to this misclassification. To respond, we worked closely with legal counsel to rectify the

situation and implemented a comprehensive HR compliance training program for our

staff.

Question 4

What resources are available to ensure you remain updated on the laws and

regulations to increase compliance?

Response 4

Staying updated on HR laws and regulations is critical. I regularly attend HR

conferences and webinars, subscribe to industry publications, and have established a

network of HR professionals with whom I discuss regulatory changes. Additionally, we

engage legal consultants to provide guidance and updates as needed.

Data Analysis (Coding and Theme Analysis)1

Table X depicts the coding and theme analysis.

1
Question/Response Response # Interviewee Themes

Response/Codes

Q/1 Laws and Knowledge of HR

regulations in HR Laws and

1 Regulations

2 Five years in the Experience in HR

organization Law and Regulation

Compliance

3 ACA, OSHA, fair Specific HR Laws

labor standards and Regulations

Q/2 1 ACA, OSHA, fair Challenging HR

labor standards Laws and

Regulations

Q/3 1 Compensation for Challenges in HR

overtime work Law Compliance

2 Response to HR

Review of the Law Compliance

compensation plan Challenges

1 Business journals, Resources for

documentaries Staying Updated on

Q/4 HR Laws

2 Engagement with

professionals
 Presentation of Findings

Theme 1: Knowledge of HR Laws and Regulations

The interview question seeks varying levels of familiarity with HR laws and

regulations. Both interviewees have varying levels of experience, and thus, their

familiarity with HR laws and regulations varies. The second interviewee's long

experience shows how knowledge of HR roles and regulations can be gained with time.

This theme highlights the importance of understanding small business HR laws and

regulations. Acknowledging HR roles and regulations is crucial. The first step in

achieving this is complying with HR roles and regulations and asking questions where

things are unclear. The theme emphasizes that complying with the HR roles and

regulations can help professionals navigate the complexities of HR law compliance

effectively.

Theme 2: Experience in HR Law and Regulation Compliance

Work experiences help not only in complying with the roles and regulations but

also in understanding them. The second interviewee has had seven years, which is longer

than the first interviewer, and this brings a difference in how both comply well with the

HR roles and regulations (Dhanpat et al., 2020). The first interviewer might be complying

with the HR roles and regulations while needing to understand how they assist fully.

However, the second interviewer will comply fully with the rules and regulations since

they comprehensively understand how they assist them in navigating the challenges of

HR roles and regulations. This theme highlights that experience is the determinant of

effective compliance. Through experience, professionals understand the importance of

complying with HR roles and regulations.

Theme 3: Specific HR Laws and Regulations

The first interviewee points to laws such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulations that need careful

understanding from HR professionals in order for them to adhere to these rules well and

meet everyone’s expectations. The second employee insists on wage and hour laws,

employee classification, and documentation requirements as the challenging aspects of

HR compliance. Complying with HR roles and regulations requires HR professionals to

know how to strictly adhere to all the roles that form fair and labor standards in business

entities (Islam et al., 2020). For the roles that need to be clarified, HR professionals

should consult with concerned agencies and other authorities in order to comprehensively

execute the roles. These specific laws and regulations often present small HR businesses

with complexities due to their intricacies and changing nature. This theme highlights the

importance of identifying the specific HR laws and regulations that pose compliance

challenges, as addressing these areas is crucial for improved compliance.

Theme 4: Challenging HR Laws and Regulations

Challenging HR roles is an extension of specific HR laws and regulations. This

theme explains why these specific laws and regulations are challenging to comply with;

wage and working hours are examples of roles that need careful record-keeping and

analyses. Wage can be a difficult task to comply with due to the company’s struggle to

pay revenues and also the tough economic time that a country exposes its individuals and

organizations (Loayza & Pennings, 2020). With a poor finance system or a lack of

compensation, HR professionals face myriad challenges when trying to lure employees

into achieving the company’s goals and mission (Budhwar et al., 2023). It highlights the
importance of recognizing that some laws and regulations correlate with the current

situation of the company's performance, such as the financial performance and the zeal to

accomplish a specific task within a given deadline. These challenges threaten the laws

and regulations that HR professionals are supposed to comply with, and thus, finding

innovative and effective strategies to deal with them is essential as it ensures compliance

and avoids legal consequences.

Theme 5: Challenges in HR Law Compliance

The first interviewee recalls an incident where the company could not pay its

workers for overtime. The interviewee suggested that the company should review its

compensation plan. It shows that while administering their roles in a company, HR

professionals should be prepared to face threatening situations that will call for reforms in

the business’s operation plans. This theme highlights that conflicts might arise between

the HR and the employees as a real problem that HR professionals face when complying

with their HR laws and regulations. These challenges may arise from a poor plan for the

operations of a business entity, poor budgetary allocations, and an unpreparedness of the

company. Failure to deal with these challenges might have significant implications,

including legal cases and financial penalties. Identifying and understanding these

challenges is essential to address compliance effectively, improve processes, and prevent

potential future crises.

Theme 6: Response to HR Law Compliance Challenges

Both interviews provide insights into how they respond to challenges in

complying with HR roles and regulations. The first interviewee recalls the company

struggling to pay its workers overtime work due to it struggling to gain its intended
profits. The interviewee recalls proposing a compensation plan that would work for the

company. The second interviewee also recalls a scenario where the company

misclassified employees, resulting in a penalty. The response involved seeking legal

counsel, rectifying the misclassification, and implementing a comprehensive HR

compliance training program. It illustrates the significance of seeking external expertise,

rectifying mistakes, and enhancing employee education to address compliance issues

effectively. Responses often include internal process improvements, legal consultation,

and training programs (Minbaeva, 2021). This theme shows the importance of refining

systems and adapting to the changes when faced with complexities and challenges.

Theme 7: Resources for Staying Updated on HR Laws

When leading people, staying updated with the evolving landscape of HR roles

and regulations is always nice. According to the first interviewee, sources of information

for HR professionals are business journals and documentaries. The second interviewee

emphasizes the importance of staying updated by attending HR conferences and

webinars, subscribing to industry publications, and establishing a network of HR

professionals. This theme highlights the different ways in which HR professionals can

stay updated with the evolving landscape of HR roles and regulations. It highlights the

significance of diversifying information sources, including journals, documentaries,

professional networks, industry events, and legal consultation. Staying updated is crucial,

given the continuous evolution of HR regulations and the potential legal and financial

consequences of noncompliance noncompliance (Kayode-Ajala, 2023).

Conclusion

HR professionals are people entrusted with the power to run a company, either
hired or promoted from within the company (Yam & Skorburg, 2021). Also, HR

professionals can be people who have started their small businesses and have entitled

themselves to the position of HR. The level of familiarity with HR roles and regulations

varies among HR professionals. HR professional’s experience enhances this familiarity.

During work, one can observe other HR professionals' work structure and work habits,

read journals, and get skills from workshops and training to be competent when

administering their roles. Continuous learning is essential in developing expertise to

effectively navigate HR law compliance (Hamouche, 2021). Also, HR professionals can

seek advice from their employees who were once HR professionals at their previous

workplaces. Through sharing, HR professionals can understand how to navigate the

challenges they might face while administering their roles and regulations. While

administering HR roles and regulations, it is essential to note challenging landscapes such

as Wage and hour laws, employee classification, and documentation requirements that

need a targeted strategy to address them effectively. By leveraging their knowledge,

experience, and diverse resources, small HR businesses can effectively navigate the

complex landscape of HR laws and regulations, ensuring legal compliance, mitigating

risks, and fostering long-term sustainability.

/
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