This is likely a common question in many businesses across many sectors, since by the very nature of a human resources department its members will have to get involved with a spectrum of issues across the organisation they work in. The monitoring and information gathering involved with the process of making informed decisions that follow company policy can be controversial, and sometimes employees and even top level management can be under the impression that HR departments add little value when the investment required to make them work is considered.

However, there are a huge range of reasons why HR departments do add value, and associations designed to support these departments have a lot of experience tackling exactly these kinds of issues while working in partnership with businesses and individuals. Some of these include:

1) Legal Protection

This is a major concern for many businesses, but also one that might not become a problem until it’s too late. This is why a HR department that specialises in employment law and keeps the rest of the top managers up to date with current issues and information. Minimising the potential risk of a costly legal case could add a huge amount of value further down the line.

2) People and Productivity

This is perhaps one of the more obvious functions of a HR department, but no less important to mention. Long term success in business is strongly linked to an ongoing interest in maximising efficiency and optimising work performance, which includes making the most of the talent and resources you have available and maintaining motivation to succeed across the board.

3) Planning

Without proper planning, even the best ideas for strategies can completely fail, and this is where some managers get confused about the value of thinking big without thinking small at the same time. An HR department that manages the particulars of a grand new strategy can be instrumental in its success, and without this kind of coordination many businesses have suffered in the past.