Essay: Supportive role of HR

Introduction
The aim of this report is to support the retention of the HR function within Gatwick Airport Limited by demonstrating how the HR department supports the organisations strategy and how HR professionals support line managers and employees within the organisation.
How 3 HR/LD Activities Support the Organisations Strategy
Managing Employee Relations
HR supports the organisation in managing employee relations by enabling managers to balance the interests of the employer with the interests of the employee. The purpose of employee relations is to promote good working relationships. The main factor in employee relations can be conflict and how to manage conflicting situations between management and employees. HR supports the organisation by providing clear guidelines and policies for Disciplinary, Capability and Grievance. It is also important for an organisation to gain the buy in of all employees to the organisations goals.
HR plays several roles within this process and they could be an advisory role in which advice is sought when an employee relations incident occurs. An administration type of role where you would take notes, set up meetings and type letters. A training role which is conducted to ensure that manager’s follow the correct processes and procedures. HR also play a role in introducing initiatives which can reduce absenteeism which will in turn reduce costs.
Managing the Human Capital
Brand Value – HR helps the organisation develop the brand through recruitment campaigns and initiatives such as investors in people. This involves developing a clear people strategy for the organisation which ensures that new and existing employees feel valued.  This can be anything from the recruitment process being defined by the organisations strategy and values to ensure the right people are recruited to ensuring a smooth on boarding and induction process. The expertise of the HR department is used to develop this process and ensure it is effective.
Culture – The HR department works to identify the culture of the organisation and if it is the right culture to meet the organisational goals. They then develop a strategy to change the culture if it is required to change. This is done by developing a people plan and imbedding that within the main business plan for the organisation. Part of that plan is based around training and development, reward and recognition and performance management. By driving the people plan the HR department can influence a change in the culture.
Quality of Management – The HR department supports the business in developing good people leaders through training and leadership courses. HR identifies the development needs for the organisation and then works with the best practice in their field to develop the management. They then offer on-going support and development.
Building a Workforce for the Future
The HR department works with the management to develop the workforce. They will conduct analysis of the workforce and then develop a strategy for the future. This can involve looking at the demographics of the workforce focusing on the diversification of the workforce and the ability to react to the climate of change. The HR department looks at several internal and external factors through a pestle analysis to enable them to develop the work force. They look at areas such as the local community demographics, the working environment, the economic climate, the evolving technological age and the legal environment.
3 Ways HR/LD Professionals Support Line Managers and Their Staff.
Performance Management
HR supports lines managers with performance management by providing clear policies and procedures to follow. They train line managers on how to implement the policies and how to drive the performance of their teams by supporting, coaching and training them. HR identifies ways in which they can motivate their teams to perform to a higher standard. The HR professional will utilise industry best practice to support with the performance management whilst ensuring that good performance is recognised as well as poor performance is managed. Poor performance is managed by training and coaching individuals and even managing them through capability. Good performance is recognised through recognition and reward programmes and also bonus schemes. Appraisals are also used to measure the performance of employees with the structure being researched and signed off by the HR team. The HR team then train the managers on the implementation and embedding of the appraisal process.
Driving Change
The HR team support line managers in driving change by aligning the people plans to the department plan or business plan. They work alongside each other and complement each other. The people plan is based around developing the business through the people and this will involve areas such as identifying and developing talent, succession planning, recruitment and driving the capability of the managers. Recruitment is crucial for driving change as you need to recruit the right people in to the right jobs. Identifying and developing talent is good for the business to drive change through internal development and succession planning is essential to enable the business to change rapidly.
Training and Development
The HR department is an integral part of the training and development of the organisation. They support line managers to identify development needs through performance management, appraisals and development programmes. The HR department introduces the initiatives for development and in most cases will trial run new initiatives. Training courses such as people leadership, influencing and driving change support the performance of the business. If you have well trained and well led people then this optimises performance and drives the business forward.
Conclusion
If the HR department was closed down this would lead to a lack of expertise within the business and the potential costs to the business could outweigh the cost of the HR department. The cost could be not only financial but there could be costs to the reputation, performance and value of the business. The HR department adds value to the business through innovation, support and professional expertise. All businesses need the support of a HR department to drive change and build a sustainable workforce for the future.  Without the HR department all of this would become the responsibility of the management and would stop them from focusing on the performance and operation of the business.