Why every company needs a HR department - Peta Fry

HR departments are vital to the running of most businesses, they understand the business you're in, the people involved and they build a framework that helps you manage your people risks, but they are flexible enough to adapt to your business needs.

HR departments are not purely in place to say to say "you can't do that", instead they appreciate what the organisation is trying to achieve, evaluate the risks and puts forward a number of approaches to achieve the goal, utilising the best practice approach.

From working with line managers to supporting the team and ultimately get the best from them; people working in HR will listen and help identify the necessary procedures to take in terms of optimising output and increasing results.

An active HR department will always encourage managers to deal with issues early and informally before they become a problem and there is a need to follow the formal HR procedures, though this is not always possible.

A key role the HR department will play is to have measures in place to retain essential and talented employees. Ultimately when staff do leave the company, it is imperative that the recruitment process is rolled out efficiently and effectively to bring in someone of equal or superior quality.

Your HR department will also help to manage budgets, making the business aware of potential additional costs early so they can be budgeted for and have benchmarks to ensure that rates remain competitive. This is all alongside, maintaining good records and ensuring that managers have reliable information when it's required, ultimately impacting on the bottom line.