What's the Difference Between HR and L&D?

Human resources (HR) and Learning and Development (L&D) are two critical functions within an organisation. They both play different roles in ensuring that employees are efficient, productive, and satisfied in their work roles. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at the differences between HR and L&D from the CIPD perspective.

Human resources (HR):

HR has a strategic role in any organisation playing a major part in setting its direction through workforce planning, reward strategy, learning and development strategies and playing a significant part in determining the organisation’s culture and communication strategy and to ensure that the goals of each member of the workforce are aligned to that of the organisation they work for. Operationally core functions include managing recruitment and onboarding, employee relations, compensation management, and performance management. HR is also responsible for ensuring the organisation’s compliance with regulatory and legal requirements related to the workforce.

HR is also typically responsible for creating and overseeing policies, procedures, and practices related to all aspects of employee management.

Learning and Development (L&D):

The role of L&D is to facilitate the development of employees' skills, knowledge, and personal growth. The L&D function helps employees improve their performance by providing them with relevant training and development opportunities through a variety of platforms, such as workshops, online courses, mentoring, and coaching.  A strategically aligned L&D function can play a major role in the success of the organisation through initiatives which are closely bonded to its aims and objectives.     

L&D operationally focuses on the individual learning needs of employees. They identify gaps and create bespoke learning and development programs that are aligned with business objectives. Such programs will also include career development and succession planning to ensure that employees have a clear path for career progression.

The key objectives of L&D are to empower employees to perform better, to build their confidence, and to grow their capabilities. This function creates an environment of continuous learning, where employees can develop their knowledge and skills to improve their performance and support organisational goals.

The Relationship between HR and L&D:

HR and L&D are irrevocably intertwined within an organisation.  Many HR professionals have L&D included within their job roles but where an organisation recognises that there are gains to be made from employing specialists in L&D to work in tandem with HR, significant competitive advantage can be achieved.  HR plays an essential role in facilitating communication between the management and employees and can identify areas where L&D can provide support by identifying gaps and creating designated learning programs.

One of the primary roles of L&D is to collaborate with HR to identify future skill requirements for the organisation's workforce. They work together to monitor performance, identify gaps in skills and knowledge, and establish development programs that will help fill these gaps and bridge the skills gap in the workforce.

HR and L&D are two essential functions that work together to ensure that an organisation's employees are efficient, productive, and satisfied. While HR focuses on aspects of people management such as recruitment, compensation management, and compliance, L&D is responsible for facilitating and guiding the continuous learning and development of employees.

Both HR and L&D are interdependent, and their collaboration can create a more robust and effective workforce. Ensuring that HR and L&D work together can help increase employee engagement, improve job satisfaction, and support business objectives, driving business outcomes through people's performance. To know which L&D and HR CIPD qualifications to complete check out our recent blog

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