The role of the person external resource is to offer employees a listening space confidential, external to the company, including a neutral assessment of the situation.
In often-difficult situations, the prospect of being able to appeal to an external and confidential instance offers a flexible and fast alternative internal mechanism. Contact external is an effective way to prevent, defuse, or overcome a conflict situation or encountered difficulty. It allows avoiding that the situation worsens and generates a human and/or financial cost often high.
Furthermore, the possibility for employees to be able to appeal to people outside the company reassures and is inherently even a measure of prevention.