Personnel management refers to the business functions that deal with people, whether it's hiring them, paying them, or training them.
However, personnel management
is a term that is falling into disuse, replaced by (or used interchangeably
with) the phrase "human resources management." A company's human
resources are its personnel—the people who are its employees. To manage them,
many companies today no longer have personnel departments and instead have
human resources departments.
Some consider personnel
management to be more administrative in scope—focused on forms and
paperwork—while human resources management more broadly endeavors to develop an
organization's people and its culture.
Or, in the case of new
hire orientation, the focus of a personnel management department might be to
ensure the paperwork is completed and filed properly, whereas a human resources
department would ensure that the new hire felt sufficiently briefed as to their
duties and responsibilities, focusing on setting up the employee for success.
New employee orientation might even include a formal mentoring program. Or, it
might involve opportunities for a meet-and-greet so the new employees get to know
people they will be working with as well as those in different
departments.
Whether personnel management
and human resources management are different in scope or interchangeable terms
often depends on the organization's own viewpoint.
Government agencies and
nonprofit organizations often still use the term personnel management to
describe the administrative tasks associated with managing their employees.
Personnel management is defined
as an administrative specialization that focuses on hiring and developing
employees to become more valuable to the company. It is sometimes considered to
be a sub-category of human resources that only focuses on administration.
Managing personnel concentrates
on certain administrative human resource categories. It includes job analyses,
strategic personnel planning, performance appraisals and benefit coordination.
It also involves recruitment, screening and new employee orientation and
training. Lastly, it involves wages, dispute resolution and other record
keeping duties.
Personnel management is
typically responsible for:
- Recruiting
- Hiring
- Determining
wages and salaries
- Administering
benefits
- Providing
employee incentives
- New
employee orientation
- Training
and development
- Performance
appraisals
For example, at the U.S. Office
of Personnel Management (OPM), the government department responsible for
managing federal employees, key functions include vetting potential new hires,
developing human resources policies, and administering benefits such as
pensions and health care. The department ensures oversight of various systems
to make sure employees are in compliance with regulations and handles the
adjudication of appeals when things go wrong.
Becoming a personnel manager or
human resources manager usually takes several years of experience plus a
bachelor's degree and, in some cases, a master's degree. However, this
occupation is expected to grow by 7% over the next decade and brings a median
salary of $116,720.
A personnel manager will direct and coordinate select human resources activities, such as benefits, training, hiring, compensation, labor relations and employee services. They will analyze salary data and reports to determine competitive compensation rates. They will write policies designed to guide department managers regarding compensation, employee benefits and equal employment opportunities. Personnel managers will act as legal counsel to ensure that company policies comply with state and federal laws.
They must develop and maintain a human resources system that meets the company’s information needs. Thus, personnel managers must oversee the maintenance of required records. They must also maintain benefit records such as insurance, retirement and workers’ compensation plans. This will include personnel activities regarding hires, promotions and transfers. Personnel managers must ensure that adequate labor relation policies and procedures are in place. Thus, they must continually monitor changing laws, legislation movements, arbitration decisions and collective bargaining contracts. Personnel managers must continually deliver presentations to management and executives regarding current and future human resources policies and practices.
Personnel managers will be in charge of various job analyses. This will involve evaluating job positions to ensure that the wage rate is adequate. It will also involve collective assessments of all positions that are used to determine the company’s current and future labor needs. One of the biggest responsibilities of a personnel manager will be to recruit the right employees. However, this is an ongoing, complex process that will require the personnel manager to intimately understand every position and corresponding duties.
Posting job ads, reviewing
resumes, conducting interviews and making a final decision with management is a
very time consuming process. However, it must be carefully performed in order
to avoid hiring the wrong person. HR experts estimate that it can cost between
two to five thousand dollars to re-hire and train a new employee for an open
position. Finally, personnel managers must ensure compliance with applicable
state and federal employment laws and occupational health and safety
regulations. As the industry becomes more manual labor driven, the health and
safety rules become stricter and more specific.
Nature of Personnel Management
- Personnel
management includes the function of employment, development and
compensation- These functions are performed primarily by the personnel
management in consultation with other departments.
- Personnel
management is an extension to general management. It is concerned with
promoting and stimulating competent work force to make their fullest
contribution to the concern.
- Personnel
management exist to advise and assist the line managers in personnel
matters. Therefore, personnel department is a staff department of an
organization.
- Personnel
management lays emphasize on action rather than making lengthy schedules,
plans, and work methods. The problems and grievances of people at work can
be solved more effectively through rationale personnel policies.
- It
is based on human orientation. It tries to help the workers to develop
their potential fully to the concern.
- It
also motivates the employees through it’s effective incentive plans so
that the employees provide fullest co-operation.
- Personnel
management deals with human resources of a concern. In context to human
resources, it manages both individual as well as blue- collar workers.
Personnel manager is the head
of personnel department. He performs both managerial and operative functions of
management. His role can be summarized as:
- Personnel
manager provides assistance to
top management- The top management are the people who decide and frame the
primary policies of the concern. All kinds of policies related to
personnel or workforce can be framed out effectively by the personnel
manager.
- He advices the line manager as
a staff specialist- Personnel manager acts like a staff advisor and
assists the line managers in dealing with various personnel matters.
- As
a counsellor- As a
counsellor, personnel manager attends problems and grievances of employees
and guides them. He tries to solve them in best of his capacity.
- Personnel
manager acts as a mediator-
He is a linking pin between management and workers.
- He
acts as a spokesman-
Since he is in direct contact with the employees, he is required to act as
representative of organization in committees appointed by government. He
represents company in training programs.
References
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/personnel-management.htm
http://www.masters-in-human-resources.org/faq/what-is-personnel-management/
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/personnel-management-1917581
https://www.smartcapitalmind.com/what-is-personnel-management.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VsGQAlbYd0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAMlq59zQgk
