Personnel management and human resource management are two interrelated concepts that deal with the management of employees in an organization. One of the differences between them is that personnel management focuses more on managing the image of an organization through the maintenance of a good relationship between the organization and its employees. Human resources management benefits an organization by managing human capital, which deals with the sourcing for talent to fill the various positions within an organization. Also, personnel management has been around longer than human resource management.
Another way of explaining the difference between the two concepts is by looking at the motivation behind the establishment of the two departments. Personnel management is an offshoot of the concern for the welfare of employees in the marketplace. It was established to serve as a liaison between employees or labor unions as well as the management of companies. This department addresses various issues regarding the welfare of various employees with the objective of developing and maintaining a cordial relationship between the organization and its employees.
One other difference between personnel management and human resource management is the fact that personnel management is an older concept than human resources. Increased competitiveness in the market and the realization by organizations that there is a lot of potential to be harnessed from human capital helped to create human resources. Personnel management is more concerned with aspects like the negotiations with labor representatives, the handling of employee complaints, and the proper application of any applicable labor laws for the region.
By looking at the responsibilities of the two types of management, it becomes clear that human resources is concerned with the identification of the manpower requirements of the company. When the needs have been identified, the human resources department will take the necessary steps to recruit qualified applicants. The process of filling manpower needs may include training employees and engaging them in personal developmental activities like seminars, conferences and leadership training.
Human resources management may help in the advertisement of vacancies in the organization through various sources, including the media and the company Web site. This department may also oversee such procedures as the promotion of employees and the transfer of employees from one branch to another. The human resources within a company monitors the development and performance of the various employees with a view to identifying those who may need further training or those who are not performing up to expected standards.
