How Have HR Managers Evolved from Personnel Managers in India? Let's Discuss!

Dear all,

Let us deliberate on this basic point: what do today's HR managers do differently from earlier managers who were designated as personnel managers? Is it only a name change/title change or are there significant changes in the job profile as well?

Let us underline the basic differences not just theoretically but also in practice. I am looking for your vibrant inputs, specifically in the context of the Indian scenario.

Regards,
Anil Kaushik

Hi Anil,

This is a very nice issue that you have raised. There is a lot of difference between the two. It is upon the top management how they look upon the HR function. HR function can be divided into two: utilization and development. Utilization is basically the personnel functions, while development includes HRD and employee development.

This is the area that is receiving more focus these days. In most MNCs, top companies, we have OD specialists, IR specialists, HRD specialists, and ER specialists. However, all these boil down to one simple fact: how your top management views it and how the HR manager looks upon it. It also depends on the type of industry.

From what I have seen (very little), people are yet to accept the difference between the two. They still view HR as personnel. The HR manager is also partly to blame for this, as they are more comfortable carrying out the routine jobs (utilization - this is very applicable in the Indian context).

Today, the manager or the HR team carries out various development functions such as OD, Talent Management, and development. But, all the development functions we might carry out boil down to one simple question: Is the top management willing to go along with you? Many times we send someone for behavioral training, but at the last moment, the name is withdrawn citing production hampering.

Regards

Hi,

The basic difference is that HR is much more of a specialist role nowadays. It's more of a strategic function rather than purely administrative work. In fact, a lot of HR tasks that were once related to administration are now being outsourced to research agencies and consultancies that focus solely on talent resourcing, compensation management, manpower planning, organizational development, and so on.

These days, HR representation is crucial at the highest levels of policy formulation and is no longer confined to lower levels.

Regards,
Dheeraj