Understanding the Difference Between HR and Personnel Departments: Can You Clarify?

Difference Between HR Department and Personnel Department

What is the difference between the HR department and the Personnel Department?

Roles of the HR Department

What are the roles of the HR department?

Roles of the Personnel Department

What are the roles of the Personnel department?

Please clarify my doubt.

Regards

Basically, PM is a traditional approach to managing human resources, while HRM is a modern approach with a wider scope. Personnel management focuses on personnel administration, employee welfare, and labor relations. Human resource management focuses on the acquisition, development, motivation, and maintenance of human resources within the organization.

According to me, there is no difference between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management. Human Resource and Personnel have the same meaning. It is a new nomenclature for Personnel. I would say Personnel is an old wine in a new bottle called Human Resource.

Historical Role of the Personnel Department

Before the term HR came into effect, which department was responsible for recruitment, industrial relations (IR), training, and development? It was the Personnel department only. It is true that many HR syllabi nowadays do not cover IR subjects.

Regards,
Varghese Mathew

There's no difference; it's only a matter of a change of terminology, i.e., from personnel management to HR management and now referred to as human capital management. Also, during personnel management, HR was not well-received by executives but only considered a support service. Therefore, by then, it covered few areas, especially general office work, recruitment, and terminations. But now it is covering recruitment, employee relations, remuneration, safety and welfare, training and development, and other office work.