Difference Between Personnel Management and Human

Resource Management
May 30, 2015 By Surbhi S 5 Comments

The main difference between Personnel

Management and Human Resource Management lies in their scope and orientation. While the scope
of personnel management is limited and has an inverted approach, wherein workers are viewed as tool. Here
the behavior of the worker can be manipulated as per the core competencies of the organization and are replaced
when they are worn-out.

On the other hand, human resource management has a wider scope and considers employees as the asset to
the organization. It promotes mutuality in terms of goals, responsibility, reward etc. that will help in enhancing
the economic performance and high level of human resource development.

In early centuries, when Human Resource Management (HRM) was not prevalent, then the staffing and payroll
of the employees were taken care of, by the Personnel Management (PM). It is popularly known as Traditional
Personnel Management. Human Resource Management have emerged as an extension over the Traditional
Personnel Management. So, in this article, we are going to throw light on the meaning and differences between
Personnel Management and Human Resource Management.

Content: Personnel Management Vs Human Resource Management

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT HU
COMPARISON

Meaning The aspect of management that is concerned with the work force and their The branch of management that fo
relationship with the entity is known as Personnel Management. achieve the organizational goals is

Approach Traditional Modern

Treatment of manpower Machines or Tools Asset

Type of function Routine function Strategic function

Basis of Pay Job Evaluation Performance Evaluation

 BASIS FOR
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT HU
COMPARISON

Management Role Transactional Transformational

Communication Indirect Direct

Labor Management Collective Bargaining Contracts Individual Contracts

Initiatives Piecemeal Integrated

Management Actions Procedure Business needs

Decision Making Slow Fast

Job Design Division of Labor Groups/Teams

Focus Primarily on mundane activities like employee hiring, remunerating, training, and Treat manpower of the organizatio
harmony.

Definition of Personnel Management

Personnel Management is a part of management that deals with the recruitment, hiring, staffing, development,
and compensation of the workforce and their relation with the organization to achieve the organizational
objectives. The primary functions of the personnel management are divided into two categories:
  Operative Functions: The activities that are concerned with procurement, development, compensation,
job evaluation, employee welfare, utilization, maintenance and collective bargaining.
 Managerial Function: Planning, Organizing, Directing, Motivation, Control, and Coordination are the
basic managerial activities performed by Personnel Management.

From the last two decades, as the development of technology has taken place and the humans are replaced by
machines. Similarly, this branch of management has also been superseded by Human Resource Management.

Definition of Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management is that specialized and organized branch of management which is concerned with
the acquisition, maintenance, development, utilization and coordination of people at work, in such a manner that
they will give their best to the enterprise. It refers to a systematic function of planning for the human resource
needs and demands, selection, training, compensation, and performance appraisal, to meet those requirements.
 Functions of HRM

Human Resource Management is a continuous process of ensuring the availability of eligible and willing
workforce i.e. putting the right man at the right job. In a nutshell, it is an art of utilizing the human resources of
an organization, in the most efficient and effective way. HRM covers a broad spectrum of activities which
includes:

 Employment
  Recruitment and Selection
 Training and Development
 Employee Services
 Salary and Wages
 Industrial Relations
 Health and safety
 Education
 Working conditions
 Appraisal and Assessment

Key Differences Between Personnel Management and Human Resource

Management
The following are the major differences between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management:

1. The part of management that deals with the workforce within the enterprise is known as Personnel
Management. The branch of management, which focuses on the best possible use of the enterprise’s
manpower is known as Human Resource Management.
2. Personnel Management treats workers as tools or machines whereas Human Resource Management treats
it as an important asset of the organization.
3. Human Resource Management is the advanced version of Personnel Management.
4. Decision Making is slow in Personnel Management, but the same is comparatively fast in Human Resource
Management.
5. In Personnel Management there is a piecemeal distribution of initiatives. However, integrated distribution
of initiatives is there in Human Resource Management.
6. In Personnel Management, the basis of job design is the division of work while, in the case of Human
Resource Management, employees are divided into groups or teams for performing any task.
 7. In PM, the negotiations are based on collective bargaining with the union leader. Conversely, in HRM,
there is no need for collective bargaining as individual contracts exist with each employee.
8. In PM, the pay is based on job evaluation. Unlike HRM, where the basis of pay is performance evaluation.
9. Personnel management primarily focuses on ordinary activities, such as employee hiring, remunerating,
training, and harmony. On the contrary, human resource management focuses on treating employees as
valued assets, which are to be valued, used and preserved.

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