Personnel Management: Meaning, Nature and its Functions

Personnel management can be defined as obtaining, using and maintaining a satisfied workforce. It is a significant part of management concerned with employees at work and with their relationship within the organization.

According to Flippo, “Personnel management is the planning, organizing, compensation, integration and maintainance of people for the purpose of contributing to organizational, individual and societal goals.”

According to Brech, “Personnel Management is that part which is primarily concerned with human resource of organization.”

Nature of Personnel Management

1. Personnel management includes the function of employment, development and compensation- These functions are performed primarily by the personnel management in consultation with other departments.

2. 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.

3. Personnel management exist to advice and assist the line managers in personnel matters. Therefore, personnel department is a staff department of an organization.

4. Personnel management lays emphasize on action rather than making lengthy schedules, plans, work methods. The problems and grievances of people at work can be solved more effectively through rationale personnel policies.

5. It is based on human orientation. It tries to help the workers to develop their potential fully to the concern.

6. It also motivates the employees through it’s effective incentive plans so that the employees provide fullest co-operation.

7. Personnel management deals with human resources of a concern. In context to human resources, it manages both individual as well as blue- collar workers.

Role of Personnel Manager

Personnel manager is the head of personnel department. He/She performs both managerial and operative functions of management. His role can be summarized as :

1. 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.

2. He/She 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.

3. As a counsellor,- As a counsellor, personnel manager attends problems and grievances of employees and guides them. He/She tries to solve them in best of his capacity.

4. Personnel manager acts as a mediator- He is a linking pin between management and workers.

5. He/She 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 programmes.

Functions of Personnel Management

Follwoing are the four functions of Personnel Management:

1. Manpower Planning
2. Recruitment
3. Selection
4. Training and Development