The work of personnel specialists varies between human resources management and personnel management. These are not different phrases with the same meaning, but different emphases in the work that all such specialists undertake. Personnel management is directed mainly at the organization's employees; human resources management at management needs for human resources (not necessarily employees).
What, then, are the functions of the personnel specialist? According to one expert, “The direct handling of people is, and always has been, an integral part of every line manager's responsibility, from president down to the lowest-level supervisor”. So all managers are, in a sense, personnel managers, since they get involved in activities like recruiting, interviewing, selecting and training. Yet most firms also have a specialist department (personnel or human resources). So what are the duties of this manager? Before answering this question, let's start with a short definition of 'line' versus 'staff' authority.
Line managers are authorized to direct the work of subordinates – they're always someone's boss. In addition, line managers are in charge of accomplishing the basic goals of the organization. Staff managers, on the other hand, are authorized to assist and advise line managers in accomplishing these basic goals. So personnel management is very much a part of every line manager's responsibility. These personnel management responsibilities include placing the right person on the right job, orienting, training and working to improve his or her job performance. In small organizations line managers may carry out these duties unassisted. But as the organization grows, they need the assistance, specialized knowledge, and advice of a separate personnel staff.
The personnel department provides this specialized assistance in the following areas:
- job analysis (determining the nature of each employee's job),
- planning manpower needs and recruiting job candidates,
- selecting job candidates,
- orienting and training new employees,
- wage and salary management (how to compensate employees),
- providing incentives and benefits,
- appraising performance,
- face-to-face communicating (interviewing, counseling, disciplining),
- developing managers.
In addition, the personnel manager should know about:
- equal opportunity and affirmative action,
- employee health and safety,
- handling grievances and labour relations.
Above we have listed some of the activities of the personnel manager. However, we can also say that the personnel manager carries out three distinct functions, as follows:
1. A line function. First the personnel director performs a line function by directing the activities of the people in his or her department and in service areas, e.g. the plant cafeteria. In other words, he or she exerts line authority.
2. A co-ordinative function. Personnel directors also function as co-ordinators of personnel activities - as 'the right arm of the top executive to assure him that personnel objectives, policies and procedures are being consistently carried out'.
3. Staff function. Staff functions to line management are the 'bread and butter' of the personnel director's job. These include assisting in the hiring, training, evaluating, rewarding, counselling, promoting and firing of employees at all levels.
