Human Resources versus Personnel
There is a difference between the two.
We live in a world of arrogance that we have comprehensive knowledge.
Unknown quote
I wish to pose a question to open the door, can any of you remember when Personnel not H.R aka Human Resources ruled the roost? I want to pose the next question what is the difference? Are they different or are the same? In this column I will give my P.O.V (point of view) on this compelling shift and how that piece of terminology is critical to the masses in the United States.
Now according to www.easyhrworld.com personnel evolved from hiring and firing employees to referring to an employee as resource and developing the individual. Today human resources deal more in managing a workforce, maximizing their efficiency which contributes to the success of an enterprise. HR still deals in the hiring of employees; the department has now expanded to developing strategies to manage and improving an organization’s manpower. HR is more proactive, while personnel had more of a reactive profile of working. Personnel was considered an independent function of an organization, soon integrating into the company’s mainstream function.
I will now say what I feel is the difference……. For me it boils down to person - Nel vs. Resources. I like to say we went from person to commodity! We are no different than lithium which at the moment is the belle of the ball due to the electric car industry! The full manipulation of the person is now a real thing after the covid pandemic when many lost bodily sovereignty. Now let’s look at the definition of resource and then person:
A stock or supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively. Resources do not have a pulse. They do not have emotions and now person -
In Black’s Law dictionary: A human being considered as capable of having rights and of being charged with duties. 2) Term person is defined in 18 U.S.C 2510 (6) to mean any individual person as well as natural and legal entities. It includes U.S and state agents.
In my vision humans are not commodities or materials. But now it all appears that we have jumped over to a quagmire that maybe it wasn’t supposed to start that way, but we are here now. As life moves forward meaning and intentions will have a more profound effect on your future. I am stating here going from personnel to H.R was one of those defining moments of meaning and intention. We totally were not aware that meaning and intention were not communicated to us because society was shifted to another way of being.
In closing, definitions are how we order the world in front of us. Right in front of us we were redefined without our knowledge. It is like most things have not been explained to the people most affected. Now what will your mind allow you to do!