The Old Personnel Manager And The Modern HR—Who To Go For?

In the years gone by, he or she was known plainly as 'Personnel Manager' or 'PM' for short.

Today he or she is the 'Human Resource' or 'HR' for brevity sake .What makes the two definitions stand on the same pedestal is Humanity that binds them to give a human face to each word.

However the two definitions stand wide apart in many instances to make one complication in the face of a changing world .That is to say the 'ancient' Personnel Manager fades into backwardness when projected against the computer- literate Human Resource Manager.

Perhaps we can go the memory lane and do an archeological excavation and know how the ancient Personnel Manager worked in any organization.

He started off as the hard-working Stenographer -Secretary assigned to the office of the Managing Direction or the General Manager.

Having taken the note at Managerial and Board meetings and having organized the notes into a perfect minutes, he or she stood to know much about what pertained in the hierarchy of the company.

Therefore the Stenographer Secretary stood the chance of being recommended to fill the position as Assistant Personnel Manager or Acting Personnel Manager. From now onwards the former Stenographer Secretary changed his clothes from white shirt and a tie to a fully- fledged suit or jacket -top Manager coming to the office sporting a black portfolio. The Personal Manager now part of the management team is allocated a company car or helped to own one.

He or she says goodbye to his fellow copy -typists, office clerks or messengers he had worked with in the same big office hall.

The Personal Manager or Manageress is in charge of Personal files of all category of workers except those of top management.

He or she is responsible in perusing all letters of application and inviting applicants for interviews when there are vacancies to be filled.

At the end of the year he or she is the cynosure of all eyes as to who is due for promotion that goes with salary increment.

He or she has the authority to issue warning and dismissal letters after brief by a supervisor .

The ancient Personnel Manager knew nothing of a computer. He would ask for a Stenographer to dictate a letter for it to be typed on an Olympia typewriter just as he did previously.

His or her house never lacked job -seeking visitors or being showered with all kinds of gifts ranging from farm produce to livestock of any kind .

The former Stenographer -Secretary -turned Personnel Manager could be sent to overseas for some short courses in personnel management which could earn him a further promotion.

The man or woman who gained employment as typist grade 1 with a middle school leaving certificate and an added diploma from a business school had through hard and dedicated work for about ten years been promoted as the personnel manager of the company .

He may retire on the position or be promoted to another sector of the company depending of how the hierarchy goes.

Now who is a Human Resource? I've been asking my self why not HRM-Human Resource Manager but leave out the manager for simply HR ?

Sticking to the HR,does not ,diminish the importance of the definition ,unlike the 'ancient 'days when the post was mostly filled by men. Today's HRs cut across sex.

He or she is a graduate from a tertiary institution, having done his or her Masters in Business Administration or done some related courses at Gimpa in Human Resource Management, Now with the establishment of the Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners, Ghana (HRMP) the heaven gates are now opened for HR practitioners to ride cloud nine of the business world.

The modern HR has his or her computer to joggle any information and keep track of all employees without batting an eye .Indeed they are monarch of all that they survey in their organisations. One cannot deny the fact that today HR practitioners can fit into any department of any organisation -even as C.E.O of that organisation and assuredly can manage the organisation perfectly.

As noted by the Chief Executive Director of the Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners ,Ghana, Mr Ebenezer Ofori Agbettor, 'HR needs to take its rightful place as the lawyers ,accountants and marketers among others who are recognised '

Sharing his experience in HR on a topic 'HR practitioners need more recognition 'in the maiden edition of HR + 1 R Perspectives , an in -house magazine published by the Capital Group , he said that 'the public sector perception of HR has made if difficult for HR practitioners to make the necessary influence which the multinationals on the other hand are doing a fantastic job with it because they appreciate the work of HR'.

One will ask why this lack of recognition by republic sector of the HR?

The answer is not far to deduce .The modern HR ,unlike his 'ancient' counterpart, the Personnel Manager has become more computer- engaged than meeting 'eye to eye' with the employees.

That is to say HR are more sophiscated to warrant being called Humans. Why not Computer Resource or CR for short.

As Mr Agbettor rightly noted 'it is ironic to see HR being treated casually by some organisations.' And can that conclude that some employers are going back to the old tradition to recognising the Personnel Manager who does not have the skills and competencies of the HR person?

The world has become a bit confusing as the computer seems to have upstaged humans in every sphere of human endeavour. Where is the human relationship when factories are manned by robots? When would the modern HR move away from his computer and walk to the general office or the factory floor to say `Hello' to the scantly- paid worker? Africa trying to catch the Westerners in modernity is indeed a herculean task.

Mr Agbettor admitted that HR has played its expected role in human capital transformation to some extent 'But HR still has a long way to go', he noted

He explained that globally, developed countries are miles ahead of developing countries - Africa.