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Finding a job What Are Personnel Managers? Definition and Job Duties

What Are Personnel Managers? Definition and Job

Duties
Indeed Editorial Team
Updated June 25, 2022

If you are an organized individual who enjoys helping others, a career in personnel management
could be great for you. Personnel managers work as administrative human resource professionals to
help develop and manage employees within an organization. Learning more about this role could help
you determine if it's the right path for you. In this article, we explain what a personnel manager is,
provide important career information and highlight the key differences between personnel and
human resource managers.

What are personnel managers?

Personnel managers are administrative professionals who oversee the hiring process and
professional development of employees within an organization. Many companies include personnel
professionals as part of a larger human resources team, but smaller organizations may have an
individual personnel manager performing all the administrative duties.

Related: Working in Human Resources

Why are personnel managers important?

Personnel managers serve an important role in developing a team of professionals. They help find
new talent, train new employees and support them as necessary during their careers. Successful
personnel managers can work to increase retention as they foster poster work interactions and solve
conflicts. They can also help increase productivity as they recruit highly trained professionals.

Personnel managers are also an important aspect of a company's organization. They collect and store
employee data, and they help make sure employees receive timely paychecks. They answer questions
and assist with benefit programs. They can work to help an organization run efficiently.

What do personnel managers do?

Personnel managers oversee the clerical and administrative duties within an organization. This can
vary depending on the company size and industry. Common responsibilities can include:

Recruiting new employees by researching the needs of various departments and creating job
listings

Interviewing candidates or conducting an initial screening for various postings within a company

Hiring new staff and completing necessary paperwork

Leading onboarding training for new employees

Negotiating salary and pay information with new and current employees

Collaborating with other management members to create employee handbooks and company
policies

Filing important documents such as benefits and tax information

Organizing information using software programs or a filing system

Assisting employees with any issues involve payroll, benefits or management

Overseeing the payroll process and ensuring timely payments

Acting as a counselor or mediator to resolve conflict

Planning or leading trainings related to professional and personal development

Conducting performance reviews or evaluations

Approving personal time off requests and creating company schedules

Overseeing employee departures and conducting exit interviews

Important skills for personnel managers

In order to succeed in their roles, personnel managers use a specific skill set. This can vary depending
on the size of the organization and the industry, but helpful skills can include:

Organization: Personnel managers need to file and organize important employee records,
including payroll, tax and benefits information.
 Communication: To succeed, personnel managers use strong communication skills . They must
have excellent verbal and non-verbal skills to explain new concepts, conduct interviews and discuss
company policies.

Scheduling: Personnel managers may create company schedules. Depending on the size of the
company, they may organize and approve time off requests. They may also plan events, interviews
and trainings.

Compassion: Personnel managers may foster relationships and build connections with a team of
staff. They help connect employees with upper management and support professionals during
their careers. Compassion and empathy can help them build these important relationships.

Delegation: Depending on the size of the company, personnel managers may work independently
or supervise a team. They may need to delegate or divide task to ensure efficiency.

Collaboration: Personnel managers may work closely with other human resource team members.
For example, they may communicate and collaborate with a benefits plan administrator when
helping new employees.

Conflict resolution: Occasionally, personnel managers act as mediators to resolve workplace

issues. Strong conflict resolution skills can help them reach productive solutions quickly and
efficiently.

Instructional skills: Personnel managers train new employees and lead instructional development
programs for current staff. Instructional experience and training skills can help them convey
information effectively.

Computer skills: Depending on the company and industry personnel managers may need strong
computer skills. They may use software programs to track employees' payroll and benefits.

Related: 21 Skills of a Good Manager

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Personnel
Career Guide managers vs. human resource managers
Personnel managers and human resource managers are similar roles with a few important
differences. Personnel roles have existed longer than human resource positions. Many companies
have taken the personnel manager role and added additional responsibilities to create the human
resource manager role. Typically, a company will have either a personnel manager or a human
resource manager as many of the duties overlap. Here are some of the key differences between the
two positions:
Responsibilities

Personnel managers and human resource managers have many similarities in their daily duties.
Professionals in these roles handle administrative duties such as filing paperwork and organizing
employee information. They also help recruit and train staff. Personnel managers focus on
completing these administrative tasks.

In addition to these tasks, human resources also serve as part of an executive team. They help create
long-term goals for a company's employment, and they ensure they have enough employees to
complete specific projects. They may also work to build company-wide programs and development
strategies to increase retention and develop a workplace culture. Depending on the size of the
company, they may also specialize in safety regulations.

Related: The Hierarchy of HR Job Titles (With Salary and Job Descriptions)

Skills

These careers require many of the same skills. Personnel and human resource managers need to have
excellent communication, organization and instructional skills as they work with all employees.
Human resources require all the same skills as personnel managers and need additional leadership
skills and long-term goal planning strategies as they serve as part of the executive team. They may
also need team-building skills as they work to foster company culture and community.

Salary

The salaries for the two roles can vary, depending on the size of the company and the specific job
duties. The average national salary for a personnel manager is $55,464 per year , and the average
for human resources is $69,644 per year . This amount can depend upon a professional's
experience, education and skills.

Hr executive managers

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