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The History of Human Resource Management

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The history of human resource management started with providing welfare measures to apprentices of the putting-out system. The first personnel department came in the early 20th century. Human resource management has evolved through the ages and gained importance with each passing age.
The Origins of Workforce Management The earliest forms of human resource management were the working arrangements struck between craftsmen and their apprentices during the pre-Industrial cottage-based guild system. The apprentice lived in the workshop or home of his master, and the master took care of his health and welfare.
The Industrial Revolution of the mid-eighteenth century led to the emergence of large factories and the displacement of cottage-based guild manufacturing. The unhygienic and arduous work in factories led to many labor riots, and the government stepped in to provide basic rights and protections for workers. The need to comply with such statutory regulations forced factory owners to set up a formal mechanism to redress issues concerning labor.
The National Cash Register Company (NCR) established the first personnel management department to look into issues such as grievances, safety, dismissals, court cases, and also record keeping and wage management, in the aftermath of a bitter strike and lockout in 1901. Many other factories soon set up similar personnel departments. The role of such labor departments in factories was a continuation of their previous commitment to monitor wages, safety, working hours, and related issues, but this change meant there were formal personnel departments that ensured statutory compliance.
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Personnel Management (Early 20th Century)
By the early 1900s, increased competition and pressing demands to fulfill orders made factory owners take serious note of productivity, and issues such as

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