Question

Management evolution during the industrial revolution

Answer 1

The evolution of human resource management as a distinct profession dates back to the industrial revolution when factories established personnel departments to look into wages and welfare of workers.

To understand the evolution of Human Resource Management, one must first understand its basis.



The origins of workforce management lies in the arrangements made for the welfare of apprentices working with the master craftsmen in the putting out system that prevailed during the medieval ages. The industrial revolution that led to the establishment of factories displaced the putting out system.

The workers in the early factories faced long hours of works under extremely unhygienic conditions, and mostly lived in slums. This soon resulted in several labor riots, the most famous being Ludds riots of 1811 in Nottingham, England, precipitated by reduced wages. The government soon intervened to provide basic rights and protections for workers, and the need to comply with such statutory regulations forced factory owners to set up a formal mechanism to look into workers wages and welfare, and redress other issues concerning labor. This led to the emergence of Personnel Management as a distinct profession.