PERSONNEL RELATIONS

In establishing at Harvard the office of Personnel Relations Director, the Corporation acts in conformity with principles of management that are undoubtedly sound. The past decade seen an increase of over 100 per cent in the number of those employed by the University in non-educational services, with the present total nearly 2,500. With a staff of such size engaged for the most part in routine activity, the advisory services of a Personnel Relations Director should prove advantageous not only to Harvard but also to its employees. Experience elsewhere has shown that this office can be administered so as to increase efficiency without adding bureaucratic red tape.

Undoubtedly the recent experience of the University in connection with the Scrubwomen case was an important factor leading ot the establishing of the new office. Its creation is, however, in line with the recent developments in the University which extend personal advisory services to students. Success in these ventures naturally leads to the idea that the personnel factor should receive serious consideration in the direction of the University's non-educational employees. Several months ago the Corporation announced that an outside firm had been engaged to make a survey of the non-educational employment situation. Since no information as to the results of this survey have been made public, the creation of a Personnel officer on the University staff implies that such outside counsel was inadequate.

Intricately organized as Harvard is, the best results in personnel work can only come from within. It is essential, however, that an office of Personnel Director remain advisory, as officially described, giving coordinating influence rather than arbitrary direction.