Human Resources

[FredPuli43]

When did personnel departments become 'human resources' ? I'm sure we didn't have 'human resources' in my young days (or anti-human resources mines, either),

[Tilly2]

I remember when they were personnel officers.

[jno]

quite recently, I think - 1990s? However, the phrase has been round since 1907

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=human+head

(you have to do a search for it on that page, it doesn't seem to be alphabetical, which is somewhat unusual for a dictionary)

[Quizmonster]

The earliest recorded use of the phrase, according to the OED, was in 1961 in the USA. The Times refers to a usage in 1978 which contained the words "...human resources (personnel I suppose we would call it)."
The 'explanation' in parenthesis certainly suggests that we Brits might still at that time have been none too sure what the phrase actually meant!

[rojash]

When ah were a lad, we din't ave personnel officers, we ad bosses.

[Valmave]

Probably the same time as problems became challenges.