the 1990s. Surely, it's just a pretentious way of saying "personnel manager''? No, not a bit of it says Linda Latham. "Personnel,'' she explains, with the air of someone who has had to clarify all this a number of times before, "is concerned with the administrative side of handling people: payroll, pensions, insurance, interviewing potential employees. But Human Resources (the way that Linda emphasises the phrase pushes it into capital letters) -- that covers a much broader discipline.'' She ticks off the aspects of human resources that the word "personnel'' does not cover: "Training, career guidance, counselling of personal problems, the publishing of an employee handbook, communication. The aspects of the Human Resources are endless.'' The bubbly and vivacious Linda exudes the enthusiasm that is always needed by someone who is responsible for injecting enthusiasm into others, and the observer sees that the enthusiasm is not forced, but genuine -- the lady obviously loves her job. Phrases such as "appraisal forms'' "who do you report to?'' "identification of weakness and strength'' "two-way feedback'' all spill out in conversation and seem to be as important to her as a spanner or a cash register might be to another PW's employee.

But the job doesn't start, or end, with buzz words. Practical problems colour Linda's daily round. Yes, says Linda, PW's does have some BIU members -- the union is in the business and union negotiations are part of her job. But there is a pragmatic recognition that the union is a necessary part of the facts of life when employing people.

Then there's the Human Rights Act -- it has to be known and remembered. The act requires that there be no discrimination by age, sex or race -- not that PW's would discriminate but it is obviously something that needs to be watched.

One person's selection is another person's discrimination and management must always be seen to be fair. "If the employee is not happy it will show,'' says Linda. But what does one do about the unhappy employee? Apart from the usual life and sickness insurance schemes, PW's have taken one longer step by investing in what might be called emotional insurance.

When a personal problem affects an employee the manager of that section of the firm may be able to deal with it, but what if the problem is not caused by the job but lies much deeper; a problem with family, drugs, alcohol, or just simple depression? All the qualifications in the world might prove useless if the situation is one that no member of management in PW's is competent to handle. That's why PW's have a contract with Benedict Associates "an absolutely brilliant organisation'' says Linda.

"Every company should have that sort of insurance policy. It's an avenue to refer an employee to when that employee has a problem that they just cannot cope with, and which we cannot handle. Benedict Associates have the staff to deal with it. And their service is completely confidential,'' she says.

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