# personnel

/ˌpɝsəˈnɛɫ/ (US) · /pˌɜːsənˈɛl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/personnel
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. employees

noun · CEFR B2 · Formal

the group of people who work for a company, the military, or an organization.

For teachers: the collective body of persons employed in a service, business, or military context.

- The company is looking for new personnel to join the marketing team.
- All military personnel were ordered to return to their bases immediately following the security breach.

Usage: Usually treated as a plural noun; it takes a plural verb and no 's' at the end.

Teaching tip: Learners often confuse this with 'personal'. Remind them that 'personnel' has two 'n's and the stress is on the final syllable.

### 2. HR department

noun · CEFR B2 · Formal

the department in a company that deals with hiring, training, and helping employees.

For teachers: the department within an organization concerned with the administration and management of employees.

- If you have a problem with your contract, you should speak to personnel.
- The personnel department is currently reviewing the benefits package to ensure it remains competitive within the industry.

Usage: Often used as a proper noun or with 'the' to refer to a specific office.

Teaching tip: In modern business, 'Human Resources' or 'HR' is more common, but 'Personnel' is still frequently used in older or more traditional organizations.

## Examples

- All personnel must attend the safety meeting.
- The hospital is currently hiring medical personnel to staff the new emergency wing.
- The restructuring plan aims to optimize the deployment of existing personnel while simultaneously reducing administrative overhead across all regional branches.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.