Rebuilding our human capital frameworks: A forgotten obligation

Nearing the end of my undergraduate degree in human resources management, I am constantly introduced to noble theories of people and culture.

In the classroom, employees are described as an institution's greatest asset.

Textbooks convince us to deviate from the dream of entrepreneurship to earnestly serve an organisation. Yet, the moment I step out of the classroom and look at the regulatory reality of our workforce, the contrast is stark.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment seems stuck in a bygone era. While the private sector struggles to keep up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our guardian institution appears comfortable operating with tools and mindsets decades behind the reality of the modern global workforce.

A fundamental shortcoming of our current system is what I term the "White-Collar Gap." We graduate into a so-called upper working class that lacks sophisticated legal acknowledgement. Employment for these professionals, especially in administrative or managerial capacities, has become precarious. These executives are frequently subject to job insecurity, unfair pay, and immense work pressure.

The root of this crisis lies in Section 2(65) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. This section defines a "worker" primarily as someone doing skilled, unskilled, manual, technical, or clerical work. Crucially, it explicitly excludes anyone employed in a managerial or administrative capacity. While a factory operator has legal avenues to address grievances through a union or the Labour Court, a young executive facing harassment or unpaid overtime has nowhere to go. 

They serve at the mercy of internal company policies which the government rarely examines.

Following the political changes last year, the interim government brought a wave of hope. Logic dictated that new leadership would revitalise the ministry. Sadly, reform remains invisible. Despite rising unemployment, which recent Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data indicates has hit a three-year high of roughly 3.66%—socioeconomic safety nets have not developed in response. The Ministry continues to function largely as a dispute resolution body for factories, ignoring the broader crisis of joblessness and underemployment plaguing this generation.

Meanwhile, corporate Bangladesh is obsessed with catchy terminologies. LinkedIn feeds are full of posts about "Employee Wellbeing" and "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion." It sounds modern. But without a government framework to standardise these concepts, they are often just window dressing. Under the Bangladesh Labour Rules, 2015, companies are required to submit their Service Rules for approval. 

However, this process has become a bureaucratic checkbox. There is no mechanism to audit whether a firm's culture is compliant. A company may claim to prioritise mental health while forcing employees to work 14-hour days, simply because the Ministry lacks the expertise to audit "work-life balance" as a compliance metric.

We cannot expect career bureaucrats to suddenly understand the nuances of organisational psychology. To fix this, the government must stop trying to do it alone. The Ministry needs to onboard corporate HRM expertise. We need HR leaders—professionals who have managed thousands of employees—to take up key positions.

Imagine a proactive "Directorate of People & Culture" within the Ministry, led by a former chief human resources officer. This unit would not just inspect fire extinguishers; it would formulate modern frameworks for compensation, performance management, and mental health. Such a dedicated bureau could bridge the gap between corporate management and trade unions. 

Currently, the corporate sector, unions, and the government operate in silos, often viewing each other as adversaries. This perspective needs rewiring. Failure to capitalise on the core obligations of this Ministry will further jeopardise our careers. Without these reforms, the Ministry will remain a relic, and the upcoming generation will be left to either compete for migration or struggle in a broken system.

Nafis Ehsas Chowdhury is a columnist and studies human resources management at United International University.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.