It is not the quantum leap in technology that is crucial to business growth. Il Is the 'humanware' the core asset -- that drives business. Yet in Bangladesh's garment industry, human elements are on the back burner.

The latest industrial rioting that killed two workers in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital threw Into relief human resource management, or lack of it, in the largest export-earning sector.

Thanks to huge automation, the garment industry has grown manifold since the 1990s. Other reasons are preferential access of Bangladesh's garment exports to the major western markets; flexible exchange rate policy; and abundance of low-cost female labour. It is now a Tk 40,000 crore export oriented industry, which employs 30 1 akh people directly.

But owners paid too little attention to the labour force that keeps the industrial wheels running and provides a lifeline to the economy.

It is the paradox of growth never to crack -- at least not so soon.

HR (human resource) consultants emphasise that all organisations must acknowledge social responsibility towards their employees, particularly those involved in apparel manufacturing.

"It's a common misconception that investing in one's employees is unnecessary. However, it is people who drive the production and hence, a healthy organisational culture can help a company survive and prevail during the recession," says MTI Consulting Bangladesh, a strategy consultancy with special focus on human resources management.

Saima Mazhar, country manager of MTI for Bangladesh, suggests that managing 'humanware' requires a scientific approach to the entire value chain of HR functions -from hiring to motivation.

"Overall, the HR function needs to be managed as a business that is providing a corporate solution function to make the business more competitive," she says.

The latest violence in Ashulia underlines the HR failure in the garment industry. It becomes evident when one takes stock of last week's bloody incident.

As the economic crisis spans across the world, wage cuts as deep as 30 percent by some local companies have become the latest in a long line of de-motivating factors for already low-paid workers.

The credit crunch is just another issue that has highlighted the income discrimination against RMG workers.

Compared to other garment workers regionally, those in Bangladesh are paid the least. Some would explain it away as the low-labour cost that gives Bangladesh a competitive edge over its rivals.

In addition to being at the bottom of the pyramid, with the least bargaining power, their wages are not being paid in time.

By one estimate, 122 factories out of the 825 recendy surveyed in Bangladesh, that is 14.7 percent of all garment factories between January and May, did not pay staff in time.

To make things worse, managers with no skills in human resource management mishandle the situation.

What is mostly needed is matured man-

agers who are able to handle workers with care and understanding, industry leaders say.

“The organaisation a worker works for should come forward to help him with counselling,” says Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

"It's the motivation that works wonders for workers."

The former BGMEA chief stressed that institutions should be in place to help pro fesslonals to build skills.

"If human resource is built up, 90 percent of the problems facing the garment industry will be solved," he says.

Chowdhury admitted that the staffers who moved up the ranks to mid-level managers are mostly incapable of handling worker grievances.

To add to the point, Chowdhury said workers' complaints are not always against the owners, but mostly against the mid- * level managers.

"We need industry-specific diploma holders with technical know-how for the garment sector, who could be better at handling worker grievances and any crisis," he said.

Chowdhury dismissed a common perception that garment owners do not want to run the industry with professionals -- a hurdle that sets back the sector.

"It's not that company owners don't want to employ professionals. The problem is, university graduates with a management degree don't want to stay long in the industry and tend to move on to other areas for higher pay,” he said.

Jahangir Kabir, managing director of Insights & Ideas Ltd. a management and research consultant, says managers should be able to anticipate any future problem, as it is a high-speed, deadline-bound industry.

"A good manager must consider if he should have a line of communication with workers,” he says.

HR management is not all about disbursing salaries, but also about making the staff proud of what they do every day and feel they are part of the company and, by extension, the country, Kabir says. xf

Managers in the garment industry should make the workers feel that they are helping the country's economy in their own ways, he suggests.

Kabir points to a long- running setback in the garment industry: mismanagement. Owners are bogged down in everyday operational decisions and get little time to engage in strategic thinking.

He suggests managers should be given a degree of freedom to make decisions on their own. "Then again, there should be a check and balance to avoid abuse of power by the managers," he says.

For managers, pan of the job is to help create a sense of belonging among workers, he suggests.

This is something missing in the garment sector.

A sense of belonging is the feeling that what you do on a daily basis is shipped to the developed world by way of expon and earns the country huge revenue that drives the economy.

"And you are pan of it,” Kabir says. An effon to create a sense of belonging among workers pays off, really.

"So invest in people."