About 60 participants from around 20 Myanmar and international businesses, as well as LGBT+ rights groups, trade union rights, international organisations, experts and lawyers discussed attended a workshop on 28/29 August at the Rose Garden Hotel, Yangon to discuss how businesses can support LGBT+ equality in Myanmar. Read more: https://www.myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org/news/lgbt-equality.html

1. RESPECTFUL WORKPLACES
Exploring the costs of bullying and sexual harassment to businesses in Myanmar

2. Participants spoke freely
Respectful Workplaces
Bullying
We asked participants to
statement:
I have been bullied in this
workplace.
What do you think they replied:

3. Participants spoke freely
Respectful Workplaces
Sexual harassment

4. The problem of underreporting
Underreporting can happen because:
• I am ashamed of what has happened to me.
• I don t want to be seen as a victim.
• I am afraid something else will happen if I speak out.
• I am afraid nobody will believe me.
• The perpetrator is more powerful than me.
• I believe I did something wrong to cause the incident.
Respectful Workplaces

5. Many behaviors are seen as normal
Sexual harassment is the nature of men and boys.
I think that they just want to test out the female s availability to engage in
sexual activity. It depends on the male s sexual urge.
It depends on education level.
It depends on the individual s feeling and their ability to maintain control. I think
it is not related to gender, position and role.
Respectful Workplaces
We asked participants to answer Yes or No
to this statement:
Sexual harassment at work is sometimes
acceptable.
What do you think they replied: Yes or No ?

6. Tackle body shaming
Respectful Workplaces
Situations experienced
in the workplace
We asked participants to answer
Somebody has made comments about
my body or the way I dress.
What do you think they replied:

7. Attitudes of LGBTQI persons
• No participant thought it was acceptable to blame
women for what they wear.
• All participants said they believed they would get into
trouble if they reported seeing a manager massaging a
co-worker.
• 87.5% think it is normal for men to men to tease other
men about their private parts.
•
they persistently ask women out for dates after
multiple rejections.
Respectful Workplaces

8. Common experiences at work
LGBTQI persons are subjected to:
• Questions about their sex life.
• Jokes about their gender identities and gender expressions.
• Exclusion from meetings and access to information.
• 19 out of 24 types of sexual harassment and bullying.
• Refusal of jobs based on gender stereotyping.
Respectful Workplaces

9. Attempts to reassert normalities versus abnormalities
People in the workplace pay more attention to transgender
men and they assume that transgender men are not normal [ ].
Sometimes colleagues call a transgendered man a man who has
menstruation. Sometimes they humiliate transgender men by
saying they are with flat balls and laugh at them
Respectful Workplaces

10. Impacts of the harassment and abuse
Multiple negative impacts for business:
• Employees who are not motivated.
• Employees who are depressed and feel ill, and take days off.
• Employees who do only the absolute minimum but put in no
more effort.
• Employees who fight with their colleagues.
• Employees who quit.
• Employees who make no effort to learn new skills or to improve.
• Employees who start to question their own mental stability.
Respectful Workplaces

11. Business responses
LGBTQI participants give suggestions on how to
promote a respectful workplace:
• Introduce policies and make sure employees know
about and understand these policies.
• Hire a professional organization to conduct GBV
training. Do pre- and post-training tests to check
behavioral changes.
• Use employee satisfaction surveys.
All of us need to respect ourselves, our existence and also
respect each other.
Respectful Workplaces

12. This is not just happening in Myanmar
Respectful Workplaces

13. Sexual Harassment and Bullying are workplace culture
issues
Respectful Workplaces
Percent who said they
had experienced at
least one behavior
(indicative of bullying
or sexual harassment)
Percent who
acknowledged they
had been bullied or
sexually harassed
Average 78%
Average 41%

14. Cost to business
Respectful Workplaces

15. Building a Respectful Workplace
Respectful Workplaces

16. Building a Respectful Workplace
Respectful Workplaces

17. Respectful Workplaces Report: New materials
Respectful Workplaces

18. Policies and training
Respectful Workplaces
Said they had formal policies No policies
Could produce a copy
Had training in place
No training

19. Let s build
Respectful
Workplaces
Respectful Workplaces