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Building Better Workplaces | Empowering Businesses
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Message from Board Chairperson
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Dear Readers,
As the current Board Chair, I am delighted to join you in ushering in the new year and the opportunities it brings. As we enter 2023, I want to take a moment to thank our workplace gender equality community for the progress we have made in driving equitable and inclusive workplaces in Myanmar.
Despite the numerous obstacles we had to overcome, I am proud of the advancements made by our executive team, the steadfast dedication of our member firms, and the actions we took to establish better workplaces by empowering businesses in Myanmar.
In 2023, BCGE will celebrate our 5th anniversary. We serve 24 member firms representing over 49,000 employees. As we advocate for greater equality in the workplace and women's participation in the workforce, it is crucial to promote women in leadership positions.
We have seen significant advances in the number of women in leadership positions in our member firms. Not only that, BCGE supports member firms in strengthening and safeguarding organisational policies through a gender lens and a proper mechanism with procedures. 58% of member firms now have comprehensive anti-harassment, anti-bullying, and non-discrimination policies in place. 63% of member firms have completed their gender reporting through one of our workplace gender equality assessments, such as EDGE Certfication (global), GEARS (regional) and KYWGE (national).
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This gender reporting will help member firms make informed decisions and status of policies, practices and resources in their people's management and business sustainability. These advances are a testament to our member firms' commitment to workplace gender equality.
I am confident that we will continue to impact positively in the coming years. The work still needs to be done. We have a long way to improve and better our workplaces safe, equal and inclusive. Please join us in pushing this agenda of progress for Myanmar's private sector and beyond.
In this new year, we look forward to new organisations joining us in our inclusive journey for better workplaces in Myanmar. Thank you very much for being part of our journey.
Daw Win Win Tint
Chairperson of The Business Coalition for Gender Equality Association
Group CEO of City Holdings Limited
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Your Trusted Advisor: Events and Campaigns
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Unlocking the Potential of Flexible Working Arrangements by Myanmar’s HR Practitioners of Diversity & Inclusion Club
The role of HR in driving diversity and inclusion in the workplace is to create and implement policies and procedures that promote and foster diversity and inclusion.
This includes assessing current policies and practices to ensure they are non-discriminatory and equitable, recruiting a diverse talent pool, and creating a workplace culture that fosters respect, inclusion, and belonging.
Members of Diversity & Inclusion Club posed for a group photos at the seminar on 17 Oct 2022.
HR practitioners and D&I leaders from BCGE's Diversity & Inclusion Club met and discussed their selected topic of the year, Flexible Working Arrangements (FWA), to outline key areas of the case in developing the FWA policy, highlighting the benefits, adopting the practices, confronting the challenges and communicating to the stakeholders.
BCGE facilitated these discussion groups, and club members met 23 times to exchange practical feedback and approach to flexible working arrangements. These HR practitioners and D&I leaders came from different sectors of BCGE member firms.
Since the first seminar was organised on 14 October 2022, BCGE has worked on producing the first-ever key practice note on flexible working arrangements, contributed by the D&I Club members.
BCGE’s Diversity and Inclusion Club was formed in June 2022 to create a safe space and platform among HR professionals and D&I leaders for advancing inclusive workplaces through workplace gender equality practices and initiatives for sustainable business outcomes.
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The Power of Strategic Communications for WGE Efforts
The connection and integration of vision, goals, objectives, and methods through strategic communication of workplace gender equality efforts remind us of "why" we are here and inspire us to contribute to defined purposes. A transparent, understandable, and effective strategic communication strategy lays out a straightforward course of action by specifying the information we want to convey, its intended audience, its purpose, and the most efficient ways to accomplish our goals.
Workshop participants listened to the group discussion at Communicating for Impact workshop on 22 Nov 2022.
BCGE sees that considering the importance of strategic communication can help member firms understand the importance of and approaches to communicating WGE efforts strategically and effectively.
For this, BCGE facilitated the "Communicating for Impact: How to Communicate WGE Efforts Effectively" workshop for supervisors, managers, and focal persons managing communications within their organisation for internal and external stakeholders from member firms in November 2022.
The workshop covered a range of topics, from the basics of strategic communication to the best practices for promoting WGE. The attendees learned the importance of considering their target audience, crafting compelling messages, and delivering those messages in a way that resonates with internal and external stakeholders. They also explored the role context and inclusivity play in communication and the different types of communication used to achieve their goals.
Thanks to BCGE's workshop, attendees left with a renewed sense of purpose and a clear understanding of effective communication's impact on promoting workplace gender equality. As a result of BCGE's efforts, member firms can take their communication efforts to the next level. They can create a more equal and inclusive workplace by engaging with stakeholders effectively and driving their message forward.
All participants posed for a group photo at Communicating for Impact workshop on 22 Nov 2022.
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Building a Safe and Respectful Workplace with Rohto-Mentholatum (Myanmar) Company Limited
Rohto-Mentholatum (Myanmar) Company Limited recognised the importance of creating a workplace culture based on mutual respect and dignity and preventing harassment, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace. In an effort to promote these values, the company reached out to BCGE. BCGE responded by providing training for over 25 Rohto employees.
Training participants posed for a group photo in front of Rohto factory
The training was interactive and informative and was well received by the attendees. The employees learned the importance of creating a safe and respectful work environment and gained a deeper understanding of how this can positively impact the workplace. The training was a valuable experience for the Rohto employees and helped contribute to the company's goal of promoting a workplace culture based on mutual respect and dignity.
Thanks to BCGE's support as part of our Respect at Work campaign 2022, Rohto was able to take a significant step forward in creating a better workplace for all of its employees. The company is now better equipped to promote a workplace culture based on mutual respect and dignity, and to prevent harassment, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace.
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Your Trusted Adivsor: Products and Services
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Celebrating Three Member Firms Who Committed to Provide Support, Time, and Space for Working Mothers
Workplace breastfeeding support proves that it benefits not only the mothers but also organizational sustainability as it will help to create a more supportive and inclusive workplace for female employees. Furthermore, it helps to encourage more women to enter and remain in the workforce, thus helping to promote gender equality in the workplace.
As a centre of excellence and trusted advisor in workplace gender equality, BCGE works to assist firms to implement such inclusive initiatives. In August 2022, BCGE called for applications from our member firms to support the installation of "mothers' rooms" at three member organisations.
Mothers' Room at KBZMS General Insurance
Our call for application aimed to assist successful members in designing and putting in a mothers' room under the assessment and consultation process operated by BCGE. BCGE selected these three member firms following the criteria of providing the Support, Time and Space needed to facilitate lactation support. They are - City Mart Holding Company Limited (CMHL), KBZMS General Insurance Company Limited and Kanbawza Bank Limited (KBZ Bank).
- CMHL renovates their mothers' room at City Mall St. John, where over 6,000 visitors per day, wherein 60% are women, can use the space.
- KBZMS has over 200 female employees, with around 15 mothers with under six months’ child and pregnant employees. They opened a dedicated space at the headquarters.
- KBZ Bank opens the mothers' room at one of its branches in Downtown Yangon with over 500 female employees, around 30 breastfeeding mothers with under six months’ child, and pregnant employees.
Under the project, BCGE provided each selected member over MMK 3,000,000/- worth to procure the required equipment and set up the dedicated room. BCGE provided training on proper breastfeeding for mothers in collaboration with our partner, Alive & Thrive Myanmar.
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Partnership & Collaboration
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Breaking Barriers for Gender Equality: BCGE & BCCM Team Up!
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The Business Coalition for Gender Equality (BCGE) has recently signed a new partnership with The British Chamber of Commerce Myanmar (BBCCM) in December 2022. This strategic move was made to better serve and drive workplace gender equality from different sectors and industries. Through this collaboration, BCGE and BCCM will explore diversity, equity, inclusion as well as the advancement of women in the workforce.
BCGE Country Director Ma Kyawt met with BCCM Team on 1 Dec 2022.
This partnership is beneficial for both parties involved since it allows them to exchange ideas on how they can work together towards achieving greater gender equality within their respective organizations.
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Furthermore, this initiative will provide an opportunity for both organisations to engage in meaningful dialogue about ways that they can create more equitable workplaces across all levels within their members. Additionally, BCGE’s expertise in promoting gender parity through education initiatives such as workshops or seminars could be shared with BCCM members so that everyone benefits from increased knowledge about issues related to workplace inequality between genders.
The new partnership between BCGE and BBCCM is a step forward towards reducing disparities between genders at work by providing resources which allow businesses to become more inclusive environments where everyone feels valued regardless of who they are or what role they play within an organization. With these efforts combined, we have hope that one day there will be true fairness when it comes down working conditions no matter what sector or industry you are employed in. .
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Empowering Inclusive Leaders Through the Discovery of Leading Self and Culture with CCI France Myanmar
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BCGE always believes that prioritising diversity and inclusion begins at the top of any organisation. Inclusive leadership is critical for organisations that want to adopt an inclusive culture to create a great workplace for all levels of employees. Being an inclusive leader takes more than surrounding yourself with employees with different perspectives and backgrounds. Employees want an open, unique, team-oriented, transparent, and inviting workplace for everyone. They want to ask and ensure they feel a sense of belonging and value.
Together with our collaborator, CCI France Myanmar, BCGE organised the Inclusive Leadership Series, which includes six bi-monthly episodes.
We lined up the series into two and divided it into six episodes -
Inclusive Leadership Series
Series 1 – Leading Self
Session 1: Embracing a Respectful Workplace (29 November 2022)
Session 2: Excelling D&I Intelligence (24 January 2023)
Session 3: Am I Biased? (March 2023)
Session 4: How to Influence Workplace Norms? (May 2023)
Series 2 – Leading Culture
Session 1: Leading the Communications (July 2023)
Session 2: Start Cultivating the Culture from You (August 2023)
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The first and second session of the series was organised in November 2022 and January 2023, respectively. BCGE's Country Director and a seasoned D&I thought leader, Daw Kyawt Kay Thi Win, facilitate all sessions.
Becoming an Aspiring Inclusive Leader
The peer-to-peer session touches on the topics each workplace leader and manager should know about leading a diverse team and building an inclusive culture. The lessons learned in this session assist leaders in igniting and fueling an environment where diversity is welcomed and fueled to achieve better results.
BCGE will organise the third session in March 2023. You can still join the rest of the upcoming sessions and watch the recordings of previous sessions. Contact us today for more information.
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Members' Workplace Gender Equality Leadership
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ROHTO Produced Their First Gender Reporting through Regional Workplace Gender Equality Assessment - GEARS
We are delighted to announce that ROHTO-MENTHOLATUM Myanmar, has produced their first gender reporting through the regional level GEARS Assessment – for workplace gender equality. This shows Rohto-Mentholatum Myanmar’s commitment to taking a step forward by committing to equity and inclusivity as an industry leader.
“One of our corporate governance pillars is assessments. We believe in using the right tool to produce an assessment result that can supplement our efficiency and accuracy. We are happy to get the support of BCGE in being assessed the regional tool, Gender Equality Results and Strategy (GEARS), to help us our decision-making in fostering an inclusive workplace for all employees,” said Sandar Shwe, Managing Director of Rohto-Mentholatum (Myanmar) Company Limited.
Since joining BCGE’s as a Initiator Member in October 2021, ROHTO-MENTHOLATUM Myanmar demonstrates its commitment towards making sure all staff members have access to equal opportunities regardless of their background or identity. They set itself apart from others who may not be doing enough when it comes down promoting diversity among their workforce.
This GEARS assessment helps to understand the current status of the organisation’s workplace gender equality journey in which gender balance and employee movements are revealed and provides insights that will inform the development of the organisation’s overarching workplace gender equality strategy. GEARS assessment is one of the membership benefits for BCGE’s Leader-tier members.
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Alpha Power Engineering Completed Their Second Gender Reporting as an Inclusive Firm in STEM
BCGE's Implementer-tier member, Alpha Power Engineering, completed their second gender reporting as an Inclusive Firm in STEM in January 2023.
Alpha Power Engineering issued its first gender report in 2019 and has since completed three action plans based on three workplace gender equality topics: recruitment and selection, gender mainstreaming and responsiveness, and anti-harassment, anti-bullying, & non-discrimination.
"At Alpha Power Engineering, we value the work contributions of all our employees, including those of different genders. We are committed to creating an ethical, respectful and fair environment where everyone is respected and valued. Through the national Know Your WGE gender reporting, we want to contribute to advancing the workplace gender equality agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. We thank BCGE for helping us envision our goals and action plan," said Ma Thuzar Win, Executive Director of Alpha Power Engineering Company Limited.
Read more >>>>>>>
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BCGE proudly welcomes KST Legal as BCGE's Initiator-tier member. As an Initiator member, KST Legal is ready to learn more about workplace gender equality and begin their WGE journey.
Ko Sa Sa Nyunt, the Managing Partner, said, "KST Legal put teamwork as one of our corporate values. We aim to "Think Globally, Work Locally" and aspire to be a state-of-the-art legal service. To fulfil this in our DNA, we believe Equality and Inclusivity is one of the key driving factors, and we are always eager to pave the way. So, we are thrilled to be a part of the BCGE community and be driven by the common goal."
KST Legal is a product of the vision of Sa Sa Nyunt, the founder. After 12+ years of experience in prominent international firms established in Myanmar, Sa Sa was determined to develop a legal practice focused on delivering high-quality work while providing a perfect understanding of local challenges. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Sa Sa started with his core expertise: banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity. Soon, he engaged other talented lawyers to join forces and cover a wider range of practices and topics. Today, 16 people work for KST Legal, a homegrown legal practice.
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BCGE proudly welcomes Excellent Choice Professional Company Limited as BCGE's Observer-tier member. As an Observer member, Excellent Choice Professional shows great interests in learning more through BCGE’s community, without undergoing assessment or any WGE actions plan yet.
Excellent Choice was founded in 2003 and is one of the leading training providers in Myanmar's financial services industry. Their company profiles range from a finance institute to a financial consultancy and auditing firm.
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A global study by Workday, a provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, has found that there is a prevalent lack of a strategic approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. Read more...
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In every country across the world, women face gender-based barriers to career success. In 2022, the World Economic Forum estimated that it will take a staggering 132 years to close the gender gap. Read more...
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DEI is a long game — one that requires nudges along the way. By continuing to emphasize the importance and commitment to DEI in 2023, organizations can achieve more. Read more...
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Five early indicators on women in the metaverse reveal gender inequality—especially in the leadership creating and setting metaverse standards. Read more...
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Women are expected to handle the majority of home labour in a patriarchal society. Balancing paid employment with domestic duties is a demanding endeavour that affects women psychologically, emotionally, and physically as more women enter the labour sector. Read more... |
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New research from CARE’s Ignite program in Pakistan, Peru and Vietnam has shown how much women's professional ambitions are curtailed by the deeply ingrained assumption that a woman should be the primary childcare giver and the man should be the breadwinner. Read more... |
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BCGE Calendar
- International Women's Day
- BCGE's Impact Report (2018-2023) Launch
- 24 March 2023 (Tentative)
- Leading Self: Session 3 - Am I Biased
- Membership Appreciation Event
- 31 March 2023 (Tentative)
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BCGE is proudly supported by
 
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