Le Phuong Lan

Labor Relation Practitioner

I survived during the terified China Anti-Riot in March 2015 in Binh Duong. It wasn't a political incident. It was a truly inspiring story to tell about mutual trust at workplaces.

While many factories were burnt into ashes and completely closed down, my workplace was protected by 2000 workers who made a human fence blocking waves of sabotages. More inspiringly, they all came at once thanks to an SMS made by an HR leader who had been building a sound relationship with us many years before.

You can't get this kind of knowledge everyday, I believe. I hope that more women will join me to be a Labor Relation Practitioner in order to support women at workplaces.

Vu My Lan

I enjoy engaging with young people in this fast-changing world of work.  What challenges you is what makes the best out of you. 

Exchanging insights is one of the best ways for us to learn from each other. The more insights exchanged, the better mindsets and the better workplaces developed. I think a knowledge hub for Women4Women is a wonderful idea. I truly mean to spend more time to spread my people-centric knowledge with this program.

I think when women understand their status and power through enriched knowledge, they will survive unfair labor practices and thrive no less than any successful men

Maria Jesus Figa Lopez

After joining the first Circle of Trust event by Women4Women, I was shocked and very touched. I couldn't believe that Vietnamese women are facing so many barriers in their lives. There are generational gap barriers, marriage barriers, social stigma barriers, etc. However, they're always optimistic. Even though they were telling very painful stories, they also tried to add some jokes to mitigate the tension. And I think that makes they're even more admirable. 

As a chair-woman of the Gender Equality Coordination Group in Vietnam, I'm making efforts to support Labor Law changes... but maybe there are many things much more important than Law.

I am very supportive of how Women4Women creates Circle of Trust for Vietnamese women to share and support each other. I would like to sincerely thank to all the women I've met in that event.

CIRCLE OF TRUST

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A  series of circle-setting events to build trust and to support each other among female high-performers

The one-and-only circle of trust ever introduced in Vietnam where online & offline discussions are conducted to address the deepest concerns by Vietnamese women in the face of inequality, social stigma, inner insecurity, etc. & turning them into collective efforts that transform female strugglers into high-performers in both work & life.

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Online Circles of Trust has been introduced since early 2016 with 200 1-on-1 visual discussions conducted & the first Offline Circle of Trust was conducted on May 31 2019

WE@WORK

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Solution Package for gender-enlightening organistions 

The exclusive program offers an integrated set of rootcause-based solutions that turn sound gender-equality decisions into highest return on investment (ROI) that minimise organisational risks, conflicts, changes & crises which people-centric organisations are determined to invest into. 

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WE@WORK - Gender Enlightening Program for People-centric organisations - has been introduced for Care International, Actionaids International & a number of medium-size businesses in Vietnam

THE LEARNING CURVE

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Coaching Program

for people-centric Organisations

The unique program designed for people-centric organisations to grow along their own learning curve, transforming itself from at-risk, responsive, proactive to excellent performance when all members are on the same page about what excellence is and how excellence is achieved. 

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50 organisations have been applying The Learning Curve Program in the past 5 years given a variety of application levels ranging from in-house team development to third-party engagement.

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"...I BECOME A MUCH HAPPIER WOMEN AT WORK & LIFE..."

WE@WORK - The Learning Curve for High-Performers ​- transformed me from an always worrying female manager into a much more confident leader.

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Before I was demanding, uptight & stressed out both at work & at home. I used to be proud that my staff was so afraid of me that they made fewer mistakes at work. I also took most of the hardest burdens without letting them take responsibility.

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With WE@WORK learning philosophy, I now know how to (i) Stand my strong Ground; (ii) Team up to Scale; & (iii) Lead along the Curve of my organization. Such knowledge basically makes me successfully connect all the dots. Our workflows are therefore much smoother. My staff is more proactive in taking responsibilities & new initiatives. I feel much happier at work and therefore more relaxed at home.

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(Chi, CEO of an education start-up)

"...FINALLY I DECIDED TO TAKE LEAD..."

The five-hour conversation with Hoa - a Circle of Trust professional - literately led me to the decision to accept the offer to become a new Director.

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Why? Because I always think of myself as a follower, not a leader or game-changer. 

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Since I graduated I have been living other lives whose are my parents, my husband, and even my children whom I think I need to be less ambitious in my career path in order to be with them during their childhood.

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However the more I live others' lives the more unhappy I am. Hoa walked me through every single snapshot of my life from a very different angle that made me change my view about what happiness really meant. That was why I decided to take the new role & now I am very happy.

Thanks so much, Hoa & Circle of Trust. I also became a Woman4women supporter so I can support other women. 

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(Linh, new Director of a non-profit organization) 

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"...I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I AM ABLE TO NEGOTIATE MY RAISE WITH BOSSES..."

Becoming a high-performer sounded so cliche to me before I learnt about WE@WORK.

I used to think that employees like me are always in a lower negotiating position compared to our bosses. We will never be able to win them. Therefore I never say a word or defend myself during discussions or debates at work.

However, during my participation in The Learning Curve for People-centric Organisations Program by Respect Vietnam & WE@WORK, I could be able to practice the simplest knowledge of negotiation under Thomas Kilman - My boss and I need each other as much as we have to cooperate as wise owls.

When I realized how much he needed me in the new projects I started to change the way I communicate with him. I am more direct about the common goals we share & how we can together get them. After a month we revised my Job Description, my KPI, and my position in Matrix of Responsibility. Now we are in a much healthier relationship & finally, I won my self.

(Giang, a project developer in hospitality)  

"...I AM BETTER IN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MY HUSBAND..."

Circle of Trust is an amazing opportunity for women to explore themselves at the very core.

My first time at COT was a complete coincidence when a friend of mine asked me to join a cultural event in Gia Lam, Hanoi. "Just for fun," she said and I accepted.

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However, it became an unforgettable memory to me when about 25 ladies of every age sat around a table making a circle of trust, breaking ices & starting to share about their private lives despite the first time we met.

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All stories one by one were told from 7 pm until midnight highlighting a lot of emotions, surprises, laughs, shocks & even tears.

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I suddenly realized that my stories as I know are no less miserable than any other ladies ...and more importantly, our husbands, partners, lovers, etc. are unacceptable because we allow them to be. 

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After that night, I started to train the way I view our relationship and the way I communicate what I expect with my husband. Now I believe I can manage our healthier relationship.

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(Tran, a struggler in 20-year marriage)