Guy & Gal Colleagues Sharing Room

Heard of any male and female colleagues going overseas for office work purpose and forced to stay in the same room because the company didn't book two rooms?

Tourist guides in Malaysia face that scenario for umpteenth years. The Malaysian Women Tourist Guide had tried to fight for female and male tourist guides to be given separate rooms ever since 2006. It was met with resistance from some travel agencies as the new association started their campaign.

The Ministry of Tourism has at last decided to impose a ban on such room sharing between female and male colleagues with effect from 1 June 2009. I got one very big question. If the government deemed it to be a very serious case in sharing rooms, why effect the law only on 1 June and not with immediate effect? This, I really can't comprehend.

Why do such travel agencies practise that? It's all about money. The owners of those few travel agencies are just saving a few more hundreds at the expense of those female staff. Do they care? No, precisely!

What if those female tourist guides were to protest to their bosses? They won't as they will lose their job for sure.

Well, I would urge those female tourist guides to complain straightaway to the Ministry of Tourism as the new law states that any travel agencies that repeat the same threat, their licences will be revoked. Bravo! That's the way to force those "profit oriented at the expense of female staff" owners.

I have this friend who has the same situation and if you are reading this, don't worry, I won't reveal your name or even your ridiculous company.

She's comes from a different industry. Her company will showcase their company's products in international exhibitions. One of the bosses will go for sure and two colleagues would go along to assist in the exhibition. She requested to go along for exposure purposes.

As the day came, she was called to see the boss and was told to keep silent that she will be sharing a room with another male colleague. Reasons were not given and she didn't ask. When the husband came to know about it, he was mad and said that it's all because that the wife didn't question and protest about it. The husband kept quiet too and was angry inside but let her go for it ????????????????

My lady friend said the guy whom she had shared the room with is just a mid 20s fella and innocent fellow. Yeah, tell me about it. That was early part of the year which I didn't know about it.

In the coming month, she's about to go again for another overseas exhibition. It's only when I sounded to her that it's total ridiculous on such arrangement, that she said it's ok because she had done it already and he's innocent. Nothing happened to them on the first trip and they draw their lines very strictly. The husband? He let her go.

I told her to protest loudly, not by shouting but make it known to them vocally. She said it's quite difficult and anyway, she don't intend to stay long in this company. She had few reasons. One of the them is to gather as many overseas contacts as possible and move on to other companies that see her overseas contacts as an asset. The other reason is that the economy is not good and it's not easy to find a job nowadays. She's quite sure the company may ask her to quit if she protest.

I only asked her a few questions and asked her to think of it seriously:-

1. If the guy picks up his guts and do something funny to her, to whom can she complain to as it was not a known arrangement but kept secret from everyone.
2. If the guy decides to molest or even managed to rape her, is she prepared to face the rest of the colleagues, family members and her kids/husband. I told her that she has agreed to share room and a legal suit against the colleague may not succeed as she indirectly said yes to it. Is she prepared to fight it out in a legal suit in the first place?
3. For the sake of overseas contacts, she was willing to risk it for her future?
4. She rather take the risk then to protest against the bosses fearing the loss of her job?
5. What made her think that a mid 20s guy is innocent in sex or say lust? I told her that she's too naive to think this way about a guy who's sleeping in the same room (though different bed).

I said that as a friend, I'm asking her to re-consider her decision to which she said that I don't understand her situation. I have done my part and it's all up to her now. She's confident that she can handle him.

I want the government to know that such practise is not found within travel agencies only. Don't be so naive either.

In most cases, the ladies are at fault for not voicing out fearing loss of jobs rather than protecting their dignity. You, as a lady, may argue on a different point of view as I don't look at situations faced by the ladies. Yeah, this world has changed and such things are not looked down nowadays but rather ............. "Wow, you are brave to do it" or "Did anything happen between you two?" or "C'mon, don't tell me you didn't feel the urge".

(If you want to comment on this posting, please ensure no lewd remarks)

Reading: Female tourist guides welcome ban on twin sharing - Star
Tags: Female Tourist Guides, Colleagues Sharing Room, Ministry of Tourism, Malaysian Women Tourist Guide