Desa Potato Head Bali Leverages SunFish for a better HR Operations and Increased Employee Satisfaction

The most unique and innovative space in Seminyak invites to “Good Times, Do Good”

Situated in Bali’s vibrant Seminyak area, Desa Potato Head is a dynamic village that serves as a hub for music, art, sustainable food, design, and architecture. Upon walking in, guests are immersed in a world of possibilities. A five-star hotel, gallery, rejuvenating spa, music recording studio, curated library, coworking centers, sustainability workshops, streaming station, and six restaurants including a very popular beach club with an infinity pool await to be explored.

Yet, Des Potato Head offers more than just a lively atmosphere; it is a driving force of radical innovation and regenerative hospitality. Under the visionary leadership of Ronald Akili, this beach club, born in 2010, has evolved into a carbon neutral campus that empowers visitors through rich culture, a fun-loving attitude while facilitating the use of waste in art projects, architecture, and everyday operation. This means guests can enjoy a luxury vacation and still make a positive impact on the island they leave behind.

At the heart of this transformative experience are the dedicated 900 employees who are united by a common purpose: to inspire change and set new paradigms within the hospitality industry.

HR internal innovation and new paradigms were also needed

Being industry leaders in regenerative hospitality and pushing innovative solutions, the Desa Potato Head team practices what they are committed to in every aspect of their operation, including their people management department. With a sizable workforce of 900 employees, dedicated to advancing the company’s sustainability goals, the team had long recognized that their manual HR operation fell short – not only in terms of efficiency but, more importantly, in alignment with their zero waste philosophy. The HR team were particularly burdened by these issues:

1. Navigating Complex Labour Laws and Regulations

One of the burdens that Desa Potato Head’s HR team faced was ensuring compliance with the complex labor laws and regulations specific to Bali and Indonesia. Ever-changing and dynamic, it proved challenging for the HR team to continuously stay on top of legal employment requirements and obligations, including contract frameworks, leave entitlements, employee rights, etc. – all of which need to be meticulously followed in order to be compliant and to avoid problems.

2. Dealing with Complex Wage Structures

In the hospitality and entertainment industry, complex and intricate wage structures abound.  Many components including different roles, shift differentials, overtime, various allowances, deductions, service charges and more are part of the makeup of the employee salary calculation and tax contribution.

“We are in the hospitality industry, which often involves complex wage structures due to several factors. Calculating and managing these various components accurately can be challenging and is prone to errors.”

“ I Wayan Sukayasa (Sukok)  – Cluster Human Resources Manager “

Ensuring the accurate management and calculation of these multiple components is hard work, and despite applying utmost care, still susceptible to errors. Coupled with the amount of time it takes to retrieve the data, verify, and correct them, this manual process comes with a lot of frustration. 

3. Alignment with Environmental Policies  

Opened in 2020, Desa Potato Head brings Ronald Akili’s vision of a vibrant creative village to life. It is a place where visitors are inspired through rich culture and a fun-loving attitude but also a commitment to zero waste, spreading goodness in the world and improving the planet.

That commitment to zero waste extends beyond the guest experience to their internal operation. It is part of the HR team’s tasks to communicate this vision to all employees and cultivate their mindsets accordingly. More than that, the HR team has to lead by example to demonstrate the zero waste commitment. Unfortunately, minimizing the usage of paper and energy in order to reduce the carbon footprint and being environmentally friendly, is near impossible when manually administering a workforce of 900 employees and growing.

4. Coping with Covid-19 Challenges 

The pandemic brought a new set of operational guidelines to the hospitality industry that demanded swift adaptation:

New Health and Safety Measures

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the hospitality industry faced new government rules to help guarantee the safety of employees and guests. Desa Potato Head was no exception and their HR team had to develop and enforce new safety policies and protocols, provide training and education on hygiene practices, and take extra measures to ensure the well-being of its guests and employees.

Remote Work and Flexible Scheduling

Another part of the COVID-19 response measures, was the mandate of implementing remote work and/ or flexible scheduling arrangements where- and whenever applicable. That meant, the HR team of Desa Potato Head had to establish sensible remote work policies and put in place new, necessary resources accessible for remotely working employees. Moreover, it also had to overcome productivity and communication challenges associated with remote work. Their manual HR system left them very unprepared for the unique situation they suddenly found themselves in.

With the weight of the  pre-pandemic challenges compounded by the Covid-19 crisis, the Potato Head HR team recognized the need for a modern HR structure. To continue fulfilling their vision, the team embarked on a journey to upgrade their HR system and align it with their commitment to innovations and sustainability.

Embracing Digital Transformation

In a bid to keep up with their rapid workforce growth and the need for swiftly adapting to changes, the Desa Potato Head HR team took a decisive step towards a digital HR solution. Recognizing the inefficiencies of their manual HR operation, they sought a technology-driven approach to overcome their obstacles. Moreover, the team had a clear idea that the HR technology they were going to use, must have a complete set of HR functionality integrated in one system that could be accessed from anywhere their staff needed.

“It was clear that investing in an HR system was the right step forward to align with the dynamic growth of the company and ensure the sustainable measurement of a zero waste policy.”

I Wayan Sukayasa (Sukok)  – Cluster Human Resources Manage

After careful consideration, Desa Potato Head Bali partnered with DataOn to deploy our powerful SunFish Workplaze system. Renowned for its  incredibly flexible scheduling engine and deep level of attendance tracking and management tools,  SunFish is widely used in the hospitality industry. Its proven track record in this industry makes it a safe and reliable choice. 

DataOn unmatched commitment to customer service further solidified their decision. Our outstanding service levels  not only ensure a seamless and prompt rollout of the project but also continue customer support long after the go-live milestone to help with an ongoing smooth operation of the HR system.

Implementation Scope:

The many Benefits of Driving HR Management Digitization

The implementation of SunFish as their comprehensive HR platform marked a transformative shift for the Desa Potato Head HR team. By consolidating workflows and streamlining HR tasks and processes, SunFish became the backbone of their  HR operations and employee service delivery. From improved efficiency, time savings in day-to-day HR tasks, and payroll accuracy, this digital transformation contributed to an effective and paperless HR management with the following major advantages for the team:

Faster payroll processing & Employee Satisfaction

Since using the new HR system, Desa Potato Head has significantly reduced its payroll processing time. Previously, the payroll team would spend days to complete all the necessary steps from attendance data collection to payroll calculation results.With the attendance data and payroll seamlessly linked and automated, they now accomplish the entire process in half a working day or even less leading to heightened employee satisfaction and a smoother payroll operation.

“The decrease in payroll processing time has been a game-changer for our HR team and the entire organization. It has not only saved our valuable time but also enhanced accuracy and employee satisfaction.”

I Wayan Sukayasa (Sukok)  – Cluster Human Resources Manager

Enhanced efficiency and accuracy, time savings in HR daily tasks

Optimized HR processes result in considerable time savings for the team.  Previously, tedious administrative tasks such as data collection, maintenance, updates, and reporting have been streamlined. Additionally, built-in problem alerts have helped minimize data inaccuracies, thereby enhancing the overall reliability of the HR operation. With less time spent on mundane tasks, the HR team now can dedicate more time and resources to focus on recruitment and education.

Streamlined Process and Task Automation

 The unified platform streamlines their core HR procedures,  automates their tasks and provides central access to all their HR data. It brought the HR team consistency, compliance, reduced errors and enabled the team to work much more effectively in their day-to-day operations.

An Inspiration to Others

Desa Potato Head’s successful implementation of SunFish sets an inspiring example for other organizations seeking to transform their HR operations, improve the overall employee experience, and usher in a new era of HR excellence. The positive impact of embracing a digital HR solution is evident in the increased efficiency, productivity, and employee satisfaction achieved by Desa Potato Head. With DataOn as their trusted partner, the company has a reliable support network as they continue to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing HR landscape. 

“Since incorporating SunFish HR software into our operations, we have witnessed remarkable enhancements in our HR practices, making it an invaluable tool for our day-to-day activities.  Furthermore, the customer support we have received from DataOn has been outstanding.”

“ I Wayan Sukayasa (Sukok)  – Cluster Human Resources Manager”