Bali team 25yrs

Behind the scenes of one of Asia’s Best Places to Work

Our People and Culture Director, Leah Champion, recently paid a visit to all of our offices across Indonesia with our CEO, Marty Drill. Here she shares her impressions of each of the different offices, what makes them unique, and how each one has contributed to Luminary’s recent recognition as one of Asia’s best places to work.

Leah Champion

04 September 2024

5 minute read

Recently we were bestowed with an award and acknowledgement that may just be our proudest achievement to date – we were ranked No.2 on the list of Great Places to Work in Indonesia (Small Business category), which was closely followed up with No.6 in the whole of Asia

These awards are based on comprehensive team surveys which ultimately assess our team members’ pride and trust in Luminary, as well as factors such as camaraderie, fairness and respect. With businesses like DHL, Mastercard, Google, Flight Centre and Accenture vying for this title, we are beyond thrilled to see Luminary take No.2 in the small business (50-100 team members) category.

So, you might be wondering how we have cultivated such a strong team in Indonesia, with 100 percent of the team saying that Luminary is a great place to work and that they would recommend it to others. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our four locations in Indonesia, how we strive to create our own unique and united Luminary culture and what it means to be the No.2 Best Place to Work in Indonesia.

Embracing our Indonesian identity

As People and Culture Director at Luminary, supporting our distributed team is my main objective, but it’s about bridging more than just geographical distance. Providing the best place to work for our Indonesian team is about setting up offices and support structures that respect cultural diversity and offering flexible arrangements that are rarely offered across the region. 

While hybrid working may be an assumption for an Australian workforce, it’s not the case for Indonesia. Our Work From Anywhere policy means that members of the team can work from home on days where the commute is 3+ hours long due to road closures occurring in major or rural Indonesian cities. It also means our team can be home to prepare the family meal for immediate and extended family, as is customary for many. Most importantly, it means that our team can thrive at work knowing that their personal preferences and cultural responsibilities are respected and embraced.

Our team in Indonesia makes up a third of our agency, with roles spanning development, client partnership, design, finance, production, QA and administration across four cities. Here’s a look at the locations our team members work within.

Jakarta 

Nothing prepared me for the sheer size of Jakarta's population. A whopping 10 million people live here, which is more than New York. This means that long commute times, air quality, heat and humidity are lifestyle factors that our team needs to navigate. In fact, in 2025 Indonesia’s capital city will no longer be Jakarta, and will instead be moved to Borneo – in part due to the strain that the city’s ever-expanding population has put on the island of Java. 

Another distinctive feature of life in our Jakarta office is that across the day, Call to Prayer sirens echo throughout the city.

Within the Jakarta office you will find six of our team members who have a combination of developer and analyst skill sets. They use the office location for opportune moments of collaboration and connection.

Food in Jakarta
Jess and Nadia

Bandung

Bandung was our next destination. We travelled from Jakarta via a fast train, which reached a top speed of nearly 350 kilometres per hour. Bandung is home to a number of highly credentialed universities and, as a result, has a contemporary vibe that is reflected in the cafes and eateries. 

Compared to Jakarta, Bandung has a cooler atmosphere and is famous for its various snacks. Bandung is also known as ‘Paris Van Java’ because it is the centre of fashion trends and architecture. Bandung also applies Art Deco as a reference for building construction that is very similar to Paris. 

On a more traditional front, Bandung people take a specific pride in their love of spicy food – and so do the children who live there! At the time we visited, we were able to try a Seblak, made of wet krupuk (traditional Indonesian crackers) cooked with protein sources (egg, chicken, seafood or beef) in spicy sauce.

The Bandung office has team members working in development, who not only contribute to deepening our Sitecore and Optimizely knowledge, but also play supporting Team Lead roles. 

Bandung team

Surabaya

An area well known for its heat, the local government has in recent years been committed to a green focus - planting heavily throughout the city, not only enhancing aesthetics, but helping to reduce the intensity of the heat. 

Throughout Surabaya there are hints of Dutch influence in the architecture. Our hotel (Hotel Maiapahit) was the scene of a historic uprising on 10 November 1945 when the Arek-Arek Suroboyo (Youth of Surabaya) defended the independence of the Indonesian nation from Allied attacks. Following this battle, the city of Surabaya became known as the City of Heroes.

Our Surabayan team members range in levels of experience and use the co-working space to support each other’s professional experience. The combination of developer and talent partner roles complement this environment.

Fun local fact: ‘Wedang Uwuh’ is a welcome drink which translates to ‘brewed garbage’. Loaded with ginger and lots of important herbs, it is said to support immunity and heart health. The name describes what it looks like during the boiling process.

Team members in car

Bali

Our Bali office, established in 2016, hosts our largest Indonesian contingent. The breadth of roles here include developers, client service, designers, producers, finance and administration. The Bali office not only provides a day-to-day working environment, but also acts as our central home for the wider Indonesian team, who gather here for events at least twice a year. To maintain team bonding and connection, our Indonesian teams outside of the Bali office also meet once or twice a month.

Our Bali office is well attended by our Australian team, taking advantage of Luminary’s policy of allowing team members to travel to the Bali office once a year with flights and accommodation covered. The same policy is offered to our Indonesian teams to travel to Australia.

Bali team members
More Bali team members

One of the things that struck me most during my tour of our Indonesian offices is how well they all encapsulate the elements of the broader culture of Luminary, while still retaining the uniqueness of their local culture. There is a genuine sense of unity and camaraderie that transcends the individual offices and brings everyone together. At the same time, they welcome newcomers with open arms. I am grateful to have had this opportunity to get to know our Indonesian colleagues a little better and to have immersed myself in their workplace environment, which is truly deserving of all the accolades it has received.

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