Marty and Indonesian team accepting GPTW award

Luminary named #02 Best Places to Work in Indonesia!

Luminary has made the Top 10 Best Places to Work Indonesia list for the second year in a row, this year taking out position #02.

Marty Drill

03 August 2024

3 minute read

We are thrilled to be listed #2 in the Best Places to Work in Indonesia, announced in Jakarta last week. We opened our Bali office 8 years ago to support a team member who could not work in Australia. From there, we grew a wonderful team and culture that we are proud of.

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to be themselves, feel like they belong, fulfil their goals and potential and ultimately enjoy their job. Our experience at work is impacted by the culture and leadership of the organisation.

Marty and Indonesian team accepting GPTW award

The Luminary Indonesian team attended the Great Places to Work Indonesia event in Jakarta on July 31.

Pictured: Yogie, Marty, Hestie, Nadia, Jess, Erian and Ardhana.

Traditionally, workplaces have followed a command and control structure inherited from the post-war boom in economic development. They followed the military model as they saw it as a way to effectively manage people and create assurance that the strategy was executed. The side effects of this continue to be felt today, as people managed under that structure struggle to embrace a new way of leadership now that they are managers. Our society has changed and the expectations of employees is that they want to be treated as individuals rather than someone who executes orders without question. 

We have taken a lot of ground in recent decades, as emotional awareness has influenced leadership teams across the world. Often characterised as servant leadership, the focus is on how to support or serve each team member, rather than ensuring they follow direction. Leaders recognise that people perform better when they have influence on their work and a leader who listens.

All of us want to be accepted for who we are and to belong. Culture starts here. With their base need of acceptance and belonging met, people can step out of their comfort zones, take risks and focus on what they can achieve. This provides individuals with the ability to work as part of a team to solve problems. High-performing teams are built on trust, which stems from psychological safety, the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for making mistakes, speaking up or sharing ideas. 

Marty, Jess, Hestie and GPTW team

The Luminary team accepting the award from Great Places to Work, where Luminary was ranked #2 in the small business category (50-100 employees).

Pictured: GPTW team member, Jess, Marty and Hestie.


The context for a culture comes from its values. We buy from organisations that align with our sense of self, our identity. Similar, to brands we buy from, team members will work with an organisation that supports their values and sense of self. When we don't live up to those values or they don't feel like they can be themselves/belonging, or fulfilled, they move on. People also move on when their opportunities are exhausted.

It can be difficult to sum up a culture in an article, though the basis of ours is written above. We want to share the basis of why we were selected as #2 in Indonesia.

Employing people in another country can be challenging, I am ecstatic with the assessment of our company and approach. The survey results are astounding and validate the culture the team has created. We are committed to providing people with the opportunity to have a job they enjoy!

In 2023, Luminary was ranked #10 in the Best Places to Work Indonesia list and made it to the Best Places to Work In Asia list at #20. Luminary has been recognised by Great Places to Work in Australia for nine years running.

We set the context for how we work together as a team. How it plays out each day for each person relies on each member of the team putting people first. We won’t always get it right, but our commitment to each other gives us the best shot at everyone having a culture and job they enjoy.

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