Formed in 2005, as the partner of leading retail brands from around the world, Kanmo Group occupies a leadership position within several market segments in Indonesia. Operating across retail, wholesale, online, and travel retail channels, Kanmo Group has positioned itself as an omnichannel operator, serving tens of thousands of customers monthly with brands like Mothercare, Early Learning Centre (ELC), The Entertainer, Gingersnaps, Justice, Wilio, Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman, Cole Haan, Havaianas, Adidas Performance, Adidas Originals, Adidas Kids and Nespresso. Kanmo won the HR Asia Awards (Best Companies to Work for in Asia) in 2023.
- Why Acall?
When we see the need for a more efficient way of working with the hybrid working pattern, we have compared some applications, especially for hot desking. In choosing the right application, we have some basic requirements, and Acall has been able to fulfill all of those. The feature is quite comprehensive and supports Microsoft AD integration, which is great for managing users. With competitive pricing and the completeness of the feature, Acall has become our first choice.
For a vendor for our hotdesking system, we tried to look for a partner globally and locally: we had Romanian, Australian, and British companies, and so on. We tried to find one that fits the function we needed and the budget. Actually, we found it difficult to find a local partner for hotdesking, so we tried to find one abroad. We have various international vendors. It was our first time working with Japanese IT vendors. We had a lot of requests, but it was good support.
Microsoft integration was a key point for us. We wanted to have one login so that it would not be difficult to manage, especially when employees resign. We have many other applications, emails, and so on.
As of today, in the Head Office, we have arranged a 3-day minimum of work from the office, work-from-home options depend on the department’s conditions.
Before the pandemic, we already had options for Work from Home as a way to keep employees from getting bored in the office, but not many staff were using it. When the pandemic hit Indonesia in March 2020, and the government made a decision to lock down Jakarta, we started using Work from Home.
Starting from January 2021, Kanmo had a zoning system in each department, with hot desks in every zone. We did it without a system, just on a first-come, first-served basis. We have 13 departments and set the seating arrangement according to the designated zone for each department and a hotdesking zone in the middle.
We started using Acall in March 2023. Our company is facing the problem of a shortage of desks for our employees. During the pandemic, our company continued to carry out the recruiting process. However, because the work-from-home policy was still running, we needed a new policy, namely a hot desk system. Acall is a system that helps us make it easier for employees to use a hot desking system.
- How is Acall?
It’s really easy to inform employees how to use Acall, even with only a simple tutorial module, and so far, no complaints. Our employees can now book a seat first and check in without having to worry about not having a seat when coming to the office. This is great for the user as there are days when we need a team meeting with colleagues in the office, and there are days when we want to focus on working from home or mainly have online meetings from home. Make our life easier by running a hotdesk using Acall. As we already had a tutorial, we also know how to switch the languages between Japanese and English, too.
One year ago, we had only 500 employees, and we have offices in Jakarta and Bali, which is more for the warehouse. We have 600 employees now at headquarters and are rapidly growing. If we include the staff members in retail shops, we have more than 2,000 employees.
From July 2023, we added 140 users. Originally, we only launched 3 floors with 150 users, but we want to add 2 more floors, as the Management team decided.
We can’t say if implementing the hotdesking system with Acall has any impact on recruiting yet, but our new joiners are quite excited about this.
- During pandemic days: Work from home
Back in the pandemic days, we learned how to collaborate effectively and efficiently. All the staff members worked smoothly while working from home.
It’s also true that we had challenges working from home; we cannot shrug off any technical or nontechnical conditions that happen when working from home. Internet connection was also the main problem, but any distraction, like noise from the surroundings, also happens a lot. We usually live with a big family in Indonesia, like 2–3 families in one house. When we are working from home, distractions from other family members are a common issue.
Team bonding issues also came when we only met once in a while. For a team bonding issue, our HR initiated some online events that involved all employees and asked them to change and turn on the camera. We also send them gifts on special occasions so they feel close to the company. It was a lot to arrange, as the home addresses of some employees were not up to date. However, it was necessary. Most Indonesians really like gathering, so at first, it was a little difficult to communicate, but because of the pressure of the pandemic, we started to get used to WFH, and it turned out to be difficult to leave it.
- Coming back to work at least 3 days and hybrid work
Since the Indonesian government loosened the restriction on COVID protocol, businesses are going back to the “new normal”. We had some waves, but it was officially announced that the pandemic was over in April 2023.
Before COVID, we used to come to the office every day, and everyone had their own desk.
In Kanmo, we already initiated work from home in Feb 2021 as a pilot one before the pandemic started in March 2021. There is no specific data to show but maybe we started to adopt working from home earlier if compared to other companies in Indonesia because it was not common for in-office firms to do so before the pandemic. Before the pandemic, working from home was only an option by applying through a Google form.
We tried to implement work-from-home before the pandemic. It’s only like an option here. In HR, we have decided to implement something to grow our company, for well-being, that’s why we implement work from home.
Now for at least 3 days, we have to come to the office as per the decision by the management. We need to work in the office to have face-to-face contact with people, as we don’t have experience if we are only online. There is a different environment between online and offline. Of course, having the environment, the best choice is that we can work from home and work in the office. Indonesian people like to gather to chat. Coming to the office for 3 days is actually good for engagement. For a team like the IT department, we don’t need to go to the office. We work a lot outside of office hours and outside of the office, too, but we decided to keep ourselves coming to the office for 3 days so that we can meet face-to-face to maintain engagement and communication. When it comes to projects, a communication liaison must be appointed.
Working from home is more effective, but when we work from home, we work for a long time, even non-office hours.
- What is working life like in Jakarta?
Many employees take 1-2 hours to get to the office from home. The Kanmo office is fortunately close to the train station. Some employees use buses and drive cars. It’s also common to use Grab motorcycles while sitting behind as well.
Hotdesking is getting popular in Jakarta, especially among startups. It’s considered a new working style after the pandemic. Acall could be useful, especially in big cities and for start-up business types in Indonesia.
Kanmo’s Culture
We create a culture of appreciation and recognition for employees’ contributions. We provide regular feedback and opportunities for growth and development. Implement performance evaluation processes that focus on objective metrics and encourage continuous improvement. Kanmo Group has a core value called iGrow, which stands for Integrity and Passion, Gracious and Humble, Recognition and Kindness, Optimism and Excellence. We are Family first as we inform our employees since onboarding the new joiner. Through these core values, we develop all activities in the company. Culture is important to retain the team.
We also have a flexible working system that started about 7 years ago. Our working hours can start from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Employees can decide when to work and can work flexibly every day. Having flexibility is good for keeping the employees engaged. We also support all the technical tools needed to collaborate and work smoothly.
