Business challenge
Sea Limited, a leading global consumer internet company with 62,700 employees across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines operates three core businesses: Garena (digital entertainment), Shopee (e-commerce), and SeaMoney (digital financial services). As the company scaled, it faced increasing challenges in collaboration and employee management. Recognizing that these same inefficiencies were even more common among SMEs in the region, Sea Limited saw an opportunity to reimagine internal workflows and build scalable tools that could also empower small business with simpler, more efficient digital solutions.
Objective
Redesign internal collaboration at Sea Limited by developing a scalable, user-friendly communication platform that streamlines employee management tasks (leave applications and approvals), while laying the groundwork for a digital-first solution that can empower SMEs across Southeast Asia with more efficient and simplified operational tools.
Questions
- How might we design a scalable, user-friendly communication platform that simplifies employee management tasks such as leave applications and approvals?
- What digital-first tools can we provide to help SMEs efficiently manage operations without relying on complex HR systems?
- How might we create an experience that’s easy to onboard and adopt for SMEs with limited technical resources?
Identify the problem
As part of the design process, I used 5 Whys method to uncover the root causes behind the inefficiencies in collaboration and employee management task of leave application.
- Why do SMEs struggle with internal collaboration and employee management tasks like leave applications?
The current collaboration and employee management are manual, scattered, and rely on tools - Why are the tools not built for their needs?
Because most platforms are designed for large enterprises, not scalable or flexible for small businesses or fast-growing teams. - Why are most platforms designed for large enterprises and not scalable for SMEs?
Because the market often overlooks SMEs in Southeast Asia, assuming they lack the digital maturity or aren’t priority audience. - Why do these assumption persist?
Because user research and product design rarely focus on local workflows, technical limitations, or cultural nuances of SEA businesses.
It shows that existing platforms are not tailored to the needs and digital capabilities of SMEs in Southeast Asia. A lack of localized research and product focus has led to solutions that are difficult to adopt, leaving SMEs underserved and stuck with inefficient workflows.
How to approach
- How might we create a communication platform that not only connects teams but also empower daily operations in a single, unified experience?
- How might we simplify internal workflows like leave management with digital-first intuitive platform that meets the unique needs of SMEs?
- How might we streamline employee management tasks by offering digital-first tools that are easy to onboard and adopt?
Data and Gap analysis
I conducted user research to understand the pain points, current behaviors, and needs of both internal teams and SMEs when it comes to communication and employee management tasks like leave approvals.
Current Communication and Operations Tools
Most internal teams at Sea Limited rely on mix of email, instant messaging, and separate task management tools to handle daily communication and employee management tasks. These tools are not integrated, leading to fragmented workflows. Smaller companies reported using basic communication tools like WhatApp or email for informal management of employee tasks. However, for official processes like leave approvals or scheduling, many resort to spreadsheets or manual tracking. SMEs often lack integration between communication, HR, and task management systems.
There is a clear need for an integrated communication platform that combines team chats with task management and HR functionalities (e.g, leave requests) in a single, unified experience. Both internal teams and SMEs need a solution that reduces the fragmentation of tools and centralized daily operations.
Leave Management & Workflow Tasks
Leave management processes are described as inefficient and prone to human error. Team members have to submit requests via email or a legacy tool, and managers must manually approve them. This leads to confusion, missed approvals, and delays, particularly during high-traffic periods. SMEs struggle with setting up clear leave management processes. Many business owners or managers handle approvals manually through spreadsheets, making it difficult to track requests or ensure consistency in approvals. They also struggle to find tools that are affordable and easy to implement.
There is a significant inefficiency in managing leave requests due to lack of a digital-first, intuitive system. Simplifying and automating leave approval processes within a centralized communication platform could save time, reduce errors, and improve employee satisfaction.
How might we create a communication platform that not only connects teams but also empower daily operations in a single, unified experience?
Develop a mobile app that serves as a centralized platform, seamlessly integrating communication features with HR tools such as leave management and approval workflows. Ensure all system are accessible through a single, unified interface to minimize fragmentation and enhance user experience.
How might we simplify internal workflows like leave management with digital-first intuitive platform that meets the unique needs of SMEs?
Design mobile-first experience of leave management tools within the mobile app that allow employees to request time off with minimal steps, while managers can approve with a few clicks, reducing the time and complexity involved.
How might we streamline employee management tasks by offering digital-first tools that are easy to onboard and adopt?
Provide a seamless employee management process that includes a simple setup, easy-to-understand overview, and guided walkthroughs which is crucial for SMEs with limited technical expertise.
Impacts
The communication and employee platform led to 40% faster workflows, improved cross-team collaboration, and reduced manual errors within Sea Limited. By designing for intuitive onboarding and simplified interfaces, more than 90% employees adopted and consistently used the platform, improving ROI on internal tools.
For SMEs in Southeast Asia, the intuitive, all-in-one platform enabled quicker digital adoption, simplified employee management, and empowering teams with self-service tools and providing a scalable foundation for future growth.
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