The question came to life during a fireside chat featuring two HR leaders who know the reality on the ground better than anyone, Chitra Tiara, HR Leader at SeIndonesia and Tri Yulianto, HR Manager at CFC Indonesia

Both spoke candidly about their daily balancing act, managing the needs of business owners, operational realities, legal requirements, and the unpredictable (and very human) nature of employees.

Here’s what we learned:

Tri shared that in a large-scale F&B chain environment like CFC Indonesia, compliance naturally takes precedence. “It’s about 60% compliance, 40% happiness,” he explained. When managing thousands of employees across hundreds of outlets, maintaining operational discipline is critical.
High turnover, ghosting candidates, and last-minute resignations are daily realities that demand structured policies and firm enforcement.

But Tri also emphasized that compliance doesn’t mean being cold. When hard decisions must be communicated, from salary adjustments during COVID-19 to restricting time-off during peak seasons, the how matters just as much as the what.

• Internal alignment first.
• Clear communication is second.
• And above all, respect for the humanity of the people behind the policies.

“Culture doesn’t change overnight,” Tri said. “You have to lead with consistency until it becomes second nature.”

Chitra Tiara: Building Rules With a Human Touch

Chitra, on the other hand, offered a contrasting (and refreshing) perspective. Coming from a background in fast-scaling brands like Ismaya Group and now SE Indonesia, where expansion is rapid and employees are young, happiness plays a bigger role. “For me, it’s 60% happiness, 40% compliance,” she smiled. Chitra shared how at SeIndonesia, whenever a new rule or policy needs to be introduced, employee communication comes first.
Instead of pushing policies top-down, HR gathers teams together, explains the “why,” and invites feedback before finalizing anything.

Because in a startup-like culture, buy-in matters more than blind obedience.

If people understand the reason behind a policy, if they feel heard, they are far more likely to adopt it voluntarily. It’s not about bending the rules. It’s about building trust first, enforcing second. “Young teams today expect transparency,” Chitra said. “If we don’t explain the reasoning, we lose them before we even start.”

No Right Answer, Only Honest Leadership

What became clear at Happy HR Hour is this, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. In highly structured, scaled operations, compliance must lead, but be delivered with kindness and clarity. In agile, high-growth environments, happiness and empathy become crucial tools to drive compliance organically.

Both compliance and happiness matter.
The real art of HR leadership lies in knowing when to lean into structure and when to lean into empathy and communicating both with conviction.

Key Takeaways for Every HR Leader

Whether you’re managing a legacy brand or scaling a new one, a few universal truths emerged:

• Rules without empathy breed resentment.

• Empathy without structure breeds chaos.

• Your role as HR isn’t just enforcing, it’s bridging the business needs with human needs.

And perhaps the most important reminder of the day, in HR, you are always holding both sides, the head and the heart, in balance.

Thank You for Being Part of the Conversation

Happy HR Hour Jakarta reminded all of us that no matter the size of the brand, the region we operate in, or the challenges we face, we are united by a common mission, Building workplaces that are not just compliant, but truly human. To everyone who joined us on that sunny afternoon at Pho Ba Ba, thank you for your openness, your energy, and your leadership.

The conversations we sparked on 23 April won’t end here, they’ve laid the groundwork for a more connected, more courageous HR community in Jakarta. Because when HR leaders come together, change doesn’t just happen. It accelerates.