Bringing strategic and operational HR functions to Highlands Coffee’s 12,000+ workforce.
As the leading homegrown coffee chain in Vietnam, Highlands Coffee is an iconic brand synonymous with Vietnamese coffee culture. From its signature Phin Sua Da to a wide array of teas and snacks, Highlands Coffee operates a vast retail network that brings people together. Beyond the beans, the brand is a massive employer, fueling the local economy through its extensive footprint of over 400 outlets across the nation.
Moving from manual Excel spreadsheets to a fully automated HR ecosystem with Cadena has transformed how we manage our 12,000+ employees. We’ve truly modernized the employee experience for the next generation of Highlands Coffee.
Results at a glance
Scale
Supporting 12,000+ employees across 400+ outlets and multiple business units
Transformation
100% elimination of manual Excel-based HR and payroll processing.
Modernization
Full transition to GPS-based mobile clock-in/out in 2024.
Full Lifecycle
End-to-end management from recruitment and appraisal to payroll.
The challenge
Moving beyond the "Excel era"
Managing a retail giant requires more than just brewing the perfect cup; it requires high-precision workforce management. Before 2019, Highlands Coffee faced a significant operational hurdle: nearly all HR, attendance, and payroll functions were performed manually using Excel.
With a rapidly growing workforce, this manual approach became a bottleneck. Reconciling thousands of rows of data across hundreds of spreadsheets led to high risks of human error, delayed payroll cycles, and a lack of real-time visibility into labor costs. The primary challenge was to digitize this "Excel-based" foundation into a system that could handle the enormous volume of daily attendance data while managing the logistical complexity of temporary staff transfers across 400+ different locations.
The scope
From core payroll to a total HR ecosystem
The partnership with Cadena HRM Series 5 has evolved through several strategic phases, transforming Highlands Coffee’s HR department from manual spreadsheets into a high-tech command center.
Phase 1 (2019) – The foundation:
Migration from Excel to automated Time Attendance, Payroll, and Employee Self-Service (ESS) to stabilize high-volume operations.
Phase 2 (2020) – Group-wide expansion:
The system was scaled to include other business units under Viet Thai International, such as Pho24 and Swarovski, creating a unified HR platform for the group.
Phase 3 (2023) – Strategic talent management:
The focus shifted to advanced HR functionality, including Cadena’s Recruitment and Performance Appraisal modules to digitize the entire employee lifecycle.
Phase 4 (2024) – Mobile-first innovation:
Launch of the native mobile application, allowing 12,000+ staff to clock in/out via GPS location, replacing traditional hardware with modern, geofenced mobile validation.
The benefits
Retail agility at national scale
1
Automated high-volume validation
With over 12,000 employees, Highlands Coffee processes an enormous stream of daily clock-in/out records. Whether via biometric devices or the mobile app, the system instantly compares real-time data against employee schedules. This ensures that every shift across 400+ stores is validated for accuracy before a single payroll calculation is run, eliminating the need for manual Excel reconciliations.
2
Seamless cross-outlet mobility
A standout feature of the implementation is the temporary staff transfer management. The system allows store managers to move staff between outlets seamlessly, ensuring that attendance data and labor costs follow the employee to the correct cost center without manual intervention or data loss.
3
Mobile-first employee experience
The introduction of the 2024 mobile app has revolutionized the "Partner" experience. Employees now manage their entire professional life—from GPS-based attendance to viewing payslips, requesting leave, and tracking overtime—directly from their smartphones.
4
Bespoke customization for complex needs
Over the years, Highlands Coffee has worked closely with Cadena to implement extensive customizations. This ensures the system isn't just a generic tool, but a tailored solution designed specifically around Highlands’ unique business logic, reporting structures, and internal compliance standards.