Cooking up an HR treat with Sweetheart Kitchen
HR departments constantly face time intensive issues and the burden of administrative tasks. However, by streamlining these processes, HR teams can spend more time creating the best possible workplace culture and empowering their employees. We sat down with Brian Grieser, CFO at Sweetheart Kitchen, to learn how Bayzat supported Sweetheart Kitchen’s HR team during a critical phase of its growth.
Setting the scene
Sweetheart Kitchen is a private label, multi-brand virtual kitchen that uses advanced cooking techniques and technology-backed manufacturing processes to deliver fresh and high-quality food across the Middle East. It is one of the leading cloud-based kitchens in the region, covering multiple food brands and thousands of daily orders in the UAE and Kuwait.
The cloud kitchens industry – commercial kitchens that prepare food especially for delivery and have no physical dining location – has boomed in the Middle East since the pandemic. As such, Sweetheart Kitchen has grown extremely quickly since it launched in the UAE in 2019. During its initial phase of growth, Sweetheart Kitchen turned to Bayzat to help it onboard new employees quickly, streamline HR processes, and set up the right insurance coverage – all through one digital platform.
The cloud kitchens industry – commercial kitchens that prepare food especially for delivery and have no physical dining location – has boomed in the Middle East since the pandemic. As such, Sweetheart Kitchen has grown extremely quickly since it launched in the UAE in 2019. During its initial phase of growth, Sweetheart Kitchen turned to Bayzat to help it onboard new employees quickly, streamline HR processes, and set up the right insurance coverage – all through one digital platform.
Key issues
Lack of internal resources and infrastructure to handle pace of growth
Time-consuming processes related to payroll and onboarding for new employees
Lack of knowledge and understanding of the health insurance market
Supporting HR
Amidst a period of rapid customer demand, Sweetheart Kitchen was faced with the pressures of producing high-quality cuisine while delivering exceptional customer service. This could have resulted in HR becoming an afterthought. But that wasn’t an option for Sweetheart Kitchen, so it implemented Bayzat’s HR management and insurance platform to centralize and streamline everything to do with HR.
The platform addressed two business priorities. First, employee onboarding and management. Sweetheart Kitchen hired 150 people in six months as part of a rapid growth phase, at a time when it lacked an adequate HR infrastructure. The Bayzat platform enabled Sweetheart Kitchen to ramp up quickly by simplifying document management and streamlining processes related to onboarding, attendance, payroll and overtime calculations. It also provided valuable education around the UAE visa process. This significantly reduced the administrative burden, enabling Sweetheart Kitchen to grow without having to worry about the HR side of the business.
The platform addressed two business priorities. First, employee onboarding and management. Sweetheart Kitchen hired 150 people in six months as part of a rapid growth phase, at a time when it lacked an adequate HR infrastructure. The Bayzat platform enabled Sweetheart Kitchen to ramp up quickly by simplifying document management and streamlining processes related to onboarding, attendance, payroll and overtime calculations. It also provided valuable education around the UAE visa process. This significantly reduced the administrative burden, enabling Sweetheart Kitchen to grow without having to worry about the HR side of the business.
“Bayzat helped us onboard hundreds of employees at the same time, which simply wouldn’t have been possible with the resources we had,” said Brian. “They provided us with the initial infrastructure for HR, delivering information around visa status, vacations, sick days and more - all while keeping our HR costs under control. Without Bayzat’s help, we could not have grown as quickly as we did.”
The second priority was insurance - both general insurance for Sweetheart Kitchen’s facilities and health insurance for its employees. Bayzat helped the company identify the most appropriate policies based on the decisions made by similar businesses, and provided multiple health insurance quotes that met employees’ needs without going over budget.
“Bayzat presented us with various insurance plans and helped us understand government requirements and industry standards,” added Brian. “This made the whole process much more manageable and helped us make the best decisions for our employees. I’m very thankful to the Bayzat team.”
The second priority was insurance - both general insurance for Sweetheart Kitchen’s facilities and health insurance for its employees. Bayzat helped the company identify the most appropriate policies based on the decisions made by similar businesses, and provided multiple health insurance quotes that met employees’ needs without going over budget.
“Bayzat presented us with various insurance plans and helped us understand government requirements and industry standards,” added Brian. “This made the whole process much more manageable and helped us make the best decisions for our employees. I’m very thankful to the Bayzat team.”
Improving the employee experience
It’s not just Sweetheart Kitchen’s HR team that has benefitted from Bayzat. Taking a digital-first approach has also given employees access to key information about their roles and benefits package, increasing visibility through the easy-to-use mobile app. That’s the added benefit of a platform that has been built from the ground up to deliver a superior workplace experience.
“Bayzat’s online app has made communication with employees more streamlined, as well as giving them easy access to personal information such as payroll, insurance and scheduling. This gives them peace of mind so that they can focus all of their energy on their day-to-day activities.”
“Bayzat’s online app has made communication with employees more streamlined, as well as giving them easy access to personal information such as payroll, insurance and scheduling. This gives them peace of mind so that they can focus all of their energy on their day-to-day activities.”
The bottom line
“Our rapid growth in the UAE and Kuwait has been supported by Bayzat across our business functions since day one. We’ve received great customer service, flexibility, and assistance in scaling our business. But this is just the beginning. We’re confident that the Bayzat team will provide the tools and expertise to help us continue building our infrastructure in the future.”
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