Features Pricing Security AI Articles Log in Get Started Free

Est. 2024  ·  Jakarta & Dubai  ·  Vol. I, No. 1


The Workived
Chronicle

A small team's field notes on building HR software
that doesn't cost a fortune


About · Story · Catalog · Timeline

Origin Story

Born From Frustration
With Enterprise Costs

We were a tiny team — spread between Jakarta and Dubai — drowning in spreadsheets, WhatsApp threads, and the kind of leave-tracking chaos that makes you question whether "HR" stands for "Highly Ridiculous."

Every solution we found wanted $12 per employee per month. For a 10-person team that's $1,440 a year — just to know who's on leave tomorrow. We refused. So we opened our laptops and started building.

.xlsx .csv who's off?
The Irony

We Built the Leave Feature While on Leave

Yes, really. The first working prototype of Workived's leave management module was coded during an actual holiday. There's something poetic about building a leave tracker while you're supposed to be off.

That prototype became the foundation of everything. Attendance came next, then expense claims, then the task board. Each feature was born from a real pain point, not a product roadmap dreamt up in a boardroom.

Now we use it daily — every clock-in, every leave request, every expense receipt. It's ours, and it's yours — free for almost everything. No hidden costs. No "contact sales." No enterprise pricing page designed to make you feel small.

attendance claims leave ✓ tasks calendar 2024
2
Countries
9+
Core Modules
0
Hidden Fees
Leave Requests Filed
We didn't set out to build an HR platform. We set out to stop losing track of who's in the office on Monday.

— Internal Slack, 2024

Belief No. 01

Small Teams Deserve Real Tools

You shouldn't need 500 employees to afford proper attendance tracking. A 5-person startup deserves the same dignity as a Fortune 500 company — minus the procurement process.

Belief No. 02

Free Should Actually Mean Free

Our free tier isn't a demo or a trap. It covers up to 15 employees with full access to attendance, leave, claims, tasks, and more. We make money only when you grow past that — and even then, it's fair.

Belief No. 03

Built for Where We Work

Indonesia and UAE first. We know the labor laws, the holidays, the currencies. Workived isn't a Silicon Valley product awkwardly localized — it's built here, for here.

Dispatches

2026 — Now
Growing in the open
AI assistant, performance analytics, mobile app, and multi-currency support. Still free for small teams. Still built by a small team.
August 2025
EmiraLabs is born — and so is the name
We officially formed EmiraLabs and gave our internal HR tool a proper name: Workived. What started as a side project became the studio's first real product.
Early 2025
First real users
Teams in Jakarta and Dubai started using the tool daily. Bug reports came in faster than features — exactly how it should be.
Late 2024
Shared it with friends — they loved it
Before any launch, we shared Workived with a few founder friends running small teams. They started using it for real — leave tracking, attendance, the works. Their feedback shaped the product, and their enthusiasm told us we were onto something.
Mid 2024
The "while on leave" prototype
Leave management, attendance tracking, and a team directory — built in a sprint fueled by frustration and too much coffee.
Early 2024
The spreadsheet breaking point
After one too many "who approved this leave?" messages, we decided enough was enough. The first commit was pushed that week.
EmiraLabs

A product by EmiraLabs

Workived is designed and engineered by EmiraLabs — a small studio building practical software for the markets we live in. We're based between Jakarta and Dubai, and we believe the best tools come from people who actually use them every day.

Try It — On the House

Free for teams up to 15. No credit card. No "let's schedule a demo."

Get Started Free →