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Guided by the belief of 'By the people; for the people', Addcel Engineering has created an ownership-driven culture that strengthens trust, rewards contribution, and empowers employees to grow with purpose.
Addcel Engineering’s transformation is rooted in a clear principle that value created by its people should be shared by its people. This forms the foundation of an employee-owned company that places performance, integrity, and shared success at the centre of the organisation’s culture.
To strengthen trust in this model, the team introduced open book management, simplified profit dashboards, and quarterly town halls to help employees understand financial performance and profitability drivers. Clearer contribution metrics were also implemented for field staff, linking site-specific indicators such as non-conformance reports, safety incidents, and on-time delivery to the company’s overall results.
These efforts have helped employees take greater ownership of their growth, the team tells HRO. Productivity has increased by 15%, satisfaction scores sit at around 80% in informal surveys, and teams continue to embrace a fail-fast, continuous improvement mindset.
The team shares: "We believe that progress is built on experimentation and learning, and that courage to try is just as valuable as success itself."
Addcel Engineering’s people-first approach was recognised at the HR Excellence Awards 2025, Singapore, where the team won a bronze award for 'Excellence in Total Rewards Strategy'.
In light of the win, the team highlights that HR excellence is not solely driven by systems and structures, but by cultivating a culture where people feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow, reinforcing the belief that when individuals flourish, organisations do too.
Read the full interview below.
Q Tell us about your inspiring HR initiative – what sparked the idea, and how did you know it was the right path to take?
At Addcel Engineering, our HR strategy is founded on a single core belief: 'By the people; for the people'. This belief is the basis for an employee-owned company, where the value creation by staff should be shared by staff. This guiding philosophy shapes our efforts to build an organisation where performance, integrity, and shared success are valued, nurtured, and rewarded.
Our objective is clear — create a performance-driven, people-first culture that not only retains top talent but empowers them to rise as co-creators of value through open pathways to profit-sharing and eventual company ownership.
Q Every journey has its ups and downs – can you share a challenge your team faced and how you worked through it together?
Challenge #1: Some employees were sceptical of profit-sharing due to lack of visibility of company financials.
Solution: We introduced open book management, simplified profit dashboards and quarterly town halls to share company performance highlights and educate staff on profitability drivers.
Challenge #2: Linking field staff KPIs to corporate profitability.
Solution: Site-specific contribution metrics (e.g., number of NCRs, safety incidents, on-time delivery) were introduced and communicated clearly. We also assess the performance of our annual work plan to recognise effort (behavioural scoring through TOPACE metrics) alongside outcomes.
Q What impact has this initiative had on your organisation so far, and what do you hope it inspires in the wider HR community?
Some quantifiable outcomes include 80% staff satisfaction scores in informal surveys, increased productivity by 15% which was driven by improved discipline and attendance incentives while maintaining our overall margin despite weaker pricing and higher cost.
At the heart of our leadership philosophy is the belief that true empowerment begins when we entrust our people not just with tasks, but with their own growth. We’re here to create an environment where employees feel inspired to take ownership of their careers, fuelled by their passion, potential, and purpose. By offering opportunities that act as springboards for advancement, we signal our confidence in their capabilities. And by celebrating effort — even when results aren’t immediate — we cultivate a culture of courage, experimentation, and resilience. This is how we build a workforce that dares to try, learns from failure, and ultimately thrives.
Q Looking back, is there a moment, person, or value that kept you and your team motivated throughout the journey?
At Addcel, we champion a culture of proactive ownership — where every employee is encouraged to take initiative, embrace a 'fail fast' mindset, and is recognised for their efforts, regardless of the outcome. We believe that progress is built on experimentation and learning, and that courage to try is just as valuable as success itself. In parallel, we’re continuously refining our processes and reimagining roles through digitalisation, enabling our people to focus on meaningful, value-added work.
This dynamic environment keeps our teams engaged, constantly learning, and motivated to push boundaries — making every day an opportunity to grow and achieve more together.
Q If you could offer one golden nugget of wisdom to HR professionals aiming for excellence, what would it be?
We believe that at the core of exceptional HR is a deep belief in the power of people.
When we empower individuals to take ownership of their journey, encourage them to fail fast and learn faster, and celebrate effort as much as achievement, we unlock something extraordinary.
By continuously redesigning work to be more purposeful and value-driven, we create space for our people to thrive—not just professionally, but personally. HR excellence isn’t just about systems and structures; it’s about cultivating a culture where every person feels seen, supported, and inspired to grow. Because when people flourish, organisations do too.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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