Valued, supported, inspired: How firm’s culture of trust keeps staff committed

Whether it is the water you drink, the eggs on your plate, or the quiet hum of the electric vehicle you drive, you would probably have felt the impact of ABB in your daily life.

The Swiss-Swedish electrification and automation multinational corporation has played a key role in Singapore’s development for more than five decades, powering many major water projects, including the Ulu Pandan Reclamation Plant, Changi Water Reclamation Plant, Marina Barrage and the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant. ABB also supplied an automated crane system and electrical system at the Singapore port in the 1980s.

Its robotics solutions drive the automation behind Seng Choon’s egg factories, while its smart technologies help optimise energy use and system efficiency at landmarks like the National Library and Singapore Flyer.

As such massive and complex projects take years, or even decades, ABB relies on a workforce that has deep experience, institutional knowledge and long-standing commitment. This is why its priority is staff retention for the long run.

That commitment has not gone unnoticed – ABB is one of Singapore’s best employers, as ranked by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista.

It is a recognition that reflects the experience of employees like Ms Jerrica Chooi, ABB’s country holding officer. The 50-year-old is entering her sixth year at the company, but still considers herself relatively new compared with her colleagues. The average length of service of employees is seven to 12 years.

Why do they stay so long? Ms Chooi believes one major reason is the largely Swiss- and Swedish-influenced company culture, which places strong emphasis on employee welfare and empowerment.

“At other companies, if you wanted to push an initiative, it would be done in a very top-down way. But here, things are very consultative,” she says.

A culture of trust and openness

ABB’s efforts for employee welfare include flexible working arrangements (FWAs) such as remote work, which were already the norm long before the Covid-19 pandemic. This made it easier for the company to implement FWAs, including hybrid work, when circuit-breaker measures were rolled out in 2020.

As an area sales manager, Ms Serene Yap, 36, appreciates such flexible work policies. Because of her role, she regularly travels to Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and South Korea to meet clients and oversee operations. Her hours are often irregular, and she and her other team members sometimes go for weeks without setting foot in the office.

The newlywed says the flexible working hours give her precious extra time to spend with her husband and family whenever she can. “We’re not really bound by the three-day office, two-day home arrangement most places have,” she says. “We’re all very flexible.”

That level of autonomy is intentional, says Ms Chooi. “ABB is a global company with a lot of reporting lines… We might not see each other on a day-to-day basis, but as long as I know your work isn’t being affected, you can work in whatever way suits you best.”

Ms Yap, who seldom sees her supervisor in person, appreciates the autonomy: “There’s a lot of trust that’s given to us individually,” she says. “Even for new people who join the team, there’s no micromanagement of our day-to-day jobs.” Despite the distance, she finds it easy to stay connected and collaborate with her team effectively.

Such flexibility is made possible not just by policy, but by a workplace culture built on openness and trust. Ms Chooi says: “You feel like your voice is respected, and that you can contribute and influence the outcome of projects.”

This openness even extends to the layout of ABB’s office at Ayer Rajah. None of the firm’s 700 employees, including top management, sits in a private office. There are no walls or cubicles to separate employees – so they can approach one another at any time.

Ms Chooi says she often has staff approach her in the corridor to discuss an ongoing project, or even suggest new welfare initiatives – the most recent one being an idea to add a disco ball in the karaoke room.

Opportunities to grow

Employees are also given the tools to chart their career growth at ABB.

At the ABB learning portal, staff can access dozens of online training and upskilling programmes, offered through ABB’s in-house learning management system and in collaboration with external educational partners such as Harvard Business School and IMD Business School.

Staff also get ample opportunity to find a role that best fits them. When she first entered ABB, Ms Yap rotated through several positions, including project management, marketing and business development, before settling on becoming an area sales manager. She believes her current role makes effective use of both her technical background and her soft skills that she has acquired over the 12 years she spent at ABB.

“The company encourages so much on-the-job training, so you can really take the opportunity to both sharpen your skills and expand your network,” she says.

As ABB has offices all over the world, employees also get opportunities to be seconded to an overseas office. Ms Yap, for instance, has done stints in Finland and China while on regular factory visits to keep abreast of ABB’s tech and operations.

“There are always a lot of internal postings open to us, so the opportunities are always there,” she says. “This sort of ground-level transfer helps us get a better understanding of the company as a whole, so we become more and more cross-functional.”

And this, Ms Chooi believes, will continue to cement ABB as an integral part of Singapore’s future – as it has been – for many years to come.

“When our people grow across roles and regions, they bring back new ideas and perspectives. It strengthens our teams, our innovation and ultimately our impact,” she says.

Read more about Singapore’s Best Employers 2025.