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Building a Thriving Workplace: Kimly Construction's Award-Winning HR Practices

5 May 2025

By BCA

Kimly Construction has secured a place in The Straits Times Best Employer Awards for 2025. This recognition highlights the company's exceptional HR strategies that foster talent attraction and retention in Singapore's built environment sector. By focusing on employee well-being, career growth, and workplace flexibility, Kimly Construction sets a benchmark for other firms to emulate.

Creating an Employee-Centric Culture

Kimly Construction's success is rooted in its commitment to employee-centric policies prioritising talent development, well-being, and retention. The company believes a strong workplace culture and continuous learning opportunities are key to keeping employees engaged and motivated.

One of Kimly's standout initiatives is its skills-first approach to hiring. Instead of merely looking at academic qualifications, the company assesses candidates based on their skills and potential. This broadens the talent pool and ensures employees are placed in roles where they can thrive. Additionally, Kimly has introduced a workplace buddy and mentorship system, which helps new hires integrate smoothly into the company culture.


Career conversations and on-the-job training session

Recognising the importance of flexibility, Kimly has embedded Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) into its operations. This enhances work-life balance and builds trust within project teams, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.

Innovative HR Strategies for Career Development

The built environment sector is rapidly evolving, with increased emphasis on sustainability, digitalisation, and innovative construction practices. Kimly Construction actively invests in upskilling its workforce to keep up with these trends.

One of the company's latest initiatives is career conversation facilitation, where employees receive guidance on career progression and development opportunities. With the industry shifting towards sustainability-focused roles, Kimly ensures its employees are well-equipped to take on emerging job functions.

The company plans to implement job rostering for Project Engineers and Planning Engineers to improve workforce agility. This initiative allows for better resource planning and encourages cross-functional collaboration, ultimately enhancing productivity and work-life balance.


Kimly Corporate Run at Mandai Wildlife

Addressing ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Challenges Through Progressive HR Practices

The built environment industry faces several challenges, including a tight talent pool, particularly in technical and specialist roles. Recognising this, Kimly Construction has designed HR initiatives that attract and retain local talent.

The company has seen remarkable success from its initiatives. Over 95% of new hires reported satisfaction within their first three months, crediting the onboarding experience, buddy system, and mentorship. Furthermore, 90% of exit survey responses highlighted that Kimly's HR policies were valuable and beneficial to their careers.

Clients have also acknowledged the company's efforts, with positive feedback on staff skills, work quality, and professionalism increasing from 81% to 88% over the past two years. These numbers not only showcase the success of Kimly's focus on continuous training and employee engagement but also reassure clients of the company's commitment to excellence.

Fostering a Culture of Engagement and Growth

A key reason behind Kimly Construction's thriving workforce is its emphasis on transparent communication. The company actively keeps employees informed through multiple channels such as email announcements, an internal SharePoint, and regular engagement sessions, ensuring everyone is on the same page and involved in the company's journey.

Kimly also ensures that employees know their career progression through structured competency frameworks. By offering training in trending topics like cybersecurity and sustainability, the company prepares its workforce for the industry's future.
Kimly Academy mentoring course for managers

Additionally, Kimly is investing in leadership development by training new mid-level managers. This strategic phase helps build a pipeline of future-ready leaders to drive the company's subsequent growth.

Kimly Construction's approach to human resources illustrates how a well-planned, employee-focused strategy can significantly enhance the attraction and retention of talent. By fostering flexibility, providing opportunities for career growth, and creating a supportive workplace culture, the company has established itself as an employer of choice in Singapore's built environment sector.

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The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) champions the development and transformation of the built environment sector, in order to improve Singapore’s living environment. BCA oversees areas such as safety, quality, inclusiveness, sustainability and productivity, all of which, together with our stakeholders and partners, help to achieve our mission to transform the Built Environment sector and shape a liveable and smart built environment for Singapore.