Why Sunray Woodcraft Construction is one of Singapore’s best employers

By BCA

Receiving a cancer diagnosis of Leukemia is a shock to anyone. From endless treatments and doctor consultations to the lengthy recovery process, workplace responsibilities can be the last thing on a patient’s mind. It is no different when one of our Sunray Woodcraft Construction’s staff was diagnosed with it.

Which is why fellow team members at Sunray burst into action to help out wherever they could. Compromises were made, including redistributing work responsibilities and ensuring the patient would not have to go down to work sites, where the air quality might affect an already weakened immunity.

Meanwhile, no expense was spared as a second opinion from an oncologist was sought, and even fengshui masters were consulted for any further advice.

Such attention to individual staff is one of the reasons Sunray is so highly regarded as an employer. In 2021, a survey by The Straits Times and global research company Statista ranked the home-grown interior construction company among Singapore’s top 10 employers, rubbing shoulders with multinational giants like Microsoft, Apple and Google.

Specialising in wood and metal works, they construct the sleek, aesthetically alluring interiors for some of Singapore’s most iconic buildings such as the National Gallery and CHIJMES. Within the organisation, a firm adherence to family values has created a strong foundation that allow the company to thrive.

While the employee has since made a speedy recovery, the core of the business remains – ensuring all Sunray Employees are looked after, seen, and heard.

One of the many luncheons to thank employees for their dedication and contributions

Focus on broadening skills and horizons

The culture to nurture starts from the top, with Sunray focused on developing managers to capable leaders who empower employees. Managers have a great influence on their team, and each manager is equipped with skills to make them effective leaders.

For instance, managers regularly undergo compulsory training to develop their leadership and functional intelligence skills. The trainings are holistic, ranging from courses focused on developing a growth mindset to upgrading their presentation skills.

Training is not only limited to managers. Everyone receives compulsory upskilling and refresher courses with some going for overseas attachments. Employees are encouraged to cross over to different departments to pick up different skills, conduct trainings for their fellow colleagues, and cross department transfers are commonplace.

“Just because you’re a quantity surveyor doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the office,” revealed a Sunray HR representative. “All employees have the opportunity to visit sites and learn the responsibilities of say a project manager and even transfer over if they want to.”

Migrant workers that perform well at their responsibilities also have the opportunity to upskill. An established path of training allows high-competency employees to become supervisors and evolve their job scopes beyond their original skills.

Halloween night involving family members

Creating a Sunray spirit

Having started out as a family business, Sunray’s development as a company has seen its employee pool become increasingly globalised. To date, 17 nationalities are represented, and getting individuals of diverse backgrounds to work well together takes some effort.

To encourage mingling and build morale, regular events are held at Sunray HQ to benefit employees. They range from celebrating festivities - such as a recent Christmas Tree decoration contest – to more offbeat ones like a Vitamin C Day, where notices on the importance of Vitamin C were put up, and oranges were distributed to all. In fact, a blood donation drive is currently in the works!

Such initiatives have helped bridged the gap across cultures and breed mutual understanding within the veritable melting pot that is Sunray.

In addition, Sunray’s sizable migrant worker population is well taken care of as well. Apart from being invited to events that take place within the office, dorm supervisors and a deployment task force plan additional activities for workers who reside in their dorm located at Sunray’s HQ building. Recreational activities like a futsal competition have been held, while get-togethers with a catered buffet over public holidays and celebrations are long-respected traditions.

Lighting the way forward

Beyond focusing on current challenges, Sunray is also keeping an eye on the future.

With the ability to work from home (WFH) emerging as a core requirement in many workers, the company is finding ways around this since WFH is generally unfeasible in the construction industry.

Additionally, Sunray is taking steps to attract young talents. Working closely with tertiary institutions, the company organises hackathons to expose youths to the construction industry, where they can visit the factories to gain a deeper understanding of the trade. Sunray also offers internships, which are flexible and cater to student schedules.

Doing so benefits both parties, as students are able to offer fresh ideas that Sunray can then pursue. Seeing their ideas being implemented then allows students to feel valued as interns. The approach is working, with former interns now becoming full-time employees.

Clearly, Sunray Woodcraft Construction is crafting a bright future not only for itself, but also for its employees.