Why Company Culture Matters: How Accela Builds Culture Through People and Community
At Accela, we've always believed a business is built on more than just the work it does, it's built on the people behind it.
Across Communications, Finance and Talent, building relationships and understanding where someone's coming from is the job. We think those values shouldn't stop at the edge of client work, which is why how we treat our own people, and how we give back, matters just as much internally.
Building a culture around people
Culture isn't really built through policies or perks. It's built through the relationships people form, the experiences they share, and what they bring into the room every day. So at Accela, we try to create chances for our people to connect outside their usual day-to-day.
Ahead of National Day this year, the team got together for a morning walk around the Botanic Gardens, followed by breakfast and our anniversary celebrations. We've also joined the Majulah Hike, a nice way to spend time together while celebrating Singapore. pic
More recently, we spent an afternoon at SASCO Senior Citizens' Home in Jurong. We baked muffins, did chair yoga, sang some karaoke with the seniors there, then sat down together for muffin tasting and conversation. pic
None of this is groundbreaking. But it gives our people a chance to connect in a different setting, get to know each other a bit better, and build relationships that go beyond the work itself.
Giving back as part of who we are
Our focus on people doesn't stop at our own team, it extends outward too.
Over the years, we've supported different causes through volunteering, fundraising and pro bono work, some close to home, some further afield.
We've volunteered with HealthServe, which supports migrant workers in Singapore. Our team took part in a Health Carnival at a migrant worker dormitory, helping with registration, ushering, health checks, gifts and referrals.
We've also supported The Nepal Initiative, a non-profit building schools and learning resources for children in Nepal, through fundraising and pro bono work.
Closer to home, we've supported DEBRA Singapore, a non-profit supporting people and families living with epidermolysis bullosa, a rare and little-known skin condition.
For us, it's not about ticking a CSR box for the year. It's recognising that a business exists within a wider community, and that our time and people can go toward causes that matter.
Why this matters to our clients
Culture doesn't stay internal, it shows up in the work. Whether we're sitting alongside a finance team, helping a company find the right talent, or supporting how it talks to its stakeholders, the approach stays the same: people and relationships first. That's what makes for a strong partnership.
That's what culture means to us at Accela, work that's meaningful, people we enjoy working with, and a community we're actually part of.
