The secret to their success?
A tiered cash incentive scheme the environmental health and safety consultancy introduced to reward its operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen).
They make up a quarter of the firm's 40-strong staff. Those who do well in their fitness test get an additional 50 per cent of cash on top of what the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) gives out.
"It's a motivating factor to achieve more than just a pass," said Mr Edwin Susenathen, 35, a consultant at CA Safety. In his last IPPT, he got a silver and was given $200 by Mindef.
His firm gave him another $100.
CA Safety was among 514 organisations recognised yesterday at the inaugural Total Defence Symposium. This year, the number of firms which received Total Defence Awards was twice the number five years ago.
CA Safety also has a "zero-deferment" policy for its NSmen employees who are called back for reservist stints, and has a 24-hour on-call system to replace staff recalled during Mindef mobilisation exercises.
For its efforts, CA Safety was appointed an honorary member of the Ministry for Defence Awards (MiDAs) League, after winning MiDA five times.
At the event, Minister of State for Defence Lawrence Wong stressed that with the backing of employers and bosses, NSmen can go about their in-camp training with "fewer worries" and give it their all.
"At the same time, our NSmen hone important skills, such as organisational abilities, resilience and teamwork... and these in turn can be applied to their work environment," he said.
First-time winner Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which counts around 2,500 active NSmen among its 14,000 employees, can attest to this.
Mr Chua Peng Tian, vicepresident of estate management at RWS, said its citizen soldiers often bring their army mindsets and lingo to work, which help in planning for events and instil discipline in work processes.
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