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SAS Institute
Best Places to Work
Gregory P. Smith
 Employee retention would not be an issue if all companies
treated their employees as well as this company does. SAS Institute Inc.
is a privately held software company located in North Carolina’s Research
Triangle Park.
SAS resembles a college campus more than a software development company.
Everything from the baby grand piano in the company cafeteria, to the giant
outdoor chess board, and resident artists gives clear indication this
company is a world apart. They have made Fortune magazine's “Top 100 Best
Companies to Work For,” for several years running.
Many people say working at SAS is like working with your family.
Their 5000+ employees find SAS to be a positive environment focusing on
creativity and innovation. In some cases, SAS becomes
the closest thing to a "real family" than many people have experienced at
home.
Turnover hovers around 3.7 percent and has never exceeded 5 percent in its
twenty years of existence. The average for most industries is between 17 - 30%.
Company loyalty destroyed by many corporations, is alive and well at SAS.
During the height of the Dot Com Boom, one SAS graphic designer turned
down job offers from Silicon Valley for as much as 40 percent more money
because he favored the environment SAS provides. Here are some of the perks
and benefits employees enjoy.
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Unlimited sick
leave: There is no limit to how much sick leave employees can use. Jim
Goodnight, SAS President, PhD and billionaire believes if you treat
adults like adults they will act as adults. Whether you are out sick
for six days or six months it is not a problem.
-
Free Family
Healthcare: They provide free onsite healthcare in addition to full
medical, dental, vision and hearing coverage that is 100 percent paid
by the company for employees and greatly subsidized for covered
dependents. Employees can elect an onsite doctor as their primary care
physician, or use another offsite doctor of their choice. SAS staffs a medical clinic 24
hours a day for employees and their family members. This saves the
company $300,000 a year in health insurance costs and saves thousands
of hours of lost time.
-
Equal Pay for
Equal Work: Many businesses run off good employees because new hires
are able to start making higher salaries than the “old” employees. Not
at SAS. If SAS has to hire new employees and pay them more, all
employees with the same skills levels receive the same pay raise. The
average salary is $50,000 a year.
-
Break Areas &
Free Food: Each floor has its own break area stocked with
complimentary refreshments, including all the M & M’s employees can
eat. SAS spends $45,000 annually on 22 tons of the little chocolate
candies.
Loyalty can’t be
bought by benefits and perks, but SAS appears to have created a workplace
where employees know they are cared for, trusted, and treated like adults.
Greg Smith is a
nationally recognized speaker, author, and business performance
consultant. He has written numerous books including his latest, Here
Today, Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from High Turnover to
High Retention. Greg has been featured on television programs such as
Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications including Business
Week, USA Today, Kiplinger's, President and CEO, and the Christian Science
Monitor. He is the President and "Captain of the Ship" of a
management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in
Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles available:
http://www.chartcourse.com
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