How SAS Institute motivates employees through work environment, benefits, and leadership

Employee Motivation: SAS Work Environment, Benefits Program, and Leadership

SAS Institute

Headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, SAS Institute is a multinational dealer in decision support and data warehousing software. The institute was, in November 2013, named the "World's Best Multinational Workplace" by the Great Place to Work Institute, beating other established companies, amongst them Google. CEO and founder Jim Goodnight attributes this achievement to a facilitative and interactive leadership culture that makes working at the organization fun. At SAS, employees are the most important asset, and Goodnight points out that the leadership is committed to demonstrating just how much it cares for then, in word and deed. This description, however, fits a large number of companies. The all important question in this case, therefore, is; what exactly makes SAS unique? The subsequent sections demonstrate how the work environment, benefit plan, and leadership culture interplay to establish an employee-motivating workplace environment. One thing, however, stands out - the 'treat others the way you would like to be treated' principle is the guiding standard for decision-making at SAS.

The Working Environment

Values at SAS are centered on ensuring that the well-being of employees is maintained. Through its values, SAS sends a strong message that it truly looks out for every single individual on its payroll; even that person at the very bottom, who most organizations would often disregard (Baker et al., 2003). This employee-centeredness is manifested in various levels, from the piano player, which helps in easing the frantic pace gathered during the day, to the on-site medical facility, natatorium, and fitness center. The financial planning courses offered free-of-charge to employees, the great discounts on residential properties, and the fact that every employee is given the privilege of operating from their own offices (no cubicles) are some of the other significant indicators of employee-centeredness.

The work environment encourages interdependence among employees. SAS has a number of teamwork-encouraging and teamwork-demanding structures that make it relatively easy for one to seek out assistance. Conger (1998) expresses that business today is run by teams and that organizational success, hence, depends on the effectiveness of internal working teams. This commitment to employee-interdependence is manifested in the company' reward system, which advances bonuses to employees, not on the basis of their performance relative to that of others, but on the basis of target.

The culture at SAS encourages risk-taking as much as it offers challenging work (Baker et al., 2003). The company attaches minimal significance to money, because to them, it is the work therein that attracts people to, and keeps them at the company. One employee at SAS points out that one is allowed to try anything within reason.

Every company offers amenities to its employees, at least to keep them happy and contented. The facilities at SAS, however, are legion. The company's campus has an on-site healthcare center, gym, hair salon, watch/shoe repair facilities, tax preparation facilities, a 1.8-mile bluebird trait with more than twenty birdhouses, and a childcare center that was established to ensure that parent-employees could effectively balance between family and work (SAS Institute, 2014). Break rooms stocked with crackers, cookies, soft drinks, coffee, and tea exist on every floor. Whereas it has been long debated whether a happy workforce is more productive than an unhappy one; SAS' performance over the years irrefutably proves that indeed, a happy workforce is more productive.

Leadership Culture

SAS' hierarchy of authority is relatively flat, implying that each manager has a larger number of direct reports than their counterparts in other organizations. Flat management styles leave very little room for the command-and-control management technique, and are a more effective strategy of management in a competitive marketplace (Conger, 1998). With only four layers between the bottom and himself, Goodnight maintains a strong presence in the company, with most decisions boiling down to him. At the same time, he gives significantly high levels of autonomy to the people under him; in essence, pragmatic ideas originate from the grassroots, even though the culture is led and initiated from the top.

Goodnight expresses that he has always envisioned establishing a work place that was not family-friendly; but rather, one that people had fun working in. There is no doubt that if employees are treated right; they go out of their way to make a difference in the organization (Baker et al., 2003). Treating employees right has always been a key aspect at SAS. As a matter of fact, the first childcare facility was established just because one of the early employees needed it; and providing it was key to ensuring that the employee enjoyed being at work. With this, the leadership at SAS demonstrates its commitment to appealing to the various deeply-rooted needs and drives of employees (Cialdini, 2001; Patterson et al., 2008).