After reading a few articles on the best companies to work for, SAS seemed to be a company that was on almost every list. SAS is in the high-end analytics business, where they help businesses optimize their business processes by selling their software to businesses. SAS’s culture is focused on creating an environment that promotes innovation and creativity. One of SAS’s main goals is to reduce distractions at work so employees can better focus on their work. In doing this, SAS offers its employees both core and convenience benefits. SAS offers core benefits to its employees such as medical, dental, disability, and 401K plans like many other businesses. But what sets SAS apart from other companies is its convenience benefits. SAS offers benefits such as a recreation fitness facility, onsite health care that is free of charge to employees and their families, onsite daycare service that is primarily paid for by SAS, and a worklife center that provides programs to employees that support areas such as elder care, parenting, and financial and debt management. SAS claims that they provide these convenience benefits to make life easier, keep their employees happy, healthy, and more productive.
SAS’s CEO, Jim Goodnight talks about how when SAS employees are motivated and are in a good environment, they produce better software. He mentions a triangular situation between employees, customers and the company, where happy employees guarantee happy customers, and happy customers guarantee a happy company. Goodnight states how the company has set a 35 has set a 35-hour work week since the beginning of the company in 1976. He believes this is good for employees and that this provides a better life-style, not having a formal clock-in and clock-out system. He believes in looking at the overall work/life balance combination.
SAS’s Senior Software Developer, Rick Langston, mentions how software development is 100 percent mental, and one must keep the mind sharp. He mentions that one must work with as much convenience as one can, and have the proper environment that is conducive to that type of development. Langston mentions how he can set the times he comes and leaves from work, and how he can also work from home when he needs to.
This video segment on SAS reflects a lot of terms and concepts mentioned in Bauer and Erdogen’s “Organizational Behavior”, Chapter 7 ‘Managing Stress and Emotions’. The chapter mentions the term, stressors, being events and contexts that cause a stress reaction by elevating levels of adrenaline and forcing a physical or mental response. With SAS’s convenience benefits, and the emphasis SAS puts on the proper environment, stressors are a factor SAS tries to keep employees from having. Also, the term Work-family conflict, meaning when the demands from one’s work and family are negatively affect one another. SAS tries to reduce this by having an on-site daycare service. Also, with the worklife center, employees are able to receive help regarding family or parenting issues. The last term that stood out to me was Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which is defined as programs that are often offered to workers as an adjunct to a company-provided health care plan. This definition reminds me of SAS’s worklife program especially, as well as many of its convenience benefits.
SAS as a company definitely goes above and beyond when it comes to its employees. With SAS offering such an excellent program such as its worklife program, are there other ways that companies can be sure their employees are kept at the perfect stress level? Do you believe it is just as important for employees to manage their stress as it is for companies to help with employees manage their stress?
-Lauren Brooks
SAS sounds like a great company who really cares about their employees. Their work life program is a great way to eliminate the work-family conflict. All the benefits they provide help avoid that conflict. Being able to work from home, having an onsite babysitting facility, a gym, and a health care facility help take the stress away from having to possibly miss work because an employee has a doctors appointment or can't find a babysitter.
ReplyDeleteMy dad has a very stressful job and always brings home his work. He is constantly receiving phone calls about problems after he has left the office that his employees need help fixing. It has had an effect on his health. According to our book, stress can cause nervousness, tension, headaches, anger, irritability, and fatigue. Most of these have affected him. After reading about a company like SAS I am going to tell him that there are companies out there that provide benefits he could use!
I do believe that it is important for employees to manage their stress as well as companies to help their employees manage stress. However, working for a company like SAS it seems like it would be much easier for an employee to manage their stress levels.
Tara Tolomeo
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Tara working for SAS and having a family seems to be manageable. While I don't believe it's a companies responsibility to help employees stress I do think it gives SAS a step above other companies.
ReplyDeleteI know when my mother brings home work she is very stressed out, your house should be a safe zone to escape from work. No one should have to work for a company that makes them feel stressed at work and at home.
Employees that feel stressed should find ways to be more stress free and companies that are helping with this will be a place potential employees want to work. The fact that SAS has everything an employee could need makes me want to work for them or a company like them in the future.
~Apollonia
I don't believe it's under the company's mission statement to help employees with stress, but I definitely believe helping employees manage their stress is an action every company should consider. Employees that are not super stressed. Our book states that stress is related to worse job attitudes, higher turnover, and decreases in job performance. So I believe its in the company's best interest to help their employees manage their stress so employees can be more productive, and overall benefit the company. Any other ideas on how companies can help their employees manage stress?
ReplyDelete-Lauren Brooks
I never knew anything about SAS but clearly they go above and beyond the norm of dealing with stress. I do believe it is as important for people to manage their own stress n whatever ways possible yet it isnt always that easy. SAS provides so many benefits that I want to ask what part of stress DON'T they cover. Which ever companies can afford SAS benefits should invest in it because it can lift company moral and produce more work. I didn't know something like SAS was even established. I wonder what other companies have a similar system?
ReplyDeleteRaymi Smith
ReplyDeleteI think the company can help with employees stress by having random themes such as crazy tie/ shirt day. Or like we discussed in class companies can have breaks in the day where employees can have fun or socialize with one another. Exercise at work is a great way to help manage stress and a mini workout room could help with this.
ReplyDeleteApollonia
I agree with Lauren when she says that it is not under the company's mission statement to help employees with stress but she believes helping employees manage there stress is an action every company should consider.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it would beneficial for any company to care about their employees stress levels and help them out with them. If an employee is less stressed I believe they will do a better job doing their own job and that benefits the company.
Tara Tolomeo
I agree it would make companies more marketable if they help finds ways to keep employees stress down. Another thing companies can do is have weekly or monthly assessments in order to stay aware of employees stress to help with the success of their company.
ReplyDeleteAny company that goes above and beyond for their employees is good in my book. And I know potential employee will be aware of it and want to work there.
Apollonia