SAS is the world’s leader in advanced analytics software. It has also been rated as the world’s best multinational workplace. To name a few, SAS has offices in France, Mexico, Singapore, and North Carolina. It has more than 13,000 employees worldwide and 400+ offices in 55 countries.The most amazing statistic is that SAS has had 36 years of sustained revenue growth, which is extremely rare.
The mission of SAS is to help transform data into insights that give a fresh perspective on one’s business. SAS is very unique because after listening to the presentation, it is very clear that they put as much effort into making their employees happy as their customers. In doing so, the employees are more productive and stay loyal. SAS values approachable, customer-driven, innovative, swift, agile and trustworthy employees who help to create a culture of empowerment throughout the workplace. To add to the mission of making the employees happy, SAS has many on-site services such as child care, a recreation and fitness center, health care and pharmacy, work-life center, cafes and coffee bars, dry cleaning pick up, a salon, shipping center, and car detailing.
There are many different customers of SAS. For example, a few industries that SAS is involved with include retail, the federal government, health care, and the coast guard. One of our presenters, Anne-Marie Streeter, explained that they work with all sorts of companies ranging from Ralph Lauren to Playboy. Therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact typical customer for SAS.
Yet, the typical SAS customers tend to value the same things. First and foremost they value the data insights. Then, the quality the customers value that differentiates SAS from competitors is its innovation. SAS is constantly keeping ahead of the times, thus providing the most useful information. SAS customers also value the longevity of the employees. This aspect becomes very helpful when the employee can recall information from 6+ years ago. They become very knowledgable about the companies they work with over time.
The result of SAS is that they are incredibly successful at creating an atmosphere where people want to work, and they serve lots of customers. The guiding principles are that there is mutual respect, empowerment, and that employees have a life outside of SAS. All of these goals are currently being met, which is a successful result of SAS.
The current plan of SAS is to develop visually appealing user-friendly solutions that are good on mobile devices since we are living in the world of iPhones, iPads, etc. that people are constantly using as opposed to desktop computers.
I really enjoyed today’s visit because it was a breath of fresh air to see a company so devoted to making its employees happy. SAS seemed like a place that I could actually be very happy working at. Looking back at some past jobs, I know I would have performed better if there had been more empowerment provided. I’ve never seen any company with as many on-site services as SAS. Hopefully I’ll be able to work somewhere in the future where the employees are as valued and as happy as they are at SAS.
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