2011 Report: Employees

Hiring and Retaining Staff

In 2011, SAS maintained a low turnover rate while growing the worldwide staff by 9.2 percent. From on-site amenities such as health care, a fitness center, subsidized child care to non-discrimination polices and same-sex partner benefits, people stay at SAS because they are happy and feel respected. By reducing turnover, SAS reduces recruitment costs, retains knowledge and delivers deeper, longer-term customer relationships. SAS sees a strong connection between employee loyalty and business success. In 2011, SAS received 61,446 resumes and filled 973 positions.

SAS’s extensive internal communications programs enable staff to be informed, engage in all aspects of the business and interact with executive leadership. In 2011 there were:

• 790 internal blogs, up from 700 in 2010 and 596 in 2009.
• 1,304 SWW intranet stories published.
• 502,207 hits to the US SAS Family site, up 154 percent from 2010.
• Three employee morale programs held: Eco Advocates Recognition at the Solar Farm, 35th Anniversary Celebration and Education Fair.

Diversity and Equal Opportunity

SAS continues to provide equal employment opportunity for all employees without regard to age, race, color, gender, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, veteran status, pregnancy or any other protected class as defined by federal, state or local law. In 2011, there were zero reports or incidents of harassment or discrimination. The following are examples of some of the programs or initiatives that SAS is involved in promoting diversity and equal opportunities:

Veterans Focus Group: In 2011, a group of interested veterans partnered with SAS Human Resources to discuss innovative ways to recruit more veterans to SAS. The group meets regularly to share information to develop best practices for SAS to recruit and hire veterans.

Women’s Initiative Network: The Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) fosters a global community across SAS to develop leadership capabilities among female workers and to contribute to community efforts to attract young women to careers in science and technology. 2011 events included:

• WIN, North Carolina State University’s The Science House and other professional women participated in the Expanding Your Horizons event with more than 100 seventh-grade girls to generate excitement about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). SAS volunteers guided groups of girls to breakout sessions where presenters led hands-on activities to spark curiosity about STEM applications. A group of SAS representatives presented such topics as how to predict the next American Idol and how a computer works from the inside out.

R3 (Recognize, Recruit and Retain): R3 is a summer student program which prepares women, minorities, students with disabilities and former military students for professional careers in the technology industry. Students receive core skills training, professional development and mentorship. In 2011, there were 10 new students and five returning students.

Disability Mentoring: SAS partnered with Enable America to participate in the national Disability Mentoring Day. This program gives people with disabilities the opportunity to come into the workplace and explore a potential career path, evaluate personal goals, and participate in training sessions that strengthen their skills and help prepare them for employment. SAS provides mentors who spend time with mentees in job shadowing and career exploration.

ARC of Wake County in the OCS (Occupational Course of Study) Program: By following SAS’ regular cafeteria schedule and receiving a paycheck from ARC of Wake County, six students filled a requirement of their OCS diploma schedule. Two of the students were homeschooled, so coming to SAS would not have been an option if not for this program. This program was so well-received by ARC that SAS is looking for ways to expand the program with other departments including the recreation and fitness center, the warehouse and landscaping.

SUCCEED: The SUCCEED program is for adult students with developmental disabilities from the Compensatory Education Program through Wake Technical Community College. These students need work experience that will help them find full-time jobs. SAS employees worked alongside six students in 2011.

TEACCH: The Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children program, through the University of North Carolina, helps people with autism. Seven autistic employees worked for SAS in 2011 and were supported by TEACCH job coaches.

F.A.S.T. (Food And Service Training): Students from Wake Tech and Wake County Schools receive credit for their Occupational Course of Study for graduation. SAS employed 46 students from eight high schools with 13 SAS employees serving as mentors in 2011. Each student completed 100 hours toward their OCS requirements.

Skills Development

As part of SAS’ culture and benefits for employees, the company continues to provide training for leadership development, sales, technical and interpersonal development. Training ranges from instructor-led classrooms to e-learning and live Web training. Having several options enables employees to find their best learning method and to meet work and career goals.

Interpersonal Development
Interpersonal development assists employees in enhancing how they communicate with one another to build understanding and effective relationships. SAS provides workshops that help employees develop effective communication and conflict resolution techniques, as well as demonstrate coaching conversations, to ensure that these skills are transferred to the job.

SAS Leadership Series
Focusing on business topics facing global leaders, this series unites influential industry thought leaders with SAS leaders to share insights on challenges and innovative solutions to spur positive business outcomes. In 2011, SAS hosted Sir Ken Robinson, PhD, an internationally recognized leader in creativity and innovation, who shared his insights on:

• Promoting and sustaining a culture of innovation.
• How to get better at innovation.
• How to reconnect with your creativity.
• The role of leadership.

The Leadership Challenge
The goal of the Leadership Challenge is to teach leaders about the five practices that will transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards.

Leadership & Energy for Performance (LE4P)
This 90-day program teaches leaders how to enhance and manage their physical, emotional and mental energy to more effectively lead themselves and others. The goal is to provide our leaders with a ritual-forming model that can be used for repeatable results, continuous personal growth and consistent leadership enhancement. The alumni of this program are then invited to participate in quarterly development sessions, regularly scheduled focus discussions after campuswide events and bimonthly boot camps. As a result, leaders are given the opportunity to continue their development, stay connected with current and future LE4P graduates, and discuss new ideas, current goals and challenges in an environment the respects maintaining personal energy and increasing team and organizational performance.

The Management Fundamentals Program
This program continues to educate new managers on their roles and responsibilities as they enter into a leadership position. In 2011, each class invited a seasoned manager to provide their own experience in a particular field. New managers had the opportunity to learn from their peers and seasoned managers were coaching and mentoring the next generation of SAS leaders. Participants also learn about energy management and taking care of their physical selves as they continue to manage their SAS department groups.

Sales Training
SAS Global Sales Training provides programs and services to enhance the knowledge and skills of SAS' global sales force and partners. A blended approach of instructor-led classroom training, self-directed e-learning, Live Web training and self-study materials provides training according to each student’s schedule, regardless of time zone or location.

Training and development initiatives are focused on helping the SAS sales force and partners improve and apply their product knowledge, business acumen, industry expertise and sales skills in the areas of data management, business intelligence, analytics and SAS’ horizontal and vertical industry solutions.

Technical Training
Technical skills development and training programs help organizations boost employee performance and effectiveness, increase employee morale and retention, and increase revenue.

SAS technical professionals receive the technical training they require to successfully meet their business needs. These services maximize the use of SAS technologies, prepare SAS professionals for certifications and advance SAS careers with innovative technical training.

In 2011, 64 percent of full- and part-time employees took some type of professional training. Of the full-time employees that took training, the average time spent in training was 19 hours. Of the part-time employees that took training, the average time spent in training was eight hours. Including all employees, the average number of hours of training was 12 hours for full-time and four for part-time per employee. The total professional training hours for 2011 was 76,885. For leadership development there were 44 workshops and 1,019 participants.

Health and Safety

SAS provides a safe working environment for all its employees. An on-site health care center is provided at the worldwide headquarters in Cary, NC, and strives to provide comprehensive health care services that promote optimal health. Health care staff includes family nurse practitioners, physicians, registered dietitians/nutritionists, nurses, medical laboratory technologists, a psychologist and physical therapists.

The Security and Safety Departments investigate any incidents that pose a danger to company employees or third parties and take measures to reduce or eliminate these hazards. The Risk Management Department provides additional training and resources to help identify and prevent similar incidents from causing injury or damage to individuals or property, seeking reimbursement for loss or damage whenever possible.