SAS Makes FORTUNE’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’

For the ninth straight year, SAS has made FORTUNE magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." SAS has appeared on the prestigious list every year it's been published, with six top-10 ratings.

Last year, this consistent performance earned SAS a membership in the magazine’s Hall of Fame, whose 22 inductees have appeared on every ranking since 1998.

This year, SAS was named No. 1 in child care and also was recognized as one of the companies with the best health care and work-life balance. SAS, the world’s largest privately held software company, comes in as the highest-ranked software vendor at No. 30.

An employee-friendly history
"We are very pleased to once again be named to the list," says Jeff Chambers, SAS vice president of human resources. "At SAS, we have maintained the high quality of our employee-friendly workplace, while adding innovative programs that fit our business model – an approach that has led to 30 years of sustained success."

Recently, SAS added a retiree health care benefit at a time when many employers were cutting back or eliminating similar benefits. In August, the company opened a new health care center, work-life center and employee services facility at its world headquarters in Cary, N.C.

Making the list
This year 466 companies applied for recognition on the list, up from 356 candidate companies last year. "The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled by Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company’s employees. Companies are scored in four areas: credibility (communication to employees), respect (opportunities and benefits), fairness (compensation, diversity), and pride/camaraderie (philanthropy, celebrations).