SAS raises ranking on 2012 Great Place to Work® list in France

The tenth year of French rankings, SAS France places seventh among companies with fewer than 500 employees.

PARIS  (Mar. 14, 2012)  – The French subsidiary of SAS, the leader in business analytics software and solutions, has been listed seventh on the Great Place to Work® Institute’s prestigious list of French companies with fewer than 500 employees. SAS France rose 11 positions over last year’s ranking.

In 2012, 146 companies applied in one of two categories surveyed by the institute: over 500 employees and fewer than 500 employees. Only 46 companies were selected – 12 with over 500 employees and 34 with less than 500.

This Best Workplaces France 2012 list highlights companies that embrace three core values: employees' trust of management; employees' pride in their own contributions, that of team members and the company; and finally conviviality.

SAS France progress results from a human resources policy that reflects all these values. The clear upward trend in the rankings from 18th to seventh place can be explained by new actions implemented or developed in 2011:

• A training plan expanded to meet individual development of skills and talents.
• A dynamic recruitment and mobility policy, incorporating internal and external candidates and meeting the development needs of the office.
• Activities supporting the integration of new employees,
• A charter that enables teleworking, thereby promoting work-life balance.
• New internal communications channels (breakfast between employees and HR, The Hub – a FaceBook-style corporate social network, and thematic internal blogs.
• Team building and cohesion programs featuring:
  • Festive events (private Nicolas Canteloup show and outdoor paramotor (motor-driven parachute) initiation days);
  • Individual recognition (trip to Venice);
  • Cross-department activities involving different services or departments in a unified business objective (blitz day for sales or marketing activities, training of employees by other employees);
  • Support for employee community service initiatives (recycling, donating blood and platelets, collecting toys for needy children and glasses for a Cameroon hospital, Race of the Heart for promoting organ donation and more).

"All employees of SAS France are proud of our spectacular growth in the 2012 rankings," says Edouard Fourcade, CEO of SAS France. "Each of us works to create awareness of the special atmosphere that makes SAS a company people want work for. Initiated by our CEO Jim Goodnight in 1976, the cultivation of human resources at SAS is embedded in each of its subsidiaries. It is characterized by our commitment to investing in developing talent, both through workplace environment and through research and innovation. Satisfaction and employee motivation have a direct impact on the operations of the company and its results."

Worldwide recognition

SAS France's appearance this list for the second straight year is a great source of satisfaction for the company and its employees. Also awarded the Top Employer label in 2010, 2011 and 2012, the office is one of many SAS subsidiaries recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute in Europe and worldwide.
 
In the U.S., SAS has been included in this ranking since its inception in 1998, including nine times in the top ten. In 2012, SAS was designated for the third consecutive year among the three "Best Companies to Work For" in the U.S. by FORTUNE magazine. SAS was recognized for its benefits including employee health, child care and work/life balance.

For Jim Goodnight, CEO and founder of SAS, it is essential to demonstrate to employees that they are the key to success and business performance. "If you treat your employees as if they make the difference in the company, then they will make a difference."

SAS France, established in 1983, employs 290 employees and has deployed SAS solutions at more 2600 sites. SAS France entered the Great Place to Work ranking in 2011 and has also been awarded Best Employer by the CRF Institute in 2012, 2011 and 2010.

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