by Joanne Cole
The SAS Institute, Inc., based in Cary, NC, is
reputed to be the "most relaxed place on the planet to work."
Why?
At the world's largest privately held software
manufacturer, there aren't many written rules. According to David
Russo, SAS Institute's vice-president of Human Resources, "Management
believes that rules are written with an eye toward the 20 percent
of people who are going to violate them, not the 80 percent who
do right by them. For us, it's more practical to weed out the 20
percent than restrict the 80 percent."
"People call our work environment relaxed,"
Russo continues, "but I would use the phrase stress-free instead.
It's based on our corporate culture and management philosophy. To
begin, management believes that employees should be treated like
adults, which in our view is good business sense. From that premise,
we look at how adults want to behave. Then, we ask, What if it were
me in that situation? And, finally, we bring the fun back into work."
SAS also does something virtually unheard of in
today's high-tech industry: Not only doesn't the company demand
16-hour work days, SAS closes it's doors shut at 6:00 P.M., a policy
enforced, in part, because co-founder and CEO Jim Goodnight likes
to have dinner at home with his family. "People leave on time
because the company recognizes that as proper behavior. Employees
see Jim leaving on time and realize it's OK," says Russo. But,
wait. How much of this is due to Goodnight being a good guy and
how much of it is Goodnight's being a smart guy? "Goodnight
figured out a long time ago that the productivity curve drops radically
after 5:00 P.M. Also, today's workforce is different from what it
was 20 years ago. When I was getting out of college, I wanted a
killer job and a killer salary, but today's generation wants a killer
life," points out Russo.
Beyond On-Site Childcare
Among the benefits -- or programs -- offered to
SAS employees to help create a killer life are a 35-hour full-time
workweek; live piano music in the cafeteria; unlimited soda, coffee,
tea and juice; one-week paid vacation between Christmas and New
Year's Day; a 36,000-square-foot on-site gym with pool tables; two
full-length basketball courts; cardio machines; a dance studio;
a sky-lit yoga room; two on-site day-care facilities and one off-site
facility; an on-site health clinic staffed with six nurse practitioners
and two physicians; and a newly installed eight-lane, in-door lap
pool.
Despite the stellar benefits, Russo is quick to
note that too much attention is paid to SAS programs and not enough
attention is given to the processes and philosophy between the programs.
The programs, stresses Russo, are benefits that stem from a desire
to meet employee needs, keep employees happy and retain talent.
"Day-care for us is not about social engineering. We started
on-site childcare in 1981 because we did not want to lose talented
female workers. We looked at several opportunities for childcare
but we chose the Montessori perspective. One of the teachings of
Maria Montessori, back in Italy many years ago, was that work is
fun, the same way play is fun. We want work to be fun as a way to
engage the creativity of our employees," explains Russo.
The Man Behind the Magic
It's impossible to separate the success of SAS
from Jim Goodnight, a striking six-foot five-inch figure who was
doing academic statistical research before starting the company.
"Goodnight started SAS with the notion that it is important
to the success of the organization that employees be treated with
respect; that they be given interesting work to do; that they be
paid a fair and competitive wages; and that they were to be allowed
to participate in the fruits of their labor.
With that as a backdrop, the way organizations
make that happen is the behavior of management. If that behavior
is consistent, it starts building or changing the culture to be
one of mutual respect, engaged creativity, high productivity and
adult behavior, " concludes Russo.
Joanne Cole is a New York-based business writer
and president of Cole Communications & PR Marketing.
|
