Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

The founder of the SAS Institute in NC often says that his business assets all drive through the gates at 5pm each night.  He has created a sort of work Utopia:

• Employees can visit their kids during the day at the on site day care centers. Two of the Cary office`s 20 buildings are child care facilities, and the workers within are SAS employees, not outside contractors. The company flips 75% of the bill.
• The headquarters is a beautiful, 100 acre park-like setting with a 6 acre lake (boating encouraged).
• All employees are entitled to benefits, from the landscape crew to the security guards.
• Award-winning two-level cafeteria that features a piano player.
• On site Health Center provides everything from check ups to emergency surgery.
• Fitness center with 3 raquetball courts, 2 basketball, weight training, steam room, pool table and juice bar. Also on-site, 3 tennis courts(with lights), 2 mile running trail, and a softball field. A laundry bag is provided in the locker room and gym clothes are laundered and returned to your locker within 24 hours.
• Intramural Leagues.
• Lots of on site training.
• Profit-sharing bonuses.
• Family Atmosphere.
• No corporate politics.

Microsoft (in my backyard) used to have a lot of perks for their workers too such as fridges full of free soda.  When the stock market crash hit, the freebies at MS disappeared and 6 years later, I still have friends grumbling about that.  Yet, SAS retained it`s culture and has rejected cries that is should go public. 

Do you think most businesses do enough for the morale of their employees?  Personally, I think those things have fallen by the wayside.  It seems unusual to find a business that creates long-term loyalty by treating their employees like human beings with lives outside of the office.  Most of them treat their employees like temporary wage-slaves. 

What makes a GREAT corporate culture that inspires the best from employees? 

~Kim

Most corporate and enterprise environments seem to have switched over to "operational profits," these days. They`re not much interested in whether or not they sell more product, develop new lines of business, or anything else. As such, "human beans" have become "corporate assets," or "human resources."

It`s one reason why small businesses will eventually dominate the economy in many respects. There`ll always be a place for gigantic enterprises, though, since they offer ways to earn money for folks who don`t want to, or can`t start a business.

The silly thing is that you can hardly get a job at SAS because NO ONE LEAVES!  Turnover costs businesses tons of money.  You`d think they would catch on that it`s better to retain than train.  And, the way you retain is to treat people like you actually appreciate them. 

Somewhere in our capitalist culture, we forgot that. 

WOW! Sounds like SAS are providing many facilities which merge `work and life` into one. SAS are leading the way and I believe more companies will have to wake up and provide similar facilities (if they want to be successful).

Over the past few years, I have completed a lot of work in India; the big IT companies in India offer similar facilities and more! Some have their own shopping centres in the building basements. One company`s building was actually built around a golf course. The training facilities are like going to University. Not too sure of the staff appreciated it - it is the norm in India (if you work for one of the big IT companies). I did though.

Andrew

 

That`s the norm in many places in China, too.  My dh`s company has a manufacturing "city" in China.  Workers live in dorms and are provided with meals and recreational activities.  For most of them, it enables them to send about 50% of their salary back to their families - which in turn makes their families "well-to-do" by village standards.  The pay isn`t much by American standards, but it`s more than ample for the Chinese worker when you combine it with all the fringe benefits.

~Kim

Unfortunately, SAS, although well described in many articles for their employee morale, is almost alone in the enterprise world. You`d think that many companies would take a lesson. They don`t.

Personally, I think that our historic times are all about the conflict between human individuality versus some sort of large-scale organization. The current corporate model mostly got going back around 1940. It`s coming to the endgame point, and things are changing. To what, I think could be a complex discussion.

We had that big topic about 15 years ago as to whether it made business sense to include daycare centers in corporate offices. Then there`s flex time, telecommuting, job shares, "the mommy track," and so on. It`s all part of this sea-change going on.

What`s bizarre is how certain examples demonstrate a huge profit increase, so you`d think everyone would jump on the bandwagon. And yet, most companies just stay with doing what`s been done traditionally.

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