“Factors That Have the Strongest Influence over Work Behaviors” with SAS(Case Study)

 

 

SAS is the world’s largest privately held software company; they have over 10,000 employees worldwide, operate in over 100 countries, ranked number 1 on Fortune’s 2010 list of the “Best Companies to Work For”(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). They focused on employee benefits even during the recession and succeeded in maintaining employee loyalty and motivation. I will describe how the four factors of the “Factors That Have the Strongest Influence over Work Behaviors” are managed by SAS in this assignment.

 

 

 

1. Job performance
Job performance refers to the level to which an employee successfully fulfills the factors included in the job description, and it includes the quantity of work performed by the employee, the accuracy and speed with which the job is performed, and the overall effectiveness of the person on the job(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). SAS understands that employees have a life and encourage employees to work reasonable hours and then go home to their families as their motto is, “If you are working for more than 8 hours, you are just adding bugs”(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010).  Likewise, SAS eliminates equipment, policies, rules, meetings, etc., that can impede productivity(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). Therefore, SAS keeps the focus on maintaining employees' work-life balances, leading to the best performances of staff. I agree with this approach and policy. Ignoring individual life quality never brings the good performance of employees, and it does not bring any benefits to the company.

2. Organizational citizenship behaviors
The textbook teaches that "organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) are voluntary behaviors employees perform to help others and benefit the organization"(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). As the author said, managers in the Leadership role are responsible for motivating employees(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). The CEO of SAS, Goodnight holds the conviction that “what makes his organization work are the new ideas that come out of his employee's brains,” and SAS is an especially benevolent and respectful organization, they consistently produce the most optimal workplace performance(Crowley, M. C., 2013). In other words, SAS values each staff and they matter and are individually valued. This encourages employees to take action themselves to help others and benefit the organization. I agree with this policy. I would maintain a positive attitude to take action in my workplace to feel respected as an individual.

3. Absenteeism
Absenteeism refers to Unscheduled absences from work, and it is costly to companies because of their unpredictable nature, affecting a manager’s ability to control the firm’s or department’s budget(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). To avoid absenteeism and maintain the health and well-being of employees, SAS set a playground, full gym; pool; on-campus tennis courts, basketball courts, and racquetball courts, and they also provide employees with free on-site health care, a full-staff primary medical center covering dependents, and unlimited sick leave(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). I agree with this approach. I believe the company can reduce absenteeism dramatically by providing welfare and facilities which help keep staff's health, and it causes motivation to go work every day.

 

4. Turnover
Turnover means an employee leaving an organization. When employees leave unexpectedly, their jobs still need to be performed by someone, so companies must spend time recruiting, hiring, and training new employees, all the while suffering from lower productivity(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). SAS conducts regular employee satisfaction surveys to avoid unexpected turnover, depending on the results of future benefits and benefits. They are trying to know employees' dissatisfaction and solve the problems in advance(Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B., 2010). I agree with this approach. Employees would be happy and would like to contribute to creating a better environment and having fun working if their company shows an effort to create a good environment and solve their dissatisfaction and problems.  

In conclusion, SAS manages the four factors of the “Factors That Have the Strongest Influence over Work Behaviors” with various selections of benefits. As we can see from the CEO's conviction that “what makes his organization work are the new ideas that come out of his employee's brains,” SAS respects every employee. It leads to maintaining employees' work-life balances, leading to the best performances.

 

 

 

 

References

 

Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2010). Management principles, v. 1.1. Retrieved from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/management-principles-v1.1/index.html

 

Crowley, M. C. (2013, January 22). How SAS became the world's best place to work. Fast Company. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/3004953/how-sas-became-worlds-best-place-work