SAS Human Resource Strategy – critical analysis

In SAS the company’s stated philosophy is to be employee-centric- to take care of its people first, as employees are the most valuable assets of the company, they of wide range of benefits to employees and they have policy to implement these benefits to employees and overall these benefits become investment to the company and increases its asset.

Motivate employees

SAS allow its employees to work a flexible 35 hours per week and work at home, that allow employee to balance between works and other duties or family matters or attending meeting or an important appointment, and or anything that important to employee.

We believe a flexible working time setup by SAS are very successful, leads to increase productivity, motivation, reduce absenteeism, increase loyalty to the company and employee feel that they are important and treated well.

SAS also try to

Move disturbance work from the job and creating challenging task to motivate and satisfy employees.

Participating employees to come up with innovation and creative idea, by that each employee feels that their participating is important and feel worthwhile and over all leads to energetic employees and motivation, SAS give employees a freedom of how they operate their job.

Employees getting reward in SAS by their creativity idea not the title.

Employee involvements by organising Social event, fruit basket.

Also SAS provide for each employee an office to work in. We believe that this facility motivate employees, because employees allowed to have their own style and own figure print in that office, they see their office as their home and feel respected and have their own privacy and not get distracted by others.

SAS also give 15% of its profit as bounces to individual, so they can work harder and always try to get new idea.

We believe these steps to motivate employee are essential to keep employees enthusiastic about their work, if employees are given same task, they will be board and that may leads to employees turnover, also organising social event and party for employees give employees chance to spend good time while they get chance to know each other.

Benefit work balance life

SAS have Child care center in the company campus

We believe such a strategy is very successful internally or externally, internally SAS show care for its employees and that leads employees to motivate and concentrate on the job, while their children are been taken care of in the children care center in the company, and employees have chance to see their children during their break time.

The Childcare center can serve 700 children with 50% cheaper compare to childcare service provided by outsider.

Externally enhance brand image of the company, it is ethical, and many people willing to work in this company which perceived as friendly working environment.

In 1983 SAS opened A Health center which provide free basic medical facility for staff and their members family, we believe that this step is a good way of showing care for the staff, beside it create a good image for the company but it is benefits for both, the company and employees.

The benefits for the company are to reduce absenteeism time of employees, so employees can work better while they receive treatment on site.

The benefits to employees are to get treatment immediately and free of charge, so they can save time, work to get more money, because if they go outside they will spend some hours and that affect their salary, also it is more easy and handy to reach the doctor on site. There are 4 physicians and 10 nurses available to serve employees.

Hire Hard, Fire Hard

Building loyalty and trust between company and employees, happy employee leads to productivity and satisfying customer.

We believe that this is the right strategy for the company success, because you have to find the right people that fit your organisation, because you invest in human resources benefits, training and recruitment, you have to scan people for their personality, experiences and attitudes to fit as a member of your company family.

This strategy is benefit for both company and employees, beside you getting right people and saving money on training and recruitment, the company also benefit from saving time so can concentrate on current employees and improve their situation. Also benefit to employees by fitting the working environment that mean they are happy, and happiness leads to satisfaction employees and customers.

Retention Experienced employees

SAS offer its employees to apply for vacant position, when the position is available, before posting the job to public.

We believe that this strategy is good for both, company and employees, benefit to company by saving money on recruitment and training, and give a good image to the company, also it is beneficial to employees by increasing motivation, promotion, employees feel that they been look after and they are valuable asset to the company, and also increase employees loyalty to the company.

SAS’s philosophy is Hire hard Fire hard so while spending too much money on recruitment and training they believe that retention is important even in recession time, but our point of view about that we feel that SAS doing well even in recession, the profit of the company increases every year, so in our point of view, the company did not face recession or decrease in profit.

We believe that increasing profits and sale need more employees, and we feel that is why SAS kept all employees despite all other facts, like investing on employees. For example company’s revenue in 1999 reached $1.2 billion and this amount is increased in 2009 to $2.31 billion.

SAS providing sport facility for employee and try to encourage them to participate, sport like (Yoga, aerobic, aerobic swim course, basketball, golf, billiard, soccer ,softball ,volleyball .Ping pong , tennis , also they provide Swimming pool and gym onsite.

We believe that such facility provided by SAS are essential, it has benefits for employees and the company, employees are healthier, enjoying their time in SAS and communicate with other employees, they have chance to become intimate friends.

Company also benefit from these facilities, the healthier and happier the employees, the less absenteeism and turnover, and more motivation and loyalty towards the company, SAS give discount membership to employees that considering joining local health club, healthy employee are very important in the eyes of SAS to the point offered monetary reward for employees who participate in sport activity.

Room For improvements

We believe that SAS should give discount to its employee who joining health club of their option regardless of where is located, because currently SAS only offer discount to local health club only or free onsite.

Because some people may have different interest or sport are not available in the local area or onsite, or they may already are in team in their area.

SAS believe in equal pay for new and existence employees when they are in same position, we believe that this strategy should be reviewed and change, because it is not right, not ethical and we do not see it as fairness.

We believe existence employee have showing loyalty to the company, even if they have same experiences and qualification as the new employees but they are definitely have more experiences about how things are operating in the company and use to the environments, the new comer beside whatever you offer them, you may retain them but that is not definite.

We believe in case if new employees hired with more salary than existence employee, SAS should increase existence employee not only match the salary of new employee but even exceed it.