In Other Words - SAS Senior VP and CMO Jim Davis talks about business, analytics and technology

I wear a lot of hats at SAS, including one for HR. Health insurance is one of the biggest issues facing corporate HR departments today, and healthcare reform is one of the biggest issues facing Americans. I’m concerned with the way we’re headed with our healthcare system.

The majority of Americans would have better healthcare than they have today, but I don’t think most people realize what healthcare reform is going to do to people who have good coverage now, especially people employed by a large company like IBM or Cisco or SAS.

Large companies have a distinct competitive advantage in their ability to offer high-quality healthcare coverage. If the government does what they’re proposing to do with leveling the playing field, companies like us will not be able to offer the advantages they do today.

That’s a shame, because we place a high value not only on employee wellness, but also on our ability to attract and retain great people by offering great benefits.

It all comes down to one question: do you treat employees as a commodity or as an asset? Earlier this year, our CEO Jim Goodnight said we would take a hit to profits rather than have layoffs. The payoff is we probably have a higher level of morale than most any large company right now.

That strong morale fosters loyalty, creativity, and innovation. Don’t underestimate the value of loyalty in your employee base, especially if you want to create a more innovative environment. As I’ve said many times, it’s all about emerging from this economy stronger than when we entered.

In a recent post I talked about the necessity of innovation to making that happen. You can’t innovate when you’re afraid of losing your job.

When was the last time you took the pulse of your organization? What are you doing to create loyalty? What are you going to do about those fears?