At SAS, we believe that prioritizing employee well-being is the right thing to do for our people, and it also makes good business sense. 

Now more than ever, as the lines blur between work and life, employee well-being affects how we thrive at work and in our personal lives. We know that life doesn’t stop when we log on or walk into the office, and we’re aware that some of our employees are balancing challenging life circumstances as they show up each day. 

Vicki Terpening, Sr Sales Enablement Program Manager at SAS, knows this reality all too well, as she experienced the unexpected loss of her husband, Michael, last year. Read on to hear her story, how she’s been supported by our SAS family, and what she’s learned along the way.  

Vicki’s Story  

 I started at SAS in 2022 in Sales Enablement, working remotely from my home in Texas to support our sales teams. From the beginning, I was impressed by SAS’ generous employee benefits – but I couldn’t have predicted how much the company’s support for employees would impact me or my family in the years to come.  

In May of 2023, what began as a routine doctor’s appointment turned into a multi-day stay in the ICU as my husband Michael was diagnosed with stage IV cancer with no targetable mutations. To say this was shocking and devastating would be a colossal understatement.

Following Michael’s diagnosis, my SAS team rallied around me as I prepared to be his caregiver: shadowing my projects and readying to step in if I suddenly needed to be away from work. Some of my colleagues graciously took over projects as I juggled the competing demands of work, family and our new normal living with anticipatory grief.  

Less than two months later, we experienced another shock when he unexpectedly passed away from cancer complications, and I entered a new and unfamiliar season of grief.  

Overnight, everything about my life changed: I became a widow, a single parent and the sole breadwinner for our family.  

Supported by SAS  

Throughout all of this, my SAS family rallied around me, moving projects forward in my absence. My thoughtful manager even sent a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries that my son and I still talk about.   

SAS’ unlimited sick time policy allowed me to stay in the hospital with him during his last week of life, and our exceptionally generous bereavement leave afforded me time to plan a memorial service and grieve without having to worry about being back at work within a week’s time.  

Our excellent SAS health care plan also provided peace of mind and financial security, as this devastating and unexpected loss didn’t leave me saddled with tens of thousands or more in medical bills.  

When I returned to work, SAS’ fantastic Work/Life team provided useful resources and even helped me identify grief counselors in my area who were in-network with insurance. I also utilized our Well-being Account reimbursement program to work one-on-one with a grief coach to help me process all that happened and move forward, beginning to imagine a different life.  

Today, over a year later, I’m still benefiting from this support. As of this year, SAS employees now have access to Empathy, a new comprehensive support system offering practical and emotional support for families who have lost a loved one. For me, Empathy has been particularly helpful with one of the more unseen aspects of losing a loved one: the seemingly never-ending administrative burden of wrapping up an estate, filing taxes and other unforeseen tasks.  

World-class culture  

For the first six months, I wondered, “How am I going to get through this?” I just didn’t see how it was possible. In a recent conversation, a family member described SAS’ benefits as “lifesaving.” They really were. SAS has created an infrastructure that supports employees’ needs, no matter what their unique circumstances.  

For a lot of companies, “culture” only exists on paper. All of this proved to me that SAS doesn’t just talk the talk about having a great culture and caring for employees – it’s real, and I’ve experienced it firsthand.  

Advice for others

Grief is different for everyone, and every loss is different. If you’re in a similar season, be patient with yourself and accept help offered. If you’re looking to support a friend or colleague who is navigating loss, don’t wait for them to call – if you can, reach out with a specific offer to help with you are able and willing to do. Often, the person grieving doesn’t know what they need until the need becomes apparent. The right thing at the right time really makes an impact.  

After the first few weeks, it can feel like everyone else has moved on, and things get quiet. One of my coworkers suggested that if you know someone going through loss, put a reminder in your phone to check on them every few months and on days that may be harder, like birthdays – I think that’s a great idea, too.  

Above all, this experience has been a reminder to me that we never know what our colleagues are going through. I’m grateful for all the resources SAS provides employees, and my hope in sharing is that others walking through similar experiences will be aware of and utilize the great resources we have here at SAS.  

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Thanks, Vicki, for your candor and courage in sharing your story. We’re proud to support multiple dimensions of our employees’ well-being. To learn more about the #saslife, read about Our Culture, explore open roles and hear from more of Our Storytellers.