What gives you a sense of awe?

Perhaps the birth of a child.  A sunset.  A space shuttle flight.

Or maybe your colleagues. Your workplace. Your company’s leadership.

Here at SAS, I am in awe every day.

SAS is programmers and statisticians, yes. It’s also landscapers, painters, builders, marketers, chefs, writers and teachers. And that’s just while they’re on the job!  SAS is far more than the sum of its parts – which in this case are some of the very best in their fields. The caliber of people SAS attracts is ‒ for me ‒ one of the biggest benefits of working here.

Heading to my office, I take energy from a campus in full bloom with mostly native, drought-resistant evergreens. In November. That’s the work of the SAS landscaping team. On their advice, I knew to plant pink muhly grass at my house.

One of the security officers available to help me and my colleagues is a former Marine and North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper. He wouldn’t advertise it, but he’s exceptional in his field ‒ and he chooses to practice his craft here.

The remarkably diverse group I encounter in my daily work – architect, construction manager, software developer, banking expert, database administrator, project manager, culinary gardener, artist, videographer, meeting planner, nurse practitioner, graphic designer, social media guru, fitness trainer ‒ are all SAS employees. All experts. All innovating (humbly, gratefully and quietly) at SAS.

I’m lucky. I meet a broader swath of SAS employees than most, thanks to my role managing SAS’ US application to the Great Place to Work® Best Companies list. It’s my job to spotlight their experiences and amplify their voices. They’ve become my SAS family.

They all share the same vision and pride in SAS. Whether developing advanced analytic software, providing essential support services, or creating a workspace equal parts dazzling and functional, each understands the value of his or her role. More so, each employee knows that other employees and their leaders value that role as well.

Scott Clayton, an inventory control supervisor with SAS for 26 years, sums it up:

“My inspiration comes from Dr. Goodnight himself. The way he values all employees is at the top of the huge list of reasons I am so proud to work at SAS.

“I am in the Materials Management Center in the Corporate Services Division. I play a very small role in the success of our company. I do not provide the three-pointers or slam dunks (Sales). I do not participate in any of the coaches' strategies or defensive plans (R&D). Our team is similar to a basketball team's equipment manager. We have little impact on the game itself, but we brought the shoes! The team will want those once play begins.

“I want to use my support role to be part of the reason that SAS is great. I want the ‘players and coaches’ to look to me and my team for whatever they need, so they are most prepared when they step on the court to begin competition.”

Right now I’m especially in awe because SAS just ranked #1 on the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces list from Great Place to Work^®. Our CEO Jim Goodnight set the tone, but we did this together. We all deserve to be congratulated for making this a great place to work. If you return here over the next few weeks, I’ll tell you more about each of these amazing people and how they contribute to – and benefit from - the workplace culture at SAS.

In the meantime, I’m wondering… what’s your role, and what gives you a sense of awe at work?