In responding to your peers, evaluate how their examples can impact employee management. Support your response with sound arguments.

Must give an answer for each peer.

PEER 1:

Through the article we read I have to say that I think that SAS has a brilliant approach to employee management and retention. Especially in times like we are in today ( I realize that this article is from 2010 and I am very curios to see how the companys is doing today) there is such a high demand for talent. It's almost impossible to find which means that retaining the staff that you have and ensuring they are doing quality work is KEY to the success of companies.

In relation to SAS and the POLC framework:

Planning: The vision and mission of Goodnight is to retain his staff but also create in environment where they thrive and work hard for the company. As Goodnight states in the article, "My chief assets drive out the gate every day, My job is to make sure they come back." His strategy to make sure they do includes providing things they need on site such as doctors and daycare for children. His goal is retain key staff, reduce turnover, and build a happy and healthy work environment.

Oraganizing: Goodnight creates culture by providing common space activities and work spaces. He has enlisted doctors, health care coaches, created sports teams, provided massage therapists, music, art, etc. All things to engage employees with eachother and to recenter them so they stay healthy and produce quality work.

Leading: Goodnight has become a successful leader by providing not only things that his employees need but also things that his employees want. He has gone above and beyond to create an environment where employees literally don't have to leave the facilities for anything other than seeing their families that are not already at work with them (like daycare children who receive subsidized care there and are allowed to eat meals with and participate in activities with their parents).

Controlling: Goodnight has created a system and process where he does not have to second guess if his employees will show up for work or have a circumstance that prevents them from doing their job. By going above and beyond to provide resources for employees and their families he has made the company itself a necessity to the greater good of employees well being.

PEER 2:

I would describe SAS's employee management as strategic. The goal of the leader, Goodnight, is for the company to compete in a highly competitive, rapidly changing, and global market. To achieve this, the managers utilized the P-O-L-C framework to reduce turnover and attract top talent, without necessarily paying the highest wages. Planning - The managers use the company vision as a target and defined goals that support that vision. In this case, it is to maximize productivity by reducing turnover. The team analyzed competitive data in the industry, both for wages and turnover then created a benefits plan that is unique in the industry. The perks and benefits were not done just to be nice, it was a calculated investment in human capital. Organizing - The managers at SAS recognize that employees are more satisfied when they feel challenged and understand how their efforts affect the success of the company. Allowing horizontal job transfers benefits the employer more than the employee. The employee is excited to take on the challenge and learn new skills. The employer retains an already experienced employee, who, with these new skills, now provides even more value. Leading - According to Carpenter, Bauer, Erdogan, and Short (2013, p. 21) "If managers are effective leaders, their subordinates will be enthusiastic about exerting effort to attain organizational objectives". As an effective leader, Goodnight identified the attitudes, values, and activities that are important to SAS employees. An example of this is the woman who planned to become a stay-at-home mom after maternity leave. With 45% of its workforce being women, leadership realized that filling the need for childcare would create loyalty and have a positive impact on productivity. Controlling - Kaplan (2010) explains that Goodman realizes the digital data industry is exploding. To compete on a global level, SAS must provide data management that is consistent and reliable. This can only be achieved by retaining top performers. With a turnover rate of only 2%, SAS outperformed the competition by far. (Kaplan, para 9).