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SAP: “Our Employees Are Given The Freedom To Develop the Next Industry Breakthrough”
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 5 Dec 2018
Global software company, SAP, was this week crowned as the UK’s #8 Best Place To Work in 2019. But, that’s not all..they are also the only employer to win on all FIVE of Glassdoor’s lists this year, including the top spot in Germany, third position in Canada, twenty third in France and twenty seventh position in the U.S. A very rare and incredible achievement.
So, how does this enterprise software business from Walldorf manage to be a consistently great place to work in every market they operate in? Here we speak to SAP’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Stefan Ries, to find out how they build trust and authenticity across the business.
What does it mean to have your employees honour the company as a 2019 Best Place to Work across FIVE markets - the only employer to do so?
It’s an incredible honour to have been recognised as the only company to receive all five Glassdoor “2019 Best Places to Work” awards. Unlike other awards where we need to formally apply, Glassdoor awards are based purely on our employees’ feedback. This makes it very special to us – and a strong endorsement of our continuous efforts to provide a consistent and meaningful employee experience at SAP around the world. A ranking on all five award lists is a powerful confirmation that our employees love working at SAP.
What are two or three steps your company has taken within the last year to double down on company culture, employee engagement and employee feedback that may have led to this win?
We encourage a culture of “telling it like it is.” We build trust by being honest and authentic. We do this by creating platforms where people can openly exchange ideas. We actively listen and seek our employees’ suggestions and viewpoints. Therefore, we offer a variety of communications channels such as “Life at SAP” social media channels, People Surveys, coffee corner sessions with senior leadership, and of course, Glassdoor. Trust and engagement take time to grow and they need constant nurturing. We have always taken our presence and feedback on Glassdoor seriously. This recognition is the result of many efforts over years spanning all departments and regions.
SAP invests in its people and we believe that these results on Glassdoor demonstrate the satisfaction our employees have at SAP. We offer flexible working conditions, continuous learning and development opportunities, healthy work environments, and best-in-class employee benefits. By using Glassdoor to constantly hear our employees’ feedback and monitor what they think of our culture, benefits, management, and opportunities, we are always able to make decisions in real time when we see there is room for improvement.
This award speaks volumes about the company but also signals to job seekers that this is an amazing place to work. Why should job seekers apply for an open role at SAP? What are two to three benefits, practices or traditions that are unique to your company?
SAP’s employment branding is based on the principles of opportunity, purpose, and growth encompassed by respect and innovation. Our employee value proposition campaign slogan encapsulates this with “Bring everything you are. Become everything you want.”
We foster diversity at SAP, so that everyone can bring their own experiences and ideas to the table to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. Through their innovative spirit and confidence that they are respected, accepted, and empowered, they are the ones who make SAP this amazing place to work.
We offer some of the best employee benefits out there and our employees’ Glassdoor reviews regularly acknowledge this. One of the coolest and most unique benefits SAP offers to its employees is our award-winning equity plan Own SAP. In addition, we constantly invest in Learning (2018: 185 Mio €) and foster a culture of innovation.
What kinds of roles are your company prioritizing right now? What types of innovation are you investing in within that specific department?
We always say innovation is in our DNA at SAP. Our employees aim high with a sense of freedom to develop the next big breakthroughs in the industry. We have loads of opportunities for eager talent in all departments and whatever one’s background, he or she can certainly find a niche for his or her interests at SAP. This starts in our Development teams, with algorithms using best-in-class machine learning capabilities and driving cloud business for our customers. It continues with innovation campaigns to encourage entrepreneurial thinking among our employees – and goes into all Board areas.
Glassdoor is all about transparency and helping people everywhere find a job and company they love. What insights can you share about the interview process at SAP? What types of questions do you ask?
It’s crucial to establish employee-employer-candidate transparency. That is why we closely monitor our feedback on sites like Glassdoor. At SAP, we want to create moments that matter and deliver positive experiences to our candidates and employees. This is so important, as no candidate wants to feel like they are just a number. People want relationships with people, not faceless companies. Besides a typical conversation with recruiters and hiring managers at SAP, candidates can play our “Get Home” game on Life at SAP Facebook. Players act out the role of a candidate at various SAP interview locations before time runs out, while emphasizing SAP’s core industries gaining insight into who we are as a company.
How are you using Glassdoor to attract the types of candidates you’re looking for?
The first thing might sound obvious, but the priority is involving our employees to leave reviews. We try to communicate that their reviews are not only valuable for management within SAP, but also for potential candidates looking for jobs with us. This past year, we have had over 5.1 million views to our SAP pages on Glassdoor globally. Our employees’ reviews really do make a difference in candidates’ job search!
What keeps you at the company for the long haul? What advice would you give to companies focused on retention?
Many factors come together here. For me personally it starts with finding passion and purpose in what I do. Just doing a job to earn money is not enough for most talents nowadays. Companies must react to this and offer a purpose-driven strategy – and live up to it. At SAP, we to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. When we look at the talent market, it’s a jungle out there. Talents, especially young ones, can choose the company they want to work for – much more than this was the case when the baby boomer generation, like me, graduated from university, some 20, 30 years ago. If companies want to attract, develop and retain the best talent in the industry, they need to create and deliver positive experiences. This is especially valid regarding technology and flexibility: Technology to bring people at work where they already are privately: mobile, real-time, with intuitive solutions, that are easy and fun to use. And flexibility with regard to their work location and time to adjust the individual needs and preferences of their employees.
How can job seekers get prepared for the future of work in your industry?
The digitalization brings many opportunities and challenges. One of the biggest challenge and opportunity at the same time, is the pace at which technology is changing. We know that today’s elementary school children will be working in roles that we don’t even know exist yet. This requires an agile culture. Lifelong learning has never been so important. This is valid for early and mature talents. Only if we continuously learn, we’ll be able to seek the advantages the digital era brings and keep pace with technological developments.
SAP is paving the way with some of the latest trends in cloud and machine learning innovation. I encourage job seekers to visit our SAP Careers site to check out open jobs as well as some “People Stories,” where you’ll hear directly from our employees on what it’s like to work here.
Stefan Ries serves as a member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). To support innovation, Stefan attaches great importance to a diverse working culture. He is convinced that appreciating the differences among people, their unique backgrounds and personalities is a key success factor for SAP. Before working for SAP, Stefan held HR leadership positions with Compaq and Microsoft. In addition to his Master’s Degree in Economics, he has attended senior management-education programs, including INSEAD and Harvard Business School. Find more information here.
Apply for jobs at SAP today!
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