Perks and Programs

We asked SAP America Inc. to share a few programs they feel really capture what's unique about their workplace. Here is what they had to say.

• Appreciate Recognition Program: Excellence occurs every day and SAP is committed to building a stronger culture of appreciation to acknowledge that excellence. The Appreciate program empowers SAP employees to recognize the excellence in everyone and to be recognized themselves for demonstrating and living SAP’s cultural behaviors. Through a centralized, easy-to-use, platform, nominees select the employee to be recognized, include a personalized message, and choose the ‘level’ of appreciation – from a simple “Thanks” for a positive attitude or quick contribution, to shining a “Spotlight” on a game-changing effort that went far beyond the call of duty, and including a monetary value. Award nominations can be placed for an individual, group of employees or an entire team. It’s a meaningful and memorable way to say thanks!
• Leadership Excellence Acceleration Program (LEAP: LEAP reflects SAP’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and supports our goal of having 25% of leadership roles held by women by 2017. Unique to the industry, this is an award-winning, year-long innovative development program for women who have the potential and desire to attain people management positions or new levels of people leadership. It addresses the specific needs of female managers, and equips participants with the skills, knowledge and behaviors to excel in these roles. SAP’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Office indicates that as of 2015, SAP had 32.1% females in the workforce, and 23.6% women in management roles (up 5% from 2011), outpacing our competition. LEAP won Gold in the Excellence in Leadership Development category at the 2015 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards.
• Mentoring and Fellowships: Mentoring at SAP is a dynamic, powerful relationship-based approach to learning that helps people (mentees) grow and develop, and provides the mentor with tremendous personal and professional satisfaction. Whether advising employees on strategies to drive revenue or helping them tap deeply into their innovative capabilities, mentoring supports our ambition of helping people run at their best. Our Fellowship program offers employees a 4-week to 6-month, full-time development assignment in different lines of business. The program is designed to engage employees in strategic projects and encourage them to expand their depth and breadth of new knowledge and skills. It also accelerates the participant’s readiness for broader responsibilities and better prepares them for future success at SAP.
• Coffee Corners: Throughout the year and across the region, members of SAP’s leadership team engage in open, transparent, informal conversations with employees in a popular meeting series called Coffee Corners. Session topics range from SAP’s quarterly results, strategy and key growth areas, to any others that are top of mind for the colleagues who attend these intimate, small group discussions. Every Coffee Corner provides leaders the opportunity to put facts front and center, and encourages employees to share their points of view and exchange ideas in an open forum. These sessions are a clear example of one of SAP’s “How We Run” cultural behaviors: Tell it like it is.
• Social Responsibility and Volunteerism: Our vision is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. SAP Corporate Social Responsibility drives impact in our communities through the pillars of talent, technology, and partnerships. North America has the greatest concentration of CSR activities, and volunteerism is at the core. Throughout the year, and especially in October for SAP’s signature volunteer initiative, Month of Service, employees donate tens of thousands volunteer hours that impact hundreds of thousands of lives (33,740 and 500,000+, respectively, in 2015). Through a host of workforce development programs, CSR equips youth with tools they need to tackle society’s problems and thrive in the digital economy. By establishing partnerships via strategic social investments in more than 100 NGOs, SAP CSR has a lasting, sustainable impact on society.
• Company-sponsored employee events: The spirit of celebration buoys every office at SAP, reminding employees to regroup as friends, recharge, and recognize our collective success. Company-sponsored events, both regional and national, include summer picnics, winter holiday parties, our region-wide speaker series, and various other events that are unique to individual market units. This holds particularly true in Silicon Valley, the heartbeat of innovation at SAP. A robust schedule acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the developer-centric employee base. Noteworthy among the events and perks are TED speakers, free tickets to local NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and PGA/ LPGA matches; numerous clubs and communities like cycling, soccer, golf, tennis, Black Employee Network, Business Women's Network; participation in the SF Pride Parade; and weekly beer bashes with gourmet appetizers.
• Flextime/Parental Benefits: SAP benefits are consistently recognized by our employees, and externally, as exceptional. With Flex Appeal, employees may work non-traditional hours from remote, home office, or other SAP locations. Our own research shows the program increases employee commitment, engagement, productivity, and profitability. Moreover, it ensures our employees can achieve a work-life integration that enables them to perform at their best. With our parental leave benefits, new moms can augment their traditional 6-8 weeks of short-term disability under maternity leave with an additional 6 weeks of family bonding time, and during the first 4 weeks of their return, can work part-time (20 hours/week), paid at full salary. New dads can take up to 7 weeks of paid paternity leave after baby arrives, and at any time during the first 12 months.
• Early Talent Program: The Early Talent program, designed for new hires who have recently graduated with 0-2 years of non-professional experience, is an end-to-end initiative to help accelerate these young aspiring professionals in their development and contributions to SAP’s success as well as their own. The program invests in this group of millennials by providing structured training, mentoring and support in order to bring out their best ideas, innovations and talents. Sub-programs available to participants include: The HR Rotational Program, Sales Academy, Presales Academy, Associate Project Manager Program, and the Student Training and Rotation Vocational Program.
• Autism at Work: One percent of the world’s population is considered to lie on the Autism Spectrum. Eighty percent of those people are unemployed. SAP focuses on everyone’s unique ability to contribute as opposed to their perceived limitations. The company’s internationally-recognized Autism at Work program is a shining example of this commitment. Launched in May of 2013, the program has provided opportunities to more than 100 colleagues and is running in Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, Ireland, the United States, and Australia; Korea is on the horizon. In March of 2016, SAP America hosted the inaugural annual two-day Autism at Work Summit in its U.S. headquarters for employees, partners customers, NGOs, Government and advocates from across the U.S. and abroad.
• Social Sabbatical: The SAP Social Sabbatical is a unique, four-week assignment for SAP’s key talents who work in highly diverse, international teams to solve business challenges for the entrepreneurial sector in emerging markets, while strengthening their leadership competencies, cross industry sector know-how and intercultural sensitivity. Employees apply for assignments in designated global locations, and are selected based on skills, the team’s requirements, and the fit in terms of interests and client needs. A participant’s pre-work ensures they learn about local customs, culture, language, project goals, and information on their destination country beforehand. These cross-functional and multi-national teams build capacity for non-profit organization, government agency or educational institutions focused on entrepreneurship, and the small to medium business sector.

Executive Diversity

Demographics

How to Get Hired

We asked SAP America Inc. for some inside information on how to get hired at the organization. Here is what they had to say.

What key characteristics tell you a prospective employee will be a great fit for your company?

SAP's people strategy is to create a culture that is able to deal with the complexity, speed, and volume of a digital workplace - a culture that inspires innovation, leads change, and creates ultimate employees satisfaction. Our "How We Run" behaviors were defined by our own employees. They are:  Tell it like it is; Keep the promise; Stay curious; Build bridges, not silos; and Embrace differences.    

What can prospective employees do to get your attention?

Be yourself! At SAP, we value everyone’s individuality and the diversity of our employees. Our employees are innovative and creative. Everyone has strengths and skills in different areas so show us how you too can stand out in your unique way. Do your research, learn about our company and Life at SAP, and then think to yourself, “What do I have to offer this employer?” and then look for effective ways to convey that to us!

Are there any positions or types of candidates you are particularly focused on hiring in this coming year?

We put huge effort into creating a workplace that attracts motivated, creative, and forward-thinking employees who will help us continue to innovate and grow. We look for consummate pros – as well as new generations of talent who will bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. We’re a company that’s dedicated to sustainability, fills you with a strong sense of purpose, and provides a fun and flexible job environment.  The Careers page on sap.com provides a list of open positions across the globe. Prospective employees can choose the job areas, experience level, and geography when looking for career opportunities as SAP.

What should interested candidates do to find out more and get started?

The best place to start is to visit our website at sap.com. There you will find information about our company, our culture, our careers and what it's like to work with us.  You can read testimonials from our employees and find out more about applying to SAP. Additionally, our Life at SAP social channels - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube - are a great way to get to know us and to learn all about our strategy, business goals and products, and our people.