Making the world run better and improving people’s lives is more than just a marketing slogan at SAP — it explains why a career gives purpose to employees like me.
Take the below video on Miltenberg, Germany as an example:
At first blush, a tourist-oriented documentary on history may not appear to have anything to do with the world’s leading business software company. However, upon closer inspection, you’ll find that it’s a perfect example of what the company stands for.
Continuing Education
SAP encourages all of its employees to continually update their skills. This includes everything from freeing us up from our daily responsibilities to paying for online and in-person courses. This video is actually the final project of an 18-month course certifying me as a professional videographer.
Though I’ve had roles as a professional photographer and videographer over the past 40 years, most of my photography education came from on-the-job training. Attending film school was the perfect complement to this practical experience. This project forced me to go beyond my comfort zone and learn how to use new equipment, implement unfamiliar techniques, and applications. Ultimately, it has made me more effective to my employer and increasing my job satisfaction.
Corporate Social Responsibility
The founders of SAP began investing in their communities early in the company’s history. Today, employees are encouraged to follow in this tradition. In 2016, 84,000 SAP employees volunteered 338,000 hours to community service. In this tradition, I decided to create a video for my final project, which would benefit Miltenberg’s local tourism industry. SAP fully supported this initiative by freeing up four additional employees from their daily responsibilities to provide support.
Miltenberg has everything a foreign tourist could desire except modern online marketing materials in English. As other sectors of the economy such as brick and mortar commerce decline, foreign tourism is becoming increasingly important. By helping foreign tourists discover this hidden gem and by filling the town’s restaurants and hotels, SAP is making this corner of the tourism industry run better.
More and more employees today are looking beyond just a paycheck. They want to work for a company that balances the needs of all stakeholders: shareholders, customers, partners — but also employees and the community. Our society faces numerous challenges and many of us want to be part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem. As an SAP employee, I’m empowered to make the world run better and improve people’s lives. This gives me purpose.
