SAP Named 'Germany's Best Employer' for Third Year Running

by SAP AG

SAP AG today announced that the company has been named "Germany's Best Employer" for the third year in a row. In the 2007 "Great Place to Work" initiative, SAP once again achieved the top ranking in the category of companies with more than 5,000 employees. Additionally, SAP was conferred special recognition in the category of "Health" for its comprehensive employee health management program. At the award ceremony in Berlin last night, SAP Executive Board Member Claus E. Heinrich accepted the prize on behalf of SAP from the Great Place to Work Institute and German business magazine Capital. The distinction directly qualifies SAP as a nominee in the Institute's selection for Europe's most attractive employer.

More than 198 German companies of all sizes and industries participated in the initiative, which is organized by the Great Place to Work Institute, Germany in cooperation with Capital and initiative partners including the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

Rankings are based on employee assessments of their companies and not upon evaluations by a jury. Based on internationally standardized methodology developed by the Great Place to Work Institute, employee surveys are conducted anonymously. At SAP, 343 employees answered approximately 60 questions in five categories: Fairness, Team Spirit, Credibility, Pride and Respect Toward Employer. The classification covers the entire spectrum of relevant working aspects and inner-company relationships. The high rankings from SAP employees underline the great importance the company places on its employee corporate culture. Personal responsibility for achieving superior customer orientation, innovation and quality awareness as well as striving to deliver first-class products were cited as the definitive characteristics making SAP a great place to work. The employee survey was complemented by the initiative's extensive culture audit completed by SAP's human resources (HR) team.

In last year's Germany initiative, SAP received exceptional distinction in the categories of "Equal Opportunity" and "Diversity." In the European award in 2005, SAP received special distinction in the "Fairness" category.

"We are pleased to be distinguished as Germany's best employer for the third consecutive year," said Claus E. Heinrich, member of the executive board at SAP and responsible for human resources. "This award clearly demonstrates again that we not only formulate appropriate performance targets for our employees, but also offer them an attractive working environment. This results in highly motivated employees who enjoy a collaborative team atmosphere."