On paper, employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement sounds like the perfect benefit to offer to employees. As an employer, you get grateful employees who have an opportunity to level up their skills. Employees are able to realize their amibitions, learn something, and have the company pay for it. So why do most companies that offer these programs see adoption rates of around 2%?
TLDR: Friction. In user experience design we talk about friction as ‘parts of the experience that make it harder for people to do what they want to do’. Thinking about the process for tuition reimbursement, here’s a ‘simplified’ version of what most programs look like;
Employee needs to go out and find a course or degree that they want to to take
Employee needs to submit an official request to the employer
Employer needs to approve the program
Employee needs to sign up themselves for the program
Employee needs to pay for the program themselves in full.
(employee takes the course)
Upon completion, employee needs to submit proof that the course has been completed and/or a certain grade has been achieved
Employer evaluates and confirms
Tuition is reimbursed to the employee, usually 3-6 months after request has been submitted.
Reader, if you’re still with us after that exhausing explanation, you’d likely agree that there’s a lot of friction across this process for the employer (administrative burden and red-tape around coursework, reimbursement, and approvals) and the employee (having to wait months or years to get reimbursed, submitting requests for courses to be approved). No wonder usage rates of this kind of program does not match it’s ideals.
If you’re looking for a better way to help your employees upskill/reskill, consider a conversation with Benefi!
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