Comprehensive Guide to Formulating an Educational Policy for Employee Development

Hi,

We are in the process of formulating an educational policy for our company. Could someone forward me some pointers on what should comprise a good educational qualification including Sabatical.

Would also like to know what's the general practice where enhancing an employee's education is concerned.

a) Is he absorbed at the same position or at a higher position after he completes the course?

b) In case of full-time,

i) if the company has sponsored the educational development program, is there any bond that an employee has to sign? What's the minimum time period for an employee to continue his services in this case?

ii) In case if an employee has availed for sabbatical leave, is there any bond that an employee has to sign? What's the minimum time period for an employee to continue his services in this case after completing the course?

c) Is the employee taken on at a higher position after the completion of the course?

d) What happens to the employee's position in the event of the employee going on sabbatical?

e) What if the course is part-time, which, for instance, is held during the weekdays or in the evenings after working hours? After completion of this course, should one take the employee's qualification as one of the criteria for promotion during performance appraisals?

After employees have enhanced their qualifications, are they eligible for a salary advancement?

Please help me out with this query.

Thanks

Regards,

Pallavi.

Hi Pallavi,

Some of the common practices I am familiar with are given below:

(a) He will be posted in the same grade. However, weightage will be given to him in the normal case as he has acquired additional qualifications useful for the discharge of his duties.

(b) (i) If the employee is sponsored for the program, an agreement has to be obtained from the employee on non-judicial stamp paper, stating the clearance of the amount and the period to be served with the firm. This can be determined by computing the amount involved in the training, the period of study with payment, value addition to the firm if the person is on the rolls, etc., plus 20% overhead charges.

(ii) Yes, definitely required.

(c) It should be based on certain criteria, like the recruitment rules/promotion rules of the firm.

(d) Hire a suitable candidate for the time being if the position is so critical.

(e) Yes, weightage can be given for that.

Incentives can be offered to employees who pursue higher studies leading to better academic/professional qualifications. However, such incentives can be considered only if the higher qualification will make the employee more effective in discharging his duties in the present position or the next higher position in the hierarchy. Such incentives can be given only to those who acquire them through their own efforts, i.e., not due to sponsoring or after taking leave from the duties of the firm. Incentives of this nature should be of a one-time recurring nature based on the qualification acquired by the individual.

Hope this information is useful for you.

Ajay

Dear Pallavi,

It is truly commendable that the management is considering incorporating an Educational Policy into the company's system.

In my view, we should allow everyone to enhance and acquire more qualifications, regardless of whether it is related to their current job or not. The policy should be very clear on issues such as:

1. What employees will gain if they take a course for their career planning.

2. How the company will compensate employees who acquire additional qualifications, which in turn help the company improve or introduce new processes.

3. Who will authorize the employee to enroll in a course (their immediate supervisor, head of section/department, or HR head, etc.).

4. How leaves will be granted to employees for taking exams.

5. Prioritizing current work over additional qualifications.

6. The employer's right to deny leave in case of work exigencies.

7. Ensuring no direct link between enhanced compensation and new responsibilities resulting from additional qualifications.

Overall, an educational policy should encourage employees to learn and improve. Monetary and job-related factors should not be part of the policy.

I hope the above clarifies the concept of an educational policy.

Regards,
Anil Anand

Hi,

We are in the process of formulating an educational policy for our company. Could someone provide pointers on what should constitute a good educational qualification, including sabbatical?

I would also like to know the general practices regarding enhancing an employee's education:

a) Will the employee be retained at the same position or offered a higher position after completing the course?

b) In the case of full-time studies,

i) If the company sponsors the educational development program, is there a bond that an employee must sign? What is the minimum service period after completing the course?

ii) If an employee takes a sabbatical, is there a bond to sign? What is the minimum service period after completing the course in this case?

c) Will the employee be promoted to a higher position after completing the course?

d) What happens to the employee's position if they go on sabbatical?

e) In the case of part-time courses held during weekdays or evenings after work hours, should an employee's qualification be considered for promotion during performance appraisals post-course completion?

After employees enhance their qualifications, are they eligible for salary advancement?

Please assist me with these queries.

Thanks and Regards,
Pallavi