Lea Tyra, a hardworking bank teller, has sent an e-mail request asking that the company create a program to reimburse the tuition and book expenses for employees taking college courses. Although some companies have such a program, Unified Federal Bank has not felt that it could indulge in such an expensive employee perk. Moreover, the CEO is not convinced that companies see any direct benefit from such programs. Employees improve their educational credentials and skills, but what is to keep them from moving that education and those skill sets to other employers? Unified Federal has over 200 employees. If even a fraction of them started classes, the company could see a huge bill for the cost of tuition and books.

Because the bank is facing stiff competition and its profits are sinking, the expense of such a program makes it out of the question.

In addition, it would involve administration—applications, monitoring, and record keeping. It is just too much of a hassle. When employees were hard to hire and retain, companies had to offer employment perks. With a fluctuating job market, however, such inducements are unnecessary.

Your Task. As director of Human Resources, send an individual e-mail response to Lea Tyra. The answer is a definite no, but you want to soften the blow and retain the loyalty of this conscientious employee.