SHRM26 Debrief · Compensation & Benefits · #2313

Stop Losing Talent to Competitors: How Strategic Education Benefits Create Workforce Loyalty

with Amy Jauman

& Holly htapper@smumn.edu

▶ Watch on the SHRM portal ~80 min, distilled

Tuition assistanceCredit for prior learningEmployer-education partnerships

"Your CFO probably cares on some level, but probably not at 10:00 a.m. on a Tuesday. Your CFO wants to know how this is going to impact their bottom line."

What it was about

Employers should treat educational partnerships with higher ed institutions as a workforce strategy, not just an employee benefit. Building a business case with CFO-facing ROI metrics, and choosing from flexible partnership models like credit for prior learning, helps retain and develop talent while AI-proofing the workforce.

By the numbers

$5,250 a year

The IRS limit typically used for standard tuition assistance benefits, contrasted with targeted tuition assistance.

100% / 50% / 0% repayment

City of Fort Worth's tiered tuition-assistance clawback schedule based on how soon an employee leaves after receiving reimbursement (0-13 months, 13-24 months, after 24 months).

30 credits / two semesters

Additional credits Metro Transit Authority police-officer employees with associate's degrees needed to finish a bachelor's degree via credit for prior learning.

Key notes

Reframe education from an isolated employee benefit into a workforce strategy that drives retention, leadership development, and continuous learning in the age of AI.
Build a CFO-facing business case using one clear ROI metric rather than HR language alone: calculate full program cost honestly, define the business improvement, translate it into dollars, isolate the program's causal impact, and calculate ROI.
When calculating retention ROI, don't just use a simple 'dollar value per day retained' number — include termination pay, exit interviews, administrative work, recruitment advertising, and ramp-up time to avoid underselling the case.

The contrarian takeEmployees who get educated and later leave for a competitor aren't necessarily a failure of the strategy. Even if an employee eventually departs, the employer still benefited from that person's peak performance while they stayed and improved, so investing in education remains a net positive despite the retention risk.

Take this back Monday

Do this for your team

Pick one hard-to-fill role and draft a single-page tuition-partnership pitch: challenge, cost estimate, expected return, one ask.

Say this in your next leadership meeting

Education benefits aren't just a perk — they're a retention strategy that AI-proofs our workforce, and I can show the ROI in dollars, not HR language.

Watch out for

Pitching an idea to leadership using HR's own language and assumed values instead of translating it into the audience's (e.g., the CFO's) financial priorities.
Underselling retention ROI by using an overly simple per-day dollar value and omitting hidden costs like termination pay, recruiting, and onboarding ramp-up time.
Trying to have an entire plan fully built before approaching a potential educational partner, instead of starting the conversation early with an incomplete plan.

Fun fact · Amy Jauman

This HR director also co-wrote a true-crime book about the Dirty John saga and holds a graduate certificate in crime analysis from Boston University.

If this landed, see these

↳ Go deeperTalent Intelligence on a Shoestring: Turning HR Data into Board InsightsSame CFO-translation skill, scaled up from one tuition pitch to your entire board deck.⇄ The counterpointThe Motivation Advantage with Terry Crews: What It Really Takes to Keep Your People EngagedTuition partnerships bet on institutions; this session bets sustainable engagement comes from personal habits instead.✦ The unexpected oneGen Alpha Is Here: Preparing for the Workforce HR Has Never Seen BeforeThe apprenticeship pathways built for Gen Alpha are the same lever this session pitches for retaining current staff.