Training refunds

[Stonesie]

I've completed CFA level 2 but am very disappointed about how my company will refund the costs, because for every other course employees do they get completely refunded whereas I get only the registration fee (1/2 my total cost)

There are no company guidelines, so it appears completely arbitrary.

Prior to doing this course I was told the company encouraged it, and I was granted study leave and refunds if I pass. Upon passing level 1 I was told I only get registration fees back, as a newbie I accepted it but now having spoken with other people who've done other exams, I found out they get tuition fees and transport costs for all other course.

I've arranged to speak with the general manager hoping he'll amend the policy as a favour but do I have any case to take a harder stance if this fails?

Any advice appreciated

 

[Stonesie]

Can I rephrase the above question.

I've been told the re-funding policy is arbitrary. It depends on the relevance the management place on each course.

I interpret this as it depends how friendly you are with the management, or even which nationality you are.

Can such a thing be arbitrary, Can I request them to formalise a document stating which courses are relevant and why they get refunded the way they do

My general manager says he is too busy to discuss it with me, so I think I need to take a stand here.

 

[Complainer]

I guess a lot depends on the kind of organisation. This may not be best time to be 'making a stand'. Are you a trade union member or do you have some support from colleagues? Was there any agreement up-front about what support you would get? The minimum you could expect is that you know in advance whether or not they will cough up.

 

[Stonesie]

Thanks Complainer for your reply. I'm not a trade union member, my colleagues agree with me but won't really support me. There was no agreement up front that’s what annoys me so much. Basically when I started the job over 2 years ago I was told they support this course, and now I've being told its not relevant to any role in the company (blatantly not true), and that every other course is more important which is why every other course is fully reimbursed.
The only documentation about refunds of course expenses mentions travel expenses twice but I'm not entitled to them.

It just seems so strange that different courses get different treatment and there are no formal guidelines. I've been looking up employee rights websites for 2 days and can't find anything relevant.

I've decided to bite my tongue, if it’s not obvious to the management the benefits of treating staff equally, or at least having clearly defined personal development guidelines, I doubt there's anything I can do to make them see my point of view.