When to Tell Your Supervisor You're in School

Furthering Your Education Makes You More Valuable to Your Company

First, most employers value people who want to expand their skills. Staffing is often the largest expense that a business has, and making the most of that staff is one of the keys to a firm's profitability. Those employees who are taking the initiative to make themselves more valuable are often viewed very positively by their supervisors. Moreover, employees who are seeking a degree that might prepare them for a more advanced position might find themselves in line for a raise or a promotion. But those benefits can't happen when employers are unaware that their people are enrolled in a degree program.

Your Assignments Could Tie in Nicely with Your Work

Similarly, often students learn more from their degree programs by tying in their assignments to what they do on the job. Indeed, many programs, especially in business, require applicants to be employed so that the assignments will make sense. When an employer is aware that one of their people may have assignments that are relevant to their work, they may be willing to accommodate a connection between the two. This kind of synergy can help you excel both as an employee and as a student.

Your Employer Might Accommodate You in Surprising Ways

Another reason to consider cluing your employer in on your scholastic endeavors is that many employers offer support to employees who are seeking a degree. This support can take many different forms, including actual help with your tuition payments, flexible scheduling so that you can be available for class, time off if you must study for final exams or for residencies in another city, and more. Relatedly, scholarships are sometimes available for those who work for a particular company or industry, and your company's Human Resources department may be able to guide you toward those sorts of opportunities.

Your Employer Could Value Your Straightforward Approach

Finally, there's another reason to be up front with your employer if you have decided to return to school. Your professional reputation is based on the way you handle issues that may affect the way that you work. It may be tempting to think that what you do outside work is none of your employer's business, and indeed it may in fact be none of their concern. But by disclosing this sort of information, you demonstrate that you deal in a straightforward way with those with whom you have a professional relationship. You never know when that can turn out to have been a very wise move.

Ultimately, Use Your Best Judgment

That doesn't mean that you must tell your employer what you are doing under any circumstances. If you have already developed a negative or unsatisfactory relationship with your employer, you may be justified in keeping your own counsel. This is especially the case if you are in a degree program as a way of making it easier to transition away from you current job – and your employer would know it. If your employer has a policy against outside activities that somehow includes further study, or you have been informally told that your employer discourages time consuming outside activities, then you may want to be wary as well. But take heart, as these cases are generally very rare.

As a final note, it is often asked whether the way a program is delivered makes a difference. In other words, if your program is online, should you act differently than if it is a traditional program based in the classroom? Generally, this is no problem. Almost all employer tuition benefits are concerned with a school's accreditation, not the way that its programs are delivered. At worst, you may need to reassure your supervisor that you will not be attending school online on company time.

So unless you have a clear reason not to do so, consult with your employer about your plan to earn a degree. You may find that they are interested in being part of the solution, and that your relationship with them is strengthened both by your straightforward way of dealing with them and by your desire to make yourself more valuable.