0 Votes
How do you handle expense reports at the office?
| I claim the really big stuff, but let the rest slide | |
| I claim everything | |
| I only claim what is more valuable than the time it takes to get through the red tape | |
| I'm not reimbursed for my expenses |
Why WOULDN'T You? by VnutZ
I can see how people will answer #2 and #4 … and in various circumstances, perhaps you’re rockstar enough for #3 to be valid. Otherwise I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t claim your expenses.
RE: Why WOULDN'T You? by ldsudduth
I never claim alcohol consumed with dinner—not just because I’m a Top Shelf Scotch man..or expensive micro-brew/import beer drinker, but because I figure alcohol is on my dollar, not the company.
I don’t claim pens or writing tablets either—because I don’t use the office supplied ones anyway.
My answer is somewhere between 2 and 3.
RE: Why WOULDN'T You? by mikeforbes
perhaps you’re rockstar enough for #3 to be valid.
Why would you need to be a rockstar for that? (not literally of course, I understand that you mean “well compensated”)
I see it as a simple cost/benefit analysis: will the reimbursement I get equal or exceed the amount of time/effort I put into obtaining it? For an employee of average compensation, whose office expense report system is simple and straightforward enough, you’re right: the calculation should almost always result in “claim it” for qualifying expenses.
But take an employee whose “real work” efforts directly impact his salary and/or the success of his organization. And say his office’s reimbursement system is cumbersome and time-consuming. If he has to spend a significant amount of time (significant for him) filling out and submitting forms to get a few bucks for that pack of pens and ink cartridge he needed, maybe he’s better off eating that small cost and spending his time increasing his bottom line in another way.
RE: Why WOULDN'T You? by VnutZ
I suppose that after traveling 100% for two years, I associate expenses with travel (airfare, gas, mileage, tolls), meals, hotels and all sorts of incidental fees. I was never going to give my company freebies for making me travel like that. I wasn’t thinking so much about pens.
RE: Why WOULDN'T You? by Brandon
A lot of the people at my boss’ level don’t claim small stuff (e.g., miles driving to places in town, tolls). From what I can gather, their view is something like, “I’ve been with the company 30+ years and they’ve treated me very well. I don’t think it’s worth the hassle to be sure they reimburse me for something I won’t even notice.”
I don’t know if my opinion will change when I have that many years with one employer (if that ever happens), but right now I like to keep things “clean.” So, even if I won’t notice the $1.50 toll, the company pays for the company’s expenses. Nice and orderly like.
RE: Why WOULDN'T You? by VnutZ
A couple of years ago, my company didn’t give anybody raises – not even cost of living. While that happens a lot across the board, this place would send company wide emails about how times are tight and money’s not there for raises only to have meetings discussing how everything was on-track and revenues are up and comparable to prior years. Then you see your partner go buy himself a Porsche 911 Turbo on a whim …. Needless to say, I expensed everything, I was “getting mine” back.