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Are employees expected to not be able to use their status benefits when travelling on company business? That’s ridiculous. The only way or getting them is entering your FF number, and as a minor side effect you get a few miles. Whoop-de-doo.
What about the free breakfast that hotel elite status brings? Are you meant to miss out on that too?!
Lots of questions. I agree. I will report back once things conclude.
Well… the pettiness and vindictiveness of some people, including some in departments where they don’t travel or have expenses for the firm, but might be processing your expenses claim or close to someone who is, can be more of a factor than some realise.
A couple of my best stories were connected with expense claims…
Absolutely and completely agree. At one time I worked with an accounts dept. processing claims that would remove things they considered personal, despite already be authorised by a director. Such was the weakness of said director that these things ended in to and fro because he was petrified of confrontation. Created ridiculous situation only fully resolved when accounts dept. lead agitator left.
Well… the pettiness and vindictiveness of some people, including some in departments where they don’t travel or have expenses for the firm, but might be processing your expenses claim or close to someone who is, can be more of a factor than some realise.
A couple of my best stories were connected with expense claims…
Absolutely and completely agree. At one time I worked with an accounts dept. processing claims that would remove things they considered personal, despite already be authorised by a director. Such was the weakness of said director that these things ended in to and fro because he was petrified of confrontation. Created ridiculous situation only fully resolved when accounts dept. lead agitator left.
I can completely understand how frustrating it is when the finance department amends expense claims even when already authorised by a director but they are only doing their job which is to protect the company and make sure the expense claims do not fall foul of legal regulations and obligations. It may well be that the company has a dispensation from HMRC which reduces admin and simplifies P11D preparation. But by paying expense claims that don’t comply with the dispensation, they expose the company to fines and penalties should there be a HMRC audit. And just because a director has authorised something does not mean that they necessarily have the authority to do so.
Of course if there is a genuine reason for denying an expense claim the reason for that denial should be clearly explained and justified to the individual. Simply unilaterally reducing a claim is not acceptable, even if it is the 15th time a similar expense is rejected. Likewise if there is a genuine reason for paying a particular expense that should be paid.
Finance departments do not do these things to be obstructive or deliberately annoying any more than a legal team objects to a term that some sales team has agreed with a potential customer. It’s all about checks and balances.
The finance department is probably the most regulated and audited department in any company. It amuses but also annoys me how finance departments are seen as obstructive when in fact many companies would fall apart without those tedious agitators doing their jobs well.
Of course that does not mean the agitator is necessarily correct either. But equally the director @dougzz99 describes doesn’t sound terribly competent.
I think this is very good conversation for a job interview. At best, you’ll have an enthusiastic points collector which will score you some points and at worst, you’ll know what is the company policy from the beginning. My partner did this at his last two interviews. All with very positive response.
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