- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,019
- 156
- 106
I have a situation where a guy was sent to New York City for a week to a client's office. He had never traveled for work before.
Here's his expenses (not including base hotel bill/airline ticket). Would you expect everything to be reimbursed?
$60+$15 tip taxi ride from home to airport, and $60+$15 tip taxi ride from airport to home when he returned.
$13 breakfast at airport restaurant.
$10 in-flight meal
$40+$10 tip taxi from airport to hotel, and again on the way back to the airport.
$5 tip to bellhop on arrival, $5 to bellhop when leaving
$15 movie theater (ticket)
$5 movie refreshments
$22+$5 tip buffet breakfast at hotel (each day)
Lunch varies $12-$20 (each day)
Dinner varies $25-$60 (each day). Some were room service.
$23 (total) for vending machine snacks/beverages for the week while at client site
$30 hotel charges for phone calls home
$15 hotel charges for in-room movies
$10/day hotel charge for internet use
$10 tip to hotel housekeeper ($2/day)
$42 taxi plus ticket to visit top of Rockefeller Center
$135 kennel fee for his dog while he was gone
$25 to pay someone to cut his grass while he was gone
------------------------------------------
UPDATE - resolution
So here's the rest of the story.
Nobody had reviewed the company travel policy with the guy. He didn't even know there was a policy, since he had never traveled before. All he was told was something to the effect that "expenses related to your trip will be reimbursed."
The employee is in an entry-level position (=low-paid) and I feel I have to take that into account. I reviewed the expenses with him and it was quickly obvious that he was completely in the dark about what is "expected". He just didn't have any idea how this worked.
I disapproved the $25 grass cutting and the $42 Rockefeller Center trip. He's going to feel some pain over $67 but it won't be crippling. You can argue it's totally arbitrary to allow some of those things but not the ones I disapproved, and you'd be right. I am in effect "splitting it" with him somewhat. He would never have done some of those things if he didn't think he would be repaid, and he didn't go wild either so I felt he was not trying to abuse the system, otherwise he would have been out every night doing something. But I could not allow all of that either, even though he didn't know the policy. I should have disallowed more but I think it would have caused him serious financial hardship and I don't think that's fair to do after the fact.
According to the policy, he should have driven to the airport (mileage reimbursable) and parked there (reimbursable) vs. the more expensive cab. No future reimbursement for movie theater, in-room movie, snacks/vending or sightseeing.
The tips were really on the high side and I asked him to cut down a little in the future.
He was satisfied with the outcome and actually relieved knowing that according to the policy he could have been stuck with a lot more. Can't reimburse kennel fees in the future and he said he could get someone to watch his dog if he had to travel again.
Here's his expenses (not including base hotel bill/airline ticket). Would you expect everything to be reimbursed?
$60+$15 tip taxi ride from home to airport, and $60+$15 tip taxi ride from airport to home when he returned.
$13 breakfast at airport restaurant.
$10 in-flight meal
$40+$10 tip taxi from airport to hotel, and again on the way back to the airport.
$5 tip to bellhop on arrival, $5 to bellhop when leaving
$15 movie theater (ticket)
$5 movie refreshments
$22+$5 tip buffet breakfast at hotel (each day)
Lunch varies $12-$20 (each day)
Dinner varies $25-$60 (each day). Some were room service.
$23 (total) for vending machine snacks/beverages for the week while at client site
$30 hotel charges for phone calls home
$15 hotel charges for in-room movies
$10/day hotel charge for internet use
$10 tip to hotel housekeeper ($2/day)
$42 taxi plus ticket to visit top of Rockefeller Center
$135 kennel fee for his dog while he was gone
$25 to pay someone to cut his grass while he was gone
------------------------------------------
UPDATE - resolution
So here's the rest of the story.
Nobody had reviewed the company travel policy with the guy. He didn't even know there was a policy, since he had never traveled before. All he was told was something to the effect that "expenses related to your trip will be reimbursed."
The employee is in an entry-level position (=low-paid) and I feel I have to take that into account. I reviewed the expenses with him and it was quickly obvious that he was completely in the dark about what is "expected". He just didn't have any idea how this worked.
I disapproved the $25 grass cutting and the $42 Rockefeller Center trip. He's going to feel some pain over $67 but it won't be crippling. You can argue it's totally arbitrary to allow some of those things but not the ones I disapproved, and you'd be right. I am in effect "splitting it" with him somewhat. He would never have done some of those things if he didn't think he would be repaid, and he didn't go wild either so I felt he was not trying to abuse the system, otherwise he would have been out every night doing something. But I could not allow all of that either, even though he didn't know the policy. I should have disallowed more but I think it would have caused him serious financial hardship and I don't think that's fair to do after the fact.
According to the policy, he should have driven to the airport (mileage reimbursable) and parked there (reimbursable) vs. the more expensive cab. No future reimbursement for movie theater, in-room movie, snacks/vending or sightseeing.
The tips were really on the high side and I asked him to cut down a little in the future.
He was satisfied with the outcome and actually relieved knowing that according to the policy he could have been stuck with a lot more. Can't reimburse kennel fees in the future and he said he could get someone to watch his dog if he had to travel again.
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