The only negative in traveling abroad on business

[rbryan4]

Just returned from another UK business trip. Love England, and I always have a great time. Thing is, doing the expense report is a genuine pain. Upload receipts, calculate the exchange rate, the rate used, the variance, and GBP and USD entries for each and every expense? In this case, that was 42 line items! Ugh. My company needs a better way.

We used to be able to claim a flat rate per day for what amounts to 'per diem'. I miss it.

[Iowa Dave]

Auditors, IT people, human resources people, I've known some nice ones, but for the life of me, I cannot see how they can enjoy their jobs. My boss didn't have too much time for them either, that's probably why he had me send him my expense sheet when we traveled together. He'd copy mine and only change the name at the top. He'd always say " Your main job is to make me look good and to keep me out of trouble." He ran for Parks Commissioner unopposed a couple of times, I must have done ok. Take a deep breath and fill that sucker out, hopefully on company time.
Dave

[cpaharley2008]

There are 2 ways for business expense reimbursement, one shifts the burden to the individual, the other to the employer. Seems like you have the latter.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Take a deep breath and fill that sucker out, hopefully on company time.
Dave

Done - only took 4 hours. And yes, luckily, it was billable time.

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

There are 2 ways for business expense reimbursement, one shifts the burden to the individual, the other to the employer. Seems like you have the latter.

You got that right. I think it's all a part of our company's prep to go public. Financials need to be exact. I guess I should just grin and bear it. Depending on the IPO price, I could be quite well off overnight.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

..... Depending on the IPO price, I could be quite well off overnight.

On paper, yes. The real killer can be the one-week-later price.
I wish you well, Robert.

[gbaglo]

Hold off putting in your expenses until after the IPO.

Speaking of expenses, in my news photographer career, I put in expenses for: a banana, for lettuce, $2 for the collection plate at a Catholic mass, $20 for services of prostitute and bought a mickey of rye for another picture.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

$20 for services of prostitute

For that, what did she do... give you directions?

[gbaglo]

I took her off the street, so I was just paying for her time. Probably more than she would have earned, actually.
Had to rent a sleezy hotel room and pay a key deposit. Pix took about five minutes, she said to leave the key in the room, and our leaving was observed by about a dozen guys sitting in the communal TV room, who must have been thinking, "that was quick".

[cpaharley2008]

So, the banana was a prop.......

[Iowa Dave]

Man I'm staying away from that. Give me an Amen. Amen

[cpaharley2008]

I assume there was a bed of lettuce.....

[gbaglo]

One more expenses story.
Attended a convention in San Francisco with the publisher and a co-worker. Publisher invited us to dinner at his five-star hotel. We closed the restaurant down. I think it was 2am when the bill arrived with dozens of liqueurs and fancy coffees itemized. The bill was about 2 1/2 feet long.
Publisher passed it over to me and I paid, many hundred dollars plus tip.
Back at the office, I submitted my expenses, and he approved them.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

One more expenses story.
Attended a convention in San Francisco with the publisher and a co-worker. Publisher invited us to dinner at his five-star hotel. We closed the restaurant down. I think it was 2am when the bill arrived with dozens of liqueurs and fancy coffees itemized. The bill was about 2 1/2 feet long.
Publisher passed it over to me and I paid, many hundred dollars plus tip.
Back at the office, I submitted my expenses, and he approved them.

A textbook example of a conflict of interest. That probably happened a lot in the past, but could be grounds for termination now in properly managed companies. Ah, the good old days...

[gbaglo]

He was the boss.
And, he did move on.
I don't think they could afford his bar bills.

[bisonbill]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

One more expenses story.
Attended a convention in San Francisco with the publisher and a co-worker. Publisher invited us to dinner at his five-star hotel. We closed the restaurant down. I think it was 2am when the bill arrived with dozens of liqueurs and fancy coffees itemized. The bill was about 2 1/2 feet long.
Publisher passed it over to me and I paid, many hundred dollars plus tip.
Back at the office, I submitted my expenses, and he approved them.

I actually worked in the consulting arm of one of the big eight accounting firms a number of years ago and when I started they told me they had appointed one of the young grads as entertainment chairman. His job was to pick up all the checks at client and non client lunches. I thought this was odd until one day he brought in his expense account for my approval. And these guys were auditing other people. I only stayed a few months (even though the lunches were free).

[rbryan4]

I go away from this thread for a few hours, and look what happens!

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

A textbook example of a conflict of interest. That probably happened a lot in the past, but could be grounds for termination now in properly managed companies. Ah, the good old days...

Sort of depends on the policy. I'm given an allowance for client entertainment - and the biggest bill I ever footed for such was around $3000. But, it helped land us another $500K in business, so it was actually money very well spent.

[Mike Lewis]

Yes, this is the way the corporate world does business. Nothing really wrong with that in most cases, but it made it difficult for me as a government employee to deal with industry. They were constantly trying to give me stuff, buy me dinners, etc., which I had to refuse.

Pretty soon I realized that they weren't trying to bribe me; this was just the way they were used to doing business with each other, and I had to follow different rules. I had to stay on my toes about this stuff all the time.

[MyronL]

You guys are killing me.

[kstock11]

I was a buyer in private industry and we also saw the "double standard" in roles. As a buyer, I was able to go out to dinner, but not accept anything of value. Now, on the other hand, those in sales constantly blew tons of money on their clients. Never could figure out who they were treating to these great prizes.