Expensive Reports

Does your organization issue corporate credit cards to execs and Salespeople, then pay their bills for them? How's that working out for you? Getting those expense reports on a timely basis, are you? With all of the receipts included, and with your form filled out correctly? No?

Of course you're not. Know why? Because you're doing it wrong! Do this, instead:

• Issue corporate credit cards, just like before, only have the bills go to the employee's home address.
• Set the account up in such a way that the employee has to pay each bill themselves, out of their own pocket.
• Ensure that - once you have received a properly filled out expense report with all necessary receipts attached - you reimburse the employee no later than the end of that week.

Here's what this does for you:

• Because they are personally liable for all charges, you don't have to chase employees for reports or receipts any more. If they don't provide them, you don't reimburse, and they still have to pay the credit card company.
• Any interest charges they incur are theirs to pay - not yours or the company's. As long as you reimburse promptly, it's not your fault if they pay their bill late. It's their bill, after all, not yours.
• If they don't have a receipt, you don't reimburse for that item. No slipping in slush money, no losing receipts. Everything must be documented and included, or the money lost is theirs.
• Because the grace period for many credit cards is now 20 days or even less, after a month or two, the first thing a Salesperson will do after returning from the road is to complete and turn in their expense report. As long as they do that, they will never have to actually pay for anything out of their own pocket - they will pay each bill almost as soon as the expenses are incurred (providing they don't wait to make payment once they receive their reimbursement - again, not your problem).
• That fellow who used to lose all of his receipts? He quit. Good riddance!