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Company’s Ridiculous Reimbursement Rule Costs Them More Money After Employee Complies Maliciously
Interview With Author
It’s strange how rigid some companies can be when it comes to certain policies that they impose on the employees. Well, when forced to adhere to such stupid policies, folks find a loophole to outsmart their employers.
That’s what Reddit user Agyaani_ did when his company refused to reimburse him for $20 since he didn’t have the receipts for the minor things for which you don’t really get receipts. The next time he was out on official business, he was sure to gather the bills for all the expensive services he needed!
More info: Reddit
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When certain company policies are too rigid, employees often try to find a loophole in them
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster’s company had a strict expense reimbursement policy where they demanded receipts for literally everything
Image credits: Agyaani_
Image credits: olgsera / Freepik (not the actual photo)
During a work trip, he had a few small expenses for which there are not really any receipts, and the amount totaled $20, but they refused to reimburse him
Image credits: Agyaani_
After that, the poster complied maliciously by getting all the pricey receipts that cost his company $280—instead of $20—and this infuriated his boss
In today’s story, the original poster (OP) tells us how he outsmarted his company after they initially refused to reimburse him $20. What happened was that his company had a strict expense reimbursement policy where they needed receipts for everything.
When the poster traveled for work once, he had some minor expenses like bus fares, parking, and tipping for which he couldn’t really get any receipts. When he submitted his expense report, he clarified these minor expenses which totaled $20, but it was rejected.
In fact, his manager told him, “No receipt, no reimbursement. Policy is policy. We need every receipt for audit purposes.” Well, our guy decided to comply with this strict policy, but maliciously, of course!
The next time he went on a business trip, he gathered all the receipts just like they had asked him to, but he went all the way and took the expensive route to get the receipts. He went to fancy cafes, hired a cab instead of using public transportation, and even added server tips to the bill. The result? He turned the $20 trip into $280.
Of course, his boss was furious, but he defended himself, and because of him, the company had to change its policy so that some expenses could be reimbursed without receipts! When he expressed how he had outsmarted them online, folks couldn’t help but laugh at how he wittily handled the situation.
Image credits: hryshchyshen / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Bored Panda reached out to him, and he heartily told us that he simply wanted to share his experience with Redditors. When we asked him how he is dealing with the whole thing at the moment, he said that he just “follows the rules,” even if it costs him 20 times more than it normally should!
When we asked him to share some advice for people dealing with such stringent policies, he said, “Just go with the flow. It’s not entirely your part to think about the company as they often worry about the process than the impact it might have.”
“For instance, they have some tie-ups with some awful third-party app, which charges always anywhere between 1.5x to 3x for transport like a cab. I could get it cheaper if I book it myself but they don’t allow that. I even sent them screenshots of the difference in price but to no avail,” he added.
Well, seeing how blind the company is to this difference, it looks like what he says is true: employees shouldn’t always think about the company in such situations. Even Redditors shared how unfair corporations can be when it comes to such strict policies.
They shared similar instances where they got the better end of the deal by putting the policies to shame, and one person even commented how they forged the receipts! That definitely sounds like the exact reason why such ridiculous policies should not be so strict.
Don’t you think so? Also, have you had instances where you have beaten such company policies with your wit and got the better end of the deal? We would love to hear your stories, so feel free to share them in the comments below!
Folks online found his malicious compliance quite hilarious, and they even shared similar instances where they outsmarted their companies
Image credits: dikushin / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Poll Question
Do you think the employee was justified in following the new reimbursement rule strictly?
Yes, it was fair to make a point
No, it was a bit too extreme
He should have negotiated with management
I'm not sure
What do you think ?
Mary August 1 month ago
I don't understand why they couldn't get receipt? Parking and buss fare, of course you can get a receipt. Here you have to be able get a receipt whenever money exchanges hands.
Meowzers! 1 month ago (edited)
I can see it from both sides. Yeah, it's a pain having to get all those receipts. However, when submitting business tax returns, receipts are always required so the tax man can confirm income and expenditure. If everyone in the company is submitting claims with no proof, then it'll add up to a considerable amount that the company won't be able to claim on tax returns. Just because they need a receipt though doesn't mean that one should go out of their way to select the most expensive option when purchasing something they'll get reimbursed for. It may seem like maliciousness of the company to ask for proof, but equally, they're being asked for proof from the tax man, and they have to comply with that request in order to not get audited or fined Either way, it's a pain in the @rse for all involved.
Mary August 1 month ago
I don't understand why they couldn't get receipt? Parking and buss fare, of course you can get a receipt. Here you have to be able get a receipt whenever money exchanges hands.
Meowzers! 1 month ago (edited)
I can see it from both sides. Yeah, it's a pain having to get all those receipts. However, when submitting business tax returns, receipts are always required so the tax man can confirm income and expenditure. If everyone in the company is submitting claims with no proof, then it'll add up to a considerable amount that the company won't be able to claim on tax returns. Just because they need a receipt though doesn't mean that one should go out of their way to select the most expensive option when purchasing something they'll get reimbursed for. It may seem like maliciousness of the company to ask for proof, but equally, they're being asked for proof from the tax man, and they have to comply with that request in order to not get audited or fined Either way, it's a pain in the @rse for all involved.
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