Don't fiddle your expenses...

Author
Discussion

bigandclever

Original Poster:

13,944 posts

245 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
... it can get you into trouble, in case you didn't know.

article said:
Citibank has won an employment tribunal after sacking a worker for claiming expenses for sandwiches and coffee for his partner, and then lying about it.
BBC link

ziggy328

1,073 posts

221 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
What a prat. Just imagine how much that second sandwich will now end up costing him!!

Greshamst

2,205 posts

127 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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“Mr Fekete, who worked at Citi for seven years as an analyst specialising in financial crime”

If you work in compliance, you need to aim to be whiter than white really.
Always amuses me when people do things that lose them their career for the benefit of a few quid they could easily afford.

You can bet most citi workers will now be being extra careful with their expenses.


Hammersia

1,564 posts

22 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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Personally I am immensely reassured at the commitment to probity, morality and decency displayed by the UK banks, of which this is an excellent example.

deckster

9,631 posts

262 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
As ever, we should note that he wasn't fired for expensing a meal for his partner. He was fired for lying about it.

Tim330

1,175 posts

219 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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Generous meal allowance. In offshore wind I only get Euro 50/day unless I can prove there were no cheaper alternatives!

Petrus1983

9,825 posts

169 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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I used to travel all over the States with my ex staying in amazing hotels - but I'd always get my own flights, we'd split dinner so she could 'expense' hers, I think the only thing we were naughty on was she'd order a large breakfast platter with room service in the mornings - but that was it. I still got to stay in lovely hotels that I'd never have normally had the opportunity - and it was approved by the company. It's guys been a right prat.

Countdown

42,033 posts

203 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
Our policy is very similar - it's a complete "no-no" for family members to accompany staff on business strips.

jonsp

946 posts

163 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
deckster said:
As ever, we should note that he wasn't fired for expensing a meal for his partner. He was fired for lying about it.
But if, when challenged, he'd told the truth that he bought a meal for his partner he'd still have been fired?

Seems obvious that if you work for a bank you have to be trustworthy with money. Especially as the guy was employed as a financial crime analyst but didn't know what he was doing was a financial crime.

deckster

9,631 posts

262 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
jonsp said:
deckster said:
As ever, we should note that he wasn't fired for expensing a meal for his partner. He was fired for lying about it.
But if, when challenged, he'd told the truth that he bought a meal for his partner he'd still have been fired?

Seems obvious that if you work for a bank you have to be trustworthy with money. Especially as the guy was employed as a financial crime analyst but didn't know what he was doing was a financial crime.
Unlikely. Assuming it was a first offence and he'd immediately said 'no, that was for my partner as well' he'd just have been reminded of the policy and told to resubmit the expense claim.

StevieBee

13,570 posts

262 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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Countdown said:
family members to accompany staff on business strips.
Probably wise smile

AB

17,407 posts

202 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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I'd get really bored of working for such large, anal companies.

Countdown

42,033 posts

203 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
AB said:
I'd get really bored of working for such large, anal companies.
The problem is that a certain proportion of your staff will always try to take the p155 (I have a 10/80/10 theory; 10% of staff are religious in complying with the policy, 80% will try to max out their expenses but stay within the rules, 10% will commit fraud and then plead ignorance).

Because of this the rules have to be very prescriptive, the Expenses Policy will have been re-written every couple of years to try and eliminate all the loopholes / excuses that people come up with. Also T&S is a big expense for companies so it makes sense for this to be controlled. People get a salary for doing their job, they shouldn't need to milk the expenses.

untakenname

5,051 posts

199 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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Padding out expenses has got a lot harder these days with itemised receipts, gone are the days you could have drinks put down as food in most establishments.

Reading between the lines it looks like he was taking the piss with sick leave which may have been the real reason they wanted rid of him.
report said:
On 3 July 2022 the claimant travelled to Amsterdam on a business trip. Prior to
travelling he had informed his colleague, Samantha Donaldson that he was taking
his partner and he returned from his business trip on 5 July 2022. The claimant
then was absent from work from 6 July for 6-weeks on medical leave. He was
due to return to work on 17 August 2022.
Shame the same diligence isn't performed within government and councils.

the tribester

2,601 posts

93 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
deckster said:
As ever, we should note that he wasn't fired for expensing a meal for his partner. He was fired for lying about it.
It appears he was fired for making a dishonest expenses claim, lying about it, then lying about it and then lying about it.

Countdown

42,033 posts

203 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
untakenname said:
Padding out expenses has got a lot harder these days with itemised receipts, gone are the days you could have drinks put down as food in most establishments.

Reading between the lines it looks like he was taking the piss with sick leave which may have been the real reason they wanted rid of him.
report said:
On 3 July 2022 the claimant travelled to Amsterdam on a business trip. Prior to
travelling he had informed his colleague, Samantha Donaldson that he was taking
his partner and he returned from his business trip on 5 July 2022. The claimant
then was absent from work from 6 July for 6-weeks on medical leave. He was
due to return to work on 17 August 2022.
Shame the same diligence isn't performed within government and councils.
It is (or at least it was in the Departments where I worked).

The good news is that a lot of LAs have scrapped subsistence allowances totally. if staff travel on official business they're obliged to pay for their own food.. Central Govt still has it but the per diems are miserly. In addition to this, for the majority of staff there isn't the opportunity to "travel".

RayDonovan

4,960 posts

222 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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I've worked for the same company for 9 years and in that time, we've only sacked one person in my area and it was expense fraud.

Most of us maximise the budget, but knowingly taking the piss is a real big no no.

jonsp

946 posts

163 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
Countdown said:
Because of this the rules have to be very prescriptive, the Expenses Policy will have been re-written every couple of years to try and eliminate all the loopholes / excuses that people come up with..
For sure. I've got a consultancy gig with a company that have the most anal policies for everything. Next Thursday have to stay away overnight. There's a central booking system and we're supposed to book a dinner/bed/breakfast rate at whatever hotel but none available within budget - £120/night for the area in question. In that event policy is expense £25 for dinner and £2.50 for a tip which can include one alcoholic drink. Just for a lark so tempted to charge the most expensive drink I can find and a packet of crisps. Not clear whether the £2.50 tip has to be receipted or I can claim to have paid it in cash.

Obvious flaw - whoever made the very detailed policy didn't think to specify what % of the £25 is allowed to be spent on alcohol. As you say any policy has flaws smile

Frimley111R

15,985 posts

241 months

Monday 16th October 2023
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It sounds very harsh to sack him over this.

I wonder if he was a known PITA and all eyes were on him, waiting for him to trip up. It does say he had 6 weeks off over the death of his grandmother and was on 'strong drugs'. 6 weeks?!

...Or he just had a boss who was very 'by the book'.

Scabutz

8,162 posts

87 months

Monday 16th October 2023
quotequote all
Greshamst said:
“Mr Fekete, who worked at Citi for seven years as an analyst specialising in financial crime”

If you work in compliance, you need to aim to be whiter than white really.
Always amuses me when people do things that lose them their career for the benefit of a few quid they could easily afford.

You can bet most citi workers will now be being extra careful with their expenses.
There was that chap a few years back who was fidling the trains. He got on a rural station and didn't buy a ticket but tapped his Osyter out at the other end and so just paid the max Oyster fare.

He was some big wig paid millions and the FCA banned him from working in finance and he had to leave his job. Threw it all away over a few quid on his train ticket.