Some bookkeepers are so focused on cutting costs that they end up wasting more money than they save.
What would you do if your company’s new bookkeeper nitpicked your expense reports and forced you to follow a rule that actually cost the company more?
Would you fight it? Or would you comply and let them figure it out on their own?
In the following story, one employee faces this very dilemma. Here’s how it played out.
At my job, I have to travel between two offices every day. I start at my main office, then have to travel to the second office, then back to my main office. Because I’m using my personal vehicle for this travel, the company pays me mileage.
Well, there are basically two routes you can take between the two offices. One is about a mile round trip shorter but has tolls. So, I always took the 1 mile-longer route and avoided the tolls. I did it this way for a year.
Well, in comes the new bookkeeper, and she is ******** on saving the company money. And where does she think all this wasteful money is going? Expense reports, obviously.
This lady is a stickler about expenses.
So she starts knit-picking every report. Like if someone is out and has to buy some pens for work. She goes online and finds the cheapest price possible for those pens, and only reimburses for that cheaper price. It, obviously, has ****** several people off.
Well, she eventually decided to target me. I submit my report for 2 weeks, and a few days later, get the reimbursement payment.
Well, it’s $5.85 short. I ask her about it, and she says I’ve been ripping off the company for the past year by taking the longer route between the offices.
Now, the company pays more for tolls than they were for the extra mileage.
She will only pay mileage for the shorter route from now on. “And I’m lucky she doesn’t go back and take back all the extra from the past year.”
I say OK, but please send me the message that, per her, I must take the shorter route and that this is company policy and leave her office. Before I even made it to my desk, I had an email from her confirming what she said.
Two weeks later, I submitted my expense report. I reported the shorter route, so the company saved $5.85. But tolls added up to $136. A net loss for the company of $130.15. It’s been 6 months, and I’m still “taking the shorter route,” costing the company an extra $130.15 every 2 weeks.
Wow! Talk about wasting company money.
Let’s see how folks over on Reddit relate to this.
This person enjoyed the story.
Agree! It was a nice change of pace.
Yes! People like this are annoying.
Here’s excellent advice.
The bookkeeper needs to be fired. Ripping the company off just under $6 is one thing, but more than $100 is ridiculous.
This needs to be brought to her attention so she can eat her words and learn that sometimes she needs to just back off.
If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.
