Ask the expert: Be cautious about expenses

Where do you draw the line on employment-related expenses? Dr MARIE WILSON, head of management and employment relations at the University of Auckland Business School and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business, offers some helpful ideas.

Q: One of the unofficial perks of my job used to be adding a few bucks to my expenses.

It was always known that the odd meal or two added to the bill would be passed through without complaint because we're on the road quite a lot and the salary doesn't compensate the inconvenience.

Now a new woman is doing expenses and is over-compensating, slashing allowances to well below the amount that we have to pay out. I can understand someone getting tough on misbehaviour, but surely we should get back what we have to pay out?


A: That depends on company policy. Surely you can't expect continued payment of padded accounts, which is the polite term for theft? Assuming there is not a policy to the contrary, companies can limit reimbursements to reasonable expenses for required activities.

This may allow them to exclude expenses that are in excess of a specified amount. Some companies, for example, will not reimburse liquor or gratuities, and some limit meal reimbursements to a minimum, assuming that you'd have to eat if you were at home at your own expense.

Find out your company policy, discuss the issues with your colleagues, and check that your expenses are reasonable and required to get your job done.

Q: I get quite a lot of chances to network - there are a lot of business breakfasts happening in Auckland these days - but I don't usually know all that many people at these events and find making the first move paralysing. Any suggestions?


A: Well, you're all at the same event on a particular topic. That's a good starting point. Walk over to someone you don't know, introduce yourself and give them your card.

You should get the same in return. The easiest first question is "What interested you about this topic?"

Be prepared to answer the same question. Make sure you use their name when you speak to them; this will help you to remember them.

This simple question should allow you both to find out more about interests and current working situations. Aim to meet two or three new people at each breakfast this way.

Before you leave the event, note any interesting details about the person, and the date and event on the back of their card.

Make sure you look for these faces at future events and maintain your contacts while building some new ones.

Q: I have noticed that the smokers on my staff take a lot more time off for ill-health than the non-smokers.

It's quite a marked difference, and it seems unfair that the company foots the sick leave bill for people who are abusing their health. Am I allowed to ask prospective employees whether they are smokers? Am I allowed to ask about their general health at all?

A: You can ask questions that are relevant to the type of work for which you are hiring, and you should be asking about people's capability to undertake the tasks required for the job.

Some employers require medical examinations to ensure staff are physically capable of the required activities of the job. Other employers work with Ash, smoking cessation programmes and the Smokefree Environments Act to ensure a smokefree workplace.

It is frustrating when out-of-work behaviours affect the workplace, but smoking is not the only culprit.

Some companies now offer "wellness bonuses" for staff who are not ill for a given period of time, as a reward for their good health, assuming that those staff are taking care of themselves.

Several have had to rethink this bonus when staff with perfect attendance records gained them by coming to work sick and passing on their colds and flu to their workmates.

The real issue is overall performance, which you should be managing in existing staff and checking, through interviews and references, for any new employees.

* Send your questions to julie_middleton@nzherald.co.nz