NCEPR: Work cell phones

[katietornado]

I've never had one, and never needed one, so I don't know what's typical here.


H works from home (5 hours from his company's HQ), and he travels about 40%.  He has a work phone and has since 2008.  Last year, the company made it "bring your own device," so he bought an iPhone for the AT&T plan his work provided.

Now they've decided to stop doing company plans, and they will just reimburse employees for their work plans.

H spends 40% of his time abroad (usually Europe).  The cheapest smartphone plan with international is well over $125 a month.  The company will only reimburse up to $50 a month.

Is this normal?  We can't afford to start spending $75+ on his work phone each month.

[aurora]

Is just not getting an international plan an option? It seems to me that if his company requires him to have access to a phone abroad, they should pay for that access.

My company doesn't pay anything toward my phone (that I absolutely use for work), so I won't make or receive calls abroad.

[katietornado]

May 5, 2016 13:02:52 GMT -5 aurora said:

Is just not getting an international plan an option? It seems to me that if his company requires him to have access to a phone abroad, they should pay for that access.

My company doesn't pay anything toward my phone (that I absolutely use for work), so I won't make or receive calls abroad.

I would agree that they should pay it, but they won't if all they're offering is $50.  He's in the Netherlands right now for two weeks.  It's not like he can just be phone-less that whole time.

[debatethis]

May 5, 2016 13:05:54 GMT -5 katietornado said:

May 5, 2016 13:02:52 GMT -5 aurora said:

Is just not getting an international plan an option? It seems to me that if his company requires him to have access to a phone abroad, they should pay for that access.

My company doesn't pay anything toward my phone (that I absolutely use for work), so I won't make or receive calls abroad.

I would agree that they should pay it, but they won't if all they're offering is $50.  He's in the Netherlands right now for two weeks.  It's not like he can just be phone-less that whole time.

Nope, that is not the norm. I have managed wireless services for two major companies with huge international footprints/lots of international travel. If they are requiring international travel and international phone coverage while traveling, they need to pay for it.

[iammalcolmx]

May 5, 2016 13:05:54 GMT -5 katietornado said:

May 5, 2016 13:02:52 GMT -5 aurora said:

Is just not getting an international plan an option? It seems to me that if his company requires him to have access to a phone abroad, they should pay for that access.

My company doesn't pay anything toward my phone (that I absolutely use for work), so I won't make or receive calls abroad.

I would agree that they should pay it, but they won't if all they're offering is $50.  He's in the Netherlands right now for two weeks.  It's not like he can just be phone-less that whole time.

So they are requiring him to travel International , and use his mobile phone overseas and they will not pay for International service? I don't see how an employer can force you to pay out of pocket for something they are requiring you to do.

[dottyblue]

He needs to push back. An exception should be made in his case. $50 per month should be sufficient for most employees, but the company must realize that it won't work for everyone.

[orangello]

You can add international services for short periods of time to a regular plan. Can he get a regular plan for $50/month, and then just add the intl plan when he needs it & submit via expense report? Definitely more of a pain for you guys, but if they can't make a general exception, then this may work.

I would definitely not cover the intl plan out of pocket.

[aurora]

May 5, 2016 13:05:54 GMT -5 katietornado said:

May 5, 2016 13:02:52 GMT -5 aurora said:

Is just not getting an international plan an option? It seems to me that if his company requires him to have access to a phone abroad, they should pay for that access.

My company doesn't pay anything toward my phone (that I absolutely use for work), so I won't make or receive calls abroad.

I would agree that they should pay it, but they won't if all they're offering is $50.  He's in the Netherlands right now for two weeks.  It's not like he can just be phone-less that whole time.

Because he doesn't want to be? Or because his company requires him to be accessible by phone?

I travel internationally for work for a week or more at a time. It stinks not to have a phone, but I deal with it because my company won't reimburse me and I don't want to pay myself.

[dancelnow]

My company does $60 and it's not necessarily thought to cover your whole phone + service. But we don't need international coverage. Is international travel the norm for his company.

[alleinesein]

Has he looked into getting a pre paid sim card for Europe? USD $50 a month should easily cover that.

Vodafone, O2, Orange all have prepaid sim cards.

Orange has a Holiday Sim plan for $58 and it covers the these countries: Andorra, Azores, Aland islands, Germany, Austria, Balearic islands, Belgium, Canary islands , Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Faeroe islands, Finland, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Rhodes, Romania, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, Vatican, France. It includes basic coverage (2 hrs talk, 1000 text, 1GB) but you can top it up when needed.

[scm1011]

At my company (that covers phone bills up to $130) we submit the international data/phone charges as a miscellaneous trip expense on our expense reports. Can he do that?

[escrow]

My husband just left a job where he traveled internationally frequently - they provided an iPhone and service. He just started a new job which will also require some international travel but they do not provide a phone at all (fwiw, so far this new company is a million times better to their employees). I will have to ask him about this - I assume they will have him submit expense report for any international calls, or maybe they will give him a phone to use overseas.

[Velvetshady]

May 5, 2016 13:33:24 GMT -5 aurora said:

May 5, 2016 13:05:54 GMT -5 katietornado said:

I would agree that they should pay it, but they won't if all they're offering is $50.  He's in the Netherlands right now for two weeks.  It's not like he can just be phone-less that whole time.

Because he doesn't want to be? Or because his company requires him to be accessible by phone?

I need to know the answer to this part. If they require he have access to a phone while intl, they need to pay for it.

If it's for your H's convenience, then you need to pay for it (minus the $50 covered).


That said, if they aren't requiring it and not covering it 100%, and you all do pay for it, he really shouldn't use it for work at all and let work deal. Companies do this because they expect people to decide they can't live without the phone and cover it themselves, therefore saving the company money.

[OscarQ]

I'm with Velvetshady, on needing more details but all that ^^^.

This is miniscule part of what I do for work - for a large, multinational corporation - and I have one guy who is based out of Singapore as my only exception guy at this point. But yeah, I'm betting there is a work around or exception policy here. Typically I would get an email from the person saying "Hey, this is really messed up. I travel abroad X amount of time and need my phone - or data plan - or whatever - covered so I can have access to work emails, make work phone calls, etc."

Have him contact his admin or Chief of Staff. They'll figure out how to deal with the exception or get him a second phone that is only used abroad - there has to be a solution.

[katietornado]

May 5, 2016 14:23:15 GMT -5 Velvetshady said:

May 5, 2016 13:33:24 GMT -5 aurora said:

Because he doesn't want to be? Or because his company requires him to be accessible by phone?

I need to know the answer to this part. If they require he have access to a phone while intl, they need to pay for it.

If it's for your H's convenience, then you need to pay for it (minus the $50 covered).


That said, if they aren't requiring it and not covering it 100%, and you all do pay for it, he really shouldn't use it for work at all and let work deal. Companies do this because they expect people to decide they can't live without the phone and cover it themselves, therefore saving the company money.

He has to be accessible by phone.  For safety reasons and to be able to do his job.  He not only has co-workers calling him, but also people external to the company.  And he has to use his phone for conference calls all the time (again, required by work).

[Velvetshady]

May 5, 2016 16:57:20 GMT -5 katietornado said:

May 5, 2016 14:23:15 GMT -5 Velvetshady said:

I need to know the answer to this part. If they require he have access to a phone while intl, they need to pay for it.

If it's for your H's convenience, then you need to pay for it (minus the $50 covered).


That said, if they aren't requiring it and not covering it 100%, and you all do pay for it, he really shouldn't use it for work at all and let work deal. Companies do this because they expect people to decide they can't live without the phone and cover it themselves, therefore saving the company money.

He has to be accessible by phone.  For safety reasons and to be able to do his job.  He not only has co-workers calling him, but also people external to the company.  And he has to use his phone for conference calls all the time (again, required by work).

Then they absolutely should pay for it. All of it.

This really then amounts to them saying "You are required to be in Bonn next week, in person, for a meeting. You'll have to arrange for and pay for your flights, hotel, local transportation, and meals yourself except for this $100 allowable expense we cover."

[tiki]

I also travel internationally and my work iPhone bills are about $100/mo, which the company pays directly and I never see.

Then again, I have to pay my other travel costs (hotel, flights, car, food) out of pocket and be reimbursed, so it's not unusual for my employer to owe me an extra couple of thousand bucks at any given time. It blows my mind that I am expected to be able to front international airfare at any time. 

[larzhope]

they absolutely should pay for it. If they won't, you should consider switching to t-mobile, who has free data in 100+ countries, and as long as he has wifi he can do wi-fi calling. Regardless, his expenses while traveling should be covered so I would just submit the difference in cost between a normal plan and an international plan as part of his expense report.

[josieposy]

"Fine. But I'm only answering $50 worth of phone calls."

[imobviouslystaying]

So I'm an asshole because I have read this thread a number of times and I have two pressing questions.

1) What kind of job does old dude have that he travels internationally THIS often and can't afford a $125 cell phone bill? I mean that's kind of the average bill for a two cell phone family including data.

2) Haven't you guys looked at more options than a traditional International rate included cellphone plans? For many plans, international is an add on that's a small amount a month. And then there are wifi options, international sim cards you, etc.

It just really don't sound like you guys have researched much beyond your general outrage at a perk to which you've become accustomed. I guess we could argue should vs have to all day long but I think from your company's perspective, they are thinking that a cellphone is not a luxury anymore but a utility that most people pay. And they're covering the $50 because it should only cost that much to add/keep international calling on a standard cell plan.

[msmerymac]

I think you really need to talk to someone who specializes in employment law. Not that there aren't lawyers in this thread, but... specific circumstances and all.

A former boss used to somehow switch out his phone when he was traveling abroad. Maybe just the SIM card? He had Verizon.

Technically, the alternative is that you get a tax deduction for work expenses at the end of the year, but it's not a 1-1 ratio.

[katietornado]

May 5, 2016 19:46:30 GMT -5 imobviouslystaying said:

So I'm an asshole because I have read this thread a number of times and I have two pressing questions.

1) What kind of job does old dude have that he travels internationally THIS often and can't afford a $125 cell phone bill? I mean that's kind of the average bill for a two cell phone family including data.

2) Haven't you guys looked at more options than a traditional International rate included cellphone plans? For many plans, international is an add on that's a small amount a month. And then there are wifi options, international sim cards you, etc.

It just really don't sound like you guys have researched much beyond your general outrage at a perk to which you've become accustomed. I guess we could argue should vs have to all day long but I think from your company's perspective, they are thinking that a cellphone is not a luxury anymore but a utility that most people pay. And they're covering the $50 because it should only cost that much to add/keep international calling on a standard cell plan.

1)  We just spent $80K to renovate our house; we have literally 0 extra dollars until next February when that is paid off.  I finished grad school less than a year ago and didn't have a job for the 2 years I was in school.  He's in the mid 5 figures, and we're in a VHCOL area.  Money is tight.

He already has a personal cell phone and my cell phone for which we pay about $110 a month.  This is for his work phone.

2)  This just came up this week, coincidentally during a trip abroad.  His phone service got shut off and he had to sign up for something so he could continue to have cell phone coverage during this trip.

I wouldn't call having a work phone a perk.  He already has his own phone number for personal use.  This is a phone number that is only for work use.  I work at a desk job, but I didn't have to supply the computer and phone, nor do I pay the internet bill for my company.  I don't see how this is different.

[annieblah]

Does he get an office when abroad? Is the Co expecting him in that office and, thus, use those phones to speak w clients? If so, that could account for the low reimbursement.

[katietornado]

May 5, 2016 21:29:11 GMT -5 annieblah said:

Does he get an office when abroad? Is the Co expecting him in that office and, thus, use those phones to speak w clients? If so, that could account for the low reimbursement.

No; he travels to a lot of different places and often ends up working from hotels.  He manages the product supply for the sponsored athletes of a sporting goods manufacturer.  He travels to training camps, to foreign offices of his company, to teams' HQ in various European countries, to factories in Asia, and to races.

[aurora]

May 5, 2016 16:57:20 GMT -5 katietornado said:

May 5, 2016 14:23:15 GMT -5 Velvetshady said:

I need to know the answer to this part. If they require he have access to a phone while intl, they need to pay for it.

If it's for your H's convenience, then you need to pay for it (minus the $50 covered).


That said, if they aren't requiring it and not covering it 100%, and you all do pay for it, he really shouldn't use it for work at all and let work deal. Companies do this because they expect people to decide they can't live without the phone and cover it themselves, therefore saving the company money.

He has to be accessible by phone.  For safety reasons and to be able to do his job.  He not only has co-workers calling him, but also people external to the company.  And he has to use his phone for conference calls all the time (again, required by work).

In that case, I agree they should pay for all international charges, either via reimbursement per trip or paying for an appropriate plan (their choice).

[mrsukyankee]

Yup, he needs to push back on that. Hard.

[downtoearth]

Just chiming in to say, seems typical for my industry. We use our personal cell phones for work a lot and get a company discount on your monthly bill if you are on Verizon (only like 10% on one line) and then get reimbursed only $40/month. Most people I know have plans for about $80/month for one line.

There are a few people who travel enough that they have company phones, but not many and none of the company phones are smart phones. So if you want to use a smart phone, you have to use your personal number for work.

[Velvetshady]

May 5, 2016 20:23:54 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I think you really need to talk to someone who specializes in employment law. Not that there aren't lawyers in this thread, but... specific circumstances and all.

A former boss used to somehow switch out his phone when he was traveling abroad. Maybe just the SIM card? He had Verizon.

Technically, the alternative is that you get a tax deduction for work expenses at the end of the year, but it's not a 1-1 ratio.

I'm not saying what is legal or not, I'm saying what is reasonable or not. It is not reasonable for a company to expect an employee to pay for required company expenses incurred doing company business on company time.


Hell, I use my personnel cell for work because it makes my life easier and I am not automatically eligible for a "work cell phone" (and I don't want to fight the battle to become eligible). However, if I was sent out of the country and was required to use my personnel cell phone while on travel for work, I'd sure as shit be expensing every dime I incur.

[froggy76]

The $50 limit is the policy at my company, too, but if my role required an international plan I'd absolutely ask for an exception to get reimbursed for more.

[OscarQ]

If I was on the receiving end of your H's problem I would deal with it one of three ways - and I'd pursue them each in succession. 1. Get him a blanket exception and have the bill sent directly to the company 2. Have him submit for reimbursement on anything related to work exceeding your normal service and less then $50 allowance 3. Have his compensation adjusted to offset the additional expense (this one would be the toughest to get done).

All are totally do-able for a reasonable organization. Takes time but I work for an enormous company so everything moves crazy slow here.