NCEPR: Hypothetical work expense question

[carmenere]

Say an employee takes a vacation right before a major event/deadline for their job, which includes taking a day off work. Because they are in a time crunch with the upcoming deadline, they choose to purchase in-flight wifi so they can work on the plane. Is it reasonable to expense the cost of the in-flight wifi in this situation? If you were responsible for approving this person's expense report, would you side-eye it?

[SusanBAnthony]

I'd approve it.

[wambam]

With a note explaining, this would not be an issue at my company. But we're pretty breezy about stuff like this.

[Kristinmo]

I would approve it

[lemoncupcake]

I’d approve it too. Assuming this is a good employee who is working on vacation to get things done that need to be done, I wouldn’t burn any goodwill by denying it. If it’s a crappy employee who regularly does subpar work and doesn’t meet deadlines, that’s a whole other story but I’d still probably approve the expense.

[seeyalater52]

I would approve it, but this would probably not happen where I work because we typically can't take planned time off immediately prior to big events or deadlines.

[wildrice]

Are they using PTO? Especially if yes, I would have no problem paying for their Wi-Fi to work. They are already spending their resource (pto) that day so I wouldnt want to double charge them.

If not PTO I think you could go either way. Personally if the company can afford it i would rather be generous.

[GilliC]

I would approve it.

However, it might not get approved here, because the person shouldn't be working on a vacation day. The expense would create a paper trail that could get the company in trouble if there was some kind of government audit. (Working hours and time off are taken very seriously, and our company has gotten in trouble before for people working too much overtime.)

[goldengirlz]

I’ve expensed that and it was approved.

[al320]

Yes id be ok with that

[ajj]

Yes, I definitely would.

[twilightmv]

I would approve it. Would give no fucks.

[mpc]

We don't get reimbursed for wifi on planes even when we are traveling for work.

[brooke77]

I’d approve it. Isn’t in-flight wi-fi like $15?

[ECB]

Nov 18, 2019 11:09:03 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

I’d approve it too. Assuming this is a good employee who is working on vacation to get things done that need to be done, I wouldn’t burn any goodwill by denying it. If it’s a crappy employee who regularly does subpar work and doesn’t meet deadlines, that’s a whole other story but I’d still probably approve the expense.

This was exactly my thought process too!  

[Deleted]

If they are using the Wi-Fi for work, absolutely. I don't care if it's a day off, a Saturday or whatever. If they are working, they are working. And honestly, assuming this is a good/trusted employee, squabbling over $12 (or whatever the small expense is) does more harm then good.

[carmenere]

Thanks y'all, this is helpful.

[Michelle]

I'd look at the company policy on reimbursing wifi on the plane. I don't think that is generally covered. I work for a non-profit so all costs are scrutinized - even if you routinely use the max of your per diem for food - because did you really HAVE to have that steak lunch when lunch was covered by the conference fees?

[ESF]

I've never paid more than $8 for inflight wifi. Even if there were some basis to deny it, like it was her fault for picking this vacation day or something, I would never in a million years considering nitpicking a tiny cost like that when it was incurred to help out due to the conflict. It sends a shitty message to your employees. Don't be cheap. Just pay it.

[ESF]

WHO ARE THESE EMPLOYERS WHO REFUSE TO REIMBURSE WIFI ON PLANES??

Come on!!!!!

[seeyalater52]

Nov 18, 2019 12:10:34 GMT -5 ESF said:

WHO ARE THESE EMPLOYERS WHO REFUSE TO REIMBURSE WIFI ON PLANES??

Come on!!!!!

I’m laughing at the nonprofit comment. I work for a nonprofit too! Maybe it’s that in my line of work you basically need to be available 24/7 but I definitely need WiFi when I’m on the plane pretty much always unless I’m specifically approved to take an unplugged vacation.

[SusanBAnthony]

Nov 18, 2019 12:10:34 GMT -5 ESF said:

WHO ARE THESE EMPLOYERS WHO REFUSE TO REIMBURSE WIFI ON PLANES??

Come on!!!!!

Yah. really? I mean I guess I can understand for government or a really poor non profit. But even so, nothing says "you are probably seriously underpaid but also you need t work at night because we wouldn't pay 12$ for wifi" like nitpicking over this.

[wanderingback]

I kind of have 2 jobs- one for a medical facility and one for a non-profit. I think the medical facility would not reimburse but the non-profit would if I made a big deal about it. I wouldn’t even ask the medical facility as I’m 99% sure the answer would be no.

[ohgillian]

Nov 18, 2019 12:10:34 GMT -5 ESF said:

WHO ARE THESE EMPLOYERS WHO REFUSE TO REIMBURSE WIFI ON PLANES??

Come on!!!!!

The government, for one. There's no way I'd ever get this reimbursed by my work. Too many people are worried that public servants are shiftless mooches. So instead we buy many of our own office supplies, some people buy their own office chairs, we buy our own wireless mouses, etc etc. 


ETA: Typo corrected! 

[fuckyourcouch]

Nov 18, 2019 12:47:23 GMT -5 ohgillian said:

Nov 18, 2019 12:10:34 GMT -5 ESF said:

WHO ARE THESE EMPLOYERS WHO REFUSE TO REIMBURSE WIFI ON PLANES??

Come on!!!!!

The government, for one. There's no way I'd ever get this reimbursed by my work. Too many people are worried that public servants are shiftless mooches. So instead we buy many of our own office supplies, some people buy there own office chairs, we buy our own wireless mouses, etc etc. 

So true.
I went from a corporate environment that would approve almost anything, to government where we don’t have break room paper towels and I have to pay for everything, even on client/work trips.

I would never squabble about such a small charge, especially for actual work. But I know the government would.

[ohgillian]

Nov 18, 2019 12:48:57 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Nov 18, 2019 12:47:23 GMT -5 ohgillian said:

The government, for one. There's no way I'd ever get this reimbursed by my work. Too many people are worried that public servants are shiftless mooches. So instead we buy many of our own office supplies, some people buy there own office chairs, we buy our own wireless mouses, etc etc. 

So true.
I went from a corporate environment that would approve almost anything, to government where we don’t have break room paper towels and I have to pay for everything, even on client/work trips.

I would never squabble about such a small charge, especially for actual work. But I know the government would.

Yep. Work provides the bathroom-type folded paper towels, but won't pay for the typical kitchen-type of paper towel. If we want that we have to bring it in. 

[madringal]

Nov 18, 2019 12:10:34 GMT -5 ESF said:

WHO ARE THESE EMPLOYERS WHO REFUSE TO REIMBURSE WIFI ON PLANES??

Come on!!!!!

My CEO would 100% deny this if I tried to expense it.  Even if I was traveling for work.

ETA: I work for a non profit, but its a credit union so not really the same thing.

[goldengirlz]

I haven’t seen $8 WiFi in quite awhile. United regularly charges $25+ for a cross-country flight.

ETA: The cheapest receipt I found in my inbox was $16.99 for a four-hour flight. I’ve paid as much as $36.99 for an international flight.

[Deleted]

Nov 18, 2019 13:27:13 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I haven’t seen $8 WiFi in quite awhile. United regularly charges $25+ for a cross-country flight.

ETA: The cheapest receipt I found in my inbox was $16.99 for a four-hour flight. I’ve paid as much as $36.99 for an international flight.

Southwest is $8 and you get it all day (works on connections).

[eclaires]

MH manages his own project money and that includes making decisions on expenses like this for himself. He is so cheap and even though he has plenty of project money, he’d either not use the wifi or pay for it himself. Then I would yell at him for doing work at night or being a cheap ass with his project funds.

Team reimburse for the WiFi.