One in three office workers wait over a month to have expenses reimbursed

Over a third (38%) of office workers have to wait more than a month to receive their expenses back, new poll data has revealed. The Inconvenient Expenses poll, conducted by Just Eat for Business on LinkedIn, reveals workers attitudes towards handling admin for expenditures like lunch, as well as finding out the average time it takes to submit and process these expenses.

The study was conducted to encourage businesses to take advantage of employee benefit services like Just Eat Pay – a prepaid voucher available with daily or monthly allowances, which works to reduce the hassle of processing complex and costly food expenses.

The time it takes to reimburse expenses is a contributing factor to how workers feel about handling admin, as over a quarter (28%) of workers revealed they wish submitting expenses wasn’t their responsibility, while 1 in 3 admitted they find dealing with expenses annoying.

Mike Chappell, Co-Founder and COO at Formspal, speaks on the often lengthy process of expense processing, and how this admin time could be better used by businesses: “Concerning expenditure reporting, employees and finance teams alike must deal with a lot of tedious and time-consuming manual labour. It’s impossible to send a request to finance unless it has been reviewed and approved by management, and the finance team must first process the claims and balance the transactions before issuing refunds. In addition, it doesn’t take into account any exchanges before the final step between the parties. This means there’ll be a delay in reimbursing employees, exacerbating the already existing financial stress for both parties. As a result, employees’ time engaged in the expense process may be better spent on the company’s strategic, high-value projects.”

Caleb Riutta, Co-Founder at Offer Sesame, weighs in on the study, commenting on the often-confusing expense policies, which can sometimes leave employees ineligible for their expenses after submission: “Many business purchasing policies are overly complex, confusing, or even contradictory in an attempt to cover every possible circumstance. On the other hand, some businesses lack explicit policies and instead rely on employees to utilise their best decision, which may not coincide with the financial department’s. For example, employees may unknowingly spend outside of policy and be unable to get reimbursed in both circumstances, putting them at an economic disadvantage simply for trying to execute their jobs. Finance should support systems that ensure personnel comply with the policy in the first place, rather than reprimanding them after they’ve done something wrong.”

Lucy Cantan, Sales and Partnership Director at Just Eat for Business, weighs in on the polls: “Completing and processing admin for expenditures such as lunch or work dinners can be time consuming for all involved – whether you’re an employer or employee. However, it’s really important that everyone receives what they’re owed and continues to benefit from paid-for meals and travel costs. “That’s why we encourage businesses to take advantage of schemes like Just Eat Pay, which reduces the hassle of completing and processing expense forms, and means employees and employers alike can focus their efforts elsewhere.”