Expense Reports Pose Problems For Small Businesses

Expense reports undoubtedly serve a purpose, but it may be in everyone’s best interest if they can be kept to a minimum.  A study has determined that expense reports tend to be unpopular among small businesses’ employees, and inaccurate, as well.

We’ll leave it to you to decide which drawback is worse, but something that makes employees unhappy and has the potential to cost a company more money than it should definitely isn’t good.

As for the exact scope of the problems, Concur, which deals in travel and expense management services, said in a statement, "Among the most significant findings, 59% of respondents recalled making at least one mistake on an expense report they’ve submitted in the past 12 months, while more than a third owned up to five errors or more in the same timeframe."

The statement also said, "Respondents claimed they’d rather answer phones (26%), clean the office bathroom (10%) or even take out the company trash (18%) if it meant they’d never have to do another expense report."

Concur surveyed 500 people, by the way, so these results don’t represent just one or two individuals who have an unusual aversion to paperwork.

Good luck getting a handle on expense reports if they’re a problem you deal with in your organization.