Money Moral Dilemma: Should I tell HR that I'm now able to approve my own work expenses?

hannerrbabes

I would worry that it would be viewed as gross misconduct as against your company's internal policies. You risk losing your job. 

Yes the expenses may take longer to be approved, but it's that or risking losing your income.

tain

Benny2321 said:

tacpot12 said:

I would recommend that you don't approve these expenses. You will be breaking an internal financial control policy if you do. You need to raise it with HR as an URGENT issue and I would dig your heels in and say that you will not do any work that would require you to raise expenses - so no travel anywhere.

You need to make it their problem to get the system changed quickly. It's the work of a moment to do it, the issue will be finding a manager that will take responsibility. Logically this HAS to be your manager's manager, but if they are being an ar*se you might need to take it to the next level. You could ask them now if they support this approach. If they do, you can tell HR that X has agreed they will approve your expenses if you approve the rest of the teams. 

You will be stuffed if they have an inflexible system that only allows the whole team's approvals to be moved to the next manager up - they won't want the extra responsibility, but if they are to let you do it, get it in writing that you are allowed to do it, and approve your own expenses AFTER you have reviewed them with your manager's manager and go them to sign and date a photocopy of the receipts to show that they saw them before you approved them.    

Unless this person is an expert in your internal processes I’m not sure they can state this as fact.

In my eyes it’s simple;
1. Are you defrauding your company?
2. does your company trust their people?

Unless you’re committing fraud there shouldn’t be any issues with you approving your own expenses. I’d expect your company to monitor all spends anyway, and if you’re worried just submit yourself for an audit.

My company trusts us to approve our own expenses (any single line items up to the value of £250)

I’ll be submitting a claim of over £500 this week and guess what? I can approve that because I’m trustworthy and I have all my receipts to prove the spend. My company trusts me and if they were worried about my worthiness they shouldn’t be employing me.

It's not about trust. Most fraud of this kind is committed as a crime of opportunity, not some pre-planned 'lets get a job, work my way up, then see if they let me approve my own expenses'. 

Every employee is trustworthy right up to the point that they're not, and anything can make someone make a bad decision that they think they'll get away with. If you don't want employees taking from the cookie jar, don't leave it on the table with the lid off and delicious cookies bursting out the top with no one watching. 

tain

Your company's financial systems aren't the ONLY way that expenses can be processed. So even though the numbers need to go through the system, there's nothing stopping you from adhering to policies by other means.

For instance, you could speak with HR, tell them you're going to self-approve your expenses so the system is satisfied, but you'll get your HR team to physically check each claim and confirm acceptance via email so the double check authorisation is also complete. This would create an auditable trail as well as allow the system to carry on without any significant changes.

fifty-something

HR Mission Statement:
"We're not happy until you're not happy"

If HR send you your own expenses to approve, I reckon that's fine.  The reason is that in effect you have two different positions in the company:  Expenses claimer, and expenses approver (courtesy of your boss).

HR know this already, because they sent you your own expenses for approval.  Have you considered approving your expenses on a pp basis?  PP | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Remember that productive staff earn the money that pays for non-productive staff.  Like HR....

NBLondon

fifty-something said:

If HR send you your own expenses to approve, I reckon that's fine.  The reason is that in effect you have two different positions in the company:  Expenses claimer, and expenses approver (courtesy of your boss).

HR know this already, because they sent you your own expenses for approval.  Have you considered approving your expenses on a pp basis?  PP | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Logically, if the policy doesn't allow it then the HR/payroll system shouldn't be set up to allow it.  But that assumes competence on the part of the HR team in setting up the system (or explaining the rules to the system supplier).

I'd say the OP should highlight the anomaly to both HR and to boss's boss and ask for guidance.  Better that than be falsely suspected/accused of fiddling.

Rememberscarborough

I really do despair about the fear and terror such a small problem might cause. As a deputy manager it's the perfect opportunity to come up with a solution that will get you noticed as well as showing your honesty. Senior management like solutions not problems and this will be remembered when you start looking for promotion. Good luck

Gosportmum

HR/ someone has obviously changed the team's approvals to you, so get right back to HR and ask them to change whomever needs to approve your claims. You need to cover your own backside

saker75

Is someone really asking that question? Could have been resolved quicker than writing on a forum.

Kilroy62

There is no conflict in approving your team in your Bosses absence. In the absence of your Boss and asuming that th approval is electronic ask the senior manager to approve yours and just get IT via HR to amend the authorisation level in the system. 

If that takes too long and you ahve convoluted process then email your senior to approve what you are doing by reply and then when you have that email approval enter it and approve yourself. Make sure that you sen the email also to payrolls to be kept for audit purposes.
This is not that unsual and depends on the Company how they want to do the controls 

Babsiebaby882

Email HR that you are having to approve your own claims in the absence of your boss and cc your boss’s boss into the trail. 

That way you’re covered in the interim. 

Is they come back and say your can’t do it, give them a deadline of when HR need to fix it and advise that you won’t be doing overtime/spending your own money without being recompensed in a timely manner.