Company’s reimbursement refusal sparks heated online debate

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Recently, a Hong Kong worker shared on the internet about how his company refused to reimburse expenses made with a credit card although he had proof of purchase.

On a Hong Kong online forum, a member said he prepaid HK$2000 worth of equipment for his company with his personal credit card. He got the store receipt for the purchase. However, the company said a few months later the reimbursement could not be approved because he failed to provide his credit card receipt as well.

The employee, of course, found this unreasonable given the purchase was made months ago and the credit card receipt was already gone.

The post sparked a heated discussion online. Some netizens told him not to give in, and some even suggested he should consider leaving the company.

Wicky Ng, senior manager of Vital Employee Service Consultancy, pointed out that some companies, especially government departments and public organisations, were particularly strict about reimbursement and are cautious if their employees will take other advantages out of these business expenses.

These companies sometimes require employees to provide proof of the associated rewards such as credit card points and flight mileage.

That said, companies should communicate their reimbursement procedures clearly with their employees beforehand, otherwise misunderstandings such as this incident will hit the companies hard in terms of staff morale and trust, advised Ng.

Because it is getting more common for employees to use credit cards for business expenses, Armstrong Lee, managing director of Worldwide Consulting, advises workers to keep both the store and the credit card receipts to protect their own interests.

In addition, as the digital wallet is gaining popularity, Lee believes the accounting department in a company needs to update the relevant procedures about advance payments and reimbursements, including which e-payment methods to accept and what the required proof is.

The story was first reported by Sky Post.