Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Occupational HealthWellbeingOpinion

Expenses: Paying for life’s little luxuries

by Personnel Today 3 Jul 2009
by Personnel Today 3 Jul 2009

At the end of the month I submitted my expenses and they’ve just been returned, unpaid. Can’t understand why I needed the dog worming pills to ensure I didn’t catch anything from Fido.

Life’s essentials

The haemorrhoid cream, corn plasters, Imodium, Deep Heat and Gaviscon were ‘essentials’ to keep me ‘fit for work’, as I’m sure you’ll all agree. The subscription for the Elf & Safety Journal is another ‘essential’, and of course the Gnome & Garden keeps me at the cutting edge of style, absolutely essential when I have to entertain prospective clients. All this entertaining means I have to have a well-stocked cellar, hence the 12 cases of Hobgoblin ale and 12 of Veuve Cliquot.

Now that I’ve been promoted, I have to be well turned out, so these ‘must haves’ must be paid for – hence the nose hair strimmer, silver toothpick and electric ear plucker. Add to that membership of the Royal College of Nursing, a few suits from Hugo Boss and some receipts from such hostelries as The Ivy, La Gavroche and Quaglino’s, and you haven’t got much change from £3,000.

Justifiable expense

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

As far as I’m concerned, all of these expenses are justifiable, and companies should budget for such overheads instead of expecting staff to foot the bill. Everything claimed for is in relation to work. Things are different now, including the nature of claims. We don’t use thermometers, shygmomanometers and Uristix anymore – well, not much anyway, and I know they’re cheaper, but progress comes at a price. I don’t have money put by for a rainy day to dip into for such ‘out of pocket’ expenses, and that’s what I’ll be telling the boss when I see him later.

Anyone got any vacancies?

Personnel Today

previous post
Nameless CV proposal put forward for reinstatement in Equality Bill
next post
Bus drivers abused for keeping heat on despite heatwave

You may also like

Staff prioritise work-life balance and boundaries – research

16 Sep 2025

Slightly shorter working week could reap big benefits

11 Sep 2025

Employers need to step up on wellbeing provision,...

10 Sep 2025

Managing risk assessments for employees who are deaf...

9 Sep 2025

Workplace health benefits need to be simplified

9 Sep 2025

Sickness absence soars to nearly two weeks per...

9 Sep 2025

How to manage workplace investigations effectively

5 Sep 2025

Director with cancer treated unfairly over pay, rules...

5 Sep 2025

Agency crackdown won’t cure NHS staffing crisis alone

5 Sep 2025

Connect to Work scheme to benefit 15 areas...

4 Sep 2025

  • Workplace health benefits need to be simplified SPONSORED | Long-term sickness...Read more
  • Work smart – stay well: Avoid unnecessary pain with centred ergonomics SPONSORED | If you often notice...Read more
  • Elevate your L&D strategy at the World of Learning 2025 SPONSORED | This October...Read more
  • How to employ a global workforce from the UK (webinar) WEBINAR | With an unpredictable...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits Live
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise