Expensing a ride home

[farmo83]

As this was a topic of conversation last night at our end of year Happy Hour:
If one of your employees has a few too many at a work functions and expenses an Uber home, would you give them a hard time about this expense?

 

[n2otoofast4u]

Yes! Your lack of self moderation shouldn't come at the expense of the company!

If you are in a position high enough to have the ability to expense things, you are paid well enough to get yourself home safely and NEVER have to answer to someone above why you made a decision that is questionable over a sub $50 Uber ride.

 

[TimeBandit]

No.

Beats a lawsuit from the accident YOU caused by giving him drinks at an event he "had" to attend.

 

[rickym20]

I work for a company that encourages us to do exactly that. Seems like as long as it’s not being abused would be a no brainer .

 

[lakemadness]

Hell no. I took an Uber to and from the holiday party for my own company, on the company Uber account. I expected others to as well if they wanted to drink.

 

[LazyLavey]

I would have rides available to anybody who needed it......

I figure if I can put on a holiday party I will take care of my people

Holiday Cheers

 

[LuauLounge]

I would have offered it for both directions if my staff were a group that I knew might carry it a little too far.
If I saw it happening during the event, I would either pair people up or insist on Uber.
Would never say a word afterwards. If I have an employee that’s worth working for me, I’m not going to let a their temporary lack of judgement possibly ruin his life along with my company.

 

[92562]

As @TimeBandit said, the lawsuit isn't worth it. Bartenders are liable for over serving and had your employee not been at the party, they may not have been drinking. There have even been successful cases where a homeowner is sued for someone leaving a house party and getting a DUI or worse. If you must lecture them on drinking too much, do it when they are sober after a company Uber ride home. My .02.

 

[BHC Vic]

My job doesn’t pay for alcohol when I expense meals. They aren’t expensing a ride because I made bad choices.that said I make a good wage. I can pay for a ride home

 

[ChrisV]

Your worker is telling you to pay for his uber ride home? Is that what i'm getting?

 

[BHC Vic]

As @TimeBandit said, the lawsuit isn't worth it. Bartenders are liable for over serving and had your employee not been at the party, they may not have been drinking. There have even been successful cases where a homeowner is sued for someone leaving a house party and getting a DUI or worse. If you must lecture them on drinking too much, do it when they are sober after a company Uber ride home. My .02.

I don’t think so… my first dui I was a .34. Arrested right outside the hooters that was serving me as a 19 year old with a fake ID. That’s not gonna fly in court. The dA for my case is actually a members daughter in law.

 

[sintax]

Yes! Your lack of self moderation shouldn't come at the expense of the company!

If you are in a position high enough to have the ability to expense things, you are paid well enough to get yourself home safely and NEVER have to answer to someone above why you made a decision that is questionable over a sub $50 Uber ride.

the real question is who SUPPLIED the drinks.

Say this is YOUR companies HH, you flop down your card and pay for said drinks, take a guess who could likely be liable?

 

[Bigbore500r]

Most corporate christmas functions i've attended have included the "head honcho" of the event closing his speech, with "and if anyone finds they have had to much to drink, please call an uber or a taxi - I'll pay for it! Be safe!"

Now, the balls to submit an expense and actually take the head honcho up on this CYA offer.........those are some balls

 

[propcheck]

If I supply the booze I cover Uber Just my policy it is usually Pennies compared to the tab.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I don’t think so… my first dui I was a .34. Arrested right outside the hooters that was serving me as a 19 year old with a fake ID. That’s not gonna fly in court. The dA for my case is actually a members daughter in law.

It happens all the time. You still get the DUI. The establishment serving you also gets pinched.

 

[farmo83]

Your worker is telling you to pay for his uber ride home? Is that what i'm getting?

Lol no

A lady at our end of the year happy hour had a few too many and said she was not comfortable driving and wanted to take an Uber. Several others told her to just expense it, her response to this was she did not want to expense it as she was afraid her boss would give her a hard time(he’s known around the office as being very cheap). At this point another manager who I would say is on equal footing as her boss but over a different group said that if she was given a hard time about expensing an uber from a work event that he wanted to know about it immediately and the situation would be dealt with.

She ended up expensing her Uber home.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Lol no

A lady at our end of the year happy hour had a few too many and said she was not comfortable driving and wanted to take an Uber. Several others told her to just expense it, her response to this was she did not want to expense it as she was afraid her boss would give her a hard time(he’s known around the office as being very cheap). At this point another manager who I would say is on equal footing as her boss but over a different group said that if she was given a hard time about expensing an uber from a work event that he wanted to know about it immediately and the situation would be dealt with.

She ended up expensing her Uber home.

Cut and dry. Simple. All the organizations I’ve worked for have not had a problem with expensing the ride home if needed.

It is a fiasco when someone gets a DUI entertaining a customer or at a work event.. they basically force you into “classes”, put you on a performance plan, etc. It’s ridiculous.

 

[samsah33]

It doesn't take a lot to put you over the legal limit, so it's not always an "excess" issue. I can and do approve those expenses, and if my company did not and I was at the event, then I would offer to pay for the Uber myself in the interest of safety. It's not worth it to the employee to drive after a couple, and it's not worth it to have that person on the road.

 

[BHC Vic]

Lol I love it when someone thinks they are going to tell me how a situation I’ve lived, is going to play out I was literally under age and literally nothing happened to hooters. How things should work and reality are two different things. So sick of people trying to blame others for their problems. It’s pathetic. For years I tried blaming everyone else. Eventually you need to grow up and be accountable for your actions and take responsibility for your life choices

 

[farmo83]

I will add in my career it seems highly dependent on your boss and culture.

I worked many years in finance and everyone there was always cheap. I used to have to fight to get a new keyboard, a chair when mine was torn etc. I would have been super hesitant to expense an uber ride in finance

Now I work in Commercial and taking clients out, customer events, etc are the norm. It doesn’t appear to be even a thought to expense an uber here.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Lol I love it when someone thinks they are going to tell me how a situation I’ve lived, is going to play out I was literally under age and literally nothing happened to hooters. How things should work and reality are two different things

I love it when someone thinks what happened to them anecdotally is what always happens universally in every situation.

Laws change. Were you 19 last year?

 

[cofooter]

How much can the Uber be? Why create any drama at all over this?

 

[farmo83]

How much can the Uber be? Why create any drama at all over this?

65 dollars

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

How much can the Uber be? Why create any drama at all over this?

It’s not drama when no one cares if you expense the ride.

If work is requesting me to be somewhere, I expense the ride there and back. It is their event, not mine.

 

[BHC Vic]

Like I said some people are pathetic ^

 

[cofooter]

65 dollars

For $65 Id just slip out the back jack and be done with it......

 

[mesquito_creek]

My old company would let you take an Uber on the expense account if your carpool partner had to leave work unexpectedly…

Secondly, what if she took an Uber just because she didn’t feel well with no alcohol?

Finally, I would ask why the rest of you who were drinking didn’t take an Uber!

This is why people hate working for the man… if the company makes her pay it back that is what the saying “stepping over dollars to pick up pennies” comes from!

 

[Flatsix66]

Its a work event, time to score points with the boss, take every opportunity to step over the bodies of your peers to get ahead. She should drink up, make the boss happy she was invited along and make sure not to cause any drama. She should not expense it if there is any doubt how it would be viewed.

 

[Singleton]

Company policy - Uber to all company events where alcohol is served / provided for by company is allowed.

Last place I worked at stopped providing alcoholic at company events. Employees had to pay out of pocket. Those Ubers were on the employees. Since I had control over my department budget, I allowed my staff to submit the rides to/from as long as they did not expense the bar tab.

 

[BHC Vic]

My old company would let you take an Uber on the expense account if your carpool partner had to leave work unexpectedly…

Secondly, what if she took an Uber just because she didn’t feel well with no alcohol?

Finally, I would ask why the rest of you who were drinking didn’t take an Uber!

This is why people hate working for the man… if the company makes her pay it back that is what the saying “stepping over dollars to pick up pennies” comes from!

I see it the exact opposite. Like I said I make a good salary. I’m going to risk that for a 65 dollar Uber? Talk about stepping over dollars to pick up Pennies yikes!!

 

[K-DOG]

Lol I love it when someone thinks they are going to tell me how a situation I’ve lived, is going to play out I was literally under age and literally nothing happened to hooters. How things should work and reality are two different things. So sick of people trying to blame others for their problems. It’s pathetic. For years I tried blaming everyone else. Eventually you need to grow up and be accountable for your actions and take responsibility for your life choices

If the situation was different and you were driving over the legal limit and hit and killed or hurt someone, you can guarantee the attorney for that family would also go after Hooters.

 

[Bobby V]

The company I worked for 38 years rented a suite at Angel Stadium when I retired in June. They paid for a UBER both ways. They offered to pay for a room at a nearby hotel where they were staying but I rather sleep in my own bed. Ohtani pitched and hit a home run and the Angels won. Lol

 

[cofooter]

One of my old bosses liked to get lit at company functions. You could tell it was getting old for his management, next layoff, boom, he was gone. There's a time and place for partying to excess and it is usually not a work function. I do know some companies back in the day though if you did not party hard with the team you would not survive long, lol.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

One of my old bosses liked to get lit at company functions. You could tell it was getting old for his management, next layoff, boom, he was gone. There's a time and place for partying to excess and it is usually not a work function. I do know some companies back in the day though if you did not party hard with the team you would not survive long, lol.

Also some leaders view the Uber home vs driving home as a litmus test as well, no matter how many you have had. And they make the judgement based on if you expensed the ride home or not.

 

[mesquito_creek]

I see it the exact opposite. Like I said I make a good salary. I’m going to risk that for a 65 dollar Uber? Talk about stepping over dollars to pick up Pennies yikes!!

My company didn’t sponsor anything with alcohol so it didn’t matter. My wife’s company does sponsor events with alcohol and an Uber ride wouldn’t be questioned at all. I guess it all just depends on the company.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

I see it the exact opposite. Like I said I make a good salary. I’m going to risk that for a 65 dollar Uber? Talk about stepping over dollars to pick up Pennies yikes!!

you would be fired from where I work if you get a dui period…you are expected to expense stuff like that..well actually you are expected to charge said ride your corp card…especially from company events or conferences. If it’s a work function or a customer function it’s on the company card…all of it.

I can assure they are more concerned about keeping millions in sales from reps flowing vs the Uber charge.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Also some leaders view the Uber home vs driving home as a litmus test as well, no matter how many you have had. And they base it off if you expensed the ride home or not.

3 companies back all leadership had to leave functions by 730, and had a 2 drink max. Uber was mandatory. One subsidiary director ignored the Uber deal in 2018. He was fired the following Monday over it.

It was every bit of a test from the Japanese ownership…and he failed unfortunately. They were sticklers for rules, policy etc…they hated liability and enforced policy bc of it

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

3 companies back all leadership had to leave functions by 730, and had a 2 drink max. Uber was mandatory. One subsidiary director ignored the Uber deal in 2018. He was fired the following Monday over it.

It was every bit of a test from the Japanese ownership…and he failed unfortunately. They were sticklers for rules, policy etc…they hated liability and enforced policy bc of it

100%. You have to know your audience and culture. Just got a new Asian manager and culture things like this have me thinking as we’ve started talking.

 

[mesquito_creek]

This is why we can’t have nice things…

 

[BHC Vic]

My company didn’t sponsor anything with alcohol so it didn’t matter. My wife’s company does sponsor events with alcohol and an Uber ride wouldn’t be questioned at all. I guess it all just depends on the company.

Every year at our 4 delegates meetings or at our western district conference someone loses their job. I ve been on staff 6 years and every year its happened. It’s actually one of the first things I tell no hires. They want you to have fun and be social but they are watching your every move. It’s not the time or place to let loose. I don’t drink so I don’t worry. I go around and talk to everyone and make sure everyone knows I’m there and acting professional. We are construction workers it’s a setup

 

[BHC Vic]

you would be fired from where I work if you get a dui period…you are expected to expense stuff like that..well actually you are expected to charge said ride your corp card…especially from company events or conferences. If it’s a work function or a customer function it’s on the company card…all of it.

I can assure they are more concerned about keeping millions in sales from reps flowing vs the Uber charge.

Yea unfortunately for us instructors none of us are brining in millions . We are a dime a dozen and if you can’t control yourself we don’t need you. Same withthe reps and agents. There’s 90k other members to chose from. Instructors work for the college. So a dui will cost you your job here too. I had to spend thousands to get my record cleaned up

 

[pronstar]

I work for a company that encourages us to do exactly that. Seems like as long as it’s not being abused would be a no brainer .

Same at the ad agencies I worked at.
Told us to expense taxi rides before the days of Uber also.

 

[92562]

I don’t think so… my first dui I was a .34. Arrested right outside the hooters that was serving me as a 19 year old with a fake ID. That’s not gonna fly in court. The dA for my case is actually a members daughter in law.

I assume you didn't hurt anyone or property because as @K-DOG says, they would have gone after Hooters. I have my ABC certificate to serve alcohol and when you go through the training you are taught that you are definitely responsible legally and civilly for any damage done by overserving someone. It applies to anyone furnishing alcohol, certified or not. I agree with you on the personal responsibility aspect but the litigious Nanny state we live in now feels differently.

 

[Bajastu]

Our company pays for Uber and a hotel if needed. I'd rather have no accidents and safe employees. I don't even bat an eye at couple of thousand dollars in Uber and hotel bills on expense reports.

 

[evantwheeler]

This thread reminds me of the kind of bullshit leading me to leave the corporate world to a sole private owner company, and also appreciate that i dont work for a cheap fuck who would ever worry about such minutiae.

 

[DWC]

I wouldn’t turn down the expense. Depending on the situation i probably wouldn’t turn one in. Probably..

 

[hallett21]

I don’t think so… my first dui I was a .34. Arrested right outside the hooters that was serving me as a 19 year old with a fake ID. That’s not gonna fly in court. The dA for my case is actually a members daughter in law.

If you had hurt anyone or got in a wreck they would have gone after Hooters (they being attorneys).

It’s why bars no longer give out matches etc. (they don’t want evidence that you were drinking at their establishment) There have been multiple cases where the bar/restaurant has been sued due to over serving a customer.

 

[CLdrinker]

I see it the exact opposite. Like I said I make a good salary. I’m going to risk that for a 65 dollar Uber? Talk about stepping over dollars to pick up Pennies yikes!!

Shit you think that is bad. Guys at . My work want to give up their 15% bonus, go from salary to hourly and loose our 1 day a week in office schedule to get a 10-15hr raise. Freakin tripping over dollars to pick up Pennie’s.

 

[rivrrts429]

I have a corporate Uber account and my organization expects us to use Uber for situations just like these so long as the privilege isn’t abused.

Want to build loyalty, which is severely lacking in todays employee, in your highest earners? Make this a part of the business program and manage it appropriately.

My business is unique in that we’re expected to entertain after-hours so obviously it’s a much more accepted practice.

 

[H20 Toie]

For my employees that lived a long way i would offer a limo to pick them up or hotel,
everyone else could expense rides to and from the event