Anthony Sexton

I run expense policy for a large company. Yesterday I helped an employee recover $6.80. It cost us $412. He had bought a sandwich at the airport and lost the receipt. He showed me the payment on his phone. I could see the amount, the date, and the name of the sandwich shop. I asked how I could know it was a sandwich. He said the shop only sold sandwiches. I told him to imagine an auditor. He said he could imagine an auditor looking at the name of the sandwich shop. We were getting nowhere. I offered to help. The shop could print a duplicate, but someone would have to collect it. I approved a taxi to the airport. Transport for a business purpose is reimbursable. Collecting documentation for a business expense is a business purpose. He asked whether we could use that reasoning to pay for the sandwich. I had already booked the taxi. At the airport, he discovered the shop was beyond security. He called me from beside a sign saying TICKETED PASSENGERS ONLY. I asked him to send a photograph of the sign. This was exactly the sort of supporting evidence I had been hoping for. Our travel department found a refundable flight. The employee could go through security, collect the receipt, and cancel before departure. He asked if I was serious. I put Travel on the call so they could confirm it independently. Travel wanted a destination. I said the sandwich shop. They needed an airport code. We chose an evening flight to Brussels. The gate was near the sandwich shop. At this point his manager called. The employee was missing a customer meeting. I explained that we were resolving a documentation issue and would return him as soon as possible. His manager offered to pay the $6.80 himself. I asked whether he intended to establish a parallel reimbursement process outside Finance. He said he had another call. The employee reached the shop. A different employee was working. The till could only reprint receipts from the current day. He put the sandwich employee on the phone. For several minutes, I was the most senior person in a conversation about a till I could not see. The manager knew how to retrieve yesterday's transactions. She came in at 4. I approved lunch while he waited. This time I asked him to photograph the receipt before eating. He sent it immediately. Beautiful. Every item listed. Tax shown separately. I forwarded it to my team as an example of what we were trying to achieve. At 4:15, we had both receipts. Travel canceled Brussels. I approved the return taxi and stayed late to clear the claim myself. The original sandwich was finally reimbursed. I thanked the employee for his patience. He said he would bring his own food next time. I told him homemade food was ineligible for reimbursement. He said he knew. This morning he submitted the taxi receipt. It includes a $2 tip, but the driver has written the total by hand. I've asked whether he remembers the car.