Conference 7.286::digital

    It seems to me that the policy of "do the right thing" applies here
    (which you did, to your credit).
    
    The individual takes the responsibility to refund the company vs.
    setting up an elaborate (and probably ineffective) policing function.
    
    If you get an advance for a trip and don't take the trip, fill
    out an expense form to CREDIT the company. Same thing for pre-paid
    tickets, etc.
    
    We do that here at our site without setting up a big admin process. 
    

    
    
    	Reply .0
    
    
    
    	You wouldn't believe some of the scams that have been done within
    this company. 
    
    
    	bss

    The way most cheats are caught is that they get greedy. Very few people
    will cheat an organization just once (it just isn't worth the effort).
    Systems are set up to spot the repeat cheater.
    
    Dave

    I knew of [didn't know personally, thank god] a secretary several years
    ago who thought this was a great way to support her addiction to
    clothes shopping.  She tried it.  She got caught.  She got... well, she
    got whatever Digital elected - I don't know all the details.
    
    Anybody stupid or low enough to try this deserves to get caught.  
    
    As a Cost Center Manager's secretary, I used to watch the final cost
    center reports and monitor what went on in the group.  The cost center
    manager's superior would monitor the final reports, as well as a
    Financial Analyst for the Finance Manager.  Those are the levels of
    control at the LOCAL level.  At a higher level, I'm sure that there are
    more [audits, etc.].
    
    If I were to think of ways to avoid the problem of somebody booking a
    seminar and then not attending, those would include:  The obvious
    [Standard, Golden Rule -- No Matter WHERE You Are ...] Your secretary
    should ALWAYS have a number where you can be reached during normal
    business hours - no exceptions.  Secondly, upon your return from the
    seminar a trip report should be written up and forwarded.  If DEC
    is paying for the course, your manager should know how you 
    benefited from it.
     
    

I've done a lot of traveling in the last few years. I find I have the most
problems with Petty Cash and the management chain when I try to refund or
save the company money. Just recently, I saved DEC money when DECUS paid my
airfare to Spring DECUS. Had lots of problems with that: my expense voucher
was refused a number of times because I didn't have any expenses related to
airfare. One wag humorously advised that I should resubmit it with the
airfare expense paid by DECUS and my airfare receipts and pocket the money.

And then there was the time I saved DEC $500 while at a conference ...

	- Rich

>my expense voucher was refused a number of times because I didn't have
>any expenses related to airfare.

C'mon, you're joking?!

/john

    I agree.  If it's something out of the "norm" and not "in the system,"
    they don't know how to do it, and don't go after the answers.  Very
    strange, indeed.

Re: .7	

         Wish I was joking. It held up the voucher for a week. Part of
         the problem was that other attendees of the same DECUS did
         have airfare expenses. Therefore, it was concluded that I too
         must have these expenses and was being sloppy for omitting
         them.

    Re: .9
    
    Ah, I see!  Petty Cash was trying to help an employee, expected to see
    airfare, and returned the voucher so the employee could receive
    everything he was entitled to.  I think I like that office.
    
    A simple note saying the airfare was prepaid by DECUS would clearly
    solve that "problem".

>     Ah, I see!  Petty Cash was trying to help an employee, expected to see
>    airfare, and returned the voucher so the employee could receive
>    everything he was entitled to.  I think I like that office.
>
>    A simple note saying the airfare was prepaid by DECUS would clearly
>    solve that "problem".

	The note is usually all it takes.......

	A similar situation arose a few months ago in the group I was 
managing.  One of my people was given free lodging as part of a package 
deal between the hotel and Digital.  In order to get her expenses processed, 
I as the CC Mgr had to put a note in her voucher stating that the employee 
had received free lodging and therefore was not "remiss" in failing to
claim any lodging expenses.

	Petty Cash is trying to accomplish two things here, I think.

	1.  Make sure that employees get everything they are entitled to.

	2.  Make sure vouchers are complete the first time so that subsequent
	vouchers for the same trip do not need to be submitted to claim
	additional expenses.

	A general rule of thumb is to put a note of explanation in with 
your expense voucher whenever there is anything  out of the ordinary.
It saves a lot of hassle.

Frank

    
    
      All this strikes me as odd, because a year or so ago, Petty
    cash essentially washed their hands of judging the appropriateness
    of the vouchers.  In a recent memo I saw, they make a point of
    saying that it is the "Responsibility of the approver" to verify
    that all listed expenses were factual and appropriate.  Petty 
    cash should no longer care what's actually on the voucher, as
    long as all the arithmetic is correct, and the proper signatures
    are there.
    
      On the other hand, Petty Cash is probably the most likely 
    "Point of presence" for any abuse or fraud, and as a result
     is audited by both Corporate, and the IRS on 
    occasion, so it's to the clerk's advantage to go out of their
    way to ensure that the form is correct, since they'll be the
    first to answer for any descrepancies that arise after the
    fact...
    
    
    						-al
    

re: .last few	Writing a short note is how I eventually solved the
		problem.

This note seems like the correct place for Travel comments:

Nowhere in DEC have I seen the lack of accountability and "you better know the
system or you'll never get anywhere" mentality than I have in Corp. travel, 
whoever's in charge of COD III, and the Traveletter folks.  I took a COD III 
interview trip in June - I'm still waiting for the money.  I relocated under 
COD III in late August - I don't expect to see any money until the end of 
October, and only that soon because our local finance people took pity on my
case.  Meanwhile, I'm floating the balance on my credit card.   In both
of these cases, no one would sign for the cost center (which no one was sure
of, either).

When you call Corp. Travel, you're `referred' to the COD folks; when you call
COD, you're referred to American Express; when you call AMEX, they don't know
anything about it.  This goes on - again, and again, and again.  Around and
around.  I tried to ask intelligent questions, but was laughed off as not
understanding the system.  Guess what?  Not everyone understands every nuance
of the DEC Travel system, and the Traveletter process.   This must be news
to the people who work in those areas.  I had to scratch and dig every 
bit of information I could and then take my best guess.  

What all of my experiences show is an extreme lack of accountability.  How 
much money has been wasted by me and my new cost center battling an 
inefficient system?   Will I ever get paid?  Someday, I suppose.  Will
the system get reformed? - not likely.

Why not assign someone in Relo. or personnel to be an employee's ONE source of 
information when he/she relocates?  That way, someone would be responsible to 
see that the employee's needs were met, and weren't ignored.  This is called 
empowering your employees - it can work amazingly well.  It stops the 
run-around, which is legendary, as far as I can tell.

This is another instance of the SYSTEM.  The SYSTEM only allows insiders to
understand it.  The SYSTEM is set up to follow a strict set of guidelines,
not to empower its workers to Do the Right Thing, solve problems and get 
answers.  Each SYSTEM cannot interact with any other system, lest the tiniest
bit of power be lost.  Aren't these examples of "stovepipes" - as Jack Smith
would say?

I have spoken to others who endured the COD process, and their feelings are
much the same.  I hope others were more fortunate.



Steve

I went through COD I and although there were some questions with cost centers 
and who could sign for what, I did get things straightened out pretty easily.
I was never left holding the bag for money spent on interviews or relocation.

If you tell me what cost center you are in or which one is supposed to be
charged for your travel/relocation expenses, I can tell you who the cost
center manager is and you should be able to get him/her to sign an expense
voucher and get your money... 

Regards,

Jim

>>If you tell me what cost center you are in or which one is supposed to be
>>charged for your travel/relocation expenses, I can tell you who the cost
>>center manager is and you should be able to get him/her to sign an expense
>>voucher and get your money... 

I appreciate your offer, but read on......


Several problems made my case tougher:

- I am not working for a CSC, and this makes my whole COD process tougher, I
  was told.  The COD system was set up for Field and Support people.  My
  case is an exception, so the whole process fell apart.

- Every other day for a week, I got a call saying, "That CC number we gave you
  yesterday?  It's not the correct one".  Next day, "Oh, it was right."  This
  went on and on for quite a while.  All I wanted was a name and a number.

- The biggest problem is that the unknowledgable employee, (me) had to intercept
  and fix problems with the experts in relocation.  They never understood why I
  was calling, or what I needed.  None of them ever volunteered to help me find
  a solution - that is what bothered me.  I wasn't whining, I just wanted real
  answers that wouldn't be contradicted by the next person.  Answers like that
  were never available.  

	Why isn't this whole thing computerized, so that EVERY person you talk 
to is looking at the same screenful of information?  Why not have 40 steps 
that must be completed in order, so that everyone knows WHERE you are in the 
"process?"  Is this asking too much?   Why not let the relocating employee
log into this system so he or she knows where to go next?  What about that 
phrase, "We (DEC) have the largest computer network in the world" - let's
put it to use!  This would be a real solution to a real problem that would 
save endless aggravation and money.


Steve

    I was temporarily relocated for a year, and got the impression that the
    relocation system (here I refer to the part which handles the logistics
    and paperwork of the move) declined dramatically in quality over that
    year.

    On the way out, I was assigned a "relocation coordinator," and
    everything seemed to just magically happen.  When I had a question, she
    knew me and my case.  I had the number of the phone which rang at her
    desk.  She was there every working day.

    On the way back, I was given the Digital equivalent of an "800" number.
    It rang to a pool of phones, and whoever answered it was supposed to be
    helpful.  Of course, every time I called, I got a different person, and
    went through the following:

       1. "Tell me what you want"
	    -- my response was an ever-lengthening case history, which
	       became longer because of steps 2 and 3 below.
       2. "Well, I'll get back to you about that"
       3. Never called back.

    Their attitude quickly deteriorated to one of "Well, you should have
    known to fill out the <mumble> form months in advance."  Hmm... who
    would have told me that?  When I called months in advance to set up the
    move, I was told, "everything's all set, don't call us, we'll call you
    two weeks in advance."  See the flow chart above and guess what
    happened with that phone call.

    Nobody knew me, nobody cared about my particular case, and nobody was
    RESPONSIBLE for the quality of my relocation.  One person even told me
    that I had total responsibility for my relocation.  Hmmm... what are we
    paying you for then?

    I wonder if the change in the relocation system was a result of some
    brilliant "cost saving" strategy.  Push responsibility back to the
    person who has a real stake in the outcome, and then let them do the
    legwork regardless of their understanding of the process.  I sure hope
    we don't use this "cost saving" strategy when it comes to dealing with
    our external customers...

re .14

June to October?

Here's what I would do:

Tell my manager that I'm not coming into work until the voucher is paid.

Simple.

/john

    Unless there is something different about COD relocations, I suggest
    you take out a relo advance for the amount of money involved. This
    avoids you being out of pocket and gives 'the system' an incentive to
    work itself out.
    
    Note that relo advances are not the same as regular expense advances.
    Make sure you use whatever form is required for a relo advance. You can
    have multiple outstanding relo advances and they do not interact with
    expense advances. I guess I should add that its been a couple of years
    since I did this, things may have changed.
    
    I've been through several relos. The first couple of times, the same
    sort of thing happened to me. When I moved to the US, one of the
    expense forms was 'lost', but it took 8 weeks to discover that. In the
    mean time I ran out of cash and of course had no credit. Finally
    someone in personnel (unrelated to the relo process) suggested the relo
    advance method.
    
    Take the advance and let the finance and personnel weenies figure out
    how to deal with it.
    
    gary

    For what it's worth,my relocation from Ca. to Co. was very
    smooth.Things happened as they were supposed to and at the right
    time.Of course,things may have gone well because of a very knowledgable
    and helpful secretary.