entertainment reimbursement?

Lisa B

Hi all -

Do you reimburse for any entertainment expense while an ee is traveling? Like a movie in hotel room, gym fees, tickets to events, etc.

Would you specify state please? I'm in LA

Thanks all!!!

LarryC

I would say "yes" to the gym, "yes" to the in-room movie, and "no" to the tickets. Reasonable, yes; you want to "stretch it a little", no. Have a couple drinks (staying away from the top shelf, of course)with dinner, yes.; go out and buy a 12-pack, no. Taxi, yes; limo, no.

Hopefully, this gives you a good idea on how we do it here. It hasn't been a problem and travelers are reluctant to "stretch it a little".

Open1

I agree with the above but would like to add this depends on the kind of company you have. If they are entertaining clients, it might be a different story.

SMace

No. We are cheap, however.

Dutch2

We do not hesitate to spend a few dollars when customers are involved. However, when it is only an ee(s) traveling, we do not pay for any of the extras, unless they are out for a prolonged period of time as in at least a week or more.

NaeNae55

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-24-06 AT 03:57PM (CST)[/font][br][br]We pay for the employee to call home every night while on the road, and that is it. Meals should be taken at reasonable restaurants, and we do not pay for alcohol. We don't pay for those things while the employee is at home, and since they are off duty we don't pay for them while the employee is traveling for us.

Entertaining a client is different as we would pay for that here too.

Remember, paying for an employee's entertainment while on the road involves tax implications. It's easier to just make them responsible for themselves.

Good luck!

Nae

Peggy UH in LA

I, too, am in Louisiana; our company does not pay for in-room movies and such extras on the road; we do pay for meals for staff if it is a legitimate business purpose and for meals for client dinners. For auditing purposes, we have to specifiy who was at the dinner. We also pay for country club dues and YMCA memberships for the Executive Team only - part of their perks, but the cc dues technically is considered an additional part of their salary.

Riva

If an employee is out on business then yes we would pay for all costs associated as long as it's justified and is a legitimate business expense. We would not reimburse for movies in a hotel room, gym fees or tickets to events just because the employee was out of town on business. For us, those would be considered personal expenses. However if we are taking a client or customer to an event, then yes we would pay for it as they are there representing the company on our behalf.