You have 0 free articles left this month.
Register for a free account to access unlimited free content.
Powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
accountants daily logo

Virtual corporate cards ‘a risk-free perk’

Technology

Almost half of all Australian employees feel anxious about getting reimbursed for work expenses, says DiviPay. 

By Josh Needs 11 minute read

Forcing staff to dip into their own pockets for business expenses should be a thing of the past as companies strive to retain employees, says DiviPay.

Anxiety about reimbursements affects almost half of those staff who have to pay upfront, according to DiviPay research, while 37 per cent admit putting off work-related purchases to avoid out-of-pocket spending. 

Russell Martin, co-founder and CTO of the virtual corporate card expense management company, said executives had different views to employees when it came to expenses.

“I’ve met with many CEOs and CFOs in my time and there’s definitely a disconnect when it comes to the importance of a streamlined expense management process,” said Mr Martin.

“Employee wellbeing and job satisfaction have catapulted up the priority list with many companies offering a myriad of perks to bolster culture, engagement, trust and productivity – yet somehow work reimbursements seem to slip through the net.”

The survey also found that up to 67 per cent of employees paying for business expenses had failed to expense the full amount back to their company with 46 per cent saying it was not worth the effort.

==
==

“Our research has shown that employees are experiencing high levels of anxiety when claiming back work expenses but this is something that is easily fixable,” said Mr Martin.

Among staff with access to a corporate credit card, 70 per cent found it convenient and 59 per cent said they would preference working for a company that provided one.

However, business executives hesitate to offer them due to concerns that they will be used for non-work purchases.

The report suggested those fears were well founded, with 37 per cent of workers from mid-sized companies admitting they had put non-work expenses on a corporate card.

DiviPay said its virtual corporate cards eliminate misuse by adding rules about which websites and suppliers are acceptable.

Mr Martin said that something minor like removing the stress of expenses could help companies with employee satisfaction.

“Having a robust, easy-to-use platform for corporate claims may seem like a small initiative but it can make all the difference to an employee’s job satisfaction and will be crucial for employee retention,” said Mr Martin.

Josh Needs

Josh Needs

AUTHOR

Josh Needs is a journalist at Accountants Daily and SMSF Adviser, which are the leading sources of news, strategy, and educational content for professionals in the accounting and SMSF sectors.

Josh studied journalism at the University of NSW and previously wrote news, feature articles and video reviews for Unsealed 4x4, a specialist offroad motoring website. Since joining the Momentum Media Team in 2022, Josh has written for Accountants Daily and SMSF Adviser.

You can email Josh on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You are not authorised to post comments.

Comments will undergo moderation before they get published.

accountants daily logo Newsletter

Receive breaking news directly to your inbox each day.

SUBSCRIBE NOW