Nation on the fiddle: Research suggests 85% of British workers inflate their expenses or claim for spends unrelated to work
When the Westminster expenses scandal broke in 2009, the Great British Public were quite rightly outraged at the abuse of power on the part MPs.
But it seems the rest of us are hardly whiter-than-white when it comes to expenses, with the revelation that 85 per cent of workers admit to having filed a dodgy claim in the past year.
A quarter of employees admit to having overclaimed more than £250, while 22 per cent had bumped up their claims by between £51 and £100, and one in five between £10 and £50.
Little white lies: As many as 85% of workers have inflated their expenses claims, with 5% lying every time
Shockingly, one in 20 people owned up to fibbing every time they submitted a claim.
The top reason given for inflating claims was the belief that everyone else does it, with 22 per cent of people saying they were just following the herd.
This was followed by the 17 per cent who felt they were compensating themselves for not being paid enough, while 12 per cent said they bent the truth on their expenses simply because they could get away with it.
It seems older workers are the most bold, with 26 per cent of those aged 45 to 54 and 24 per cent of over-55s confessing to exaggerating claims by more than £500.
More than a third of workers confessed to taking a taxi rather than using public transport, while one in three had bought themselves food on the way back from a client meeting.
Free lunch: Workers expensed meals with friends
A further 15 per cent admitted to taking friends out for food and claiming it back on expenses.
If caught, 41 per cent of claimants said they would feel embarrassed and 38 per cent fear it would result in a disciplinary action or dismissal.
Interestingly, one in 10 said they would use the unveiling as an opportunity to air any workplace grievances.
The research was carried out on behalf of software firm Webexpenses. Its chief executive, Adam Reynolds, said: 'When presented with the opportunity to overclaim and get away with it, some people will, unsurprisingly, choose the dishonest option.
'In fact, one respondent to our research even admitted to overclaiming by more than £4,000.
'What’s more, the research also shows that having a small group of "expenses devils" in the workplace can encourage others to follow similar behaviour when it comes to expense claims.'
He added: 'There will always be those looking to exploit the system, however it’s up to businesses to put the right measures in place to better control expenses and minimise false over claims.
'Along with pay, expenses is one of the most easily controllable costs for businesses. Organisations need to work to create an environment where fraudulent behaviour is not legitimised.'
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