New AppZen Expense Reimbursement Survey Reveals Impact of COVID and Remote Work on Employees
New data released by AppZen, the world’s leading AI solution for modern finance teams, reveals how the pandemic and remote work have impacted company expense reports. The findings shed new light on shifts in expenses during the pandemic and uncovers differences in reimbursements based on genders and roles.
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“The data shows it’s in the best interest for companies to have clear policies and proactively communicate them effectively to their employees so there are no inconsistencies or perceived disparities in how companies are handling employee expenses.”
Surveying 1,000 workers of companies with at least 250 employees, the data provides insight into how companies have adapted new expense policies and how those changes have impacted employees.
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Remote Work Policies
AppZen’s research shows the drastic shift from office to home working and the importance of clearly stated policies. 17 percent worked remotely prior to COVID, spiking to 83 percent during the pandemic.
- 75 percent of employees submitted work from home expenses during the pandemic versus 69 percent of employees who submitted expenses pre-COVID.
- 51 percent of employees said their employer updated their expense policy due to COVID.
- 92 percent of employees whose employers updated their expense policy due to COVID said their organization’s policy was clear, compared to only 61 percent of employees whose employers did not update their policy.
- 83 percent of employees who received an updated policy said their employer fairly compensates them for work from home-related expenses compared to only 29 percent of employees at companies where the policy was not updated due to COVID.
Changing Expense Reports
The volume of work from home expenses grew with the arrival of COVID. But what did employees ask employers to cover?
- Claims for internet usage at home rose 6 percent.
- 46 percent of companies are reimbursing for internet during COVID.
- Only 29 percent of employees feel they are fairly compensated for new types of work from home expenses – such as childcare.
- 26 percent of employees say they feel uncomfortable about claiming these types of expenses.
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