Over a Fifth of Public Sector Employees Admit to Submitting False Expenses

LONDON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- As Cuts Start to Bite, Expenses Represent a Significant Savings Opportunity

A survey of 1,010 UK employees who submit expenses has revealed that over a fifth (22.1 per cent) of employees in the public sector have submitted a false expense claim at least once. This figure was higher than employees in the private sector (19.3 per cent), revealing that during this period of public sector cuts, taking steps to better regulate the expense claims process could unearth potential cost savings.

It appears false claims are not a 'one off' for many public sector employees. In fact, one in five (19.6 per cent) of public sector employees admitted to either submitting fraudulent expenses 'occasionally' (11.9 per cent) or 'all of the time' (7.7 per cent). Only 58.2 per cent of public sector employees would never consider submitting a false claim, with 12.2 per cent saying they'd never done it because they knew they wouldn't get away with it.

 "With the UK government making cuts across the public sector, this study reveals an area of expenditure than can be better regulated to drive significant cost savings," comments Isabel Montesdeoca, VP at Concur. "For managers working in the public sector, ensuring that the proper systems and processes are in place can prevent vital funds draining away and provide visibility and control over expense reporting."

Avoiding false claims is just one part of the issue, having an efficient expenses process in place also has a significant benefit for public sector employees submitting honest claims. Concur's research revealed that only 30.9 per cent of public sector employees claim back everything owed to them on expenses, and when asked why, 45.9 per cent said it was because it was 'too much hassle'.  

Montesdeoca continues, "With pay freezes and increasing cost of living, public sector employees need a quick and efficient way to get their expenses processed. Effective expense management keeps fraud in check while also making life easier for the huge majority of hard working people."

Technology can provide organisations with complete visibility and control over the expense claims process. Concur makes it easy for organisations to submit and track expenses online or from their mobile and convert paper receipts into digital records. Users can even take photos of receipts with a smartphone, automatically attach the receipt image to an expense claim, and get them signed off much faster than filing expenses by hand. In addition to Concur's integrated travel and expense management solution for large organisations, the company introduced Concur® Breeze, an expense claim offering for small UK organisations, in April 2011.

About Concur

Concur is a leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions for companies of all sizes. Concur's easy-to-use Web-based on mobile solutions help companies and their employees control costs and save time. Learn more at http://www.concur.com/en-uk.

Note to Editor:

The research for Concur was carried out by Opinionmatters.co.uk between: 13/12/2010 and 22/12/2010 with a sample of 1010+ UK people with expense accounts. The public sector/private sector split was 337/673.

Have you ever submitted a false claim for something you shouldn't have?

                                              Public Sector    Private Sector

    No I wouldn't consider it                 52.8%            66.4%
    No, I don't think I'd get away with it    12.2%            11.6%
    Yes, I have occasionally                  11.9%             8.3%
    Yes, I have done it before                 8.3%             6.5%
    Yes, I do it all of the time               7.7%             4.5%
    No, other                                  0.6%             1.6%
    No, but I will in the future               1.2%             0.6%
    Yes, other                                 0                0.4%

Do you ever spend your own money on behalf of your company, but not bother expensing it back? And if yes, how much per month on average?

                                              Public Sector    Private Sector
    No, I expense everything owed to me       30.9%            38.8%
    GBP1 - GBP5                               17.8%            17.8%
    GBP6 - GBP10                              19.0%            13.4%
    GBP11 - GBP15                              8.3%             8.5%
    GBP16 - GBP20                             10.1%             9.1%
    GBP21 - GBP30                              5.3%             5.6%
    GBP31 - GBP40                              3.0%             1.9%
    GBP41 - GBP50                              1.8%             2.4%
    GBP51 - GBP100                             3.9%             2.4%
    More than GBP100, please specify           -                0.1%

If yes, why did you not expense it back?

                                              Public Sector    Private Sector

    It's not worth the hassle                 45.9%            51.0%
    I was embarrassed about expensing
    back such a small amount                  23.2%            22.8%
    I forgot                                  19.7%            16.3%
    I felt guilty about expensing it back      7.7%             4.1%
    Other, please specify                      3.4%             5.8%