Workplace paperwork often causes even more headaches than the actual work.

So when one university employee asked HR how many days of per diem to claim after a long vendor event, he followed the instructions he was given without a second thought.

That’s when HR suddenly realized their own guidance didn’t look so good in writing.

Keep reading for the full story.

HR Per Diem business expenses

I work in a rather small group for a large university.

There’s maybe a dozen of us, and what we do touches a very large portion of the university and branches of the university.

Our software vendor invited a few of us out to a meeting with other customers to give us some updates.

He sets the scene for the event.

They weren’t necessarily trying to sell us anything at the time, just more of an introduction to other customers and an excuse to spend some money.

It was a large sporting event, and they had free snacks and drinks—including alcohol for a few hours.

They also gave each of us $30 in vouchers to spend like cash anywhere in the stadium.

I volunteered to drive, using the company vehicle.

So he got an early start to the day and went on like normal.

I woke up around 4 a.m.; I had picked up the car at the end of the previous day.

I picked up two coworkers on route, as they didn’t live far from the main highway going to the event.

We got there and had a great time.

The employee prioritized getting everyone back safely and responsibly.

Unfortunately, we declined the free alcohol as we were technically on the clock and I had the company vehicle (next time I know to drive myself or plan on a hotel).

The event ended, and I drove the whole way back to drop off the company vehicle.

After all was said and done, this employee was pretty exhausted.

I backtracked some to get home and was excused from work the next day, as it was nearly 8 a.m. at this point and I had been up for over 24 hours.

The next workday is where the MC starts.

This was my first time filing paperwork to get a reimbursement.

This would prove to be way more trouble than he initially thought.

I had asked HR a couple simple questions along with how many days I should claim per diem.

He responded with two, and I thought nothing of it since I was technically away for more than 24 hours.

I finished it, submitted the papers to HR, and thought nothing of it.

But he soon learned his request wasn’t as simple as it may appear.

The next day I was greeted with an email copying my boss and her boss, questioning why on earth I would request two days per diem.

After a laugh and forwarding his response from the previous day to my boss, I graciously let her respond to not only him but his boss, in which she bolded his response telling me to claim two days.

HR got their way in the end, but luckily the employee didn’t care that much.

In the end, the HR guy apologized, but I was only reimbursed one per diem day.

I think in total it was $100 (one day plus parking expense).

I honestly didn’t care that much and wasn’t even going to submit anything, but my boss twisted my arm.

Leave it to a company to fault an employee for anything — even following directions properly.

What did Reddit think?

Turns out, some companies are legally required to reimburse their employees properly.

The chillest bosses look the other way when it comes to small indiscretions.

Reimbursements are really a great deal when you have to travel for work.

HR learned the dangers of putting bad guidance in writing.

In office politics, receipts are the real currency.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.