Reading 'This Won't Be Covered by Expenses! 3: Moriwaka-san from the Accounting Department' | Is it right to pay out of pocket for the company? Rethinking the importance of expense processing

This is one of my favorite novels. I've been following it as one episode is released on Audible every month. This is the third volume. Moriwaka-san from the Accounting Department is a plain but steady employee in the accounting department. She is a reliable employee who does her work accurately.

Recently, she has also made a male friend who is more than a friend but less than a boyfriend, and there is a nice atmosphere as things seem to be leaning toward romance.

Leaving the content of the main story to the novel itself, this book has given me the opportunity to learn things I hadn't fully understood before. Today, I would like to write about that.

Kindle Version

Audible Version

I have also written an article about the previous work. You can find it here ↓

Is it good to pay out of pocket to improve sales performance for the company?

In the story, an employee appears who contributes by buying various things out of their own pocket without processing them as expenses. Should this be considered right or wrong?

If it were the Showa era, the opinion that it shows company loyalty and is a model for employees might have been accepted, but in the Reiwa era, isn't it common sense to say it's wrong?

The actual answer also seems to be no. I will omit why they bought it out of pocket to avoid spoilers. However, we need to think carefully about why it is considered wrong.

This is because there are some people who think it is right (including those with a Showa-era mindset). Even if that weren't the case, expense processing is a hassle. There are cases where people skip expense reimbursement because the amount is small, or actually buy items out of pocket.

Sometimes, there are things like free campaigns or providing items for free because it's a first-time customer. While some people avoid these because there is no such thing as a free lunch, it is a fact that some people jump at them.

It is necessary and important to have a reason to reject these and say it is wrong.

There are things you only understand because you process expenses

What I learned from this book is that processing even the smallest expenses as accurately as possible is essential for making important decisions for business growth.

There are times when the amount is so small that the labor cost of processing the expense is higher than the amount itself. But I still thought it should be done.

Companies do business with customers. Competitors are other companies in the same industry. To beat them, various measures and investments are made. At that time, investment money and expenses are inevitably incurred. The results change depending on the money and effort spent.
The results change depending on the money and effort spent.

Determining what brought about those changes depends on what money was spent on. If you skip expense processing and get good results, you won't know what influenced the success.

What is even worse is that by skipping expense processing, you won't know the cause if sales drop. Things might get worse for unknown reasons.

Both examples contain the risk of leading to incorrect management decisions in the future. It might seem exaggerated, but I thought the idea that there is nothing scarier than something free could also apply to management.

3-line diary: I've been running 10 kilometers each on Saturdays and Sundays lately

Lately, I've been able to run 10 kilometers each on Saturdays and Sundays. It's on a bicycle, though. Since it's an indoor trainer, I think it's equivalent to 20 kilometers on the road. It feels good to work up a nice sweat. I want to do my best after this today as well.

1 year ago: It seems I was thinking about knowledge that would save you someday

So it's knowledge that will save me someday. Looking back at it now, I remembered various things. Even if it's not useful right now, it's helpful because you surprisingly remember it later if you know it.

Thank you for reading until the end. If you liked the article, I would be happy if you could follow or support me. I also look forward to any casual comments.