Legal Commentary

The Dear Abby of business

By Tom Kirkendall

Lucy Kellaway, Financial Times columnist and associate editor, pens an entertaining blog called Dear Lucy in which she solicits letters from businesspeople about various business problems. Sometimes she comments on them, but all the time she opens them up to reader comments, which range between the insightful, hilarious and bizarre. The following is last week's letter:

I recently submitted an expense report following a routine trip to Frankfurt. Instead of attaching the total bill, I mistakenly attached a fully itemised printout. Unfortunately, this was returned to me, copied to my boss, with one item ? ?Private Room Entertainment: Adults Only Movie? ? highlighted as an illegitimate business expense. I ordered the film more out of curiosity than habit and am usually meticulous over my expenses. I work in the finance department and am a loyal and trusted employee. The form was seen by my secretary, though, and I am anxious that it may become a topic of conversation with her lunchtime colleagues. How do I salvage the situation?

Manager, Male, 43

The following was one reader's advice:

"Go to work tomorrow dressed as a lady. It's sure to deflect from any comments made."

Full post as published by Houston's Clear Thinkers on February 08, 2008 (boomark / email).