Reasonable time for secretary to submit expenses? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I've had to travel a decent amount in the past year, and I am typically traveling alone or meeting other attorneys from another one of our offices on site, so all of my expenses are going to my personal credit card (meals, hotel, rental car, etc.--everything except flights). I don't mind that because I get all of the credit card points, but then my secretary usually takes at least 2 weeks to input my expenses (and then it takes another 2-3 weeks for the money to land in my account).

I've talked to other attorneys around the office and their secretaries seem to input expenses same day or at least within a couple of days. Is it unreasonable that this causes me significant frustration? I'm an associate so I feel like there isn't much I can do about the situation, but my secretary is constantly just saying she's too busy (but then spending significant time chatting with other staff around the office).

Sometimes my secretary will tell me, "hey I'm going to submit all of your expenses today", but then 10 days go by and I still have to go ask when they're going to be submitted.

How do I handle this?

[Anonymous User]

I've had to travel a decent amount in the past year, and I am typically traveling alone or meeting other attorneys from another one of our offices on site, so all of my expenses are going to my personal credit card (meals, hotel, rental car, etc.--everything except flights). I don't mind that because I get all of the credit card points, but then my secretary usually takes at least 2 weeks to input my expenses (and then it takes another 2-3 weeks for the money to land in my account).

I've talked to other attorneys around the office and their secretaries seem to input expenses same day or at least within a couple of days. Is it unreasonable that this causes me significant frustration? I'm an associate so I feel like there isn't much I can do about the situation, but my secretary is constantly just saying she's too busy (but then spending significant time chatting with other staff around the office).

Sometimes my secretary will tell me, "hey I'm going to submit all of your expenses today", but then 10 days go by and I still have to go ask when they're going to be submitted.

How do I handle this?

Mine submits my expenses usually within the hour but always before end of day. This is a problem if yours is taking days to do it.

[sparty99]

Start doing your own expenses or ask for a new secretary.

[Anonymous User]

Mine takes a few days, but she is admittedly a crap secretary in general.

[QContinuum]

Start doing your own expenses or ask for a new secretary.

TITCR if possible. The secretary really saves you minimal hassle, since you have to provide the secretary with all the receipts, tell them which matter number(s) to charge to, etc. - depending on how (in)competent your secretary is, and how many times you have to remember to follow up with them, doing it yourself would probably actually save you a lot of time and hassle.

[FedFan123]

Start doing your own expenses or ask for a new secretary.

TITCR if possible. The secretary really saves you minimal hassle, since you have to provide the secretary with all the receipts, tell them which matter number(s) to charge to, etc. - depending on how (in)competent your secretary is, and how many times you have to remember to follow up with them, doing it yourself would probably actually save you a lot of time and hassle.

Lol falling right into the trap. 10% of secretaries are competent, 40% are incompetent, and 50% are feigning incompetence so you stop asking them to handle your trivial tasks.

[Anonymous User]

Op here. My secretary is actually a bit protective over doing things...I've asked her if I can have my login information to just do it myself, and she basically aggressively asks why and says she'll get to my expenses that day, but invariably, does not get to them that week.

[Anonymous User]

Two weeks is absurd. I don't think it has ever taken my secretary more than 48 hours and even 24 is on the high side. I get wanting to avoid an awkward situation but if you aren't able to do it yourself then you need to have a one-on-one with your secretary. Maybe tell her you would like to know how you can make things easier for her to submit your reimbursements within a day or two. That gives her a face-saving opportunity at least if you pitch it as you seeking a way for you to solve this problem. If that doesn't work I think you go to the secretary supervisor or whoever her boss is. There's no way 2 weeks is going to be seen as reasonable.

Maybe you don't think this is worth it but I want those reimbursements ASAP after I bought a refundable coast-to-coast flight, a few nights in a nice downtown hotel, a few Ubers and dinners (and often the junior associate at the table is expected to front the dinner tab and handle the receipt when it's reimbursable, at least at my firm, so a handful of lawyers at the table can really add up), etc. Not like I'm living paycheck to paycheck in biglaw, but it adds up.

[Anonymous User]

Two weeks is absurd. I don't think it has ever taken my secretary more than 48 hours and even 24 is on the high side. I get wanting to avoid an awkward situation but if you aren't able to do it yourself then you need to have a one-on-one with your secretary. Maybe tell her you would like to know how you can make things easier for her to submit your reimbursements within a day or two. That gives her a face-saving opportunity at least if you pitch it as you seeking a way for you to solve this problem. If that doesn't work I think you go to the secretary supervisor or whoever her boss is. There's no way 2 weeks is going to be seen as reasonable.

Maybe you don't think this is worth it but I want those reimbursements ASAP after I bought a refundable coast-to-coast flight, a few nights in a nice downtown hotel, a few Ubers and dinners (and often the junior associate at the table is expected to front the dinner tab and handle the receipt when it's reimbursable, at least at my firm, so a handful of lawyers at the table can really add up), etc. Not like I'm living paycheck to paycheck in biglaw, but it adds up.

I have never heard of not having the data entered two weeks later as the norm... getting it approved is a different story but getting it entered into the system really should be done on the same day.

I would complain very loudly if it took even a few days extra. That much time lag makes it hard for you to track your money and is just mentally taxing.

TLDR: get a new secretary

[QContinuum]

Start doing your own expenses or ask for a new secretary.

TITCR if possible. The secretary really saves you minimal hassle, since you have to provide the secretary with all the receipts, tell them which matter number(s) to charge to, etc. - depending on how (in)competent your secretary is, and how many times you have to remember to follow up with them, doing it yourself would probably actually save you a lot of time and hassle.

Lol falling right into the trap. 10% of secretaries are competent, 40% are incompetent, and 50% are feigning incompetence so you stop asking them to handle your trivial tasks.

Sure, but I don't think secretaries honestly add much value for expense reimbursements. You have to assemble all the receipts and compile the matter numbers anyway and by that point you might as well just log in and type in the numbers yourself. How much time do you really save having the secretary be the typist?

[FedFan123]

Start doing your own expenses or ask for a new secretary.

TITCR if possible. The secretary really saves you minimal hassle, since you have to provide the secretary with all the receipts, tell them which matter number(s) to charge to, etc. - depending on how (in)competent your secretary is, and how many times you have to remember to follow up with them, doing it yourself would probably actually save you a lot of time and hassle.

Lol falling right into the trap. 10% of secretaries are competent, 40% are incompetent, and 50% are feigning incompetence so you stop asking them to handle your trivial tasks.

Sure, but I don't think secretaries honestly add much value for expense reimbursements. You have to assemble all the receipts and compile the matter numbers anyway and by that point you might as well just log in and type in the numbers yourself. How much time do you really save having the secretary be the typist?

I mean I have to use her for something right. I use my secretary for 3 things - scanning documents to email me electronic copies, arranging catering when I have a client meeting, and completing expense reimbursements. Every once in a blue moon she will answer my phone when I’m away from my desk, but 90% of the time she will just let it ring out. I know most other associates use their secretaries essentially to the same degree. So this is about a third of their job.

[Sinatra]

I am still amazed how some of the most successful attorneys fail to effectively communicate their expectations regarding even the most petty of tasks.

Call her into your office, tell her that when you say you need it done that day, there are to be no excuses and you expect it to get done like she ensures it will. This really isn't even that difficult of a conversation to have.

[esther0123]

Just get a new secretary. You shouldn't be stressing out over stuff like this.

ETA: you should call her/him into your office, tell her/him to get expenses done within a day, and if s/he fails to follow through, get a new secretary.

FYI I had routine problems like this, spent a lot of time following up and providing oversight, had repeated conversations over this kind of problem and eventually got a new secretary. It's like night and day. In hindsight I think I gave my ex-secretary too many chances and suffered for no reason. Never again.

[JHP]

I've had to travel a decent amount in the past year, and I am typically traveling alone or meeting other attorneys from another one of our offices on site, so all of my expenses are going to my personal credit card (meals, hotel, rental car, etc.--everything except flights). I don't mind that because I get all of the credit card points, but then my secretary usually takes at least 2 weeks to input my expenses (and then it takes another 2-3 weeks for the money to land in my account).

I've talked to other attorneys around the office and their secretaries seem to input expenses same day or at least within a couple of days. Is it unreasonable that this causes me significant frustration? I'm an associate so I feel like there isn't much I can do about the situation, but my secretary is constantly just saying she's too busy (but then spending significant time chatting with other staff around the office).

Sometimes my secretary will tell me, "hey I'm going to submit all of your expenses today", but then 10 days go by and I still have to go ask when they're going to be submitted.

How do I handle this?

Adding to the voices in the crowd here.

I am a junior associate and my prior secretary was not good with reimbursements in the sense that she would get stuff wrong (not the same issue as the delayed timing you talk about). How I handled it was by being polite but FIRM with her--if something got done wrong, I politely e-mailed her saying it was wrong, asking her to fix, and letting her know I'll give her a call to "just clarify" (aka politely reiterate what was wrong). It's a bit more work, but I think it helped her try to do things right the next time.

For folks saying "get a new secretary," I will just say that, at least at my firm, we associates have NO say in who we get assigned as assistants and can't really switch off of someone's service until the powers that be say so. I would also just somewhat caution OP from trying to just get off the secretary's service without prior notice to the secretary that OP is unhappy with her work. The secretaries talk, and depending on who she is close with and who OP gets set up with next, folks may be not as friendly or as willing to help when OP needs it. Just some "don't burn any unnecessary bridges" advice.

My advice on approaching your secretary would be to schedule some time with her to talk about "her workload" and "balancing tasks." I would frame it in a way that straddles a "I want check in and get a sense of your workload balance" and a "I need you to adjust how you are prioritizing work" kind of a talk--that way, it's not super aggressive, but is still clearly going to be a chat about how she can address your needs better. While reimbursements may sound petty, you should also recognize for yourself but also for her that they aren't non-issues--when a client asks for a bill out of the blue or at the height of everyone's busy season, you should be able to confidently tell the partner that yes, your time entries AND all other fees/reimbursements have been entered and are up to date. It would be bad news bears if suddenly you realize there are $400 of unsubmitted expenses/fees and it's because the secretary didn't do it, which falls on you, which then falls on the partner who has to explain why a new line item of $400 for ubers and taco bell delivery is being added at the final hour.

[albanach]

I'm surprised by the calls to "get a new secretary". The poster above was a bit closer with - call her into your office.

Treat your secretary like a competent adult. They may have always stacked up expenses and submitted them in bulk every few weeks because they work better that way. Explain - like you did to us - that you're traveling a lot and these expenses end up on your personal credit card. That you'd really appreciate if she could try to get them submitted in a day or two and, if she cannot, to let you know so you can do it yourself.

And, if this is all you're using your secretary for, take the time to ask her if she has any suggestions as to how you two can work better together. Is there anything she does for other lawyers that she enjoys and would like to do for you?

If you've already tried all that, the ignore the above. The other posters might be correct. But don't go about trying to ruin someone's career over what might just be a misunderstanding.

Also, remember today's administrative professionals' day - you did bring a card, cash and flowers, yes?