Reimbursement for Mobile Devices and Services

[theitguyfromny]

My company has always struggled with exactly how much we will reimburse our employees for mobile communications. There are several options surrounding not only cell phone service, but more recently now, mobile data services (like SMS and iPhone data charges) and then there's also the actual mobile devices (Blackberries, iPhones, cell phones, etc).

Since I believe personally that mobile services and the associated devices make our staff more accessible to one another and to our clients and vendors, I advocate for at least partial reimbursement for monthly service charges and the devices (an annual "allowance").

Any thoughts on this topic?

P.S. I bring this up now as many of us are presumably starting to think about '09 budget.

[REByers]

If they can itemise call costs, then I would use this percentage against the plan percentage as well.

The problem comes when people use up their inclusive minutes for work and then have to pay for personnal calls.

I am speaking from a UK perspective, and I know mobile call plans and pricing schemes vary massively between here and the US.

[Anticlue]

Hi,

With the IRS regulations, we have moved to a company paid stipend mechanism based upon usage. For example, given your role, travel requirements, and other mechanism determines your stipend amount. The stipend is then authorized by the same individual who authorizes the salary of the individual.

This has been avery successful transition for us, and also decreased our cellular expense by 50%.

Hope this helps,
Elyse

http://www.anticlue.net/