Employees working from home during the coronavirus pandemic claimed some outlandish expenses this year, including pricey exercise bikes, facelifts and private jets.
Emburse, an expense management software company, released a compilation Wednesday of some of the craziest expenses it has seen claimed this year, some of which were actually approved. That included $1,895, which was approved as a contribution for an employee's Peloton Bike under the explanation of “for health and wellness.” On the other hand, a $7,600 expense claim for a facelift was submitted under the category of “repairs and maintenance” but was rejected, despite the pressing need to look one’s best during a Zoom meeting.
Haden Kirkpatrick is the head of marketing strategy and innovation at Esurance. He oversees all initiatives related to product and service innovation and manages the annual planning processes for the marketing and service business units. Haden is an innovator who is constantly thinking about how blockchain technology will impact the auto insurance industry. To learn more about Esurance’s auto insurance policies, visit their website.
John Murdock is chief revenue officer for Centage. He has over 20 years experience in the high-tech industry, with a focus on driving sales, building new revenue streams and developing strong teams.
Doug Tolley is the business development director at KLAS, a healthcare IT research firm. He leads the KLAS Decision Insights team, which evaluates provider buying decisions.
Some expenses weren’t for working from home, but more about getting out of the house safely. An expense claim for a private jet charter costing over $20,000 was submitted and approved under the explanation of “required to limit COVID exposure for international shoots.” Another travel-related expense claim was $2,500 for a helicopter ride, which was not approved.
The $79 expense claim for a dog crate could perhaps be used for travel at some point when that's safer, but in these times it was more plausibly to provide "crate training [for] a new COVID puppy to not run into Zoom meetings."
Below is an infographic produced by Emburse showing this and several other head-scratching claims:
