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.
Jason D. Turner is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Venbrook Group, LLC. He is responsible for corporate leadership of the risk management, insurance and reinsurance broking firms, as well as developing and implementing core strategy, building infrastructure, and establishing the Venbrook vision and values systems. From modest origins as the sole proprietor of a retail brokerage, Turner has led Venbrook through a series of successful transitions and acquisitions.
Samara Cohen, senior managing director, is BlackRock's chief investment officer of ETF and index investments and a member of the firm's global executive committee.
Pat O'Donnell is chief executive officer of iPipeline. He joined the organization in November 2023, bringing robust industry knowledge and expertise to the role, including extensive experience in leading and overseeing software company operations, sales, and engineering.
O'Donnell joined iPipeline from Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software and services for faith-based, non-profit, and other purpose-driven organizations, where he led the organization as chief executive officer. In this role, O'Donnell played a key role in the company's success and oversaw a period of transformation and growth.
His experience includes serving as senior vice president, and later as president, of FLEETCOR, an Atlanta-based leading global business payments company.
O'Donnell also held roles of increasing responsibility during his nearly 24 years with ADP, a member of the Fortune 500 and global technology company providing human capital management solutions, including as senior vice president and Division Vice President of Major Accounts.
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:
