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.
Nicole Mwesigwa is the co-founder & COO of iCover, a Missouri-based insurtech company that has designed the "Best Life Insurance Buying Experience." She has over 20 years of experience in InsurTech with expertise in eApp innovation, AI-based underwriting, and compliance. Prior to iCover, she built Reinsurance Group of America's inaugural predictive underwriting service. As a social entrepreneur, innovator, and digital insurance leader, Nicole is paving the way for a new era in the insurance industry where technology serves as a catalyst for change, enabling better, faster, and more personalized services.
Kathy is the Chief People Officer and leads all aspects of people strategy at Cognizant. She guides how the company attracts, develops, engages, and rewards its diverse global workforce. She is focused on providing an exceptional associate experience for talent at all career stages and ensuring Cognizant is an employer of choice in the industry
Peter Nagy is a vice president and team manager in Gartner's finance practice, specializing in finance functional strategy and organization design.
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:
