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.
Lisa Cregan is head of field leadership readiness and acquisition at Morgan Stanley.
Over a 40-year career, she has worked to make the financial services industry more inclusive and successful by welcoming talent from across the spectrum. In 2022, she founded the Climb-Pause-Lift Foundation, which supports women athletes through scholarships, grants and avenues to internships and full-time positions in wealth management. She is a trustee emerita for the Women's Sports Foundation, founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, and is a contributor to the Georgetown University Women's Leadership Institute.
The research reveals that even though most accountants expect AI to change their jobs, upend client expectations and increase opportunities, the majority are not currently using AI and are reluctant to do so in the near future.
Torben Robertson is the content marketing manager at Cardata.
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:
