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.
David Seider is the Chief Commercial Officer of TheZebra.com, the company simplifying the insurance shopping experience. In this role, David oversees a broad scope related to revenue-generating activities, partner relationships, agency initiatives, and corporate development efforts. He is an excellent source on discussing auto and home insurance industry trends, the impact of macroeconomic factors on insurance rates, M&A activity and more.
Prior to joining TheZebra.com, David was a Partner at Weatherford Capital, a growth equity firm with over $1 billion in committed capital. He led the firm's investment analysis, transaction execution, and portfolio management activities. During his time at Weatherford Capital, David served on the board of directors of SOMA Global, Branch, HDVI, Stellar, and TheZebra.com. In past roles, he has also led merger and acquisition execution and capital raising efforts.
David earned his B.S. in business administration from the University of Florida and is a member of the Florida Blue Key leadership honorary. He earned his M.B.A. degree from Duke's Fuqua School of Business and graduated with highest honors as a Fuqua Scholar.
Madhu Reddiboina is the founder and CEO of RediMinds, a healthtech firm specializing in AI-assisted contested medical review.
Robert Strozak is managing director of Insureon, where he helps lead strategy, finance and operations across the company's digital insurance businesses. He has more than 18 years of insurance industry experience spanning carrier and independent distribution.
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:
