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.
Tom McFarland leads Novidea's UK product roadmap and business analysis function. Through his industry expertise, close relationship with existing clients and engagement with prospects, Tom ensures the delivery and ongoing enhancement of Novidea's platform provides added value to brokers and MGAs. Tom holds strong partnerships within the insurtech community, enabling practitioners to benefit from a connected insurance ecosystem. Having spent time in operations roles within Specialty Broking and Delegated Authority, Tom's comprehensive understanding of the challenges at each stage of the insurance value chain ensures that the Novidea platform solves the challenges of today and prevents the problems of tomorrow. Tom is keen to drive transformation across the industry, particularly within the Specialty and Lloyd's markets, where there is enormous opportunity for technological modernisation and adoption.
Theo Ellis is CEO and co-founder of mortgage technology company Friday Harbor.
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:
