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.
Sylvester Mathis is the Chief Insurance Officer at Insurity. With over 30 years of experience at organizations like LexisNexis, Allianz, Choicepoint, and North American Insurance Group, Sylvester has a deep understanding of the objectives, goals, and challenges faced by insurance organizations. As an insurance domain expert and thought leader, Sylvester provides in-depth perspectives and analysis on industry conditions, market strategy, and customer trends to provide the necessary foundation for long-term strategic growth.
Charles Gorrivan is a Manhattan-based editorial intern at American Banker and a Dow Jones News Fund Business Reporting Fellow. He is a rising third-year student at the University of St Andrews, where he studies international relations and is an editor at its independent campus newspaper, The Saint. Last summer, he covered New York State and City politics at Gotham Gazette.
Michael Nathanson is chair and CEO of The Colony Group.
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:
