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.
Matthew Whitledge is an associate clinical professor at Mississippi State University.
Ashley Foster, MBA, SHRM-SCP, is the Executive Vice President of Acute Partnerships at ShiftMed, where she leverages over 15 years of healthcare HR experience to drive innovative workforce solutions for hospitals and health systems. Ashley's expertise spans strategic human resource leadership, talent acquisition, and employee retention, having previously led HR teams at major health systems. Her work focuses on addressing the critical challenges facing healthcare today—recruitment, retention, and workforce sustainability—by championing flexible staffing models that empower healthcare organizations to meet evolving workforce demands while enhancing employee satisfaction and engagement.
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:
