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.
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Mark L. Carroll received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts in Boston and a master’s degree in health administration from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Mark is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator in two states: Maryland and Massachusetts. He has been in the health care business for over 25 years. Mark’s passion for the elderly stems from a long line of healthcare executives within his family. He has held positions in both large publicly traded companies and the private sector.
In 2016, Mark opened hospice agency, Trinity Hospice, with the intent to deliver quality end of life care to residents in the skilled nursing setting, as well as, the community at large. Mark currently serves as CEO/Principal for the organization.
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:
