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.
Arad Levertov is the CEO and co-founder of Sunbit, which offers BNPL services for in-person transactions as well as a branded credit card.
Ron is a tech entrepreneur who has brought his love for developing empowering products to startups and major international corporations alike. He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Empathy, the world's leading support system for navigating loss. Before launching Empathy in 2020, Ron held roles as a Product Executive at WeWork and eBay. He initially joined eBay after the acquisition of The Gifts Project in 2011, a social-commerce startup where he served as Co-Founder & CEO.
Shara has spent more than 20 years helping healthcare organizations think differently about how to involve and empower people more effectively in their care and health. She continues in that work as CEO of Carallel, the leading provider of holistic support, guidance and assistance for family caregivers.
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:
