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.
Stephanie Ferris is the CEO and president of FIS.
Brett is a senior principal at Oliver Wyman's Chicago Actuarial Property and Casualty Practice. With a focus on innovation, he leverages predictive analytics to support growth, profitability, and transformative product design for P&C insurers. With more than two decades of experience in the P&C insurance industry, Brett advises insurance carriers on product design, pricing, and underwriting strategy, helping them respond to evolving risk profiles and changing customer expectations. His work spans personal and commercial lines, where he partners with clients to develop customer-centric products, optimize pricing frameworks, and enhance underwriting scorecards to improve risk selection and competitive positioning.
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:
