CFOs Reveal Most Unusual Items Submitted on Employee Expense Reports
If you think you have strange expense reports, you must see this! Robert Half Management Resources survey interviewed several CFOs and asked them to name the most unusual things they have seen employees include in expense reports. The results – bound to raise both eyebrows! Here are a few of the most questionable items:
– Cosmetic surgery
– Lottery tickets
– Pet food
– A trailer rental for a family reunion
– $12,000 for a family trip-+
– A teepee
– A fine for crashing into a toll booth
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources, and it was conducted by an independent research firm. The survey included responses from 1,600 U.S. and Canadian CFOs from a random sample of companies with 20 or more employees.
The list also included gadget, leisure and hobby expenses:
– A person lost his personal cell phone somewhere in the office, so he submitted the cost of a new one
– Movie tickets
– Hotel charge for viewing adult movies (Yikes!)
– Day at the spa
– A golf trip for the employee and his three friends
– Video game console (PS4 maybe?)
Personal expenditures were frequently cited by executives as questionable. Here are some examples:
– Grocery receipts
– Cigarettes
– Pair of socks
– Toilet paper
– Hot tub supplies
– Golf clubs
– Expensive lunch for the employee, without clients
Expenses covering the cost of personal celebrations and not related to the office was equally if not more surprising:
– Flowers the employee bought for his wife
– Expenses for his son’s birthday party
– Wedding anniversary dinner
Anyone submitting an expense report should double and triple check their expenses to avoid this situation, which could definitely land the employee in hot water. One respondent said “The most unusual thing I saw was a submission for something that had already been expensed and reimbursed”
(Sourced from Robert Half Management Resources)