What do tropical fish, silk sheets, golf and divorce have in common?
These are items that employees have tried to get their bosses to pay for, according to a survey conducted by Robert Half International.
Robert asked 150 senior executives at some of the nations biggest companies what was the most outrageous thing employees have tried to get the company to pay for as a work related expense.
Responses ranged from personnel hygiene material to 60 inch plasma TVs to complete home redecorating.
Here are the top ten most outrageous things that employees have tried to claim for reimbursement:
- Tropical fish
- Traffic tickets
- Transporting a pet gerbil overseas
- Trip to Europe to conduct research
- Lodging at a storage container company
- Trip to the Masters Golf tournament
- Silk sheets and silverware
- Digital music player
- Health coverage and boarding for a pet
- Divorce costs
Maybe tropical fish are at the top of the list because these employees read my article Aquarium Watching is Good for You!
While these examples might make you chuckle, expense fraud is no laughing matter. Companies nowadays are clamping down on work related expense claims.
The Robert Half International survey revealed that 63% of all companies interviewed are now doing more careful checking of expense reports than they did in the past.
Don't get caught!
