Fudging Expense Reports: And Just What Was That Teepee For?

This falls into the category of "we know it goes on, but you’ve got to be kidding." To be more precise, the subject is exaggerating a bit on employee expense forms; the "kidding" part is the ridiculous lengths some people go to try and get non-business expenses paid for.

Not to be "Mr. Goody Two Shoes," but that common exaggeration part, when you look a little closer at it, is really like stealing. No, it’s not swiping the candy bar from the convenience store when the clerk isn’t looking. But at an age when we’re supposed to know better, it is trying to take something (money) from your employer that doesn’t belong to you under those circumstances.

Anyway, Robert Half Management Resources conducted a recent survey of chief financial officers. The question: Most unusual things you’ve seen on expense reports; the answers: pretty incredible.

Here’s a sample, with a larger list in the company’s press release:

  • Cosmetic surgery
  • Lottery tickets
  • Pet food
  • A trailer rental for a family reunion
  • A teepee
  • A person lost his personal cell phone somewhere in the office, so he submitted the cost of a new one
  • A golf trip for the employee and his three friends
  • Video game console
  • Hot tub supplies