Live data from Hacker News

WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

time.com

131–140 of 319 posts

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#131
post #54

"The company estimates that the policy will save 445.1m pounds of CO2 emissions ... by 2023." That's 202,000 kt over a 5-year plan. Global fuel-based emissions in 2015: 36,061,710 kt CO2. In other words, they think they are so important as to "save" about 0.1% of global CO2 annually just by refusing to include meat in the menu of their own events and employee-expensed meals. I doubt the magnitude of their estimates.…

Even more obviously absurd: 15 million animals saved is how many per employee?

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#132

I can't eat a lot of types of food due to allergies. Meat is one of the few things I still can eat without issue. Yes, there are actually people out there (hi, me!) that actually cannot eliminate certain foods from our diets without getting sick. This policy would prevent me from being able to work at that company, for recognized medical health reasons, because I would not be able to do legitimate expenses of food re…

I'm also on a FODMAP diet - I've started bringing my own food in to work because I can't eat what they serve at work on this diet. I really don't see a problem. It's impossible to cater to every possible taste, allergy, intolerance and belief. It's nice to make an effort to cater for as many people as possible, but nobody's forcing anybody to eat anything here.

It is possible to go meat free on the fodmap diet, by the way (although people's definitions of the diet are admittedly inconsistent, and it is tricky). To be honest, meat is one the the things I find hard to eat because it's so often cooked with garlic.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#133
post #79

It's obvious they are trying to save money, with the weirdest excuse they could find. Meat is the most expensive part of any meal.

Eating vegetarian is more expensive if you want to feel full and satiated in the end.

I think you are drastically overestimating the cost of legumes.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#134

Being a vegetarian is exactly as equal a choice of freedom as being an omnivore or carnivore. This feels wrong to push this lifestyle on people. Of course one can always just not do business with We Work.

Let's not be hyperbolic here. Serving food that doesn't happen to contain meat isn't forcing you to be vegetarian any more than serving only soft drinks at an event would be forcing you to be a teetotaler.

On the other hand, a policy of "you can expense vegetarian meals, but only vegetarian meals" is forcing you to be vegetarian at a much higher and more obnoxious level than that.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#135
post #96
post #54

"The company estimates that the policy will save 445.1m pounds of CO2 emissions ... by 2023." That's 202,000 kt over a 5-year plan. Global fuel-based emissions in 2015: 36,061,710 kt CO2. In other words, they think they are so important as to "save" about 0.1% of global CO2 annually just by refusing to include meat in the menu of their own events and employee-expensed meals. I doubt the magnitude of their estimates.…

Why does it make sense to compare global CO2 emissions to WeWork's CO2 emissions? One company with one decision making an 0.1% reduction on global CO2 annually sounds pretty darn good to me.

It should sound good—unbelievably good. This is why the global comparison makes sense: it implies wework is already using at least 0.1% of the world’s C02 production. Which seems absurd for 1/4000000th of the world population.

Maybe they were just letting cows rot in their pantry, I dunno.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#136

Is this any weirder than how a lot of companies let employees charge their personal electric vehicles for free, but won't let you expense personal gasoline?

The average cost per mile for an electric is about 8 cents, gasoline is about 16 cents. https://avt.inl.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/fsev/costs.pdf

Not sure what you're getting at.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#137

I can't eat a lot of types of food due to allergies. Meat is one of the few things I still can eat without issue. Yes, there are actually people out there (hi, me!) that actually cannot eliminate certain foods from our diets without getting sick. This policy would prevent me from being able to work at that company, for recognized medical health reasons, because I would not be able to do legitimate expenses of food re…

“Intensely terrible” is one way to phrase “illegal under the ADA”... I would assume there will be accommodations made for folks with dietary restrictions that require them to eat meat, whether that’s through a simple waiver or a massive lawsuit.

No one's going to get sued for a reimbursement policy. They don't have an obligation to reimburse, and this falls so far outside of fair employment laws. HN is going nuts on this one.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#138
Meat has an horrific environmental impact, so i can see why a socially conscious company would not want to associate itself to that.

Notice that employees are still free to eat whatever they want, its just that the company will not pay for ecologically unsustainable meals.

So the freedeom of choice of the employees is unchanged, they can still go out and grab a burguer but its out of their own pocket.

Re: WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

#139
post #107
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is speciesism acceptable but not racism?

You certainly don't feel this way in principle, just in degree. Do you swat at mosquitos or flies when they bite you? Explain to me how you think different races compare to each other like a human compares to a cow? We are superior to the cow in so many ways... is that your opinion of races? I think it is immoral to not hold humans in higher regard than animals, and do what is necessary to prioritize the well being o…

You are superior to a cow in so many ways, according to you, based on your criteria. The nazis thought they were superior to jews in so many ways, according to them, based on their criteria. One is just as objectively true as the other.
Post reply on HN