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WeWork Will No Longer Let Employees Expense Any Kind of Meat

time.com

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

#151

Post by curo »

jhayward wrote: post #130
curo wrote: post #106

A lot of comments seem to be missing the facts: - WeWork isn't forcing employees to be vegetarian (it's not like a hiring requirement) - most companies have restrictions and rules surrounding their expensing - WeWork has decided they won't reimburse meat (employees can still buy meat) Should we force WeWork leadership, despite their rights to hold moral positions, to pay for something they don't want to pay for?

We should certainly make sure that they feel the full effects of their decisions, in PR, the employment market, and in public praise or ridicule.

Blood thirst. Of all the causes you could take up, you take arms against a group of people who (albeit, according to their own values) want to restrict budgets from going to killing animals.

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

#152

Post by grahamburger »

mikeash wrote: post #116
nodesocket wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that they are limiting people's choices and free will to eat meat and write-off (financial incentive) is the core problem.

They’re not limiting people’s choices, they’re just limiting what they want to pay for. It’s not like they’re threatening to fire anyone who eats meat on their own. I don’t see the problem here. Lots of companies don’t buy their employees food at all . (And I say this as a meat eater who would definitely be affected by this change.)

The biggest issue for me would be getting reimbursed for travel expenses. True that some companies don't buy food for their employees at all but I definitely expect to be fed while traveling for the company, and I would definitely be finding a new place to work if I couldn't eat meat while traveling.

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

#153

Post by inertiatic »

lolsal wrote: post #114
inertiatic wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only exactly as equal a choice for the individual doing the eating. It's less of a choice for the other beings involved.

I'm curious about this mindset - it seems like you object to eating animals because they lack a choice. Do you have any problem with wild animals eating other wild animals (who presumably also have less of a choice)? I'm not trying to trick you or trap you, just genuinely curious.

Stating that you're not trying to trick someone doesn't really mean that your question isn't loaded.

I don't assign the same amount of moral agency to humans as I do to animals and I don't have to have a moral problem with a forest fire to not be happy about it killing a large number of animals, as an example.

But even if I did, a tiger in the jungle for example doesn't really have the ability to graze on grass. Meanwhile, the human being can thrive on a plant based diet, and following one is trivial today.

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

#154

Post by temp54679680544 »

curo wrote: post #145
temp54679680544 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, they should be forced to pay for the things normally required of an employer. Including reasonable meals during business travel. The individual employee can choose on their own to be vegan or vegetarian, or to eat meat. Why should the individual rights of the employee be surpassed by the rights of the powerful employer?

If you mean "rights" in a legal context, nowhere does an employee have a right to be reimbursed . The closest governing law here is fair employment, and this isn't anywhere close to that. edit: so long as work-related expenses doesn't sum out to a minimum wage violation

I meant it in the sense of the right to choose something as basic as what they eat while traveling.

This is an insane overreach of the employer/employee relationship, and the only reason it is getting a pass here is because the "right" kind of politics are behind it.

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

#155

Post by prepend »

myWindoonn wrote: post #108
prepend wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s a good way for me to bet you $1000 that you’re wrong? This statement seems so interesting. What’s the basis for this thought process? Isn’t the trend for meat consumption to increase with wealth so as the world develops, more meat will be consumed. [0] [0] https://ourworldindata.org/meat-and-seafood-production-consu...

There's a site that will help you do this: https://longbets.org/faq/ The downside is that you won't get your money. It'll go to charity. But you'll be able to prove your point to your great-great-grandkids!

It will treat them to either a nice hamburger or veggie burger.

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

#156

Post by vfc1 »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #134
bunderbunder wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Employees are not being forced to become vegetarians, they can still eat fish, dairy and eggs and expense their meals.

They can even choose to go outside and eat meat, they have freedom of choice.

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

#157

Post by prepend »

watwut wrote: post #124
prepend wrote: post #9

It’s nice that companies are releasing these types of policies publicly so peopl can choose whether to work there. It’s sometimes hard to get a good bead in company culture due to reporting bias of people there or who left. Stuff like this will help companies and workers find each other. I worked for a company for a while before I learned their expense policy was really frustrating. $40 max expenses and their headqua…

You expect the company to pay for your drinks? That sounds ridiculous to me and I am no abstinent.

My last firm did, but no, I don’t. But if I have a beer with dinner while traveling for work, yes, of course. My current employer has a per diem and doesn’t care.

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

#158

Post by glass_of_water »

watwut wrote: post #79
user5994461 wrote: post #66

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.

It probably depends on what you make. Nuts and store-bought seitan are indeed quite expensive, but lentils and legumes are quite cheap. Where I live (major US city), tofu is only $1 a pack.

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

#160

Post by downandout »

poulsbohemian wrote: post #84
downandout wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only is it terrible from a dietary standpoint, it reveals an intolerant workplace culture that I certainly wouldn't want any part of. Most of the world, and likely most of their employees, eat meat. It shows a serious lack of connection with the real world, and a willingness on the part of management to forcefully impose extreme views on a whim. Sounds like an unhealthy place to work, even if they all become vege…

Love your profile message, you pretty much nailed what's going on with HN. Just keep posting, it's the only way to improve things.

It’s definitely getting more and more extreme around here. The fact that this article made it to the front page, and is generally being viewed as a good thing in the comments section, doesn’t say good things about where HN is headed.
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