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Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

theguardian.com

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Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#21

Post by bookaway »

echoangle wrote: post #3

> That included one unnamed worker on a $400,000 salary, who said they had used their meal credits to buy household goods and groceries such as toothpaste and tea. I bet that was really worth it...

It's official. There are some perks that are better in relatively "shithole" countries than in Elysium. In that universe, they put allowance money on your food card that is mostly accepted by certain restaurants. But there are a few supermarkets that accept it as well and you're completely free to use the card "wherever it's accepted".

This facebook example by contrast is hilarious bean counting partnering with moronic principles.

And where is the quote from the person that bought toothpaste at the request of a homeless person? I'd like to be in the HR office for that conversation.

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#22

Post by Eumenes »

My startup just fired a remote employee who was using our coworking space stipend to pay for her friends art studio rent. When asked for receipts, they got super defensive and the rest is history. For every person taking advantage of their companies generous perks, there is someone hard working and ethical willing to do that job. FAFO.

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#23

Post by kokada »

tyleo wrote: post #5
echoangle wrote: post #3

> That included one unnamed worker on a $400,000 salary, who said they had used their meal credits to buy household goods and groceries such as toothpaste and tea. I bet that was really worth it...

Seems like a bad exchange for both the employee and the company. TBH I feel Meta could have just ended the program for these folks rather than flat out firing them.

I am almost sure that this employee in particular was not deemed especially important. If it was e.g.: an exec or some high level engineer, they would just be reprimand.

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#24

Post by jcgrillo »

tyleo wrote: post #13
bananapub wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why? they fired them to send a message to the other employees.

Because training employees is expensive & may not be obvious how the $ could be used. In the employee side it is a small % of total comp so it doesn’t make sense for them either. It isn’t clear that they fired the employees to send a message. From the article, it doesn’t look like Meta told other employees, “we fired people who abused the free meal service,” so I don’t know how others would get the message. Instead i…

Whether or not they intended to send a message, if I work at the facebook the blaring loud message I just received is "do not under any circumstances try to expense anything, ever."

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#25

Post by xnickb »

Etheryte wrote: post #14
tyleo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like a bad exchange for both the employee and the company. TBH I feel Meta could have just ended the program for these folks rather than flat out firing them.

Why would you not fire someone who is stealing from the company? Not seeing the logic here.

> stealing from the company

Do you imply the person didn't eat that day or what? The company compensates employees food expenses. The employee's partner made the food and thus the food can't be expended, so they bought something else at the equivalent price to compensate for what would otherwise be covered by the company.

I can't find a logic by which this is "stealing". Please clarify.

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#26

Post by Joker_vD »

jayantbhawal wrote: post #2

Description: Facebook and Instagram owner reportedly dismisses about 24 workers for abusing $25 meal credit system

Is it really an abuse? Oh no, he used meal credits to buy toothpaste and tea instead of food, so... what? It really irks me that this level of pettiness comes from the corporation that itself uses every single tax "optimization" scheme on earth (and also probably invented a couple). Apparently, quod licet Metae non licet famulo. This really is just a small monetary enhancement to one's wage, not a "we ration out your approved caloric intake separately; do not mess with its accounting — or else" system (although it seems Meta really would like to treat it like that).

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#27

Post by throwaway19972 »

Eumenes wrote: post #22

My startup just fired a remote employee who was using our coworking space stipend to pay for her friends art studio rent. When asked for receipts, they got super defensive and the rest is history. For every person taking advantage of their companies generous perks, there is someone hard working and ethical willing to do that job. FAFO.

[flagged]

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#28

Post by TrackerFF »

echoangle wrote: post #3

> That included one unnamed worker on a $400,000 salary, who said they had used their meal credits to buy household goods and groceries such as toothpaste and tea. I bet that was really worth it...

My guess is that said person will land another $400k job in the industry.

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#29

Post by throwaway19972 »

jvanderbot wrote: post #8
echoangle wrote: post #3

> That included one unnamed worker on a $400,000 salary, who said they had used their meal credits to buy household goods and groceries such as toothpaste and tea. I bet that was really worth it...

Why are people getting weird things like corporate food stamps when they are being paid 400,000 anyway?

Who cares? Have you seen the profit margins at these stingy-ass companies?

Re: Meta fires staff for 'using free meal vouchers to buy household goods'

#30

Post by chii »

stickfigure wrote: post #19
bananapub wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why? they fired them to send a message to the other employees.

If you value these employees so much that you pay them $400k/yr, be careful what message you want to send. My assumption is that this is an excuse to get rid of some employees they didn't want anyway.

> be careful what message you want to send.

the message is that it didnt matter how much you're paid, you still are under our thumbs, and we can use any excuse to fire you.

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