Meta, the tech giant owned by Mark Zuckerberg, recently dismissed multiple employees from its Los Angeles office for misusing company meal vouchers intended for food. According to a report from Financial Times, 24 employees were let go after they were found to be using their daily meal credits to purchase non-food items, such as toothpaste, laundry detergent, and even wine glasses.
Meta’s Popular Employee Perks
Meta, which owns major platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, is known for its generous employee perks. In larger offices, staff can enjoy complimentary meals directly from Meta’s cafeterias. In smaller office spaces, however, employees are instead given daily meal credits, which they can use for food orders through delivery services like Grubhub and UberEats.
The meal allowances provide $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $25 for dinner per day for each employee, amounting to a significant benefit. But recent investigations revealed that several employees were abusing this allowance by ordering non-food items or having food delivered to their homes on days they weren’t working from the office.
Investigation and Dismissal of Employees
The abuse of the meal system continued even after initial warnings from the company. Upon discovering that employees were repeatedly misusing the credits, Meta took the decision to terminate those involved. One former employee, who reportedly earned an annual salary of $400,000, shared on the anonymous messaging platform Blind that they used the meal credits to buy household items when they didn’t plan to eat at the office. They explained, “On days where I wouldn’t be eating at the office, like if my husband was cooking or if I was grabbing dinner with friends, I figured I ought not to waste the dinner credit.”
Meta’s Statement on Recent Changes
In response to the layoffs, Meta spokesperson David Arnold issued a statement saying, “Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy.” He added that some teams were being moved to different locations, and employees whose roles were eliminated would be given opportunities to transition to new positions within the company.
Arnold’s comments suggest that Meta is not only addressing the specific misuse of meal vouchers but also taking broader steps to optimize its resources and align with its business objectives.
Moving Forward with Strategic Realignment
The recent layoffs highlight Meta’s commitment to maintaining ethical standards while optimizing resource use within its offices. As the company continues to streamline operations, these actions underscore the importance Meta places on responsible use of its employee benefits and its strategic goals.
