Workers at Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, have reportedly been fired for abusing the tech firm’s meal voucher system. According to reports, employees were using the vouchers to purchase non-food items such as toothpaste, washing powder, and wine glasses.
The company provides its staff with meal vouchers worth $25 for lunch, $20 for breakfast, and $25 for dinner, intended to be used for ordering food from Grubhub. However, some employees were allegedly sharing the vouchers with others, going over budget, and purchasing items that were not food-related.
Posts on the anonymous work social message board Blind seem to confirm these allegations, with one user claiming that more than 30 people were fired for misusing the credits. While some users stated that the employees were given warnings to stop their behavior, others claimed that there were no warnings issued.
In addition to the meal voucher controversy, Meta has reportedly made job cuts across the business, including at WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs, the division responsible for the Oculus headset. Former security engineer Jane Manchun Wong revealed that she had lost her job as part of the layoffs, expressing her shock and disappointment on social media.
Meta has been contacted for comment on the situation. The company’s spokesperson told tech publication Verge that they are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy, including moving teams to different locations and employees to different roles. They also stated that they are working to find other opportunities for impacted employees when roles are eliminated.
