Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has reportedly fired several employees for misusing the company’s meal voucher system. The terminations come alongside broader job cuts across various divisions of the tech giant.
According to reports, employees were dismissed for using their meal vouchers to purchase non-food items such as toothpaste and washing powder. The voucher system, intended for ordering food through Grubhub (known as Just Eat in some regions), provides staff with $25 for lunch, $20 for breakfast, and $25 for dinner.
Anonymous posts on the work social message board Blind suggest that over 30 people were fired last week for various infractions, including buying non-food items, sharing credits with others, and exceeding budget limits. Some users claim that warnings were issued before the terminations, while others state there was no prior notice.
The controversy surrounding the meal voucher abuse is compounded by reports of wider layoffs at Meta. The company has reportedly cut jobs across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs, its virtual reality division responsible for the Oculus headset. These broader cuts are unrelated to the voucher system issues.
Jane Manchun Wong, a former security engineer at Meta and Forbes 30 under 30 listee, announced on social media that her role had been impacted by these wider layoffs. Wong, hired just over a year ago, expressed her shock at the sudden termination.
A Meta spokesperson, responding to reports by The Verge, stated that some teams are undergoing changes to align resources with long-term strategic goals and location strategy. This includes relocating teams and shifting employees to different roles. The company claims to be working to find alternative opportunities for impacted employees when roles are eliminated.
