Meta fires staff for using free meal vouchers amid Whatsapp and Instagram layoffs

Meta has fired around two dozen employees from its Los Angeles office for misusing £19.24 ($25) meal vouchers to purchase household items like laundry detergent and toothpaste. This comes amid company-wide layoffs affecting WhatsApp and Instagram teams.

The Financial Times, who first reported the story, said Meta dismissed employees last week after investigations found staff had been abusing the system.

Like other big tech firms, Meta offers employees free food based at its Silicon Valley headquarters. Staff at Meta are given £15.39 ($20) for breakfast, £19.24 ($25) for lunch and £19.24 ($25) for dinner. Staff who are situated in smaller offices without canteens can access Uber Eats or other food service credits for meals to be delivered to the office.

One anonymous worker on a £307,742 ($400,000) salary said they had used the voucher when they had not been in the office.

“On days where I would not 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,” said the unnamed worker on the professional messaging platform, Blind, as reported in The Verge.

The former employee confessed to the breach when questioned as part of a human resources investigation into the matter and was later fired. 

Those who were terminated were employees who had been taking advantage of the system for some time, according to one person familiar with the matter. Those who only broke the company policy on one occasion were reprimanded but not fired.

Meta Lays Off WhatsApp and Instagram Employees

The Verge reported Meta had begun laying off employees across its departments, including WhatsApp and Instagram.

According to people familiar with the matter, Meta has been enacting smaller cuts rather than a mass, companywide layoff.

“Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” said Dave Arnold, company spokesperson in a statement shared with The Verge.

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