Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has reportedly fired about 24 employees at its Los Angeles offices for misusing their $25 meal credits. Instead of using the credits for food, some workers were buying non-food items like toothpaste, laundry detergent, and wine glasses.
The terminations happened after an investigation showed that some staff were not following the rules. It was found that some employees were even taking food home when they weren’t working at the office.
One employee, who made $400,000 a year, admitted to using the meal credits to buy groceries for their home. The worker explained, “I didn’t want to waste the dinner credit.”
While some employees were only warned for breaking the rules, those who repeatedly abused the system were fired. Meta takes this kind of rule-breaking seriously, especially since the company offers the meal credits as part of their benefits for employees working in the office.
The investigation and dismissals highlight how important it is for employees to follow the company’s policies, even for something as simple as meal credits. Meta provides these benefits to make things easier for their workers, but when the system is misused, it can lead to serious consequences, including job loss.
This situation also emphasizes the need for companies to regularly check how benefits are being used, ensuring that everyone follows the rules fairly.