Meta Fires 24 Employees For Misusing Meal Credits On Non-Food Items

The investigation uncovered that some employees, including one earning an annual salary of $400,000, were using their meal allowances to purchase groceries and household items rather than food

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has fired approximately 24 employees at its Los Angeles offices for misusing their daily meal credits. Investigations revealed that some staff members exploited the system to buy non-food items like toothpaste, laundry detergent, and even wine glasses. This incident has raised concerns about the ethics of employee benefits in Silicon Valley.

The investigation uncovered that some employees, including one earning an annual salary of $400,000, were using their meal allowances to purchase groceries and household items rather than food meant for meals.

This anonymous employee acknowledged the practice on the messaging platform Blind, stating, “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.”

This incident, among others, emerged during a more comprehensive HR investigation into the use of meal credits. Employees who were found to have frequently violated the policy were terminated, while those with minor infractions received reprimands but were allowed to retain their positions.

“It was almost surreal that this was happening,” one dismissed worker commented, according to a report from the Financial Times. 

Meta has long provided free meals as a perk for its employees, particularly at its large campuses like the sprawling Silicon Valley headquarters. For those at smaller locations, the company offers daily credits of $20 for breakfast and $25 each for lunch and dinner, intended for use on food delivery platforms. However, the investigation revealed that some employees misused this benefit by ordering non-food items.

In 2022 and 2023, the company, valued at $1.46 trillion, cut approximately 21,000 jobs as part of a significant downsising effort. The recent round of terminations is also tied to restructuring within Meta’s WhatsApp, Instagram, and augmented reality division, Reality Labs.

In 2022, Meta faced employee backlash when it delayed its free dinner service at the Silicon Valley campus by 30 minutes to 6:30 PM, making it more challenging for workers to stock up on food or use the company's shuttle services.

Other tech giants are making similar moves; for instance, Google has reduced fitness classes and tightened its laptop replacement policy. Office supplies like staplers and tape, once easily accessible, now require requests at reception desks.