Imagine if your boss has a stack of gift cards on their desk in case people need a taxi home, and some employees start using it as their personal expense fund.
If I was looking to fire someone, the thieves would be at the top of the list.
I guess the net result is the same? It seems accepting the digital voucher comes with a huge risk--what if they decide to object to the establishment or your food choice? So just.. bring a sandwich for lunch instead or pay with your own money...
Some companies will have a app or web page where you can click to submit a request certifying that you are working late and request a meal voucher code. Sometimes there is an "I self certify I qualify and am following the rules.." checkbox
Using the code in the app sends the food bill and receipt to your company account, presumably with an identifier of who made the purchase.
>It seems accepting the digital voucher comes with a huge risk--what if they decide to object to the establishment or your food choice?
Seems like no risk to me, provided you are following the clear rules and aren't willfully scamming the system. I have never heard of a company objecting to a good faith food choice or establishment, and that doesnt seem to be the case here either.
That's genuinely interesting. I'd probably be so much happier in general if I was ever able to trust an employer's intentions that much. Experience has (repeatedly) taught me otherwise, though, so I fear that's not possible barring major changes in U.S. employment laws.
There are lots of areas where I dont trust employers, but following published expense policies is not one I lose sleep over.
I have never once had a problem, or heard of anyone else having a problem in real life. I have used corporate expenses for decades, and know tons of people doing the same across dozens of companies.
That said, I don't overtly steal from the company. I'm smart enough to realize people are touchy about that.
We've had broadly the same experience but drawn very different conclusions here. This is very interesting and I'll definitely think long and hard about it.
EDIT: I have had (accidentally) improperly reported expenses rejected before. That's normal procedure. It would be quite shocking if my employer instead just fired me... Albeit given U.S. employment law it would not be surprising
This makes perfect sense. There is a difference between a good faith mistake, and intentional theft. I imagine your employer would be less forgiving if you fabricated your report or try to fly under the radar with personal purchases
Is periodically firing employees not part of the process too?
If these people are habitually and willfully lying and stealing from the company for $20, what could that mean for the rest of their work and interactions.
Several thousand dollars of stolen meals is a bargain to identify these individuals and get them out of the company. Who knows what else they are stealing and lying about. opportunities about
Because if the employees were using some kind of non-monetary compensation that was allowed to be accepted in an uncontrolled manner that's a process problem. When they swiped their decoder ring or what the fuck ever it should have errored out.
> habitually and willfully lying and stealing
Prove it beyond a reasonable doubt and i'll listen.
24/70,000 employees seemed to have a problem with theft. The process worked for 99.97% of employees who weren't thieves abusing the system.
>Prove it beyond a reasonable doubt and i'll listen.
Not even the fired employees are contesting what they did. They are just saying they didnt think it was a big deal
What a sad and scared worldview. Interactions with your employer are also grounds for promotion, recognition, and advancement. Instead of hiding from life, you can engage with it. There are risks, but competent humans can asses those risks and proceed in a thoughtful way to achieve their goals.
>ANOTHER EDIT: which restaurants or food trucks accept these "digital vouchers"? Are these some kind of apple wallet type thing on your phone? So it only works at places with certain payment equipment? Many places I like to eat only take cash..
Per the article, they are codes you put in to apps like grubhub and ubereats. Yes, there are practical limitations on the perk. If you want to eat at a cash only place, you probably arent in the office working, and you can pay it out of your own pocket with your 400k Meta salary.
As a competent human, here's how I approach these risks. There's simply nothing an employer can possibly do to me that matters significantly. Firing is an opportunity--I can collect unemployment and apply to better jobs and probably get a raise. Failing that, I'm confident in my skills to survive and thrive in any north american climate and--with a small amount of luck and some learning curve--by extension just about anywhere else on the planet. So I'm not actually super worried about the worst case scenario. But I'm not super confident it won't happen, because to be so i'd have to trust employers which is a known mistake.
> grubhub and ubereats
Ah ok, i've never used apps like that. I'm probably not the demographic who'd be caught in this sting.
That's obviously not a serious question, so it doesn't deserve a response.
> if we give you food vouchers to buy your dinner, then use it for buying yourself dinner
I don't know whether there even is a "message", but if I worked for a company that just fired a bunch of people for discrepancies in really minor expense reports I would simply avoid submitting an expense report for something like a meal ever again. They're clearly looking for an excuse to fire people, and it's better to not make oneself a target.