Luxurious workplace facilities are one of the hallmarks of working at a technology company like Meta. But ahead of the return of Meta employees to the office on March 28 after working from home for a long time, the company actually cut some of these facilities.
Facebook's parent company is reportedly going to eliminate some office facilities, including free laundry, dry cleaning and valet services. They will also postpone the free dinner time from 18.00 to 18.30 local time.
"By the time we returned to the office, we had adapted the services and facilities at the workplace to better reflect the needs of our hybrid workforce," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement, as quoted by The Guardian, Tuesday (15/3/2022). .
The postponed free dinner hours mean fewer employees will be able to enjoy them. The reason is that the company's free shuttle bus will depart from the office at 18.00.
So employees have to choose between free dinner or free transportation. Meta employees also find it increasingly difficult to pack food to take home.
"Our culinary service is primarily a facility for people while they are working in the office. We want food to be served to meet that need at a time when people may have to work overtime," said a spokesperson for Meta.
Meta employees were immediately annoyed by this announcement. According to seven employees who spoke to The New York Times, many employees complained in the comments of posts announcing the new policy.
According to one employee, Meta's Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth defended the new policy and criticized employees who complained that they were entitled to all the benefits.
In response to the new policy, Meta said it will increase its employee benefits from USD 700 to USD 3,000 this year. Benefits currently cover costs related to physical or mental health, financial planning, and care for children, the elderly, and pets.
