Home » US business news » Tiktok workers will lose food allowances and wi-fi payments as pressure mounts to get back to the office

Tiktok workers will lose food allowances and wi-fi payments as pressure mounts to get back to the office

By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted August 8, 2022

Tiktok is cutting pandemic-era benefits to its employees like paid-for daily meals, as the firm pushes staff to return back to the office.

The company announced its return to office policy on Monday, July 11, requiring staff to make it at least twice a week but urging them to come in thrice a week.

Sources said it gave staff a little more than a month's notice that they would be expected back in the office.

Following the Covid-19 lockdowns in early 2020, the Chinese-owned social-media firm employed hundreds of people, with the majority of them working remotely.

Many of those people were not working in areas that matched to the offices where they were supposed to be.

A TikTok spokeswoman said those employees have been informed that it is now time to begin relocating to their new offices.

Some employees said that as part of the return to work push, they were informed that they would no longer be reimbursed for Wi-Fi and gym fees.

The spokeswoman said there has been no companywide shift to these sorts of charges.

Employees in the US who are not assigned to the company's main hubs in Los Angeles or Mountain View, California, will also lose a $45-per-day food allowance.

The spokeswoman also stated that the firm is also attempting to bring food catering to its workplaces to compensate for the loss of the meal stipend.

She said: “Our goal is to create a positive office environment for in-person collaboration that meets the needs of a global team while providing flexibility for employees to work remotely.”

The company “will continue to offer various benefits to help make our hybrid work approach as smooth as possible.”

The return of a large number of employees has put a strain on some of the company's offices since there aren't enough workstations, conference rooms, or parking places.

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Employees can also apply for long-term remote work, which needs clearance from human resources and the head of their department at multiple levels.

Employees who want to work from home for an extended period of time must reapply every six months, and those who do must submit evidence, such as a doctor's letter.

As a result of the return to work policy, several employees have resigned from the firm.

They claimed the policy changes were not the only reason for the resignations, but that the company's demanding work culture was also a role.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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