Bosses deploy 'perk police' to make sure employees aren't slacking

It’s official. The jig is up

Those who commit workplace “sins” have been warned to be on the lookout, as bosses continue to crack down on rule-breakers both in Australia and overseas.

In a bid to increase efficiency, “perk police” are being deployed by large companies to seek employees who commit minor infractions that could end in the staff members being fired.

For some businesses, the tough rule enforcement is aimed at making examples of those who break the rules and is also an attempt to push out unwanted staff.

One method of catching those who bend the rules is taking off in the US: Payhawk. The corporate spend management platform issues smart cards for clients’ employees and monitors misuse of the cards.

Katie MacKillop, US Director of Payhawk, said her clients are asking for more restrictions to be added to company credit cards as codes of conduct are taken more seriously.

Businesswoman Crystal Yu relaxing in office, texting on her phone and drinking coffee — Some companies have hired “perk police” to make sure everyone is doing their job. Getty Images

“We have had lots of requests for new controls,” Katie MacKillop, US Director of Payhawk, told the Wall Street Journal.

Such controls include restrictions on the hours and locations the cards can be used.

The company is also working on a feature that would send alerts about employee spending in real time to corporate finance teams, and the transactions could then be blocked.

There have also been recent crackdowns at Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta, with around two dozen employees fired from its Los Angeles office. The terminations came after the workers were found to have used company meal credits for items such as wine glasses and acne treatment pads, CNN reported.

Two dozen employees have been fired from Meta’s Los Angeles office. AFP via Getty Images

The company provides meal vouchers to the value of USD$20 (AUD$31) for breakfast and USD$25 (AUD$39) for lunch dinner for their employees located at offices without food services.

Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said the job losses came as part of company restructurings.

“Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” Clayton said.

“This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.”

Other companies who are cracking the whip include Ernst & Young, which provides accounting and consulting services. The company fired workers who watched multiple trainings videos at the same time, and Target in the US who let go of workers who jumped in line in front of the public to buy the much-hyped Stanley water bottles.

The employees were reportedly terminated for violating Target’s employee-purchase guidelines, which forbids workers from using their positions to “gain an unfair advantage over guests” when purchasing products.

Human resources consultant Suzanne Lucas told the Journal that companies may became stricter after realizing they have hired too many people, such as during the post-pandemic period.

“When you are desperately hiring, you’re definitely overlooking things,” Lucas said.

“When you need to cut headcount, you tighten up the rules.”

Many companies want to avoid looking weak by announcing official lay-offs, and having a reason to fire employees can save money by avoiding severance packages.

Matt Tedesco, 47, was laid off by S & P Global last year and has a new role as a sales account executive. He recalls several of his colleagues being fired after using food allowances to purchase groceries while at his previous workplace.

“It’s hard to get a job right now – it took me months,” he said. “From an employee standpoint, my takeaway is don’t abuse any privilege because it’s not worth the risk.”

So the key takeaway for employees is to stick to the company’s code of conduct, or risk it all. That could mean no more extended lunch breaks than what’s stated in your contract, and no small bets on the races if your company has a policy against gambling.

“They’re either weeding or just trying to make an example of behaviour they think is inappropriate,” Jennifer Dulski, chief executive of Rising Team, a maker of employee-engagement software, told the Journal.

In Australia, businesses are increasingly using technology to keep track of their staff’s every move, from personal conversations to online shopping.

In February last year, Suzie Cheiko claimed she had been “let go” by Insurance Australia Group after 18 years as she failed to meet her quota of computer keystrokes. The Fair Work Commission assessed a broader variety of performance criteria and rejected her unfair dismissal claim.

The crackdown comes as Australia’s unemployment rate remains steady at 4.1 percent for the third month in a row. Victoria maintained the highest rate in the country at 4.5 percent – alongside the Northern Territory – when the October figures were released on Thursday.

Seasonally-adjusted monthly labour force figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday revealed Australia added 9700 full-time jobs and 6200 part time jobs month-on-month, despite predictions October would record 25,000 new jobs.