Big companies, obsessed with squeezing out every ounce of efficiency, are deploying ‘perk police’ to catch minor infractions that could lead to termination.

Huge corporations like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta have recently terminated employees for spending their $25 meal allowances on other items.

Target has fired employees who appeared to jump the line, ahead of the general public, to buy the on-trend Stanley water bottles.

Another global company, Ernst & Young – which provides accounting, consulting and other services – dismissed workers who were caught watching multiple training videos at the same time.

Though these infractions may seem minor, the uptick in company policy enforcement can be viewed as a direct result of companies wanting to rid themselves of unwanted employees obtained during a post-pandemic hiring spree.

‘When you are desperately hiring, you’re definitely overlooking things,’ Suzanne Lucas, a human-resources consultant, told the Wall Street Journal.

‘When you need to cut head count, you tighten up the rules.’

Several rule-enforcing companies have recently sought council from outside agencies like Payhawk – a financial technology company that helps businesses manage and automate their finances – to help crack down on unwanted expenses.

‘We have had lots of requests for new controls,’ Katie MacKillop, US director of Payhawk said.

MacKillop told the Journal that clients are asking Payhawk to restrict when and where company cards work, often restricting lunch-goer’s to strict guidelines.

She also shared that the company, which also administers company credit-card accounts and watches for misuse, is developing a feature that sends real-time alerts to corporate finance teams and allows them to instantly block suspicious transactions by employees.

But, in America’s current economic climate, where companies are scarcely hiring, how can employees ensure their spot on a company’s roster?

‘It’s hard to get a job right now – it took me months,’ Matt Tedesco, a 47-year-old who recently obtained a new job after being laid off by S&P Global last year, said.

‘From an employee standpoint, my takeaway is don’t abuse any privilege because it’s not worth the risk.’

Tedesco, who just recently acquired a new position as a sales account executive at Hearst, said a half dozen of his colleagues in sales were shown the door because they used meal stipends to buy groceries.

Cracking down on rules and guidelines is an oft-deployed tactic when companies are facing increased financial pressure, so for employees, remaining within your company’s code of conduct is essential.

For some this can mean, no more wagering small bets over fantasy sports leagues created at work, as it can potentially violate a corporate policy against gambling.

For others it can mean no more taking lunch just a few minutes longer or later than what has explicitly written in your schedule.

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

Right now in the US, the unemployment rate ranks below historical averages as the pace of hiring across the country has slowed.

The country’s current economy created only 12,000 new jobs in October of this year, the lowest monthly job growth since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020.