Veganism/Vegetarianism in the Workplace!

[MikeMcMann]

Thoughts? Good thing or over reach?

If you work for WeWork and take a client out to lunch and they order the Chicken will the employee have to stop them or eat the expense personally?

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WeWork bans meat at company events and won't let employees expense meals that include meat because it's bad for the environment

• 
  
  • WeWork is banning meat.
  • The company will no longer reimburse employees for meals that include red meat, poultry, or pork and will stop serving meat at company events.
  • The policy change was made in an effort to reduce WeWork's carbon footprint.

WeWork is going vegetarian.

In an email to about 6,000 employees on Friday, the $20 billion office rental company announced that it will no longer reimburse employees for meals that include red meat, poultry, or pork and will stop serving meat at company events.
...
WeWork's co-founder and chief culture officer Miguel McKelvey wrote in the email that the meat ban is an effort to reduce the company's carbon footprint. WeWork estimates the policy will save 445.1 million pounds of Carbon Dioxide emissions by 2023, 16.6 billion gallons of water, and 15,507,103 animals.

"New research indicates that avoiding meat is one of the biggest things an individual can do to reduce their personal environmental impact, even more than switching to a hybrid car," McKelvey said in a statement.

 

[Liquid Smoke]

I encourage folks like this to keep pushing their agenda.

EDIT: and fuck Business Insider. I am not disabling my adblocker for your click-baity outrage porn.

 

[Jumpy]

I was at a bar that had a function hosted by WeWork. It was mostly cute girls in their early-mid 20s wearing t-shirts playing corn-hole, passing out fliers. I got a couple free beers just from talking with them, and the people all seemed relatively cool. I find it admirable that they want to reduce their carbon footprint, but this is going to back fire on them, financially. Fact is, most people are not vegetarian and don't just want a salad or pasta, you know? Maybe once this hurts their bottom line they will add poultry back onto their list.

 

[MikeMcMann]

@Zazen will probably rent office space from them to support them even if he has no need for an office.

 

[ToxicShocker]

They are doing what we "should" do, and it has no effect on me.

Good for them, but I don't really care if it succeeds

 

[Leonard Haid]

"Thoughts? Good thing or over reach?"

It's liberal authoritarianism, but on the other hand I think independent businesses should be allowed to set whatever rules they like - within reason - without government interference, and if employees don't like it they are free to leave. I don't think that enforcing vegetarianism is unreasonable....because I'm a vegetarian that likely has something to do with that. I like the ideology, but to repeat, I don't like the authoritarian nature of that policy.

"If you work for WeWork and take a client out to lunch and they order the Chicken will the employee have to stop them or eat the expense personally?"

Not sure, but if clients are going to be punished for eating meat that's just bad business, in my opinion. But to repeat, I applaud the business exec behind this for taking a bold stand as his intentions are honorable, and based on sound knowledge rather than ignorance. But if business suffers because of this policy I hope he has the ability to adjust the policy so that it's less authoritarian, because democratic leadership is better for a happy and thriving workplace than authoritarian leadership, in my my non-expert opinion.

 

[Badger67]

Over reaching 100%

 

[Lovestorm]

Bacon will always reign supreme.

 

[MikeMcMann]

"Thoughts? Good thing or over reach?"

It's liberal authoritarianism, but on the other hand I think independent businesses should be allowed to set whatever rules they like - within reason - without government interference, and if employees don't like it they are free to leave. I don't think that enforcing vegetarianism is unreasonable....because I'm a vegetarian that likely has something to do with that. I like the ideology, but to repeat, I don't like the authoritarian nature of that policy.

"If you work for WeWork and take a client out to lunch and they order the Chicken will the employee have to stop them or eat the expense personally?"

Not sure, but if clients are going to be punished for eating meat that's just bad business, in my opinion. But to repeat, I applaud the business exec behind this for taking a bold stand as his intentions are honorable, and based on sound knowledge rather than ignorance. But if business suffers because of this policy I hope he has the ability to adjust the policy so that it's less authoritarian, because democratic leadership is better for a happy and thriving workplace than authoritarian leadership, in my my non-expert opinion.

while I don't have much of an issue with it either, outside of the rightly identified authoritarianism, Vegans would say it does not go far enough. Allowing eggs and dairy and other animal products requires farming which leads to a carbon foot print. Raw Vegans would say they do not go far enough as cooking veggies reducing nutrients requiring more veggies and more farming and more carbon footprint.

so that is the problem of forcing your view on others even when you think it has merit or an underlying logic. If WeWork is right to enforce it because of the carbon footprint are they wrong if the Vegans say they are wrong, and so on?

there is an expression 'Judge not lest ye be judged' and it is very applicable here as it is in most of life. You want to judge others and force others to confirm to your view no matter how much merit you think it has then be prepared to accept that others may do it to you and if they have the power enforce it.

 

[MikeMcMann]

I do find the parallels between the religious right and the authoritarian left curious.

One of the main reasons i was turned off organized religion was their desire to judge and impose life choices on others and a willingness to use force if they can obtain the power to do so.

I absolutely think the authoritarian left we have seen arise in this millennial generation embraces that type of power and the desire to force others to conform to their world view and their is an eagerness to obtain the force to be able to enforce it.

that might sound like hyperbole but I intend none. I absolutely believe that if they gain sufficient power through gov't, by becoming bosses, or through anarchy and illegally applied force, that they will seize it and do it just as the religious right would.

 

[PubliusVentidius]

Good thing (although a drop in the ocean). Animal farming is one of the most subsidized industries on earth, it's the leading cause of deforestation, the second leading cause of climate change, and animal products are the main contributors of the cardiovascular disease epidemic (which except genetic problems is a foodborne illness that's entirely preventable). The societal and environmental costs are retardedly high on every level.

 

[Cherry Brigand]

There's a lot of meat eating talent out there who will look elsewhere for employment. Their loss.

 

[loyalyolayal]

They're trying to recruit more Indians and getting rid of uppity/higher paid white folks.

 

[Zazen]

I was at a bar that had a function hosted by WeWork. It was mostly cute girls in their early-mid 20s wearing t-shirts playing corn-hole, passing out fliers. I got a couple free beers just from talking with them, and the people all seemed relatively cool. I find it admirable that they want to reduce their carbon footprint, but this is going to back fire on them, financially. Fact is, most people are not vegetarian and don't just want a salad or pasta, you know? Maybe once this hurts their bottom line they will add poultry back onto their list.

If you're vegan/vegetarian and eating pastas and salads you're doing it wrong.

 

[BEER]

If you're vegan/vegetarian and eating pastas and salads you're doing it wrong.

This. I rarely eat salads or pasta.

 

[TribalDrumz]

Ladies at my work are constantly hungry for meat....

 

[MikeMcMann]

If you're vegan/vegetarian and eating pastas and salads you're doing it wrong.

This. I rarely eat salads or pasta.

So whats on the menu guys? Legit curious?

But in that guys defense, I think if you are going to deny a typical meat eater there usual then substituting a pasta might make them not notice as much.

 

[jefferz]

Ladies at my work are constantly hungry for meat....

Good thing you have that little smokey

 

[Rjay]

My company had a "meet free day" as part of some environmental event not that long ago, and completely predictably all the food on offer was terrible. I was pissed. If my employer instituted this policy in perpetuity I'd leave.

 

[scorpipede]

Bacon will always reign supreme.

Fried salmon skin > bacon. It's not close.


These people can do what they want. Not overreaching at all. It will likely hurt them if they're expected to inform clients that they're to follow rules when ordering during a meeting though.