Cost-cutting in the workplace: Employees share the worst cost-cutting measures undertaken by employers

Over the course of the past year, several big tech companies have been forced to lay off a significant number of their employees, following which many have also had to cut down on several other expenses. Sources claim that while Google had cut back on free fitness classes for its employees, Twitter had to reduce its office space. Similarly, Goldman Sachs also had to get rid of its fancy, in-office coffee stations.

But these are only some of the cost cutting measures, companies have had to take to weather the economic downturn. Several Indian organisations have also had to cut back on some employee perks.

Recently one disgruntled employee took to Grapevine, an app where users share their workplace experiences anonymously and the employee began a discussion around what the worst cost-cutting measures were taken by their companies.

The discussion around companies and their cost-cutting measures started when one Grapevine user asked “What’s the chindiest (most miserly) cost cutting measure your company has taken?”


The user began the discussion by revealing that MoEngage, a marketing company has asked its employees not to attend the firm's flagship event in Bengaluru to “save money on the number of plates served during lunch and the amount of beer bottles served.”

Well, that's not even the worst of it. The post received dozens of responses from Indian professionals who revealed the funniest ways in which their employers went about penny-pinching.

One person, who claims to work for Amazon India, revealed that individual dustbins provided to all employees were replaced by one big dustbin that everyone on the floor was expected to use.

Another person said they worked for a fitness startup in Pune that gave nothing to employees on Diwali – “not even a box of sweets.” The absence of Diwali gifts was a recurring theme in the responses as several other users said their companies completely skipped out of Diwali gifts or bonuses.

Some even went a step further and said their organisation collected money from employees for celebrating Diwali or other festivals.

Another disgruntled user had a long list of complaints against their previous employer. They said they were forced to pay Rs 2,500 as fine for losing a cheap Dell mouse they had received 7.5 years ago when they first joined the organisation.

Another employee said their firm had begun diluting handwash in loos with water.

“The company replaced Oreos with 50-50 Maska Chaska,” wrote one employee who did not reveal the name of their company, while another said, “No more tissues in the loos. Use handkerchief.”