Intel has announced to bring back free coffee and tea for its employees after slashing a number of employee benefits in a bid to reduce costs. 

In August of this year, Intel decided to lay off 15,000 workers. Alongside these layoffs, Intel also scaled back several employee perks, including reimbursements for expenses such as internet, phone, and travel costs. 

As part of its broader cost-cutting strategy, Intel focused on reducing expenditures across various non-essential areas. Intel also brought changes to employee benefits, including reduced reimbursements for expenses like internet, phone, and commuting.

However, in a recent communication to employees, the company acknowledged that while it continues to face financial challenges, certain perks—like free coffee and tea—are essential for maintaining a positive workplace environment.

Intel’s internal message, shared on its employee platform ‘Circuit’, emphasized the importance of small comforts in the workplace. 

“Although Intel still faces cost challenges, we understand that small comforts play a significant role in our daily routines. We know this is a small step, but we hope it is a meaningful one in supporting our workplace culture,” the company stated.

Intel, once a dominant force in the tech industry, has experienced a series of setbacks that have diminished its competitive edge. Although the company was a key player in the personal computer revolution of the 1990s, it lagged behind in the mobile chip market, allowing Apple to rise to prominence with the launch of the iPhone.

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta has laid off employees across multiple teams, including at WhatsApp and Instagram, as part of an apparent restructuring exercise, reports said on Thursday. 

Meta did not immediately comment on how many employees were impacted in the latest round of job cuts.

In a statement to TechCrunch, the company confirmed multiple teams were hit by layoffs.

“A few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“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,” the spokesperson added.

Employees working on Reality Labs, Instagram and WhatsApp were affected by the layoffs, according to reports.

Several Meta employees took to social media platforms to announce they have been laid off.

Jane Manchun Wong, who was part of the Threads team, posted: “I’m still trying to process this but I’m informed that my role at Meta has been impacted. Thank you to everyone, especially my Threads and Instagram teammates, for my wild journey at Meta”.

“If anyone is interested in working together esp on software/security engineering, please reach out via my email, LinkedIn, etc noted on my personal website,” she wrote on Threads.

Earlier this year, Meta laid off employees at its Reality Labs division.

The social media company run by Mark Zuckerberg first laid off 11,000 employees in 2022. In 2023, Meta laid off another 10,000 employees and withdrew 5,000 open roles it had yet to fill, as part of CEO Zuckerberg’s “year of efficiency”.