Shopify has revealed plans to end a popular benefit that reimburses employees up to $55 monthly for internet costs. The exact reimbursement amount varies by country, reflecting the local average internet expenses.
Initiated during the pandemic, this benefit aimed to support employees transitioning to remote work. Some Shopifolks didn’t have reliable home internet (or any, in some cases), and needed to get set up quickly. In an internal announcement, viewed by Business Insider, the company now emphasised that having a robust internet connection has become an expected part of working and hence it’s time to bid adieu to this financial support.
Employees are advised to submit any internet expenses incurred before the programme ends on 1 July. The policy will remain in place only in countries and US states where regulations mandate employer reimbursement for remote work costs. Most of Shopify’s workforce is located in Canada and the US.
However, the decision has caused discontent among some employees who still work from home and have grown dependent on this benefit. Shopify, which shifted to a fully-remote model early in the pandemic, remains remote-first even as other companies have moved back to office-based work. The company occasionally organises events for employees and partners and had reopened some offices for optional in-person work last summer.
Additionally, Shopify will discontinue several other benefits deemed “low use / high toil” in the email. These include a $25 birthday credit for purchases from Shopify merchants and a 50 per cent subsidy on registration fees for employees joining sports teams with coworkers.
Another programme being phased out allowed employees to spend up to $1,200 annually for books, professional development subscriptions, and language-learning resources. Moving forward, expenses for books and professional courses will require prior managerial approval.
Recently, Shopify has highlighted various measures to maintain efficient spending. During its first-quarter earnings call in May, the company credited AI with keeping headcount steady, particularly within customer-support teams.
