Shopify informed employees late last week that, starting July 1, the company will no longer cover certain types of expense reimbursements.
Among the discontinued expenses is a benefit that reimbursed employees up to $55 for monthly internet costs. The exact amount varied by country based on the average local internet cost, according to internal documents viewed by Business Insider.
“The Internet expense was set up to fill a need as the pandemic hit and we transitioned to remote work. Some Shopifolk didn’t have reliable home internet (or any, in some cases), and needed to get set up quickly,” stated an email sent to all Shopify employees and viewed by BI.
“Today, four years later, having a robust internet connection has become an expected part of working in a digital company like ours.”
Employees have until the end of the year to submit any expenses incurred before the program ends on July 1.
The policy will continue in specific countries and US states where regulations require employers to reimburse remote work costs. Most of Shopify’s employees are based in Canada and the US.
The change has upset some employees who continue to work from home and have come to rely on the internet benefit.
Shopify, like many companies, went fully remote early in the pandemic but has remained remote-first even as others have implemented return-to-office policies.
The company occasionally brings employees and partners together for events and reopened some offices for optional in-person work last summer.
Shopify will also discontinue several “low use / high toil” expenses as described in the email. These include a $25 birthday credit for purchases from a Shopify merchant and coverage of 50% of registration fees for employees joining a sports team with coworkers.
Additionally, the company allowed employees to expense up to $1,200 annually for books, professional development subscriptions, and language-learning resources. Employees will still be able to expense books and professional courses with prior managerial approval.
Representatives for Shopify did not respond to BI’s request for comment on the changes to its expense policy. However, the email to employees explained that these changes are necessary to meet the company’s current needs.
“As we’ve evolved through many versions of Shopify, what we allow people to expense has evolved alongside us,” it read. “What stays consistent is our philosophy that everything we offer to our people must meet the needs of the Shopify of today, and set us up for the future.”
Recently, Shopify has highlighted various methods it has used to maintain efficient spending. During its first-quarter earnings call in May, it credited AI with helping to keep its head count flat, especially within teams handling customer-support requests.
A recent reorganization in Support has reassigned some employees to new teams as functions have been consolidated and streamlined.
