Did you know that 4 out of 10 employees sell their meal vouchers?

A survey carried out by SPC Brasil (Credit Protection Service) in partnership with the National Confederation of Store Managers (CNDL) revealed that 4 out of 10 employees who receive the benefit sell the meal voucher with the intention of using the money for other purposes.

All the data that helped to complete the survey was collected in November 2018 and the results released in early 2019. Employees from all states in Brazil were interviewed for a really accurate sampling. We've gathered some of this data in this article to help you better understand the problem. Check it out below and find out.

What does the research say?

The survey carried out by the institutions indicates that 39% of the companies' employees, at some point, have already sold food or meal vouchers, even sporadically.

Among those interviewed, 6.2% said that they sell the benefit often or always, and 23.2% declared that they sell the benefit "sometimes". The remaining 60.6% said they had never carried out the practice.

Also according to the survey, the main reason for selling food vouchers and food stamps is to help pay the bills. Below are the main reasons given by employees (more than one option could be selected):

• pay the bills (44%);
• shopping (36%);
• save the money (21%);
• leisure (17%).

It is also worth remembering that it is the poorest population that usually bets on the practice. This conclusion was reached because, of those who said they would not sell the benefit, 75% were from classes A and B.

Selling VR is prohibited by law and can lead to dismissal for just cause

Despite being an extremely common practice, many times employees do not know that when they sell their meal vouchers or food stamps, they are subject to dismissal for just cause.

The sale is considered a crime of fraud and stelion, since VR is considered an indemnity and is not deducted by the employee's FGTS and INSS. Therefore, whoever sells it is defrauding the Union and also using the money for a purpose different from the one established by law. To better understand this issueof legislation, check our article on this subject.

One of the best ways to get around this type of problem is to bet on a flexible benefits platform in which the employee can choose where to spend the money offered by the company.