Do you get to pick when your break is?
By maezee
@maezee (41997)
United States
October 4, 2009 9:13pm CST
Legally, if you work more than a certain number of consequetive hours, you are supposed to get a paid 15 minute break (or longer). Do you?
I recently started a new job where they automatically give us our "breaks" at the end of our shifts. Does this make any sense? In my opinion, it would be ten times cooler if the break was actually treated LIKE a break; as in a way to break our shift into half - rather than extra time to sit around after our shift ends and do nothing (while we all really just want to get the heck out of there).
What do you think? Have you ever had a job where they make you take your breaks at the end of your shift?
3 people like this
24 responses
@TLilly12 (1229)
• United States
7 Apr 13
Yes I use to have a job, where I took breaks, but now that I work here at home online, I take as many breaks, as I want to take, I feel as long and I get my work done, I can take as longer break as I want to, and I spend a lot of time here online everyday, I have my own work schedule, my own work hours, and I take my breaks any time I want to, as long as I want to.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
27 Apr 13
I have never heard of something like this. Does not sound right and legal. Unless you have had your break at another time like meal break, this does not sound right or legal. I guess if it was me, I would be checking and asking a lot of other questions as well.
@thaMARKER (2503)
• Philippines
6 Oct 09
In my work, if we get to go overtime for four hours, we are entitled to one more break (aside from the two allotted 15-munite break). If we go for 8 hours I believe, we get to have second lunch break and that’s for an hour. If the management is opening for overtime, I usually can go for 5 hours. 8 hours is a little bit too much considering you have to work for another day plus overtime.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
6 Oct 09
I've never had a job where we were required to take our breaks at the end of the shift, but I have had jobs where even though we were required to get paid breaks and an unpaid lunch, we were lucky to ever have the opportunity to have our lunch time uninterrupted by our co-workers. As many times while I worked at the hospital that I never got to sit down and eat lunch, I really started to feel that they should have gone to giving us a paid lunch.
@svrider88 (115)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I have never had a job like that. I would definitely report them for that. I work 9 hour days and if I didn't get a break until 6:45 in the evening I would be extremely mad. We are supposed to punch out for our half an hour lunch, but I never have, and I will keep doing that until I am forced not to lol.
@asliah (11137)
• Philippines
13 Mar 13
here in my work now,we have 15 minutes break in the morning,one hour break for lunch time and another 15 minutes break in the afternoon,but we never had a break like your unless we have an over time because we usually had also break near to the end of our shift.
@breepeace (3014)
• Canada
5 Oct 09
No, and that seems really bizarre! Wouldn't be so bad if they gave you your break and you could just take off 15 minutes early everyday, but would still kind of defeat the purpose of having a break, which as you said is taking a BREAK halfway through the day.
I can sort of pick when I want to take my breaks, except on days I have to cover the receptionist's breaks. Otherwise 10, noon and 3 seem like the most logical times for me to take one.
@votenoonpineapple (235)
• Canada
5 Oct 09
I've never heard of that. You should try getting a few people together and speak to your employer about that, or maybe send around a petition and see if you could request a meeting with everyone and your employer to talk about changing it. If you're working for 7 3/4 hours, for example, before you get a break, it isn't really a break if you're getting sent straight home afterwards.
@missliss08 (766)
• United States
5 Oct 09
Here in Florida, which is a right to work state, they don't legally have to give you any breaks. They do give 30 min lunch, but the 15 min are not guaranteed, and they have no problem telling you that. It stinks really.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
5 Oct 09
If your break is at the end of your shift, then why do you have to stay around? I'm not sure with state or city that you're in what the laws are. But where I am, by law, you should be allowed a break after 4 hours. On the other hand, if the company or you agree to have the break after the shift, then you should be able to leave early.
@redphile (2264)
• Philippines
5 Oct 09
breaks in my office are every 2 hours but then I dont usually go on break during my 15 minute breaks. I only go to lunch break. I dont smoke or drink coffee anyway which what people do on their breaks. And I also have a team to watch over so Id rather watch over them than go on break =)
But whenever I would like to go on break, I get to choose when. I think it depends if you are already on a supervisory level, i think you get to choose when you want to take a break. =)
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
5 Oct 09
This is hard to contend with as every office is going to vary on this kind of thing.
One reason I like the work I do is that its on the road.
So I spend most of the day outside of direct supervision and I can always find a reason to go out almost when I want.
If you like minutes off or time off during the day get a job on the road.
Anytime you're tied into an office there's going to be supervision and limits to everything.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
5 Oct 09
I have never had a job with the breaks being at the end of the shift. Kind of defeats the purpose of a break. I get three breaks at work and they are about every two hours. I get the two 15 mins then the 25 mins for lunch. One of the 15 mins is before lunch then the other is after. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to give breaks at the end of the day.
@angelajoy (1825)
• Philippines
5 Oct 09
Taking a break at the end of your shift really doesn't make sense. What were your employers thinking? A break should be taken in the middle of the shift, not after a shift. If you're gonna take a break after your shift you might as well just go home already. Honestly, maybe you should consider working for someone else if your employer can't even see what nonsense it is. If they can't make a good decision about breaks, how are they going to make good decisions about more important stuff?
@aixshaonline (600)
• Philippines
5 Oct 09
Hi!
I recently (and I mean really recently! hahaha.. just last Friday) got hired to be an English tutor in one of the English learning centers here. We don't get to pick when our break is, as we automatically have a break every 50 minutes, for 10 minutes. Example, I have a class at 8:00. The bell rings at 8:50, and I can do whatever I want with the remaining 10 minutes till I have the next class :)
@irene3184 (898)
• Philippines
5 Oct 09
No. It never happened to my work giving a break after the shift. It always end if the working hours is certainly done. We have a break such as lunch break and snack time. But the lunch break only takes for an hour and 10 minutes for snack time.
