How long is your lunchbreak at work and do you get paid for it?

[FenellaBestwick]

I'm a recent returner to work and I'm shocked but not surprised at the erosion of work conditions. I get half an hour for lunch, unpaid. It means there's little time to re-charge your batteries. Just get to the staffroom, wolf your food and get back on the shop-floor (care sector). When I last worked (pre dc), I had a full hour paid and 15mins break morning and afternoon. What are your lunch breaks like?

Unpaid (need to clock out for it) and as long as I want, but as the day is usually sandwiched with meetings, there’s not much of a gap - half an hour max - for it.

Are you sure you were paid for it before?

I have never been paid for my lunch break, or indeed any break, and I started work in the 1980s. Half an hour isn’t unusual either. It wasn’t in the 1980s.

Definitely paid for it before.

30 mins unpaid. Never had a paid lunch break.

30 minutes unpaid and tow paid 15 mins breaks. I wack it all together and have an hour lunch. I WFH

Most people don't get paid lunch breaks! A 9-5 job is 7 hours paid work plus an hour unpaid lunch.

Seems I've been spectactularly lucky then to have had paid lunchbreaks all my life. Good to hear other experiences.

I take however long I want for lunch. I'm salaried to work 35 hours per week. It doesn't matter when or how.

Sometimes I have a sandwich at my desk and work through. Other times I will go for a walk or a swim.

1h, unpaid.

An hour unpaid. Salaried 35 hour workweek

New role, 30mins to 2 hours, public sector at a government arms-length body

Previous role - 30 mins unpaid teaching, I taught a practical subject so realistically this was 10 mins between tiding up previous lesson and setting up the next one.

I work 35 hrs a week so 7 hrs and 1 hour at lunch which isn’t paid. I do flex my hours around but this is the first job I have had were I take time at lunch time. I even sometimes go for a walk and I marvel at having the break everyday.

Unpaid always (now nearing retirement).

Now 30 mins by choice as I work 5 days over 4, 8am - 5.15pm with 30 mins lunch.

Half an hour, unpaid. I'd much prefer an hour.

1 hour, no I don’t get paid for it, so I don’t work during it. If I’m not being paid, it’s my own time and I treat it as such.

Unpaid lunchbreaks have always been the norm as far as I'm concerned. Never had anything different in 30+ years of working life.

I usually take half an hour because I don't want to waste time sitting around in work at lunchtime when I could be finishing work and going home earlier instead. However, I can take as long as I like, and sometimes do take an extended break if I'm meeting somebody for lunch or running errands etc.

8 1/2 hour day stood up all day as well
20 minutes unpaid but if its busy (all summer) you're expected to come back sooner

teacher - 50 mins, ( unpaid) but in reality only get 5-10 minutes, some days not even that

The 3 companies I've worked for in adulthood have all been 37.5 hours full time which is 7.5 hours per day paid, with an unpaid lunch break of your choosing (e.g. work 9-5.30 with an hour, or get away at 5 if you only take half an hour).

I have an hours unpaid lunch every day. I take every minute of it. Some colleagues don’t, which I find odd.

30 mins unpaid.

@FenellaBestwick when I started work I used to get paid lunch hour and two laid t breaks in an eight hour day plus a heavily subsidised canteen. Then over the years and various jobs they were eroded to basically no breaks and still docked pay for them.
More recent employment has seen a return to paid breaks with free hot meals included but only for a half hour lunch and 20 min tea break. Even part timers get the perk. It might be small to an employer but it means a lot to the employees- to the point where the accounts decided it cost the employer too much, and advised we should lose our paid tea breaks. The mass outrage, meant the penny pinching accounts were told to back off. It is extremely hard to recruit were I work despite above average pay, conditions and benefits due to location.

I would not want to work somewhere that didn’t provide paid for breaks now.

We can choose 30, 45 or 60 mins. Unpaid plus 2 15 minute paid breaks

30 mins unpaid

I get an hour unpaid lunch, no tea breaks, but the boss has no issues with anyone getting a cuppa and going in the office out the way or out for a smoke when needed. The previous job had no official breaks at all. Lunch was eaten at the desk while working. I lasted 4 months.

Job before that, hour unpaid and 2 15 minutes paid breaks.