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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Shorter lunch break, how long can you take time off in lieu.

63 replies

justasking111 · 12/04/2019 13:06

Please settle an argument with me OH is shouting that you can have a short lunch break and take time in lieu when you want to. So you can save up all those half hours or finish half an hour early. I do not agree. I said it depended on your contract of employment.

OP posts:
MammaMia19 · 12/04/2019 13:11

Depends on your employer. Mine might allow this on occasion if I had an appointment but they would not agree to this long term and wouldn't just let me take the time back on another day. They 100% wouldn't let me start saving up half hours to use when I like!

jcq17 · 12/04/2019 13:12

It's managers discretion. Simple.

Original poster
justasking111 · 12/04/2019 13:12

That is what I said Mamma Mia.

OP posts:
ValleyoftheHorses · 12/04/2019 13:13

I think unless you work some kind of flexitime contract it’s only really ok on the day- so I had a short lunch, can I leave at 4.30? Depends what you do as well.

flowery · 12/04/2019 13:13

Your OH can’t possibly know whether any of the posters on this thread have sufficient flexibility at work to allow them to do that. Presumably in his job he can, which is lovely. Many jobs have fixed lunchtimes, defined shifts or any number of different arrangements which would not allow this.

RedRedBluee · 12/04/2019 13:17

Depends on your employer and the nature of your job.
You might work in childcare or as a carer and need to stay till the end to be in ratio. Or you could work in a shop and need to help close. Or you may work nights and get paid a premium for working specific hours. Or you may be working a large amount of hours where it is a legal requirement to have a certain length break.
Or is he just talking about people who work in an office?

Yubaba · 12/04/2019 13:17

My company absolutely would not allow you to have a shorter lunch and to go home early. A colleague tried this and got in loads of trouble with our boss.
I sometimes work time in lieu for extra holiday but I do this as a favour to my boss instead of paid overtime, and the most I’ve ever had is six days in a year.
DH on the other hand just has to work his 40 hours a week between 8am and 6pm in any combination and he can come home. He’s a senior manager in his office and his boss is great so long as the work gets done.

insancerre · 12/04/2019 13:17

Not in my job
We need to maintain staff to children adults so there’s no going home early- it would leave us working illegally and uninsured and in danger of being closed down

BackOnceAgainWithABurnerEmail · 12/04/2019 13:17

Depends on the role. We are meant to take a non-optional 20 min lunch which cannot could as flexi. But I often have back to back meetings and on those days I don’t show a lunch break on my flexible sheet as I haven’t had one. That is then counted towards flexi and manager agrees that as the other option is docking me 20 mins for working!.

Just depends on the rules.

combatbarbie · 12/04/2019 13:18

I get an hour for lunch but if I'm doing flexi I have to take a minimum of 30 mins. I thought that was policy?

insancerre · 12/04/2019 13:18

*ratios not adults

CostanzaG · 12/04/2019 13:18

Only if you have a flexi time policy in place.

screamifyouwant · 12/04/2019 13:18

Sorry but your husband is a idiot!!
Of course it depends on your employer and discretion.
Many times I have said I'll take a short lunch to make time up for appointments/childcare problems. But if I said I'll take short lunches and save up to do what I like with that would be a no .
Obviously he has a flexible employer but we are all not fortunate for that . Different employer different rules .

Original poster
justasking111 · 12/04/2019 13:18

OH is convinced everyone can work flexitime.

OP posts:
BricksInTheWall · 12/04/2019 13:20

None of mine or DPs employers have ever done this. It'd be mayhem I imagine trying to monitor who's there or who's got off at 12pm on Friday as they've dodged their lunch breaks all week. DP has to take a 1hr 45 break each day. However this can be used as first break so he doesn't have to be in til 9am instead of 7.15, or last break meaning he can finish at 6 rather than 7.45. That's about as flexible I've ever known breaks to be personally. Unless its at your managers discretion I wouldn't assume all employers allow you to save your breaks and take time off.

Veterinari · 12/04/2019 13:20

Does he think that applies universally? What about teachers? Or healthcare professionals? People in retail or hospitality? Does he think they can just set their own hours? Grin

HelloViroids · 12/04/2019 13:20

Everyone can request to work flexitime. However, it may not be grabted

thecatsthecats · 12/04/2019 13:21

This sort of question makes me sulky, because my work lunch breaks have always been 30m. Angry

CornishMaid1 · 12/04/2019 13:23

DH works for the Council and they do have flexi, as long as there is sufficient cover.

Here we don't. I can work through my lunchbreak, but I don't get to claim it back. We have opening hours and I am here then. The only time we have anything 'flexi' is that if you need to take time off for an appointment, you can work the time back for that but otherwise its tough.

DIZZYTIGGER87 · 12/04/2019 13:23

Couldn't in my old role. We could take our lunch hour when we wanted (within reason) and on odd occasions we could take a short lunch to finish early, but we couldn't do it regularly as we had to be in the office until 5 30 to answer the phones to customers etc.

Jackshouse · 12/04/2019 13:24

Ask him how he would feel the next time he goes to the GP or A and E or to pick his kids up from school to find there are no staff because they decided to use their flexi-time.

insancerre · 12/04/2019 13:25

I can’t work flexitime
I can ask to use toil but my manager can say no
I have to work the hours on the rota and can’t decide my own hours
Does your dh really think that everyone works in an office?

flowery · 12/04/2019 13:26

How does someone in retail work flexitime? Shops are open for defined periods, and could have only tiny numbers of staff covering.

How would a bus driver work flexitime? Get on a bus half an hour early at lunchtime and then just park and abandon the bus mid-route later?

moosesormeece · 12/04/2019 13:27

I've been in jobs where it was fine, and jobs where it wasn't, either for practical reasons i.e. you need to be physically present, or because there's an old fashioned culture of presenteeism.

In my last job but one it was allowed very occasionally for something like a doctor's appointment, but we couldn't make it a regular thing otherwise most of the department would have been out the door by 4pm and there wouldn't have been enough people around to deal with anything urgent at the end of the day.

Your OH is BU a) to assume all workplaces are the same and b) to shout about it!

flowery · 12/04/2019 13:28

If your OH wants to phone his insurer or broadband provider or gas company and rings during their phone line opening hours, would he be happy to get no answer because the staff scheduled to operate that shift had all decided to use flexitime?

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