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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

daisypond · 12/04/2019 13:33

No I couldn’t. Lunch breaks are at set times and for a set amount of time . You can’t cut it short and leave earlier - because they need staff to be working at that precise time you’re meant to be working.

CostanzaG · 12/04/2019 13:36

OH is convinced everyone can work flexitime
Erm no! There is usually a policy in place otherwise there would be chaos!

HBStowe · 12/04/2019 13:39

If he thinks that he should come and see my work. Enormous expectation that you will work longer than your contracted hours, not paid any extra, not entitled to TOIL. That’s just the way it is in law.

Purpleartichoke · 12/04/2019 13:42

I have always taken a short lunch and left earlier that day or used the time for a medical appointment that week if needed. But I’ve always had jobs where I have autonomy over my schedule.

Toooldtocareanymore · 12/04/2019 13:48

love to see your OH face if he turned up at a post office, bank, shop, cafe, garage, dentist, pub, doc surgery, or any of the multitude of places he could try visit to discover they had all decided to go home early as they had a short lunch. I'd say being so flexible as he suggests is only possible in a very very small percentages of jobs.

Jayblue · 12/04/2019 13:51

I can't say I've ever really had a job where this would apply. In a job where you're directly providing a service to customers, this usually isn't possible, whether that's face to face or remotely via telephone or email. I have had jobs that would allow this as a one off for a particular reason, or would allow me to leave early on days when there was less work, in return for staying later when there's more work- but it would never be something I could just decide to do and take time off at my own whim.

FaithInfinity · 12/04/2019 13:51

I thought legally you had to get 20 minutes unpaid break for every 6 1/2 hours you worked? I’m in the NHS and we have to take our break. The only time I can leave early is if I’ve worked over my contracted hours when really busy I can sometimes take that time back but again that’s at the discretion of our manager.

Aragog · 12/04/2019 13:55

OH is convinced everyone can work flexitime.

I teach. Even if I choose to not take my full lunch break - rarely get that chance alway - I still cannot go home until the official leaving time for staff.

There are lots of professions where you can't apply flexi time.

nespressowoo · 12/04/2019 13:55

I'm a HV. Lucky if I get a break to be honest, but I am not allowed to do that, at all. I am not allowed to accrue anymore than a day a month if I had to work over, which is rubbish as we always seem to get important calls just as we are finishing off or people come to clinic to see us unannounced.

GlitterPixie · 12/04/2019 13:57

It’s not allowed in my job

3littlemonkeys82 · 12/04/2019 13:59

Op tell you're other half I've just told all my colleagues of this policy (can someone arrange a broadcast to advise there will be no ambulances in my region from 18.30 til 19.00 as we're all taking totally unagreed flexi?)

Barbie222 · 12/04/2019 14:01

Oh is convinced everyone can work flexitime.

Oh dear, he's dug a man-hole and can't get out!! Be prepared for irrational anger and a complete absence of adult reasoning until you give him a graceful way to win the argument and waggle his willy

SherlockSays · 12/04/2019 14:02

Depends on employer. We work purely on flexitime so as long as you do your hours, it doesn't matter what those hours are. I do 8-4 with half an hour lunch so I can leave at 4 instead of 4.30. If I'm in earlier then I 'bank' that time and use it to take time off throughout the year.

Sewrainbow · 12/04/2019 14:04

I've never had a job you could this in currently nhs but have done retail and hospitality. It'd be chaos if everyone did this, people need to know that work is covered etc even in an office with no customer contact I'd have thought it would be frowned upon as firstly breaks are in place as a legal requirement and also no one would be able to guarantee a service is available/open etc

mclady · 12/04/2019 14:11

I had this debate with HR when pregnant and looking to reduce my hours, I asked to work 8:30am - 4:30pm with a thirty minute lunch. Was told no as all employees need to take a one hour lunch. I said fine, I'll reduce my hours to 8:30am - 5pm and take my lunch hour in two half's, thirty minutes at 1pm and thirty minutes at 4:30pm

Mitzimaybe · 12/04/2019 14:11

You are correct. He is wrong. It depends entirely on your contract of employment and the policies and procedures of your employer. There are certain legal requirements - I can't remember exactly - but something like you must have 20 minutes break for every six hours of working, but beyond that it's down to the employer.

My DH has fixed hours and fixed lunch time although his manager can be flexible by allowing him to work a short lunch and leave early on the odd occasion, it's not a right and the manager can say no. I have more flexible working around core hours, so I can take anything from 20 mins to 2 hours for lunch but it must be between 12 and 2pm. I can leave early (but not before 4pm) or arrive late (but not after 10am) and can't save up any "extra" time worked to take a half day or day off.

Previous place I worked had proper flexi time so you could save up the time and take a day off but it was a maximum of one day a month.

Eustasiavye · 12/04/2019 14:14

Try living in the real world.
No matter How short my lunch break, I cannot leave or finish early, ever!

Lyricallie · 12/04/2019 14:24

In my old role you could as long as you were there core hours 10-4 you could work any combo, I used to work 9.30-5.30 you would have to ask permission to work through lunch but they were pretty good about it.

In my new place it's set hours 8-4.15 you would have to get toil approved in advance and put it through our computer systems rather than an honesty system. Although I do get a lot more annual leave here. But I definitely couldn't just leave without agreeing it in advance and this is an office job that no-one is directly relying on me for specific times I think it's just to be consistent with those who DO have to be here set times.

icelollycraving · 12/04/2019 14:36

Your husband seems to have a very limited view of life,

SileneOliveira · 12/04/2019 14:40

Is your DH generally a bit....errr...... slow on the uptake?

HicDraconis · 12/04/2019 14:47

Awesome. So, given that I rarely if ever get a lunch break, I can leave an hour early? I’ll just let the patient wake themselves up at the end of surgery then, or cancel the last patient on the list because I’m taking my flexi lunch hour at the end of the day.

Or, back in the real world, I’ll bolt my lunch down in 5 mins between cases, and stay an hour or so late (unpaid) because the last case overruns and you can’t just leave at 6.

Redglitter · 12/04/2019 14:49

OH is convinced everyone can work flexitime

Not the brightest bulb in the box is he?

onlywanttosleep · 12/04/2019 14:51

What everyone else says, depends on the company, your contract and your manager. Even in organisations where it doesn't matter much what times you are there, there are huge variations in what is allowed. The office based roles I've worked haven't had a formal toil policy so you can't accumulate time and take an afternoon off but in general it's no problem if there's a specific reason you want to vary your lunch hours as a one off.

If you want to do it every day it would generally be covered by a flexible working request, and would be agreed unless there was a reason why not.

LakieLady · 12/04/2019 14:52

OH is convinced everyone can work flexitime.

DP changes jobs a lot (mostly short-term contracts). The only times he has been on flexitime are when he has been in the public sector.

I think it's a shame more employers don't offer it. Where I work some staff are on flexitime and some aren't, and the staff that are on it absolutely love it.

kaytee87 · 12/04/2019 14:52

Of course not everyone can work flexitime 😂
Is your DH a bit daft?

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