WFH - am I entitled to a lunch break today?

[millerjane]

I've been lucky enough to work from home during this pandemic. All morning I've been unable to sign in due to a network wide issue (according to the IT help desk). It appears I'm the only person in my team having this issue. Whilst I've been unable to work I have had to message/speak to the IT people and follow their instructions. So obviously I haven;t been working as normal.

But am I entitled to have an hour lunch despite this? Manager just rang me and seemed annoyed when I asked her to ring back in 20 minutes as I was in the middle of lunch (consists of going for a walk and eating my sarnie).

AIBU?

I mean I wouldn't have taken lunch because I'd be so behind, id have just taken 15 mins later in the day and taken the call.

It's a sandwich so it's not like it's hot

It's healthy to put in place, no need to martyr yourself so you can proclaim in 20 years that you have never had a lunch break. It's especially important for someone such as yourself that recognises the positive effect it has. If it's anything like where I work, you have to be immediately available when IT call, so I wouldn't have taken a lunch break then either, as long as I had some work to be doing offline or some paperwork, as it sounds like you did with Excel. That said, I would have answered and asked what it was, and explained I would do it when back from lunch. Unless it was absolutely business critical (doubtful) I find it sad that so many managers on it think that not doing something the second it's asked shows unwillingness.

My DH and I are both in senior positions and have responsibility for hiring, training and (sometimes) firing grad students. If someone picked up a call only to tell me to call back later I would think it was a serious error in judgment, as would DH. We are fine with boundaries and breaks - there just needs to be a bit of common sense. That might have been the only time I had in back to back meetings to make a call and I would not be impressed to be told to call back by a junior staff member.

I'd have especially taken the call as you're on a grad scheme. I only finished mine last year and so did DP. It's kind of expected that you essentially give everything you have to the role. Good, bad, exhausting, inconvenient. Working random weekends, working til midnight. All part of earning your way.

Off topic, but a whole hour for lunch? Is this normal?? I've never worked anywhere where you get a one hour break in one go, apart from 12 hour night shifts.

It depends doesn't it, if you have to cover certain hours and an hour of it is unpaid to cover lunch, why would you take less than that if you aren't getting paid for it? Most places seem to offer the choice if they are flexible for 30 mins minimum, but no issue there with taking the hour as long as you are doing your contracted hours and your manager is happy with it, surely?

Yes you are entitled to a lunch break but having done SFA all morning I think you least you could have done is take her call and taken your break afterwards. Employee/manager relationship is give and take.

Oh come on, if you can't work due to IT issues obviously you take your break then. I understand you were on the phone on and off but you could have asked the IT person to let you know when they didn't need you for 20 min and went out then.

I would also have taken the call. It's a responsible and flexible way for an employee to behave. You could have done the work and just taken your break a bit later. I've always been a very flexible manager- so letting staff leave early, go to events, come in late etc if they need to - but it's fair to expect the same in return. You hadn't done much actual work this morning (even though that's not your fault) and taking the call would have been the grown up way to behave.

Whilst I think OP should have taken the call I think the 'walk and talk' doesn't work for everyone. I don't like them as I often need to make notes.

I'd have taken the call. A lot of employers are going to be letting staff go so in the next 12 months so you don't want to be that employee they are keen to lose! these things are exactly what matters when those types of decisions are being made.

Is everyone missing the bit where the OP says she was in the middle of lunch? There’s not much point on saying ‘Why didn’t you go for lunch after talking to your boss?’ when she’s already on said lunch when she gets the call. Unless she has a time machine, she can’t do that - and frankly if you have a time machine, you’re a multi-billionaire in waiting and probably don’t need to join a grad scheme 🤨

My boss is in a front line role, mine is back office. Unless I'm in the loo or a child has hurt themselves, I'm available. I take the time back elsewhere, and she's absolutely fine about when I do that.

I agree with you. But wouldnt have answered the call. Think I would have left my phone on my desk while I had my lunch elsewhere.

I'd think you were taking the piss a bit if I was your boss tbh. Very inflexible.

I would have taken the call.

@StillCoughingandLaughing OP had neither left the house yet or started eating her lunch. She could have taken the call.

I guess I'm coming at this from my very flexible workplace. You could be gone for 2 hours for lunch and it wouldn't raise eyebrows, but WFH and not taking a call from your boss would raise an eyebrow.

@Bringmewineandcake

If this happened in our office we would be asked to go on lunch early so 11:30 onwards in order to be available when the IT issues had stopped. You have had a very easy morning work wise, so I wouldn't have been taking an hour lunch break at all. You probably need to earn some goodwill back from your manager now.

Depends on the problem. If it's one of those where IT keep phoning you to try different things that still don't fix the problem then you need to be there.

I would not be impressed to be told to call back by a junior staff member.

Yes, how very dare they, don't they realise you are far more important?

I’d have taken the call - seems a lot of faff going into the issue tbh - just have a bite of sandwich and then pick up lunch break after surely, seems a bit inflexible to me.

Boundaries are fine but flexibility goes both ways. Are you typically quite rigid in your routines and your thinking?

Also think tone is v important in general. 'Oh sorry I'm just on my way out and not near my computer? Are you able to call me back later? If not no worries I'll pop back to my laptop's Is very different to 'I'm on lunch you'll have to call back in 20mins '. As pp have said managers have meetings and this could be their only availability

@gumball37

Ha. Our company takes the stance that you have flexibility at home so your lunch is on your time. So if I have an 8hr day and take a 30 min lunch I'm actually unavailable from 7-330 instead of 7-3

So you have to work more hours than normal? Wouldn't this be different to what your contract said?

YANBU. There is nothing wrong with maintaining your boundaries and insisting on a break when the matter isn’t urgent. If it had been a short call it would have seemed a bit petty to ask them to call back later, but since it was supposed to take an hour, saying it will have to wait until after lunch is not unreasonable. Working with IT to fix a glitch is work, so that shouldn’t be a problem though in some lines of work it may mean there is more urgency to getting work done that day which might require more flexibility on your part.

BUT, if you are new to the company, especially on a graduate scheme being seen to be flexible and willing is important. Not a push over (it’s important to avoid that too!), but not someone who’s clock watching or pedantic. It’s a hard balance and I couldn’t tell you from your post whether I think you would come across as one or the other. A lot of it will depend on the dynamics of your department and your relationship with your manager.

@StillCoughingandLaughing
she was out walking and would need time to get back no she wasn’t ,she was in her doorway at home.

Hi, I heard you haven't been able to do any real work all morning?

Yes, that's right but i'm on my hours lunch break and on my way out for my walk now. Can you call back? 😂