To ask if you take/get your break(s) at work?

[dollyodee]

Just a query as I see a lot of mnetters state that they don't get a break? And a lot of people seem to think that the more you earn the less entitled you are to your break.!

So do you take your break? I take my morning coffee/breakfast break and a lunch break. I'm on over 50k. Same with dh he's on over 53k and he takes his lunch!

I eat my lunch at my desk and usually doing work while I eat. However I manage my own diary so I can get a coffee or take five for a chat when I want one.

I'm working from home and did a lot before lockdown. Almost always take a proper lunch break - 30-45 mins depending on how long making lunch takes or if I do other little jobs at the same time. Occasionally I'll grab a sandwich and take it back to my desk if it's one of those days. Other breaks it's more about just stepping away from my computer, making a cuppa,having a 5 min chat with DH or throwing a laundry load on. If anything the more senior I've got and therefore the more I earn, the more I need those small breaks to manage my stress levels, to work more effectively etc. I find the really crazy days when I don't take a lunch break and the only cups of tea I get are the ones DH makes me are the days where I'm more likely to make a mistake or miss something later in the day. I'm also more likely to have a headache or migraine by the end of the day.

Breaks are important whether it's to get a drink and sit down if you're on you're feet all day or it's to get away from the screen and move around if you work on a computer all day.

Where I used to work we were on flexi in theory. But it was frowned upon if you spent more than 30 minutes away from your desk. Phone cover was required at all times and we weren’t allowed voicemail. Coffee/tea breaks not really a thing either. Maybe a five min chat with whoever was in the kitchen when you made your drink but otherwise take it back to your desk. My last employer did away with core hours, which was meant to increase flexibility but actually didn’t. It made people less comfortable with taking longer lunch breaks or leaving early when needed or wanted. Very different to when I first started work in the 80s also flexi but with core hours. Then taking an hour or even two away from your desk was not remarked upon. And if you were taking a half day you could finish anytime after 12. Without core hours it seemed to mean finishing at 2.

There seems to be a mix so far.

So those of you who don't take a break...do you work through lunch or do you eat as you work? How do you function without a break @Scotmummy1216 sorry for my ignorance but surely you need food for energy. Do you eat at all on your shift??

Depends on my day. More often than not I will eat lunch at my desk so that I can actually finish on time.

Sometimes I have a lull and can take a few hours for lunch, go shopping or whatever.

Swings and roundabouts.

On the go usually a cuppa here and there some toast. We do get breaks on occasion just depends on whats happening and staffing.

I don't have scheduled breaks but always take at least 30 minutes for lunch and several short breaks throughout the day. I wouldn't be able to function at a high level without regular breaks

We manage our own breaks. Our contracts states we must take the minimum 20 min break for working over 7 hrs and that it can’t be tagged onto the start or end of the working day. Other than that, you take the lunch break as fits you and your commitments that day. Obviously you can take more than 20 minutes for lunch...that’s just the minimum. We are required to work 40 hrs per week - how long you stop for lunch just influences when you can finish up for the day. The office is open 14 hrs a day. Back in office days we’d also have breaks to make a cup of tea, or go to the toilet / stretch your legs. We don’t have a clocking system. It’s a professional environment based on trust that you work your hours and the clients requirements are met. There’s also no expectation that people stay late. If the work can’t get done in the hours allotted then something needs to be fixed in the planning. Thus, when the shit hits the fan on the rare occasion, people are happy to work the extra to satisfy the client. This is extremely rare though and on the whole it’s a great environment and workplace with a strong appreciation for our work / life balance. I’m an engineer for an engineering consultancy.

I have a unpaid 30 minute lunch. In the office I used to eat at my desk quite a lot but now WFH I made the effort to step away.
We are also allowed 30mins of screen breaks, so use this to pop to the loo, make a coffee, chat with DH for 5. I don't usually always take the full 30 minutes though, 15-20 most days

Totally depends on my work that day. I’m an academic and some days I work straight through all day if I have students. Others I might have a decent break. I presumed it was like that for most people who arrange their own timetable?

I love that you’re on over £50k and husband over £53k! What a bizarre detail to add in.

I’ve been taking mine before i start recently!

Almost always take breaks throughout the day, depending on how busy I am.

All our staff are encouraged and expected to their full hours' lunch break, in whatever form that suits them - for example we used to have a member of staff who was on a diet where he ate little and often, so he took four 15 minute breaks throughout the day. As long as the work gets done, who cares?

We also encourage people to take working 'breaks' - i.e. go and have their chats about a project or a catch up with other people in the team over a cup of tea in the staff area, or go for a walk round the block, or just on the sofas, or go for a coffee run.

Competitive presenteeism is good for nobody (although I understand there are plenty of industries where such flexibility isn't possible. But it should be accounted for by managers - people concentrate better in short bursts, and as we work in a creative industry we want people to feel fresh and engaged, not chained to their desk).

@Carrotcakey I only added it in as I stated that people seem to think that the more you earn the less entitled/inclined you are to take a lunch break. Not just random info.

I haven unpaid hours break every day and I take it. It’s useful to get away from my desk and just do something else.

I take my lunch break (unpaid). We never take tea breaks. We do have drinks at our desk while we work

I get a half-hour unpaid (can take up to an hour if wanted) and we just manage our time as we like. As for breaks, I just take 5/10 minutes here or there with a cuppy and take a nosey at the news websites or MN.

I work in retail as a manager and try to always take my one hour unpaid lunch break. I'm on my feet all day and that is my only time to sit down. All our team get their lunch break, except for the store manager who prefers his as several short fag breaks.

I manage my own time, and I work from home so pretty much suit myself, I’ll have a cup of tea at some point but will often eat as I work and finish a bit early. If I’m busy I’ll just work through and get on top of stuff, I much prefer the flexibility to having set breaks.

I take them, they are unpaid. Not always as sometimes my workload is too high to break in between but on those days I will leave early

I own the company so I dont get any breaks. If I'm lucky I get to run to the shop and eat while I work, if I'm busy I dont eat.
My employees get their paid 30 mins lunch break and about 10 coffee breaks.

@5zeds

Nope. “Breaks” like that aren’t really a thing post school surely?

They're a mainstay in any process based plant.

It's much easier to plan workflow around fixed breaks for teams/sections than the ad hoc mess of "go when you like".

Also a legal requirement

I'm surprised to see so many people say they have an unpaid lunch break. I thought if you worked more than 5 hours or so, then your employer had to pay for a lunch break

In the office I rarely took a break. I would work whilst eating.

Now at home, I'm more likely to take a break in the day to do something useful - maybe 20 mins to get some washing in and sweep floors, etc.

I work flexi so I can take as many breaks as long as my hours add up by the end of the month.

@DaddysGirlForLife

My husband's on 65k and while he's entitled to a break, he doesn't always get one! I however, take two breaks when I'm only entitled to one. Haha.

😂

@notanothertakeaway

I'm surprised to see so many people say they have an unpaid lunch break. I thought if you worked more than 5 hours or so, then your employer had to pay for a lunch break

It doesn't have to be paid, but there is a legal requirement to provide a break after a set amount of hours. I can't remember exactly what it is though.