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!

Yes and I leave the building so nobody bothers me lol

I'm self-employed (dog walker) but I always plan a break into my day. So tomorrow I'll work 8.30am-11am, then have a break (toilet and a snack or coffee) then 11.30am-2pm, then finish for the day and have lunch when I get home.

On busier days I do work through but that's my choice and I only work a maximum of 5-6 hours each day anyway, so it's not like I'm going hours and hours.

Yes and I am presently wfh.

I compressed my day for childcare so just get a 30min lunch but I take it usually- sometimes not actually at lunchtime. My PA always tries to schedule one.
I take short breaks from screen too when I can-WFH so spent 15 mins cleaning out the hens earlier as it was dry, and another 5 later on sorting out some nappies.
I’m kn circa £50k pro rata
I encourage all my staff to take breaks, they help productivity hugely.

Police officer. I very rarely get a break...this should really only happen when the when absolutely falls off, but in reality we are so short staffed that the control room have no choice but to pull us out of refs as whatever the job is won’t wait.

@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

Nope.

There's no entitlement in law to a paid break. That's why most full-time contracts (9-5) are only 37.5 hours - to account for a 30 minute unpaid break for lunch.

You're only entitled to a break of twenty minutes (minimum) if you're working six hours or more in a day. That break doesn't have to be paid.

www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work

It varies. Sometimes I work through, other days I take it or even take a bit extra.
There’s nobody watching or monitoring so it’s down to me and my time management.

Always take my hour lunch ! I’m working at home now - but when I’m at the office I leave for an hour for a walk and will ensure I have a proper break and something to eat!

Also stop a few times through the day to get a cup of tea or whatever

I get a paid hour long break, rarely take all of it, usually 15 mins or so whilst I eat.

Lunch hour isn't included in my salary so I do try and take the full hour - now we're WFH I actually really need the whole hour so that I can make lunch and then get out for a quick walk...without it there's every chance I won't leave the house for days on end. When I was in the office lunch was usually limited to a quick 5 min run to the on-site canteen or shop and then back to my desk to eat it though. Lunch is not a prescribed time, so it's just up to me to take the hour whenever I can fit it in.

Don't have other breaks at my work, but I'll grab a coffee and a few mins here and then when my calendar allows. I'm pretty flexible with it and some days I'll have more breaks than others, it simply depends on how manic my day is looking.

I'm a teacher, a 20 minute break and 30 minutes lunch built into my day but I don't take an actual break if I want any chance of keeping my evening for myself and family. I quickly go to the loo and eat whilst working at my desk

I work flexi so can take 30mins - 2 hours lunch. But 30mins is what i take as i can make 2 hours flexi in a week.

Coffee break in the morning and afternoon, so we’ll chat then.

Nurse here, 12 hour shift and been getting a quick 15 minute break at some point in the day to throw something down my neck and have a wee,
it’s just too busy, too short staffed and not safe to leave the ward for a break.

It’s utter utter shite.

I’m entitled to half an hour unpaid and two 10 minutes paid.

In reality I don’t take them at the moment because I’m at home. I just work through and finish earlier (7 and a half hour days). In the office I usually take my lunch and go for a walk.

I'm a TA, I get 15 minutes for my lunch, but don't usually get all that. Some of that time is also used to fill in pupil accident forms etc.

If we're short staffed I might eat stood in the playground whilst supervising 90 kids, so eating on the hoof really.

I am a senior manager in a large corporate and dont get paid for 1 hour of the day i am supposed to be there....so I take a 1 hour break

This could be a full lunch hour and I go a nice walk
Or 30min lunch and some little coffee breaks

I always make sure my team get and take their breaks too

I work 6 hour days and don't get a break but I'm allowed to eat at my desk and get up to make tea/coffee. The full time staff get a 30 minute lunch break and everyone takes it.

I never got a break when working in restaurants in the kitchen or out on the floor as a waitress. I worked in a lot of places and breaks were never a thing at all in any, even if you were on all day long. Lunch would be throwing a few extra chips in the fryer with an order and chucking them in a pan with a bit of sauce from an order in (lamb Henry sauce was the best!) for you to sneak one when you could. It is possible that I managed to just find shitty places of work but my colleagues never acted like it was unusual.

I'm a manager in a tech firm and for our team it's just do what you have to do to get the job done. Core hours are 10-3 so be available to chat during that time but otherwise do whatever. I usually go for a run over lunch time three times a week, sometimes I walk my dog. Sometimes my breaks are long, other times I don't take one.

Other teams in our company have very strict working hours and have an unpaid 30 minute break. I think the difference is my team all have PhDs and came from an academic background so we expect a certain degree of autonomy. I trust they will work their hours as they deem fit.

30 mins lunch am temping. Have cuppa when Im doing the photocopying. Find day long if no breaks.

13 years in recruitment and from my most junior starting position to now I can honestly say I have never took my breaks. No one does.

I eat/drink tea on the job.

I take mine. It's my legal entitlement. I don't have paid lunch break and I don't work for free, otherwise I would work in a charity shop.

I take my lunch hour most days, yes. I have always taken my contractual breaks, from fast food places to tech companies.

On the odd day, when there's a huge deadline or something has just blown up on production, then, of course I do the job, but in general yes I take my lunch. I also take a coffee break or a breather and walk around the block if I need to.

I get 30 mins, I eat at my desk, make a cuppa and surf the net for 15 mins. I do wait though until my team have gone for their lunch as otherwise I just get asked questions mid bite of my sandwich.

I always take a break after my morning meetings to walk the dog, but no-one really cares when I work as long as I meet my deadlines. I hope I never have to work a structured day again 😂