This shouldn't be allowed & I have ruined my life

[deli00]

I work in a call centre ( currently wfh) 12.5 hours

07.45-20.15 one 30 minute break

Im allowed personal breaks but I'm expected to tell the team when I am going for a wee , poo etc and tell them when I return on teams .

I can't cope with this set up much longer :( my back and hips hurt .

Surely it's not allowed to only have one 30 min break . Also I feel I have ruined my life going into this type of work.

I believe you're entitled to 30 mins break every 5 hours.

That does sound awful! Are you busy all the time? Can you not look around for other things? (Hard i know).

Sure someone who knows more will comment but sounds like it should be illegal.

Yes that sounds awful for you. Is there an HR you can speak with? 30 minutes in 12.5 hours is dreadful.

Ask for an occupational health referral

It sounds awful but seems to be legal:
www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work

Surely 30 min break is not right for 12.5 hours!

My 1st job was 12 hours, we had 3, 30 min tea breaks and 40 min lunch break

@Soontobe60

I believe you're entitled to 30 mins break every 5 hours.

It's 20 min for 6+ hours.

I quite understand why you might have to let the team know about leaving the phone (no need for details though). Is it just few days a week since it's long shifts? Walk around any chance you get, strech, don't just sit. And look for a different job if this one makes you feel taht bad. It happens

You're entitled to 30 minutes break (unpaid) after 6hrs of work. So 30 mins as you describe is within the legal requirement.

Busy all of the time . Either answering customer calls or internal calls. If I want to put myself into a status to not get calls I have to go into the teams chat and explain what I'm doing . Eg " I'm just going to be unavailable for 5 minutes just typing up some notes" it's horrible. Internal calls can still come through too even if ur on a personal break on the toilet .

I really don't like having to tell the staff I'm on with that I'm going to the toilet it's so embarrassing then saying back when I come back

I think it's a 30 minute break every 6 hours

But however that doesn't sound good with only 30 minutes in that long a shift
I would 2 X 30 minutes at the minimum

But what do you mean you have to tell them when you're going to do a wee or a poo? Can you explain
Normally in a call centre you go into a code eg comfort break for toilet breaks among other things

Call centre work is shit. Try and get anything else! ( bitter voice of experience)

That's ridiculous! What were the breaks like when.you worked from the office?

@SchrodingersImmigrant there's several others answering the same phone line.

The minimum break they need to allow for is 20 minutes.
The suggesting of being entitled to a 30 minute break every 5 hours isn’t true.

The same @user1592512579 but it didn't seem as bad. So when you went to the toilet colleagues would see you had gone. Where as now I have to explain my every move on teams chat

@deli00

Busy all of the time . Either answering customer calls or internal calls. If I want to put myself into a status to not get calls I have to go into the teams chat and explain what I'm doing . Eg " I'm just going to be unavailable for 5 minutes just typing up some notes" it's horrible. Internal calls can still come through too even if ur on a personal break on the toilet .

I really don't like having to tell the staff I'm on with that I'm going to the toilet it's so embarrassing then saying back when I come back

Well no you definitely shouldn't have to explain what you're doing each time That's very odd practice if you ask me Can you speak to your manager about all of this

I know @Haggisfish it's horrendous .

That’s awful. I’m working from home also taking calls but when I’m busy or need the toilet I just go into away. No chance am I telling people what I’m doing. I had a water infection last week and went about 15 times in one shift.

You’re using a VDU it is not!!! 30 minutes in 12.5 hours.

You’re entitled to more eye breaks than that.

I worked in a call centre that was very much like this. You couldnt just leave the phones because they auto dialed the next data base number etc.

However, it was well paid for low skilled work. I did it as a 17 year old nearly 20 years ago and they were paying over £6 an hour plus various bonuses and higher rates for working antisocial hours etc. It was easy money.

Most of us were only doing 2 or 3 shifts a week.

@Soontobe60 it's 30 minutes break every 6.5 hours

OP you need another job.

Although the breaks you describe are legal, there are more humane ways of saying you'll be unavailable - we had to use aux codes, so for a comfort break we had to use aux9, and just putting yourself back in ready was enough to declare you were back. Nobody else's business what you are doing in the toilet!!

If your desk is causing you pain, could you get a sit/stand desk? Have your provided your own kit or has your employer?

It is the same in the NHS so some posters are mistaken. We are entitled to 30 mins in a 12.5 hour shift. It's not ideal no.

Are you allowed to go & make a drink? Answer the door etc?

Until recently I worked 12.5 shifts in a hospital. That was hard going with 2 x 30 minute breaks. I couldn’t talk for 6 hours non stop without making a drink!

Being a smoker I couldnt handle a 30 min break in 12.5 hours, I would split that into 3, 10 mins personally