To think colleagues are absolutely taking advantage

[Breakfastbaguette]

Work in a residential home, depending on my shift length I either have 30 minutes or an hour unpaid break taken from my wages but I have never, ever received this break. Honestly probably twice in nearly 5 months.
All staff take their break at the same time which is wrong. I don't understand why they can't say, right Sarah, your break is 12:30 to 1, Amanda your break is 1:30 to 2, and so on.
If you're working a 40 hour week, you're paid for 35 but likely working closer to 38/39. We're paid hourly too which I think makes a difference.
A large proportion of our staff smoke. I don't and so tend to stay inside. I will be on shift with 3 other staff and they'll say 'Baguette, we're just going out for a smoke.' that's fine, but that leaves me on the floor on my own.

Yesterday they must have been out for 8 cigs over the course of an 8 hour shift. This combined with sitting down to eat their lunch.

We had a meeting a couple of months ago where the manager said breaks needed to be allocated, yet this hasn't been enforced at all.

It's just really not fair, I might get the odd 5 mins here and there but with the way care homes are anything can happen, especially as I'm the shift leader. Buzzers going off, someone asks for a drink, needs the toilet etc

I really need to speak to the manager but it's such a gossipy, two faced environment.
I'm honestly thinking of looking for another care home but I'm worried it'll be the same everywhere.

I know I'm being massively taken advantage of but it's also my fault. I just want to know if other homes actually give you your allocated break

Basically fed up of working for free. Also fed up of unpaid handovers we must arrive earlier for but aren't paid for.

How one they sit down to eat their lunch but you don’t?

How much are your paid? If you divide your total wages by the number of hours you are actually work including breaks you aren’t taking and having to get there early for handover and it’s less than minimum wage the company are breaking the law

I do sit down to eat my lunch (usually eat it then straight back up)
But they do this and also get 7 or 8 smoking breaks over the shift which I don't get.
I work in a dementia setting, anything can happen. Yesterday we had someone defecate on the floor in the middle of the dining room, a physical fight, someone nearly fall.

Why don’t you tell them they can’t all go for a smoke at once if you’re the shift leader?

If you are the shift leader can you not allocate breaks. This was usual practice when I worked in care homes and on wards?
In terms of culture it will vary from place to place. Best way to find out is try and speak to people working in other homes if you can

If you're the shift leader, then allocate breaks. If people would rather have these aid 5 minutes here and there for a smoke, then they don't get 30 mins for lunch

You need senior back up as I think this culture has become ingrained. Go to management and ask they come and allocate lunches for three days so the staff can see it is a company policy then keep it up. Also discuss with management whether smoking breaks are deductible from lunch because I can’t imagine they’re doing much work with all that smoking.

Just so other readers are aware most shift leaders in care homes get about 50p more an hour than their colleagues and have no formal training. Sorry if this isn’t the case for you op.

Go and sit in your car for half an hour if you drive there or another place away from it all

I take my unpaid break everyday come hell or high water

I simply get up from my desk bang on 12:00 and leave the office

If you're the shift leader you need to lead. Allocate breaks, a meal break plus 2 smoke breaks. Only 1 person to leave the floor at a time. Etc etc.
Honestly this is within your gift to resolve.

Exactly this, if you ae the shift leader you need to lead, you dictate breaks etc.

If you’re the shift leader then it’s your job go assign break times. Make a rota, stick it up and tell them.
Discuss with your manager beforehand if you’re nervous. Also bring up the number of smoking breaks and how it leaves the residents in a dangerous situation too often because all staff are gone.

If you can’t have this conversation then you probably do need to leave and start fresh somewhere else. If you get a leadership position then be a leader from the start.

If you are the shift leader then you need to lead. Allocate breaks and take your full break. It is absolutely ludacris everyone sitting down together and having everyone off the floor. Of course no one is getting to sit for the full half hour.

If its a 12 hour shift do at least 2 30 minute breaks, start at 0900 while the remaining people on the floor do some single washes. Then start again at 12. If there is nothing crazy going in and extra 10 at 5pm is great. We get paid 11.25 hours but work for 12, I already give them an extra 20 minutes for handover every day, not giving them any extra of my own time.

You are going to get burnt out if you don't take adequate breaks. You are not working effectively if you don't have at least 20 minutes off the floor where you are not responsible for answering buzzers. This atmosphere has been allowed to happen because of people not taking breaks properly and it becomes a culture, think of new starts and how they will just accept 'this is what's done here'...you need to speak up and set breaks in the morning. You taking your full break will set the tone.

Cigarette breaks are a drama in every single workplace in the world. I personally don't get bothered by it, I always get asked by an auxiliary if they can go out and if everything is up to date and there are enough people to answer buzzers crack on. I don't envy them standing out in the pouring rain. If they are all going out together and leaving things unsafe then no it becomes a problem.

If you are the shift lead then you need to step up and act like it.

Plan in the breaks
Say no to the cigarette breaks, or deduct it from their break allocation.

I suspect you have even given the role, paid 20p an hour more than a carer and had zero training or support in how to do the role, or what it actually entails. Go back to hour manager and ask for the training, supervisory training is really important but doesn't happen enough.

Agree with everyone else, if you're the shift leader, it's your job to manage breaks and making sure everyone does their share, so you need to do it.

Don't wait until everyone is disappearing out for a smoke, because they won't be co-operative to listening, you need to call a meeting to remind people of the rules about breaks. If you have regular team meetings/start of shift briefings or similar?

You need to use those to agree what time breaks are, making sure everyone including you get them, and also to get them to dial back the smoke breaks. Going out once an hour is ridiculous. They can go before their shift, once after a couple of hours, then in their main break and once more only before the end of their shift. No more.

If you can't do that, you either need training and support from higher up, or you need to change roles to drop the responsibility.

I’d start by speaking to the manager as that is a massive piss-take. If nothing changes, look into other homes. Am I right in thinking that there is a massive over-demand for carers at the moment?

I thought this was totally unreasonable until you put in that you were the shift leader. You can’t complain about things like too many cigarette breaks when it’s your job to manage these!!!

You need to grow a back bone or folk will walk over you. Besides this is incredibly unsafe for residents if lunch is all at the same time, your shift lead it's your responsibility to not allow this.

I do understand what people are saying. Sadly I don't have the same authority as the management, and even though the manager held a meeting about it people are still doing it so why would tjey listen to me if they don't even listen to senior management.
On some shifts I'm the shift leader some it's someone else. It is an ingrained culture sadly.

I would look for another care home then especially if management don't give a crap

be proactive. Make a kind of plan that you think would work for breaks - eg. divide the smoker's into pairs, and tally their smoke breaks so they get the legally mandated length of break (am aware that it doesn't really work like this but run with it)

And / or allocate a lunch break schedule so that one or 2 take their break at the same time: 2 at 12:00, 2 at 12:30 and 2 at 13:00 etc. Switch it up if they want to take their breaks with other people.

then take that to the manager and say this will contribute to the safety of the people you are caring for, and keep the company in the clear for possibly abusing minimum wage laws.

If you don't want to do that: as soon as they are back from a smoke break - go outside and sit in your car (or a bus shelter, anywhere) with your lunch, for the legally mandated amount of time that you are not paid for.

Either that, or take your breaks off the floor. Be unavailable.

Find the Smoking Policy - there is probably one. Ours used to allow two breaks a day and any others off lunch breaks. Also where and when - go to management (do you have 121?) and suggest solutions and what the risk is. Then you are being proactive rather than appearing to be cross others get more time out that you.

I do need to speak to management.

Care staff aren't allowed to take their break off the floor sadly (apart from the smoking break)
There's nowhere for staff to eat, you eat with the residents.

This sounds like a nonsense. It can't be an unpaid break if you aren't allowed to leave the floor, no wonder they are after smoking breaks if it's the only way to get off the floor.

I don't really understand you saying they all take their meal break together if they are still on the floor though.

You need to speak to the home manager and iron out the policies. If it's still not working for you go elsewhere, there are vacancies in every care setting.