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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do your work enforce a 1 hour lunch break?

26 replies

StonwEd · 07/09/2023 09:19

Just as the title says?
I want to take a half hour instead and just wondering if it can be enforced or whether this is a reasonable request before I ask!
For context, the industry i work in is not a 9-5.30 type thing and I regularly work at the weekend and take the time back in the week.
Id just like to finish half an hour earlier really.

OP posts:
Royalbloo · 07/09/2023 09:56

What does your employment contract state?

I'd ask anyway! They can only say no.

Zhougzhoug · 07/09/2023 10:03

You’ll probably get a more accurate answer from HR if you phrase it is “can I trade 30 minutes of my lunch hour for an earlier finish?” Varies company to company. With true flexitime you can, but a lot of places don’t really have this. Also some places discourage it because they want everyone to take a proper break at lunchtime. You should ask though.

123becauseicouldntthinkofone · 07/09/2023 10:05

You can only ask, they may say no as they may not want everyone to do that and they may need the 5.30 core hours

WhateverHappenedToMe · 07/09/2023 10:06

We're supposed to take an hour. 30 minutes is common and accepted. Monday was 10 minutes and would have been shorter if there hadn't been a queue at Pret.

Hufflepods · 07/09/2023 10:06

I want to take a half hour instead and just wondering if it can be enforced or whether this is a reasonable request before I ask!

It depends on the business. It is reasonable for them to refuse an early finish if there is a business need for staffing levels to remain until close of play.

You might need to put in a formal flexible working request.

PinkRoses1245 · 07/09/2023 10:06

No, we don't have set working hours or breaks.

Daffodilwoman · 07/09/2023 10:08

Yep I then have to stay later. High turn over of staff.

fairyfluf · 07/09/2023 10:09

Put in a flexible working request and see what they say

Original poster
StonwEd · 07/09/2023 10:10

It is most definitely not a 9-5.30 business and like I say, there is a requirement for me to be super flexible and I often work weekends and claim the time back in the week.
I’ll just ask my line manager, she can only say no I guess. I’ll start taking my lunch at 4.30 😂

OP posts:
QforCucumber · 07/09/2023 10:12

I should take an hour but now have an agreement with the directors that I take 30 mins all week and finish at 3 on a Friday for the school run, they were happy with this as still know where we are and that the office is covered for clients.

JaukiVexnoydi · 07/09/2023 10:12

You are legally supposed to have a minimum of 20 minutes break if your shift is longer than 6 hours. I would expect an ethical company to guarantee at least 2x 20min breaks if shifts were longer than 9 hours. Your company would only be likely to refuse a request like this if (a) the work is safety-critical and lives could depend on you being well-rested and able to focus or (b) if the last half-hour of the day is in any way stressful or annoying for the wider team such that colleagues might resent a team member constantly being able to skip it

EarringsandLipstick · 07/09/2023 10:14

It's not that you want to take less than an hour's lunch (you can't be prevented from doing this); it's that you presumably want to take a shorter lunch and finish up earlier.

As you've a flexible working arrangement, I presume this will be fine, I'd suspect your manager will reserve the right to require you to stay longer if needed for business purposes.

30 minutes will be a required break, as per legislation.

Original poster
StonwEd · 07/09/2023 10:27

Thanks all. I’m interested to hear what she says.
No lives depends on me being refreshed and yes, if I’m flexible that I give up weekends to work, then surely they can help me out too.
Sounds silly but (and this is only one reason) the traffic home is soooo much worse the later I leave. In honesty I’d like to start earlier as well, would miss the school traffic on the way in and the post work on the way out.
It’s a small city but my commute doubles the later I leave.

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 07/09/2023 10:37

I give up weekends to work

Is this as part of paid overtime or agreed hours at weekends? Or just that your job is at the level that requires extra work out of hours, with no additional pay?

If it's the first, that doesn't translate into renegotiating your start / finish times. If it's the second, you probably wouldn't need to ask your manager.

Just discuss it with your manager & see.

Original poster
StonwEd · 07/09/2023 10:51

Such is the nature of the business, weekends are vital.
our contacts require us to be flexible but nowhere in them does it states hours we have to be in the office.

OP posts:
catgirl1976 · 07/09/2023 11:01

I honestly didn’t know people still had lunch hours. Everywhere I’ve worked for years it’s been grab something fast to eat at your desk or if you really need to do something - some sort of a personal task take up to 30 minutes as an exception.

mindutopia · 07/09/2023 11:08

No 😂honestly, I think they'd prefer if we took no lunch break. I certainly know that most of my colleagues eat in like a 5 minute gap between meetings. I took an hour yesterday to make soup for lunch for the week and it felt really weird. I can't imagine most places would care as long as you get your work done and you aren't needing to stay until a specific time to cover for opening hours.

Original poster
StonwEd · 07/09/2023 11:34

I know! It’s alien to me. In my last job I was lucky to eat let alone get a break…

OP posts:
Lastqueenofscotland2 · 07/09/2023 11:36

Ours we choose how long we take as long as it’s at least 30 minutes, could take 3 hours if you wanted, just affects when you finish. I take a shorter break and leave early, but several people, especially in winter, take 2 hours to get some daylight!

andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow · 07/09/2023 11:41

Legally speaking your break can't be at the end of the day or the end of the shift.

You'd have to ask to change your hours really.

Jules912 · 07/09/2023 11:42

I got mine down to 30 minutes as part of a flexible working request, but it's discouraged as they want people to take a proper break and know full well that most people don't take the full hour anyway.

user1497864954 · 07/09/2023 12:07

You can ask, but when I worked in civil service, we could work flexi time but there always had to be someone in the office until at least 5pm. A few women wanted to do as you want to and have half an hour rather than hour lunch but the manager insisted that the late stay had to be fairly shared between everyone in the office so refused to allow the same one person to leave early EVERY day.

BookHereNoFee · 07/09/2023 12:23

We get an hour at lunch but only have to take half an hour.

We can't use it to finish early that same day though as they've scheduled us in to cover the working times so instead you build flexi over whatever period and submit a request to take it when you'd prefer. (Generally needs to be at least 24 hours notice)

Gettingbysomehow · 07/09/2023 12:24

Yes they do but I have never yet managed to take a lunch break (NHS) because we are too busy and have no staff.
I went home early one afternoon to make up for it because patients cancelled and was soundly told off.

Listen1Learn2Plan · 07/09/2023 13:00

12 hour shift
1 hour lunch
Not allowed to leave early
Break to be taken mid shift