To think that if you work 10-4?

[Lelly97]

That you should get a lunch break?

What if you work 4 hours? 2 hours? How long should your break be if you’re just working for one hour?

I'm a supply teacher and not one school that I have visited is 9 until 3. Hours have got longer and longer over the last few years. Most schools have the children in by 8.35 and finish at 3.25, the register might not be until 9 but you are still working and helping students in that time. Also lunch breaks in many schools are no longer an hour. I don't take a break as I am trying to get ready for the next lesson or mark or I am dealing with an incident. I think the a teacher only does contact time of 9 to 3 is outdated.
Good point about some people being excluded from jobs because of no entitlement to a break in 6 hours. Reducing it to 4, would help so many back to the workforce who have physical jobs.

You;ve never worked with slackers and cheeky fuckers then I take it. Allowing people to take breaks as long as they want or as often as they want is a recipe for disaster! If you want complete flexibility over your working day and when you take breaks, work for yourself.

I have a 10-2 half day. No contractual lunch break but I negotiated a half hour longer day with my line manager to have lunch (because that short day is to allow me to do school run with associated other commitments and I rarely stop from 8am-7pm). Just because it’s not in the legal minimum doesn’t stop you asking your manager - but they can refuse.

What a horrible attitude you have.

Why? That's what the law says.

If someone is working 10 - 4 it would be nice if a short break were offered, but as other posters have said, it's not an obligation.

At my employment, I get a 15 minute break if I work over 4hrs 10mins. After 6 hrs the break time goes up

I get your point however time has shown we unfortunately can’t rely on morals! There’d be an absurd amount of women back at work a couple of days after birth and no annual leave if we left it up to employers to set the rules. Employment law is one of the things I do think the U.K. does quite well (although not perfectly I must say).

Just realistic, @SabreIsMyFave . I have worked in lots of jobs with lots of people who are only there for the money and not for any burning desire to work in a shop, or a call centre, or washing dishes in a restaurant. The aim of many people is to do the bare minimum to get through the day without getting into trouble, taking their breaks as allowed and not returning to work a minute early.

Not everyone has this amazing career job with loads of intellectual stimulation and where you really want to get up in the morning and go to work. Many people would very much prefer to be doing something else but need to pay the bills. And some of them would absolutely take the piss if they were allowed to.

I always thought it was, legally, a 15 minute break after 4 hours (Scotland). I'm actually quite shocked it's 6 hours. Did it change recently or have I always been wrong?

Legal standards exist to protect workers but also to protect employers. Surely you understand that there would be idiots who would take more breaks than work if they could? Just as there would be bad employers who would deny workers breaks if there was no law.

I have done these hours before and was offered 15 minutes to eat lunch. Unpaid but I couldn't go without eating for that long. I avoid these hours if I can.
The worst shift for me are 12/6 with no break in a physically demanding and stressful role.

I've worked these kind of hours in retail. Thankfully we were given a 15 minute break but it wasn't legally necessary. The fact that the hours fall over what many would regard as a meal time is irrelevant. It's the length of the working shift that matters.

Hardly worth getting ready and going to work for those hours. If I'm on a work day, I'd want to do some work and earn some money. Not spend 1/6 of that time loafing around eating and gassing. But that's just me.

Depends on your job role. I don't tell my staff when they can have a break or how long for. I tell them what they need to accomplish and the deadline for that. Obviously that doesn't work in every job, but it would work in a lot more jobs than allow it. The problem is too many incompetent/inexperienced managers who can't manage performance so micro manage time keeping instead.

Yep no break in six hour shift as others say, could you ask yo work to 4.15 pm so you have 15 mins in the middle of your six hours?

Where I work in Ireland you would be entitled to a half an hour break. We have a union where I work.

I often do shifts like this and have a cup of tea and a filling breakfast and that will keep me going until I get home

The law should be changed. It’s ludicrous, you will probably have travelled, it’s almost a full day, yet you aren’t entitled to any break by law.

Most normal companies would let you, but one company I worked for wouldn’t, and wanted us to work an extra half hour a day, to add to our 40 hour week.

Our Manager very kindly stood his ground and said that we didn’t take a break, but would sometimes grab something, but it couldn’t be construed as a break, as he didn’t want us all to have to work beyond our already long hours.

I was literally just expressing surprise. Calm your tits, no need for the sarcasm.

Almost like this is a discussion board where people can post about their own unique individual experiences, isn’t it?

thats hardly a revelation, surely?

You should take up smoking or vaping as the colleagues that do are always on a break.

@Allthatwegotisthispalebluedot

Calm your tits? You sound utterly charming 😂

And this:

I am hardly what you would call a ‘competitive under-eater’ like some mumsnetters but going six hours without food is just….not a big deal?

sounded judgemental if others, to me. It might not be "a big deal" to you, but surely you can understand why it is to others?

@User12356

I think it's very normal indeed! 😀

I think its not so much the length of time but where it sits in the day if you are following a relatively conventional schedule. You might still get up at 6am or 7am if you start work at 10am so to wait until 4pm - or maybe 5pm if you have a commute home - for your "lunch" is a long time regardless of where you place "breakfast". Especially if you are active in your job.

I usually work a shift until 7pm getting home just after 8pm. If I have lunchbreak at 1pm I am usually Ok with water/a can of coke until I get home to eat. But I know I would struggle with the 10-4 time frame. My job is in a shop and while my top priority is lunch when I have a break it's also good to sit down or have fresh air if its been really hectic.

I used to do 11-5 standing in the same place. Couldn't even have a wee as there was only me doing it. I used to have a bottle of water in my pocket. This was about 4 years ago.