What do you think lunch break should be for 39 hours per week.

[Hotandflustered]

Hi,

I've got an employment contract which states 39 hours per week to be worked.
It is mute on lunch breaks and what the actual length is.
(In a situation where there is no manager currently so unable to get clarity.)

Our day patterns are 8-4:30, 9-5:30, 9.30-6pm

There is some confusion as to how long a lunch break we're entitled to - someone not quite in authority did at one point say we are only entitled to 45 mins, but some of the team have been going for an hour, saying the days are 7.5 working hours but I make that then 37.5 hours per week?

Just wonder if anyone else does a 39-hour week and what the lunch break looks like.

I think your break is 42 mins long, probably to be taken as close to the middle of your shift as possible.

You have a right to 20 min unitrupted break daily but most companies give 30 mins and many 1 hour which is a waste of time as you are not paid for them and just want to get bak up

When i worked in the coucil 30 min min but up to 2 hours between 12 and 2pm - most took 30 mins and 1 hour on Fridays etc for a drink and stuff

I work 39 hours and we get 20-25min breakfast break and the same for lunch. So it’s ball park 40-45mins

If those hours are fixed, and no early Friday finish 42 mins.

30 mins in my last 39 hrs week. Management really enforced it too! Running over 30 mins very much frowned on as seen as theft of company time.

I work somewhere more flexible now

Lunchbreaks aren't usually paid, so I would assume that you have to work 39 hours and take lunchbreaks on top of that. Your start and finish times would be different depending on whether you took half an hour, an hour or whatever.

I agree with PP, for what you've described it should be 42 minutes.

The time between starting and finishing shift is 8.5hrs, which makes 42.5 hrs over the 5 day week. 42.5 hrs - 39 hrs = 3.5 hrs to be taken unpaid as lunchbreak. 3.5 hrs divided over 5 working days is 42 minutes per day.

Many thanks for the guidance 🙂no more 1-hour lunches for us!

Saw rota today, it is 30 minutes for lunch and 1 x 15 min morning break so that explains it.