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Original poster

Do you actually take your lunch break?

127 replies

guild · 20/10/2023 13:57

I'm curious if people actually take their lunch break. Do you take yours? Is it paid or unpaid? And what sector do you work in?

Me: I don't. It's paid. I work in education. Tend to get so caught up I just sort of miss it and eat at desk.

OP posts:
greengreengrass25 · 20/10/2023 14:00

I try to but not always the full one. It's unpaid

PosteriorPosterity · 20/10/2023 14:01

Unpaid, and probably take it 25% of the time (including when I often meet colleagues or contacts for lunch)

IrritableVowel · 20/10/2023 14:03

Unpaid. I take my full hour and go home for lunch. Desk job, so very rare that something has to be done 1-2

LostThestral · 20/10/2023 14:04

no, I may pop to the shop & grab something to eat at my desk but usually bring in a salad & eat at desk. Keep trying to motivate myself to go for a lunch time walk struggle with energy levels

marshmallowfinder · 20/10/2023 14:05

Always. It's unpaid. I'm on a minimum wage job. I would not miss it, ever.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 20/10/2023 14:06

I wfh and I always take mine. 30 mins unpaid.
I used to work in education (pastoral attendance officer) and I barely got a toilet break never mind a lunch break. Horrible way to work and makes you completely unproductive in the afternoons.

DramaAlpaca · 20/10/2023 14:08

Unpaid, and I rarely manage it. I'm eating at my desk right now though, having a sneaky look at MN while hoping nobody interrupts me.

mumto2teenagers · 20/10/2023 14:08

Unpaid.

I usually take it if WFH and take the dogs for a walk, when in the office I tend to pop out and grab a sandwich but only take about 10 mins. Our manager is really flexible about start and finish times so I tend to leave early when in the office as have a long commute.

scaredofpate · 20/10/2023 14:14

I do now. We get an hour unpaid and have a lovely staff room and a huge kitchen with oven and hob! At my previous job we got 30 mins unpaid and as the optometrist was often running late we never got a break. On the days I worked alone we weren't allowed to close the practice so didn't get a break then either. Wish I had bloody reported them!

refreshingseahorse · 20/10/2023 14:19

Unpaid. WFH four days a week. Always take my one hour lunch. Had jobs in the past where this was discouraged / not part of the culture. These days I am over that kind of nonsense. I work for a professional body.

OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 20/10/2023 14:29

Its unpaid and 100% I take it every day. I go and sit in my car or go to the shops etc..... if you want me for more hours than pay me for more hours.

Lochness1975 · 20/10/2023 14:29

Regional role, mix of WFH and out on site. Always take my lunch break of 30 minutes, unless I have a long commute, then i’ll run back to back meetings without a lunch break to leave earlier.

Parakeetamol · 20/10/2023 14:30

I eat at my desk. I don't even know if we have a lunch break. Probably not. We don't have any contracted hours, it's all results based, so taking hours off to sit and eat seems extravagant.

WmFnKdSg1234 · 20/10/2023 14:36

I take my unpaid 1 hour for lunch. I really enjoy it - can pop to the shops, get fuel for car, read, etc. In my former role it was half an hour and sometimes not even that! Made the afternoons feel stressful.

Bacarach · 20/10/2023 14:37

Perm job in construction. 1pm on the dot every day. For 30 mins. But I only work 37.5 hours a week anyway. I eat at my desk and go on here.

chipsandpeas · 20/10/2023 14:38

yes its unpaid and i feel the time away from desk is beneficial, however there have been some times i havent taken the full hour but its rare

SkyeIsPink2 · 20/10/2023 14:39

I am salaried and I can’t remember if my break is paid or unpaid tbh. I use it to pick up my son from school so can’t not take it

sleepingpsycho · 20/10/2023 14:39

No lunch break here - As part of my role we sit and Lunch with Our Patients, but the actually sitting - down - part is very brief as they need support throughout.

theprincessthepea · 20/10/2023 14:40

It always but try to. And I try to take 15 minutes throughout the day (going on a walk, tea break) to make up for it.

Right now I am working from home, on a lunch break - typing on Mumsnet.

CarolinaInTheMorning · 20/10/2023 14:42

I work primarily from home. I always take a lunch break 30 to 45 minutes. It's unpaid.

Eminybob · 20/10/2023 14:45

Hahahaha no.

Seriously though, I should, and my company endorses it but it's rare I have time.
I have had back to back meetings from 9 until 3.15 today. (I'm actually on a call now but just a listening one Grin)

LadyDanburysHat · 20/10/2023 15:08

I always take my lunch break. I don't owe the company any more than the hours they pay me.

I wfh now so go to the gym or do things around the house.

When I worked in the office pretty much everyone in my department tool lunch breaks too. Some of us walked into town for fresh air. If not we sat in our comfy staff room and caught up with friends.

momtoboys · 20/10/2023 15:23

Almost never.

Moomoomo · 20/10/2023 15:30

Mine is paid and I take it. I work in social careI. I don't really have a choice. I get sent a list of clients to visit during my shift and the lunch break is built into the list. I would only skip it if I was held up by something unforseen so running very behind, we have some buffer time built into the lists though so that is very rare. More often than that I actually end up with a very long lunch break if it's a quiet shift and everything goes smoothly.

Enko · 20/10/2023 16:19

Rare I take a lunch break but I do eat lunch every day and on the days I am late due to traffic I expect (and get) no comment.