When does a work break officially start?

[RachaelT]

Hey, just hoping to gain a bit of insight into what people expect.

Does the clock on a break at work start when you leave your post (desk, checkout, booth…etc)… or when you arrive at the staff area?

I’ve always been taught it’s for former but seem to have many colleagues who believe the latter (both younger and older) and so they are working less hours the for same number of hours a day. 5 minutes on each side of a break over 5 days a week soon adds up!

I'm amazed so many people are surprised that break times in some workplaces are fixed and timed.

What do you think would happen if teachers wandered back in to the classroom 5 mins after their break time ended, or if checkout staff were all out back having a coffee at the same time because they'd ignored the allocated break time, or if train drivers decided they wanted an extra ea break.

Yes there are jobs where it doesn't matter if you take your break at 10 or 11 and if it's 5 mins long or 20 mins long, but there are other jobs where it does matter, and where customers would be screaming blue murder if there weren't people to answer their calls or ring through their tin of beans.

I think especially in larger organisations ot does need to be monitored. We have a summer temp student who started last Monday. She has wandered away from her desk multiple times, took 2 tea breaks yesterday and is giving out that she isn't on flexi time.

The reason she has a job is to support the wider team while others are on annual leave over the summer, she was specifically told.when applying, it's 9-5 mon-fri, standard leave, no unpaid holidays as people were coming in for a 10 week stint telling us they needed to be accommodated for 3 weeks holidays they booked....eh no. The sense of entitlement is unreal. Some People need specific rules.

@S0livagant no need to. It averages over the month so one day I might not use any (bearing in mind you have breaks and lunch too) and another I might need 15 mins
Any issues I just message saying I need more time and vaguely why (making a phone call, personal issue, not feeling well etc)

I think you are right OP but if the culture in your workplace has shifted to give you a better deal then I think you should just go with the flow and take longer breaks. Don’t discuss it with managers or HR though obviously.

When you leave your desk