Should I have taken a lunch break - it feels like slavery 🤦🏾‍♀️🙄

[whatthefisthisshit]

I work in an office where my role involves taking calls, processing documents, and responding to emails all at the same time. Yesterday was particularly full-on — I was on the phone taking calls non-stop from 10am to 1:30pm, back to back, without a real pause. By the time I finished, I was mentally drained, my mouth was dry, and I just needed a short break to reset.

Towards the end of that run of calls, I picked up a new task that involved three separate emails, each with around 100 pages of bank statements, all sent as individual images instead of PDFs. I had to upload each one manually and go through the statements to record most of the transactions, which took ages.

I completed the first email and decided to take my lunch break before starting the second batch. I told my colleagues I was stepping away for lunch, but one of them said I shouldn’t leave since I’d already started. I explained I’d finished the first batch but needed a breather before continuing, and he just smirked. To be fair, an old manager once said we should always finish a task before leaving it — but this one was exhausting.

I went for my lunch anyway, but now I’m wondering if I was in the wrong. I honestly felt burnt out and thought it was better to take a short break than push through and risk making mistakes.

So, AIBU for taking my lunch break before finishing the rest of the task?

I would burn out working like that after a couple of days, lunch break or not.

Well if the manager says anything because the spy told them just say "Sorry, I now realise I ought to have taken my break before starting the second task because spy told me. I will ensure I takemy breaks at the end of tasks from now on".

It's not a big deal.

No, you weren’t wrong, it’s exactly what a break is for. If your manager says anything just outline how lengthy the task was and you wouldn’t have had lunch to 2.30pm or whenever if you had continued, plus you needed a break to help your concentration.

I’ve worked in jobs like that where you feel so rushed you can barely get up to use the loo. Don’t give into it, because it’s never ending once you are in that mentality.

You should take your break. I don't think I've taken a break for the 45 years ive worked for the NHS. I spend my lunch eating at a desk catching up on paperwork I don't have time to do during clinic hours.

Take a break.
Next time, just take it before accepting any new tasks, to be in full compliance of your manager's rules. But.... they have to allow you breaks. It is a legal requirement.
Your colleague is quite stupid and I would keep them at a pole distance or more.

The fact that you have to ask this suggests to me that you are either fearful or naive (of course everyone should be able to take a lunch break and you can check your employment contract to see what it says about this) and in your updates you mention your colleague spying on you. This makes me think that either you are in a toxic workplace or you are a little paranoid. I am guessing it is probably a toxic workplace. Can you give any more examples of what is happening? A smirk could be imagined.

Tell your smug male colleague to go fuck himself (under your breath)

Interesting emoji

Of course you weren’t wrong. Taking a break during an odious and difficult task is ideal because otherwise you can get tired/drained by it and make mistakes.

🤣 Classic work fail alert! I accidentally set my out-of-office on the office email instead of my personal work email 🤦🏾‍♀️.

Logged into my laptop this morning and, within seconds, my manager posts in the department Teams chat saying someone’s out-of-office is active on the office email. Cue panic mode. I switch it off straight away and start setting it up on the correct email… and of course, my manager sends a test email to see if it’s me. Spoiler: it wasn’t working yet because I was literally in the middle of fixing it.

Expecting a proper telling-off when I get back, probably about both issues of taking a legal break and the out of office blunder . Honestly, the place is so toxic, and with most colleagues complaining too, I think it might finally be time to jump ship.

No regrets about taking my break though—just about the out-of-office mishap 🙄.

They sound horrendous

Eek honestly if a big deal is made because an out-of-office message is mistakely turned on which then causes employees to panic... This job is toxic af and not worth the stress. What would the manager be like if a real emergency or stressful work event was happening? Sounds like an absolute nightmare.

The place has a nightmare. The manager makes everyone so uncomfortable that no one even wants to speak up at all. And then there’s that one employee the spy who was saying not to have a break spends all day trying to impress the manager instead 🙄

I had a very high pressure role which was 80% phone 20% looking at and filling out documents- I knew I needed to leave when I didn't have time to go to the toilet. The pressure and the through put was all expected by management and clients- it meant the only way out was to leave.