No break at work..?

[CannotThinkOfAWittyNameChange]

Namechanged as I’ve posted about my current job before on MN.

I’m currently job-hunting. Been interviewed for a role I really like, working 30 hours per week, 9am-3pm Mon-Fri. So, 6 hours per day. I’d have killed for those hours when my children were younger. Having googled, the .gov.uk website says if you work 6 hours or less you don’t have a right to a break. Can I ask when you’re supposed to eat lunch?! And does anyone have any tips on how to negotiate for a proper break (unpaid) and also how to negotiate for 4 days per week rather than 5? I don’t want to come across as fussy or rude, but I don’t know how to broach it with people who hardly know me. Should I raise it at the second interview, or wait and see if they actually offer me the role and ask then?

Background info: I’m not a spring chicken, which is obvious at interview, and I simply don’t have the energy to work 5 days per week any longer. I’m also autistic and need the downtime. When I saw the job advertised I assumed that the 30 hours per week would be split over 4 days but they apparently want cover on all 5.

I’m in England btw.

Thank you 🙏

If they want the daily coverage, then all you can do is ask at the second interview. The risk is that they find another suitable candidate who accepts their 6hrs x 5 days routine and you miss out,

If you had to work 30 hrs over. 4 days that would need you to work 4 full days, 7.5 hours a day, which I would have thought would be more tiring.

if you get the job, you could try working the hours they want and if you pass your probation, asking them to consider a Reasonable Adjustment due to your autism, fatigue and need for downtime, which they would find more difficult to decline unless they give a business decision that overrules the RA (eg they can't leave a client facing service unstaffed one day a week).

to clarify the rest break, if you work a 6 hour day you absolutely are entitled to a rest break midway through your working day, but they don't have to pay you for that break. 20 mins is the statutory, but a caring employer would be more generous, giving you a break either paid or unpaid.

If this company don't offer you a break they are breaking the law and you would have to think twice accepting the role,

I think you need to apply for part time jobs, where they are only looking for someone a few days a week.
They want cover 5 days a week from 9 till 3. That doesn’t sound like they’d be willing to give you 4 longer days instead.

You’re not going to be able to negotiate a break. Not unless you have a disability and could ask for it as a reasonable adjustment but that may actually not be reasonable if they have no one to cover and this role is being filled to cover those hours.

If you can’t do the hours then this isn’t the job for you.

I couldn’t edit my OP. This is the link to the gov. website where it seems you’re only entitled to a break if you work more than 6 hours in a day: https://www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work

She is not entitled to a break. You only get statutory rights to a break when you work OVER 6 hours.
A 6 hour shift does not entitle you to a break. They can, and do, expect you to work the whole shift with no break.

Please don’t give incorrect advice. It doesn’t help anyone.

Thanks both - the hours are something for me to ponder and I won’t go into my reasons here , but it’s the lack of break I’m really struggling with! Can you really be made to work 6 hours without any break?!

Yes. @daisychain01 is wrong so please don’t use her advice to do in and argue that they are breaking the law. You won’t win that argument.

They can make you work 6 hours without a break. Most places do actually give a break but it’s their choice to do that. If this role doesn’t offer a break then that’s that. You’re not entitled to one so you don’t really have much to fight with. Unless you are asking for a reasonable adjustment due to disability.

Have they actually told you there is no break? I occasionally work a 5 or 6 hour shift and can have an unpaid break if I want to, so it will depend on whether they have told you there isn't a break rather than just because the government says you don't have to have one.

Yes, if it’s six hours exactly, you’re not entitled to a break at all. You might be able to eat a sandwich at your desk, though, while working.

9am- 3pm is 7 hours, not 6.

lol sorry I'm an idiot

Um… no, it isn’t.

Could you potentially ask to work to 3.30? I used to work somewhere which did that so you'd get a 30 min break (unpaid) at lunchtime but still work 6 hours.

Yes you can. You legally need a break after 6 hours of work but if you are finishing after 6 hours that doesn't apply.
You shouldn't try to negotiate working 4 days for a job that has been advertised as 5 days. They won't entertain that. And if you decide you do want to take the 5 days after trying they may have a negative view of your commitment.
I appreciate that you're autistic and will find 6 hours solid to be challenging but that's what they need. You eat well before you start, you take a snack to eat as soon as you clock off and if you need 5 minutes you go and sit on the loo for a bit of peace!
If you think you can get your head around it give it a try.

We have staff that work 6 hour days, we give them the choice of working 6 hours straight or finishing half an hour later if they want a lunch break. We don’t allow food at desks.

If a job is being advertised as 5 days don’t bother wasting peoples time if you only want 4 days, unless it says otherwise in the advert about flexibility or contact them first before you apply.

You could request an unpaid break at lunch. I imagine most employers would allow that if there’s cover.

I stand corrected thanks. That said, in reality, an employer who makes their staff work for 6 hours non-stop and doesnt grant a minimum 20 min unpaid break for their employee's wellbeing just because the law says they don't have to, is shabby and one you should serious consider whether they will treat you fairly and decently. It is always at the start of the recruitment process that the employee should consider is this a place I will enjoy working in, just as much as the recruiter will be asking themselves if you are right for the role.

😂 I did the sums twice 😂

A lot of the shifts at my place are 6 hours, we do actually allow a short, paid lunch break but it's literally eat, refresh and back to work (we also provide the food) but the staff are aware this is a perk, not an entitlement. Personally, I think 6 hours is a long stretch with no break but that is what the law says so they're doing nothing wrong

I’d like to clarify that the job was NOT advertised as 5 days. It was advertised as 30 hours FLEXIBLE was why I applied. At the very end of the initial interview they said that the hours were fixed 9-3. Just pointing out that I haven’t been unreasonable in applying 😉

I thought it was a 20 minute break if you worked 6 hours.

No. If you want more info then read the thread.

The NHS do this…..so if I’m a half shift 8-2, or 2-8 I don’t get a break.
i can nip to the loo or get a drink but that’s it!

Its if you work over 6 hours

@CannotThinkOfAWittyNameChange could you offer working 9-3.30 and have a 30 minute break?

I have just been successful getting a role that is 3 x 6 hour days. I asked about a lunch break at interview and was told that because it is only 6 hours they don't really offer a break. I have agreed a 30 min unpaid lunch break instead and I will work 8 - 2.30. I don't know if they would have allowed a quick sandwich at the desk as I didn't ask but I feel happier knowing I can take a proper break and have a little walk.
Good luck getting offered the job. I don't think those set hours are very flexible so it may be worth asking for 4 x longer days. The worst they can say is no and then you can decide if it suits you.