Lunch Breaks!!?

Question

I work in a tiny office 9-6pm 5 days a week with a flourescent light with no filter on it, the bulb is about 8ft long and the office is about 10ft x 5 ft !!! this hurts my eyes and gives me a headache daily. I have complained and they say they will look into this. Now we've alll been told that we can only have a 20 min break a day ?? is this legal when we work a 9 hour day?

I work on a computer 9-6pm

We have no HR dept, I work in an Estate Agent that is run by a husband and wife, only 4 members of staff including me.. and the 20 min break is for lunch but my letter of employment says 9-6pm with an unpaid lunch HOUR, so I dont think they can now make me take just 20 mins lunch, we have no morning or afternoon break, we drink at our desks

Answer 1

Please check the link below - sorry, but I'm afraid the legal break requirement for an adult working over 6 hours in a stretch is 20 minutes.

However, you should have been given a written statement of employment terms within 2 months of starting work, and in there it should detail your working hours and breaks. If it does then your employers are varying the terms of your employment so I would seek advice - try ACAS.

Answer 2

Perfectly legal I'm afraid!

In the UK your entitled to a break every 4 and a half hours. Its up to the company whether this break is one hour, half and hour 20 mins or less!

Working with a computer has nothing to do with it. Your supposed to resy your eyes every 10 mins when you look at a computer but that rest can be looking out the window for a minute.

If they make a change like this they need to get you to sign a new contract saying this. So if you don't like it.... don't sign. But its legal.

Also can I add that these are the UK yahoo pages and so advice about states and laws etc in the US won't apply in the UK. Not sure if the asker is American or British but if you want thes best answer your best bet is to post on your countries pages.

Answer 3

In the US, there is no federal law that require anyone be given a break unless they are under the age of 18. There may be state laws mandating breaks where you live, but it is unlikely. So they don't even have to give you the 20 minutes.

However, if you are not getting a lunch hour, they have to pay you for that hour you are not allowed to go to lunch. (Provided you are paid hourly.)

If you are eligible for overtime pay, you should be getting about 5 hours a week paid at time and half.

If you are not being paid for all that time, you can and should file a wage and hour claim with the Dept of Labor to recover all of those unpaid hours, and you should talk to your coworkers about doing the same.

Answer 4

Your lunch and break periods, which you didn't mention, are legally determined by what state you work in. Some states, like Fl. are "right to work" states, where the employer can determine if you are allowed to even have a break!!! You need to check into your state's laws, contact the labor board. 20 minutes doesn't sound long enough by any standard, and they will be able to tell you this. Also you can find out about the light fixture with them, I know that in the food industry a flourescent light MUST have a cover on it, it is the law. May apply here as well, for your safety. If the light blew and shattered you could be injured. Hope this helps - and wow look for another job if you can !!! sounds medieval there !!!

Answer 5

I am not sure whether it is legal or not but right now i am working in the factory nine hours a day and i have 30 minutes for lunch and 2 other breaks for 15 minutes each . and i think u deserve more than 20 minutes break a day , and maybe u should speak to someone in the HR dept.

Answer 6

It is federal law that in a 8 hour day you get a 30 min unpaid lunch and 2 15 min paid breaks

Answer 7

Will they allow you to turn off that flourescent light and bring in lamps or other light sources?

As for the legality of whether or not you are allowed breaks, it varies from state to state. 20 minutes is awfully short break for a 9 hour day, though...

Answer 8

There are state laws that give people 2 10 minute breaks a day plus 30 minutes for lunch.
Your bosses are breaking all sorts of state rules.. call your state attorney general and tell them what is going on.. they will set them straight. Violation of the law can include fines and be checked each year to make sure they aren't in violation again.
What you are telling me is they are basically wanting slave labor and that is against the law in the U.S.

Answer 9

Most states do not require any breaks. But a few do, so check with your state's Department of Labor for the laws in your state -- they are usually listed on their website, sometimes under wage and hour division.

Also, check with your eye doc -- you may be able to get tinted glasses to help with the light glare. I'm fairly certain your employer isn't breaking any safety rules with the light.

Answer 10

You should talk to your Health& Safety rep. about the problem with your office lighting. You shouldn't have to put up with daily headaches.

If you work a nine hour day, you should be allowed a paid break of 30 minutes. However, some companies insist you take a longer unpaid break at lunch time. Twenty minutes break a day doesn't sound reasonable at all.

Put the words "lunch break laws" into a search engine, or look at the websites below. Good luck!