It has been suggested that Coffee break be merged into this article or section. ()

"Lunch break" redirects here. For lunch breaks at school, see Recess.

A break at work is a period of time during a shift in which an employee is allowed to take time off from his/her job. There are different types of breaks, and depending on the length and the employer's policies, the break may or may not be paid.

Contents 1 Types of breaks 1.1 Meal breaks 1.2 Snack breaks 2 References

Types of breaks

Meal breaks

Meal breaks or lunch breaks usually range from 30 minutes to one hour. Their purpose is to allow the employee to have a meal that is regularly scheduled during the work day. For a typical daytime job, this is lunch, but this may vary for those with other work hours. It is not uncommon for this break to be unpaid, and for the entire work day from start to finish to be longer than the number of hours paid in order to accommodate this time.

According to a study, the amount of time people are taking for lunch breaks in the United States is shrinking, thereby making the term "lunch hour" a myth¹. Some employers are not offering lunch breaks at all. Many employees are taking shorter lunch breaks in order to compete with other employees for a better position, and to show their productivity².

In some places, such as the state of California, meal breaks are legally mandated.¹ Penalties can be severe for failing to adequately staff one's business premises so that all employees can rotate through their mandatory meal and rest breaks. For example, on April 16, 2007, the Supreme Court of California unanimously affirmed a trial court judgment requiring Kenneth Cole Productions to pay an additional hour of pay for each day that a store manager had been forced to work a nine hour shift without a break.³

Snack breaks

See also: Coffee break

Snack breaks are usually shorter than meal breaks, and allow the employee to have a quick snack, or to accomplish other personal needs. Similar types of breaks include restroom and smoke breaks.

Some employers allow employees to stop their work for short durations at any time to take care of these needs.

References

v • d • e Employment topics Hiring Application • Cover letter • Employment contract • Independent contractor • Interview • Job fraud • Résumé/CV • Work-at-home scheme Roles Full time • Job • Part time • Permanent • Permatemp • Supervisor • Self-employed • Temporary • Internship • Volunteer• Numerary• Supernumerary Attendance Break • Leave of absence • No call, no show • Sick leave • Workers' compensation Schedules 35-hour workweek • Flextime plan • Eight-hour day • Overtime • Retroactive overtime • Telecommuting • Shift work • Workweek • Working time Wages Living wage • Maximum wage • Minimum wage • Paid time off • Overtime Rate Infractions Employee handbook • Sexual harassment • Sleeping while on duty • Evaluation Termination At-will employment • Constructive dismissal • Firing • Layoff • Letter of resignation • Resignation • Retirement • Severance package • Unemployment • Wrongful dismissal

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• This page was last modified on 19 December 2008, at 17:21.

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