Breaks at work

[Leggy_Girl]

What's the ruling on break times at work?

I've been working in this office 1 year now, and i'm sick of not getting sufficient breaks.

I start work at 8.30am, get 1 hour for lunch at 1pm, and then finish at 5pm.

I'm an administrator so i'm at my computer all day, answering my phone and paper-pushing.

My computer is crap, as is my monitor, so staring at it endlessly with a squint really gives me a headache.

The only people who get breaks at the moment are anyone in the company who smokes. They get 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon.

That can't be right can it???
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[JonB]

Once again, another example of smokers getting extra breaks and getting paid for them, just because they are under an addiction.
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[map]

The government site on rest breaks is here.

[mrchips]

Surely you're entitled to a tea time, or you can take 15-30 mins at 10am and deduct that off your lunch time?

I usually take about 30 minutes at 10 and 1 but sometimes take an hour each if I havn't got much to do/no hurry.
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[Leggy_Girl]

I wouldn't mind having a 30 minute lunch and taking the other 30 minutes as breaks, but the bosses say we're not allowed?

Then again, why should i half my lunch to get some rest when the smokers get their one hour lunch, plus those 2 smoking breaks?
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[akaDAVE]

I get to work at about 8.30 and work til 5 and probably don't even take a full hour at lunch, just walk to tesco and eat at desk.
People here go outside for 'passives' where they just accompany a smoker but don't smoke. I think that's fair.
There is one bloke here who seems to do more smoking than work, he is outside almost every time I pop over to reception or something.
Luckily I have the freedom to leave my desk and go outside or pop to the shops if I want without anyone breathing down my neck. I often do when my eyes are aching or I'm drowsy. It's the basic freedom that makes you feel happier not the actual time you get off.
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[Kaben]

I work from 8.30 untill 6pm and i get a 20minute lunch break. Once a week i can have an hour lunch. Other than that, no breaks. Dont really have time to take one anyway as work is so busy and day flys past.

Still-20 minutes is rubbish. And minimum break is 20 minutes every 6 hours as far as im aware.

If you want your extra 10 minute breaks,pretend your a smoker, go to the nearest papershop and buy some of those silly chocolate cigarettes.
Bingo, 10 minutes cigarette break and some chocky to nibble on too.

Kaben
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[Dragonfly]

ahhh when i smoked i did take a sneaky break and i toldthe non smokers to pee off somewhere on a break also. fairs fair. but in my last job i worked 12 hours shifts with a lousy half hour lunch and two fifteen minutes which you where lucky ifyou got and they still took it all out of your pay!

in hg i used to go for a smoke whenever but the non smoker got to sit on the ps2 for as long as he wanted. again fair is fair.
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[Katie]

I thought there was some rule about employee's having to have tea breaks as well as thier lunch break?

At Debenhams I started at 9am and finished at around 5:45pm. I got 20 minutes in the morning, 1 hour for lunch, then another 20 minutes in the afternoon.

It was supposed to be 15 minute breaks but as we didn't get paid for the cashing up at closing time, we added that time onto our tea breaks.
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[Annabella]

You should look away from the monitor every twenty minutes and rest your eyes by looking at something in the distance.

Legally you're only really entitled to half an hour lunch break, but if smokers are given 10 minute breaks then you should too.

I used to go for breaks with the smokers in the plant I worked at, even if it meant inhaling their toxic fumes (though slightly less stinky than the atmospheric ammonia) there was no way I was carrying on working when the rest of the workforce were standing around nattering.
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[syl]

European Working Time Directive states that every worker must have a rest break if working more than 6 hours. The rest break can be set by collective agreement or must be a minimum of 20 minutes if no collective agreement exists. Where a worker's pattern of work puts their health and safety at risk, adequate rest breaks over and above the standard provided must be given. Rest breaks must be provided away from the workstation.
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[Barry_M2]

You should get 5 mins break for every hour you are sat in front of a monitor. Not including lunch.


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[tribal_tiger]

Have to say my employers are great. If i want a break, i take one. As long as the work gets done everyones OK with it.

My lunch break today was 2 hours on the beach!!!
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[Itchy]

although this goes against some of my other posts (ie the UK gets pissed on by other nations as they work hard and don't slack off) , get up and go walk for to a far away water cooler far away , my work place is pretty relaxed and people ask me to go get this and that so I don't stare at a monitor all day.

And that as long as my work allocation is done (which it is given to me at the start of the year) I can slack about, except that its quite alot of work and you have to generally put in 6 hours a day (out of 7.5).

if you are admin then you can always setup a PC to bugger up (ie remove the fan and heat sink) so you can go fix it, no fan + heat sink = crash every hour or so with a 2 minute fix , 1 minute to walk there 1 minute back = instant 5 minute break.


if you do intent to stare at a screen7.5 hours a day take heart that eye exams and corrective glasses are not non taxable benefits that can be given to you by an employer.
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[Dragonfly]

1 hour braek in 12 hours of heavy work in a nursing home

well not any fecking more cause i dont work there! i drive around and have breaks whenever and still get paid. but now i dont smoke.
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[daz|n00by]

working for my self i take what ever i want, but never bother to stop, drink tea while working dont stop to eat, why bother stopping? it only make syou feel worse when you hav eto start again.
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[hellkat]

I sit on the sofa all day, drinking coffee, munching cakes and smoking fags - and occasionally talk on the phone.

Sometimes I have to put a load of washing on, or do some dishes. Does that count as work?


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[JodieWodie]

Where I work I can take whatever breaks and lunch I want, but I don't get paid for it
I only work 5.30 hours, not 6+

I usually have 30 mins lunch, and just fanny about a bit now and then to get a rest from the screen
It's a pretty casual place, you just look intensely at the screen if the boss walks in Resting your fingers on the end of your chin and looking 'thoughtful' is good too

I tend to go to the water cooler 9/10 times, the loo about the same, or I will "just take a walk and see HR about something..." for a bit of a wander
So, all in all, I probably get about 40 minutes of paid breaks a day
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[Resurrection]

I work 10pm-7am and feck knows what breaks im supposed to have but i get up and have a wander or a smoke or go to tescos whenever i damn well please!

Thats why i like working nights

Nights= Less bosses+No hassle = Happy Res

Res
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[lozzypop1]

Thought the title said 'breasts at work'
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[lozzypop1]

EU regs are: (I believe)

Shift length / Break entitlement
4 hr / 10 mins
4-5 hr / 15 mins
5-6 hr / 20 mins
6-7 hr / 30 mins
7 hrs + / 30 mins plus 15 mins

I'm not sure so don't quote me on that, but it sounds like your employer is giving you the hour lunch which includes any other breaks you are entitled to!
It may be worth having a chat with your boss and seeing if you can divide it up into say 2 15 mins and 1 1/2 hour break!
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[Trip]

As far as im aware the MINIMUM is 15 minutes out of every 4 hours. In my old job i was working 8 hour shifts and got 30mins paid break and 2 X 15 mins un-paid breaks.

In my new job however i dont get a break until ive worked 4.5 hours. So im not sure?

Have a fit at your boss and demand the smokers breaks if he says no tell him to do one and report him for it!
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[WishayKillie]

I work 6am-6pm 1hr lunch break and whatever tea breaks we can get , it just depends on how busy we are. One day I ended up working a 15hr shift and missed the galley at dinner time so I had to set my alarm for the midnight meal time for the night shift.

Old job was more strict with the 8hr shift. It was 35min (unpaid) lunch and a unnoficial 15min tea break in the morning.
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[Dragonfly]

i think you should have a word with jesus he has been an aweful long time on his tea break
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Muzza on Binge:
He's too busy beating the everloving shit out of Lizzie to notice this thread has taken a turn down Drama Avenue and stopped off at the popcorn shop.