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In terms of people who are A) salaried, B) don't work in customer facing roles and C) aren't in some sort of manual labor position by which their presence is counted on to prevent a cascade of work stoppage, I wasn't aware anybody even timed lunches anymore, let alone only offered 30 minutes. The norm these days seems to largely be make your own schedule so long as your work gets done. Sometimes I skip lunch, sometimes we head to some new place clear across town with slow service and take 2 and a half hours...
We had a lunch hour for decades... most took less and often way less... it was honor system at the Hospital
With the merger we are required to clock out 30 minutes... HR went into detail that meal break is our time... we are not on the clock and to treat it as if we were off site... kind of hard to leave with 30 minutes... so most gather in the break room or cafeteria...
This has generated lines at Kronos at times as people wait to clock back in because 29 minutes for meal break generates a report...
So here is a twist... they were running mock codes at the Hospital last week... normally all that could would respond... but after having HR drill into us that meal break is off the clock... NO ONE off the clock responded... it did not go over well... Nurse Managers were quite upset!
We asked for clarification... because according to HR a missed or interrupted Meal Break is compensated as double time... so that 30 minutes off the clock becomes one hour pay...
For now they have decided NOT to run mock codes between 11 and 1 when the bulk take meal break...
For 25 years I did not have to clock and have found clocking means I am here less and pay checks are larger... but I hate waiting to clock in and out... really as it is something I have not done since a teen...
I work in a technical field sales position, 65% out of a home office and 35% at client sites. My lunches are anything from hurriedly eating a granola bar/sandwich in the car or plane quickly when traveling to meetings, to a leisurely 2 hour lunch, with clients. It all depends on our customer meeting schedule, for that day.
A normal lunch break, for me would be taking 30-40 minutes, during a lull in the activity and making a sandwich or salad at home. Sometimes, I'll go out with my wife, another colleague, or a client. It all depends.
C) aren't in some sort of manual labor position by which their presence is counted on to prevent a cascade of work stoppage
I Worked in construction for over 27 yrs. I would go to lunch when my work day was finished. Hitting a restaurant after the lunch rush was over was nice. 230pm was the perfect no rush lunch time.
I don't see the need for a full hour unless I'm going to run an errand. Personally, I feel it's just wasted time. I'd reather have a half hour lunch and either come in a half hour later or leave a half hour earlier!
I take lunch for anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hr group lunch with my team.
The 30 minutes are my preference, not the employer's order. I want to beat the rush hour traffic. The 1.5 hour lunches are leisurely lunches to get my co-workers outside the office. This is a corporate setting at a Fortune 500 company.
Things may be different at mom and pop shop, where there are not many employees to back each other up during the lunch hour.
When I worked, it varied, in some offices I got to go & eat lunch out, but one office we had to clock in & out, so I brought a simple brown bag lunch & ate in the break room, & clocked back in after 20 minutes or so, I'd rather get paid for sitting at my desk, than look at the walls in the lunch room & not get paid. I think 30 minutes is plenty.
All office people get an hour break where I work, all my previous jobs were 30 mins.
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