when does break start/end?

[deysongrey]

I work in a place where there are scheduled breaks every two hours, but there seems to be some confusion over when it specificslly starts and ends.

So first, boss yells "break!" Then we have to take a minute to tidy up our area, dump our trash, exit the production area, sanitize apron, remove apron, gloves, sleeves, remove smock, clean and sanitize boots, remove boots, wash hands. If youre in the back part of the factory u can add a five minute walk to that.

To me this is whem the timer starts and ends on my 15 minutes. All that shit i just described? Mandatory and part of work. Granted im alwats early from my breaks but i want my credit for being early. My whole break takes eight minutes. The other four for changing and cleaning and walking is part of work. Im seven minutes early, not three.

But of course theres the mean boss lady yelling "break" and immediately clcking her stopwatch.

[Android Kaeli]

My 15 minute break starts as soon as I fully step into the break room and not a moment before, as I physically have to walk from my department to the break room. Generally we give a couple of minutes of leeway just so that the person who is on break can finish getting their stuff together and get back to the department.

My break ends as soon as I get out of the break room.

[EricKei]

If this is an unpaid break, any thing officially counted as "work" MUST be on the clock/paid (tho IANAL). If it's a paid break...? Yeah, probably not a whole lot you can do unless local laws say otherwise.

[Dreamstalker]

My break starts as soon as I have my food (if going outside) or am physically in the basement away from customers.

One of the shift leads times breaks to the nanosecond, starting from when SHE says "take your break" (even if the cashier has customers that need to be taken care of before they can close down). When she's running the front I tend to go outside as it takes at least two minutes on either end to get downstairs and back and if you're even ten seconds late she will try to berate you in front of everyone.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My break starts as soon as I go out the petrol station. I've got staring blankly straight ahead to a fine art so that I don't inadvertently catch a customer's eye. Tho the manager is pretty easy; if you were delayed by a customer on your way to or back from your break, he agrees it doesn't count.

[Food Lady]

It starts as soon as I leave my workstation and ends when I get back there. Walking to the breakroom/going to locker/getting food is part of my break.

[MoonCat]

I have to hit a button on my phone when I take break or lunch, so technically it starts when I hit that button. That's okay. On a good day I can be halfway to the river-front five minutes after leaving my desk

[Teysa]

What's this break you speak of? Depending on the day, I might be able to sit down for a minute or two but that's about it. Sitting down or fixing some food for myself is just asking for the bartender to give me another ticket. In all fairness, the bartenders get to sit down even less than the cooks.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

At the swamp, your 15-minute break starts when you leave your work area, not when you get to the breakroom.

This isn't enforced though. It's understood people may get pestered by customers while making the long and arduous journey to the breakroom. As long as you 15-minute break doesn't stretch to about 25 minutes or more, you're fine.

[Food Lady]

^That's how it is where I work, but people take advantage.

[BrenDAnn]

I have to say, I'm of the same sentiment as Teysa. C-Store isn't required, apparently, to give breaks. Nursing mothers are, of course, an exception. We're lucky to sneak into the back room for a drink and a bite in between customers most nights! If I were in the OP's situation though I'd agree the sanitizing/stripping down bit should be counted as work, not break. That's just me though.

[Totiono]

It starts as soon as our lead tells us to go on break and ends when we get back. We actually get 20 minutes but usually a good chunk of that is taken up by walking to the employee cafes and getting stopped a few times along the way by guests who have questions.

Unless we're really understaffed then most leads won't notice or care if we're a few minutes late, though. Most people seem to round up their time anyway, so if it is 9:17 and the lead tells them to go on break then they'll consider it started at 9:20.