Required Lunch Break
Jewlolson22
2 Posts
We currently have an issue with our lunch break periods and pay. We run a call center with around 300 telephone ee's. The big issue is that the state of Nevada requires we administer a 30 minute lunch break for every 8 hours worked. Very standard. There are times when we are too busy for the employees to leave their work stations. Forcing some of the employees to eat at their work stations. I'm having a lot of trouble convincing my CEO and Payroll administrator that this is not a good business practice. Is there any one who can offer me some assistance to stand up for my ee's?
Comments
Your company needs to change this practice quickly.
If they are just at their desk and not doing any work related tasks (i.e. reading a magazine, shopping on internet..etc) it is considered off the clock and would not be paid.
Is it an option to cross train employees? Or hire some part time employees to work during lunch hours so that call volume/response time isn't effected?
Employees need a break from the phones and if you take away their lunch time, you are going to see an increased number of bathroom breaks, which get longer and smoke breaks, if that is allowed, etc. Which is going to cause other ee's to become resentful towards other ee's who abuse bathroom breaks.
I think not allowing your ee's to get up away from their desk and enjoy a break will ultimately effect your call volume/response time in a greater capcity than allowing an employee to take a 30 min break.
Just think how you would feel if you were told to work 8 hours in one spot with no breaks. What would you do about it? Me, I wouldn't work there.
In my scenario it would be the ee's choice to sit at their desk. I am not advocating it but just saying if that is the case then depending on what they are doing would distinguish if paid or not.
Sorry for confusion.xflash
Lisa
In these case you must allow them to accumalate regular hours and O/T hours depending on your designated work week or shift. All shifts working greater than 6 hours a day will be involved with a required meal break. Weekly we have an on-site working task that last longer than 6 hours, once we start it we don't stop until the work task has been completed and passed the inspection. After which the employee can take a meal break or he/she may go home. All of the working hours are regular hours worked unless over 40 and then all hours worked fall under the O/T rules. If we as a company fail to recognize the need for the employee to have a meal break, then the company will be looked upon as abusive to the employee. If the employee is made to sit at their work station and eat, you can bet on down the line of days worked, there will be a disqrunted employee who will make a complaint and produce on her desk calendar the exact dates and hours she was made to stay at her/his desk during lunch. Guess what you just bought, because you will have no evidence showing why you made them eat at their work site and the employee has all of the evidence regardless of the not so valid appearance of the ee's document. Your documents will do nothing but support the ee's case because you took out the lunch break instead of paying for that time when they were not in total control of their 30 minutes for a meal break!
If ee's are working they need to be paid, period. If the call center is too busy for ee's to take a lunch then more ee's need to be hired or more need to be scheduled for the same shift.
I shudder to think what else is going on there if the CEO thinks this practice is okay....
Another option may be to hire some part-time floaters for the lunch hours...say 10-2....we have a few of those as well..