Company Lunch breaks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few times per year our company gets lunch from our vendors.

I normally eat and mingle a bit with other co-workers I barely see, then I go out for my lunch break. (1hr.)

I was just told by my supervisor, that I needed to use this time as my lunch break. My Contract says 8-5 with 1hr. break.

I honestly would rather take my break than attend these lunch breaks. There is no policy in the company and people do different things from eating at their desk during lunch to going out during lunch.

Is he reasonable to ask for this? I do not have work pending at my desk and it is not interfering with my work.

What Companies/employees normally do?

If your supervisor is telling you this, you are already on the list for the next downsizing. I’d look for another job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not talking like a team player. It's a free lunch, which you say you partake in and a chance to network with coworkers.
But here you are quibbling over getting "cheated" out of an hour's pay a few times a year in exchange for the above.
You are not valuing team-building company events.

"Team Player" = when I am getting paid. If its my lunch break I am not getting paid and there is no team and I am not playing.

Company events should be paid if mandatory. Implicitly or explicitly mandatory.

Is this OP again? Do you clock in and clock out, like a fast food worker, for example who rightly has pay protections for overtime and shift differentials? Are you a nonexempt employee who is either on the clock or not?

If not, lose this mentality. Your boss is watching.

I am not OP but OP states they have a contract from 8-5 with a 1-hour break. There are some companies that work like this and will pay for overtime over 40 hours. My company is one such company because as another poster has so eloquently pointed out most companies expect a minimum of 40 but only pay a maximum of 40. If I have to use PTO to take an hour doctors appointment but I am still working 40+ hours the whole idea of exempt employee is a sham.

The claim is that you will get bonuses and promotions as an exempt employee to make up for extra hours worked. From my experience is the bosses buddies he goes for drinks with that get the bonuses not the long hours get things done workers, but maybe your workplace is the exception

Ridiculous. So it's not whether you're productive or not it's whether you drink with the boss...well some of us don't drink and some of us don't want to spend our personal time with our bosses so if that precludes me from bonuses and promotions then so be it. I have never worked at a place where that is the expectation.

[Anonymous]

As a supervisor your attitude would really gnaw at me. Enjoy the free lunch and mixing with your coworkers then get back to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not talking like a team player. It's a free lunch, which you say you partake in and a chance to network with coworkers.
But here you are quibbling over getting "cheated" out of an hour's pay a few times a year in exchange for the above.
You are not valuing team-building company events.

"Team Player" = when I am getting paid. If its my lunch break I am not getting paid and there is no team and I am not playing.

Company events should be paid if mandatory. Implicitly or explicitly mandatory.

If this is OP, if your supervisor brought it up, I'd think if this is the hill you want to die on and if you want/need this job. It's a few times per year and your get a free meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a supervisor your attitude would really gnaw at me. Enjoy the free lunch and mixing with your coworkers then get back to work.

Same. You need to do the suggestion above. And let it go.

[Anonymous]

We have things like this too. But the lunches are totally voluntary so technically we should use our lunch break to participate. Luckily nobody in my office cares (including the supervisors). If our higher ups knew we were taking a lunch break on top of the taking time for the office lunch, they'd put a stop to it.

If your supervisor requires you to participate in the vendor lunch, that's really part of your work day and you should be able to also take your lunch break. If it's voluntary, then your supervisor is right. Petty, but correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are requiring you to go to these lunch events? Then that is your lunch break.

I think if you are going to this lunch break and then taking a second lunch break, then don't.

Nooo a mandatory company event is not a break. Lunch break is unpaid. If they are requiring attendance, it should be paid.

Op here. This is my take as well. I work 8-5pm with a 1 hour UNPAID lunch break.

I think it's petty to request attendance and then ask us to take the time we spend at the Company "event" out of our unpaid lunch break.

We are admin./support staff and all agree on this. I thought I'd come here to hear what other companies or what's legal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your supervisor must find you really rigid. Goodness.

I find the supervisor really rigid! You can't *require* someone spend their unpaid time doing something and then deny them their break. If this is just a few times a year, the supervisor should be letting this go.

OP, I'd ask your supervisor to document the request in an email. If they force you to take your lunch and be there for 9 hours, I'd do the malicious compliance route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason you're being so nitpicky?

She's probably young and saw it on the TikTok. There's this whole subgenre urging employees to be obstinate about their work hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a supervisor your attitude would really gnaw at me. Enjoy the free lunch and mixing with your coworkers then get back to work.

Do you sit in meetings where they fret about retention? If so, this is why. It's a few times a year that an employee takes their break after a required lunch. How does that "gnaw" at you?

[Anonymous]

This is so cheap of you and antisocial. Either take the free lunch and eat with your coworkers or go out on your own dime. I've never had a free lunch in 20 years of working, but I do enjoy eating with my colleagues occasionally.

Frankly, if you hate your coworkers that much that you can't even eat a free lunch with them, you need to get a new job.

You're lucky you get a paid lunch. I do not. I get 2 15 minute breaks, but I have to work 8.5 hours so that I can take a 30 min lunch. I'm only paid 8 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so cheap of you and antisocial. Either take the free lunch and eat with your coworkers or go out on your own dime. I've never had a free lunch in 20 years of working, but I do enjoy eating with my colleagues occasionally.

Frankly, if you hate your coworkers that much that you can't even eat a free lunch with them, you need to get a new job.

You're lucky you get a paid lunch. I do not. I get 2 15 minute breaks, but I have to work 8.5 hours so that I can take a 30 min lunch. I'm only paid 8 hours.

The OP does not get a paid lunch. Some of yall need reading comprehension courses. Again LUNCH HOUR IS UNPAID.

[Anonymous]

If I'm required to attend then it's not my break.

I always take my lunch on the terrible days when we have potluck parties. I don't eat food others make. I go, mingle for a bit and sometimes hold a plate if someone forces me.

If my boss said that attending the potluck was my lunch break and I was not allowed a break then I would tell them I choose to skip the lame potluck and go on my own instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are requiring you to go to these lunch events? Then that is your lunch break.

I think if you are going to this lunch break and then taking a second lunch break, then don't.

Nooo a mandatory company event is not a break. Lunch break is unpaid. If they are requiring attendance, it should be paid.

I agree with this, but I also think OP is going to be branded as high maintenance/a whiner if she pushes back on this. Which sucks. But if her lunch hour is being monitored enough for anyone to notice this, then she is likely not high up enough to be making waves.

And maybe in the employer’s eyes it is an optional free lunch so it seems like she’s double dipping.

Lunch break is unpaid and the "free Lunch" is paid by a Vendor... How is that double dipping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are requiring you to go to these lunch events? Then that is your lunch break.

I think if you are going to this lunch break and then taking a second lunch break, then don't.

Nooo a mandatory company event is not a break. Lunch break is unpaid. If they are requiring attendance, it should be paid.

Op here. This is my take as well. I work 8-5pm with a 1 hour UNPAID lunch break.

I think it's petty to request attendance and then ask us to take the time we spend at the Company "event" out of our unpaid lunch break.

We are admin./support staff and all agree on this. I thought I'd come here to hear what other companies or what's legal.

I’m not saying you don’t have a point, but how many times a year is this? A few, so three or four?

Eat your lunch there, mingle, and suck it up. It all balances out with the time that most people goof off at work.