Hour lunch break

[Anonymous]

I am re-entering the work force and am considering a position at a large company. It's pretty entry-level, hourly, low salary but I'll take what I can get right now.
This is such a petty issue, but I'm having a hard time being okay with an hour of unpaid lunch break. I know it's the norm, it's just the hour that it adds on to your day that kills me. Hours are 9:30-6:30, so I would not get home until 7/7:15. I would much rather not have a break, or just take ten minutes to eat lunch at my desk, and leave at 5:30. My current job that's ending is 7-3 every day, no unpaid lunch break, so it's still 40 hours- but 9:30-6:30 is just dreadful to me (but again, I know that it's pretty standard, I'm just not used to it).
Again, I know an hour of unpaid lunch is pretty standard, and there's really nothing I can do, I guess I just need a way to be okay with it.

[Anonymous]

Can you ask for a 30 min break and leave 30 mins earlier? My secretary used to do that and it was fine. They may be required to give you some kind of break during the day so maybe no lunch doesn't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am re-entering the work force and am considering a position at a large company. It's pretty entry-level, hourly, low salary but I'll take what I can get right now.
This is such a petty issue, but I'm having a hard time being okay with an hour of unpaid lunch break. I know it's the norm, it's just the hour that it adds on to your day that kills me. Hours are 9:30-6:30, so I would not get home until 7/7:15. I would much rather not have a break, or just take ten minutes to eat lunch at my desk, and leave at 5:30. My current job that's ending is 7-3 every day, no unpaid lunch break, so it's still 40 hours- but 9:30-6:30 is just dreadful to me (but again, I know that it's pretty standard, I'm just not used to it).
Again, I know an hour of unpaid lunch is pretty standard, and there's really nothing I can do, I guess I just need a way to be okay with it.

I don't know labor law, so forgive me if this is not 100% accurate, but I believe it is mandated to have at LEAST a 30 minute UNPAID break for an 8-hour shift. An hour seems pretty long, but every company is different. You may want to determine how flexible the hours there are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I don't know labor law, so forgive me if this is not 100% accurate, but I believe it is mandated to have at LEAST a 30 minute UNPAID break for an 8-hour shift. An hour seems pretty long, but every company is different. You may want to determine how flexible the hours there are.

That isn't correct for all states

I'm not a fan of the hour lunch break. Maybe you could try and find something useful to do during that time. Do you have internet access, maybe pay bills, come up with the grocery list, plan dinners for the week, bring your mail and go through it, make doctor appointments, get your hair cut.....

[Anonymous]

Why can't you take lunch at 530?

Because that is too logical for the big corporate monster. You must be a little robot in your cube. I am sorry.

[Anonymous]

Does the job require interaction with clients/colleagues/customers until 6:30pm? If so, it makes sense that they might not be flexible.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe 8:30-5:30. That's my schedule. Because I also didn't want to get home so late.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Actually, yes, the job does require interaction with clients until 6:30pm. But one day a week, the schedule is 8:30-5:30. I would just so much rather get out at 5:30- I think it's really that one hour that is bugging me. So I'm blaming the lunch break, I guess.

[Anonymous]

I had a job with that set up. I gained SO much weight that year, because I was eating a proper lunch every damned day, instead of the usual small container of leftovers at my desk.

[Anonymous]

Op, you are not going to be happy there for a long time. Find another job. You basically do have to do 9 hours at the office to get paid for 8. The hours you are asked to are unusual. They must have a high staff turnover

[Anonymous]

OP here, do you think so, PP? I feel like I caught a break with this interview/offer, and so I'm tempted to jump on it, but the anticipation of these hours really are killing me. However, I know people are hurting for jobs right now...

[Anonymous]

Emplloyers are hurting for good workers. Look at the reviews the company got from "glassdoor".
The one place that I worked at that was inflexible has accurate reviews, and I stayed nearly a year and in that time a lot of people left. Only the h1b workers and managers stayed the same

[Anonymous]

I would do a 45 minute spin class near your office, then eat a bar at my desk.

[Anonymous]

I would not give up an otherwise good job over this, but I would keep looking.

You might find that they are a lot more flexible once you actually start. I am a fed and at one agency, my boss got mad if I was at lunch for 50, rather than 45 mins and at my current agency, they dont care which hours I work as long as I put in all my hours for the day. A lot will depend on your supervisor.

If you are reentering the workforce, you might not have that many options and putting up with a difficult schedule for a short time is not the worst thing if the rest of the job is good.

[Anonymous]

Requiring at least a 30 minute break in an 8-hour day is pretty much a standard requirement. I suspect the problem that you would run into is that they really want you there till 6:30pm, so taking a shorter lunch wouldn't be an option. But if you had the option to come in 1/2 hour later, would that help you and/or be feasible in this position?