Mandatory lunch break in federal job?
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Anonymous
| A friend works for the federal government and told me she’s required to take a 45 minute lunch break, e.g., her hours for an 8 hour day are not 9am-5pm but 9am-5:45pm. Is this true for all federal agencies? I am considering a job at DOT and planning childcare. |
Anonymous
| For us it is 30 minutes. Nobody cares or tracks what you actually do, but for schedule purposes it is built in. |
Anonymous
| My agency only gets 30 minutes. A lunch break is not required by law, but by agency policy. We can work through lunch once in a while with supervisory approval, but not as part of our regular schedule. |
Anonymous
| Yes but not enforced. |
Anonymous
|
Where I work - for 33 years - it’s been 30 min. And for example, our hours are 8:30 to 5 (or 8-4:30, etc) to account for those 30 min.
I don’t know if union shops are the same, but in my non-union office it’s not mandatory that it has to be taken. But we aren’t officially allowed to leave 30 min early if we skip it. |
Anonymous
As in no one cares if you work only 9-5 or no one is monitoring how long of a lunch you take? |
Anonymous
| DOT is 30 min so your workday would total 8.5 hours. |
Anonymous
| Yes. My husband has to work 9-5:30 even though he is often in meetings all day and eats packed food at his desk between meetings if he can (EPA) |
Anonymous
| yes, it's this way at the DOD as well - mandatory 8.5 hour work days, so 9-5:30 rather than 9-5. |
Anonymous
| Yep. You are required to work 8.5 hrs a day and only claim 8 regardless of whether you had time to eat or not |
Anonymous
| Yes. Most agencies are 30 mins. Mine is also 45. |
Anonymous
| Mine is 30 min. Strictly enforced. We have to work 8.5 even though we rarely take a lunch. Hate it! |
Anonymous
| My agency is also 45 minutes, and you can’t skip it (or you can but you can’t leave early). It’s annoying but I’ve been doing it for so long that a normal workday to me is 8 hrs 45 mins. |
Anonymous
You don't have to take lunch but you can not go home early. |
Anonymous
|
I founght this and was told officially that it's the union who negotiated this awful lunch break as a perk for us. Thanks union? I would like to skip lunch or use my free 15 minute break to eat instead and gain extra time home with my kids.
I heard that the CIA got rid of the mandatory lunch break this year and doesn't force people to stay later. I'm hoping it spreads to other agencies. |