Lunch breaks.

Re: Lunch breaks.

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:12:33 GMT

I think a lot of places do give a 15 min break after 4 hours, but by law it is 20 min for 6 hours

Re: Lunch breaks.

Kerry Spain — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:54:56 GMT

it is 15 mins every 4 hours because we get a 30 minute lunch break (the two lots of 15 mins lumped together) which means that we get our breaks together and they get called dinner...

Re: Lunch breaks.

Jane Parren — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:36:49 GMT

I think it's 4 hours legally.

Re: Lunch breaks.

chris beasley — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:24:09 GMT

I work in a one vet practice. Most lunch times I am working , and if I do mange to eat lunch I am by myself ,so have to do reception and answer phone!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Kim Buckley — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:03:13 GMT

[quote user="Vicky C"]

We are quite lucky i think with our breaks. We work 8-5/6 and have a 15 min break am and pm )around 10ish and 3.30ish), and we get an hours unpaid lunch break. On occasions we don't get our am or pm breaks but not very often, if it's the am break we miss we'll tag it onto our lunch. If we miss pm break sometimes we'll leave early to compensate. We are SO quiet at the mo that we don't miss any breaks!

[/quote]

We're pretty much the same with our hours, breaks and lunches and I appreciated how lucky we are! Some of my friends go with no break and a couple of minutes to gulp down a sandwich!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Vicky RVN — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:53:15 GMT

Re: Lunch breaks.

Emma Jarratt — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:23:48 GMT

There's more

[quote]

Exceptions to the regulations

Your working week is not covered by the Working Time Regulations if you work in the following areas:

jobs where you can choose freely how long you will work (such as a managing executive)
the armed forces, emergency services and police are excluded in some circumstances
domestic servants in private houses

The rights to breaks apply differently to you if:

you have to travel a long distance from your home to get to work
you constantly work in different places making it difficult to work to a set pattern
you are doing security or surveillance-based work
you are working in an industry with busy peak periods, like agriculture, retail or tourism
there is an emergency or risk of an accident
the job needs round-the-clock staffing (such as hospital work)
you are employed in the rail industry and you work on board trains or your activities are irregular or linked to seeing that trains run on time

In these cases, instead of getting normal breaks, you are entitled to 'compensatory rest'. This is rest taken later, ideally during the same or following working day. The principle is that everyone gets a minimum 90 hours rest a week on average. This is the total of your entitlement to daily and weekly rest periods, although some rest may come slightly later than normal.[/quote]

so basically i guess, as long as you are paid for the hours you work (if you're on an hourly rate), then the nature of your work can dictate you don't get a lunch break, as long as you get enough rest in the week between shifts etc.

Re: Lunch breaks.

Catmad — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:19:25 GMT

[quote user="ej1574"]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10029451

It's 20mins for every 6 hours

[/quote]

Is that all?! How pants is that?!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Emma Jarratt — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:17:21 GMT

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10029451

It's 20mins for every 6 hours

Re: Lunch breaks.

Katy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:31:57 GMT

I do I do! Not veterinary related though! Lol!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Mac Feather — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:31:16 GMT

I wonder how many veterinary bods suffer from digestive issues!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Katy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:28:39 GMT

Some days we are lucky if we get our lunch before 3.30pm, we start consults again at 4!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Mac Feather — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:26:00 GMT

[quote user="Katy"]

From what I remember, you are allowed a 15 min break for every 4 hours that you work.

Not that that happens much in a vets!

[/quote]

Oh you are right there!

Re: Lunch breaks.

Katy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:24:58 GMT

From what I remember, you are allowed a 15 min break for every 4 hours that you work.

Not that that happens much in a vets!