How many of you get a "lunch break"?

Sept07b2b · January 2014

How many of you get a lunch break, and is it mandatory or just customary? How long do you take? If you were to skip it, could you leave earlier?

We don't have lunch breaks for exempt staff, so I usually end up cramming food in my mouth at my desk while working, so I can get home quicker, but I'm starting to think I should take a real lunch break and take the time to relax and decompress. The rest of the day is so crazy that it might be a nice change.

Would love to hear from others!

Leap08 · January 2014

We are required to take a 1 hour lunch break. It's company policy. I can occasionally skip it and leave early or shorten it to leave early, but we are not allowed to do so on a daily basis. I use that hour to go to the gym or to run errands.

mae0111 · January 2014

We're supposed to get a 45 min break. I rarely take it. It's usually just to run out to grab something or to heat something up, then I work through. If I go out, it's usually business related.

laurakaz13 · January 2014

We don't have an actual lunch break. We can take lunch when we want to. I usually eat at my desk, but go out to eat with coworkers once per week generally. I never take more than an hour for lunches out.

dizzycooks · January 2014

We get 25 minutes without students and we aren't able to teach during that time so I suppose it's required? We can't skip it and leave early.

jlaOK · January 2014

I have the flexibility to do what I want. I try to workout during lunch 3 days a week, so on those days I do take a dedicated lunch break and will eat at my desk later. If I'm on a deadline for a project I will just work through lunch and not count the time.

jf198400 · January 2014

I have always had the option to pretty much do whatever I want. When I had a long commute (an hour+ each way) I never took a break, I'd eat at my desk while working so I could leave earlier. Then at my next job I had a short commute, and all my coworkers went out to lunch together everyday. I went out a lot, and it was really nice, I became very good friends with my coworkers and we still stay in touch. Sometimes I used the office gym at lunchtime and that was great too. Now I am at a new job very close to home. I don't really have any "friends" here so I usually run errands or go home for lunch. I miss going out with people, but I find I get a lot done if I run home. Sometimes I'll stop at the grocery store to pickup a few things or I'll go home and start the crockpot or a load of laundry. It definitely makes my evenings less stressful when I use my lunchbreak to do something productive. If the weather ever gets warm again I'd also like to just take a walk outside at lunch.

itsmevkb · January 2014

I get an hour for lunch which I typically take everyday. If there's something big going on or a need for more coverage I'll take less or eat at my desk but that's rare. It's a very bad habit, but most days I go out with co-workers. I don't have the option of leaving earlier if I don't take it. If I did, I would do that in a heartbeat.

Avion22 · January 2014

Nobody I work with gets a dedicated lunch break, including me. Most of us bring our lunches every day, and eat it in the common room between meetings or whenever we have time. Some days, if there's not much going on, then we can go somewhere to get lunch. It really all depends on what each of us is doing on any given day.....but there is no "dedicated" lunchtime for anyone, and it's assumed that we will eat when we can.

Pips09 · January 2014

I have flexibility, and I usually prefer to eat at my desk so that I can leave after 8 hours at the office instead of 9. But I'll take a break on a rare occasion when I feel like I need it or coworkers are going out.

VOR · January 2014

My hours are such that I should take a 1/2 hour break. I rarely do but I'll often leave early on friday to 'make up' for it.

At my previous job, though, I almost always took a lunch. I had friends who I enjoyed oging ot lunch with - so that's why. Here - not so much. So I just eat at my desk.

ss+el · January 2014

The company is required to give me one, unless there is no one to cover for me (retail mgmt), but I rarely take one unless I'm really hungry. Stopping to eat usually kills my progress on whatever I'm doing.

jesuisfatiguee · January 2014

I'm a salary employee, so I'm not required to, and I seldom do. I take 3 pump breaks a day, though, which eats up a lot of time. I'm only in the office 9-5, so I only take a break if I need to run errands or something.

MommaP12 · January 2014

SandAndsSea said:

It depends on what I have to do for the day. I'm salaried and usually am in the office from 8-5 and take a 1 hour lunch, but if I'm really busy, I eat at my desk and work through lunch and will come in early, stay late, get back online at night if I have to. I'm not required or prohibited from taking a lunch break, but I do enjoy stepping away and recharging a little with coworker friends at lunch.

This. I try to get away to workout at lunch 3x/week at least. Salaried and have to work a 7.5 hour day and I come in 8:30-5.

shannm · January 2014

It is nearly two and I am jamming my face with as much as I can in ten minutes right now. Yesterday, I didn't get time. Some days I fit it in and others, I don't. Here it just depends on workload, meetings, experiments and it is different for everyone. I want to cry when I here people near me say they are going to work out at lunch.

Divallyn · January 2014

We get an hour. If we don't take it we can leave early if needed but they prefer we don't make it habit.
I usually eat my lunch, browse the internet, or if nice out go for a walk. There is no gym anywhere near by or else I would do that.
I enjoy it as its helps clear my mind.
About once a week i leave the office during lunch to go grocery shopping or run errands in the town ten minutes from here.

Unknown · January 2014

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SLGILL1978 · January 2014

I am not required to take mine. I get 30 mins each day. Sometimes I do leave early but often times, I am just too busy to even take a lunch break.

Puppies+Rainbows+Unicorns · January 2014

Salary. I generally take a 90 min. lunch twice a week and workout. I eat at my desk while working the other days. Leaving early tends to be frowned on regardless of if one skips lunch or comes in early.

kristennd · January 2014

We have the choice of a 30 minute lunch and leave early or a 60 minute lunch. At least 30 minutes is mandatory. We're salary, government.

mrsshawnavanb · January 2014

I am salaried too, so no required lunch break but I am supposed to get an hour each day. Most days I bring lunch and eat at my desk then either use the hour to run errands or just keep working. I am trying to get in the habit of working out on lunch at least twice a week again since there's a gym in my office. When I first came back from maternity leave I was really good at that and have since fallen off. Today was day 1 of working out again.

82Sonia · January 2014

We are required to take a 30 minute lunch. I wish we were allowed to skip it and just leave early.

Lilly&Co · January 2014

I rarely do, especially don't now that I am training my maternity leave replacement, i will use that time or at least half of it to get a manicure or will sit in the car alone in quite and just decompress, sometimes its the only me time I get. I can use it to leave an hour early so I will often do that on a Friday.

RibbitGrl930 · January 2014

Our company policy is that a 6 hour shift (6 hours in the building) gets at least a half hour lunch, 8 hours or more gets an hour. My department supervisor is generally lax on allowing us to work through lunch to leVe early (as long as there's coveage), but doesn't want us making a habit of it. Every once in a while is okay.

sugarbear0524 · January 2014

Mine is super flexible. I take an hour or so each day and go home (I live about 5 minutes away). I love it--it's one of the few quiet times I have to myself. I usually heat up leftovers to eat.

vvvvvfee · January 2014

i work in a small, non-profit environment. i get an hour. i don't think it's mandatory, but skipping it to leave early is not something people really do (i mean, i have a couple of times when i had a pressing issue, but it's not a regular occurrence). even if i did have the option to skip it, i don't think i would- i need the break to decompress. i also use the time to get errands done some days, like going to the grocery store/farmer's market/post office/gas station. i would love to go home for my break but i work too far away for it to be feasible.

groovygrl · January 2014

Salaried but technically an hour is the standard lunch break b/c that is what the hourly ppl are supposed to take. I personally eat at my desk or leave to grab something & am back in 30 min. Once in awhile I will actually go eat w/ someone else and take a full hour. I don't have to clock or log hours anywhere though, so I figure between coming in later most days, skipping or taking super short lunch, being available via email in evenings & on weekends, etc it all generally works out.
Hourly ppl can skip or take shorter & leave earlier, come in late, etc they just have to add up to 40 hrs a week.

driveshorses · January 2014

I work in retail pharmacy, we don't take breaks at our store. We don't even get a chance to sit down unless we go to the bathroom. Unfortunately we don't have enough help to rotate out for breaks and we don't close the pharmacy. We will eat and work. Everyone is used to it and no one complains.

FrodaBaggins · January 2014

We get a 1 hour lunch break and most of the time I can take it whenever between the hours of 11-2. It's flexible, though. I do tend to stay here and eat at my desk which I know is an awful habit. The office is near a park so I'm trying to get over there and walk more. If I were to skip it, I don't think I could leave early unless I pre-cleared that with our office manager and had a good reason.

CarrieB. · January 2014

I'm salary, so I can take an hour if I want to, but with taking 3 pump breaks a day, I don't really have time. I usually bring a lunch or buy soup at the deli downstairs and take a 20-30 min break in the lunch room w my coworkers or I eat at my desk. I sort of hate eating at my desk though.

CaliforniaDream87 · January 2014

Depending on how many hours you work, here in California, you are REQUIRED to take an uninterrupted lunch break. Since I usually work 8+ hours I take an hour lunch.

oandmplus1 · January 2014

SandAndsSea said:
It depends on what I have to do for the day. I'm salaried and usually am in the office from 8-5 and take a 1 hour lunch, but if I'm really busy, I eat at my desk and work through lunch and will come in early, stay late, get back online at night if I have to. I'm not required or prohibited from taking a lunch break, but I do enjoy stepping away and recharging a little with coworker friends at lunch.

This exactlu

cedenton · January 2014

We can't leave early if we skip it, so I usually take it unless I have something to catch up on. I might also go to the gym during lunch (it's across the street).

Kbrittonhart · February 2014

I used to work through lunch and eat at my desk but when I got pregnant and started taking lunch breaks to eat properly and rest, I found that I was more productive throughout the day. I advocate for lunch breaks even if it's 30 minutes to walk outside.

KL777 · February 2014

We have an hour lunch break. I take every 60 minutes of my lunch to decompress among other things. On rare occasions and per approval, I can take a half hour lunch and leave early or come in later.