Work is a significant part of the culture living in the United States, with the average American working nearly 40 hours weekly. Your employees work hard to grow your company and boost revenue, and it’s only fair to ensure they get the breaks they’re entitled to under the US labor laws. Your legal obligation as a business is to know your federal and state laws for work breaks.
Understanding the breaks from work laws protects your business and employees from getting overworked and facing severe fines and penalties. Little things like providing a bona fide meal break go a long way toward promoting employee health and happiness.
Luckily, you’re in the perfect place to learn more about meal and rest break laws and the importance of providing breaks to your employees. Continue reading to adhere to your legal obligation today!
20 and 30-Minute Breaks
The laws surrounding rest and meal breaks in the US are complex. Federal law dictates that your business should pay employees during breaks that last fewer than 20 minutes. You’re breaking federal laws if you opt not to pay your employees during these shorter rest periods. You must also account for these breaks when determining if your employee worked overtime.
30-minute breaks are viewed in a different light with federal labor laws. Employers aren’t required to pay employees during rest and lunch breaks longer than 30 minutes. The employee is relieved of all job duties during that timespan.
A significant number of employees eat lunch at their desks. Employees need to take the breaks they’re provided during the workday. It’s your legal obligation to provide your workers with time to eat and rejuvenate themselves during the workday.
Educate Your Employees
The most effective way to keep everyone on the same page with breaks from work laws is through training and education. Invest time educating your managers on the requirements for lunch breaks and rest periods to adhere to the law. Your managers are the best people to hold employees accountable for taking their meal and rest breaks.
Ensure that everyone understands the break expectations within your organization. The real issue arises when employees feel pressure to clock out for lunch and continue working during that period. Train your employees and managers to track the time spent working to accommodate the work and pay them properly.
Each state has different laws governing labor rules for breaks and meals. Learn your state laws by heart to provide a bona fide meal break. Visit https://workandlivebetter.com/ to find the perfect accessories for your employees during lunch breaks for improved company morale.
What Do Rest Breaks Entail?
Rest breaks are the most common type of break for employees in the United States. Most rest breaks entail a five to 20-minute break from work operations to refresh your mind and body. You must include rest breaks in the total time an employee worked for your organization during the day.
Tracking employee hours is critical to know how much to pay your employees. You aren’t required to pay employees for unauthorized breaks. Avoid counting breaks if you’ve explicitly informed employees to avoid taking extended breaks contrary to your rules.
Communicate to your employees that unauthorized breaks will be punished. It’s best to specify how long breaks should last to ensure your employees are on the same page. By taking extra precautions, you’ll keep your organization compliant with breaks from work laws.
What Do Meal Breaks Entail?
Most meal breaks are at least 30 minutes, though some organizations provide an hour to enjoy lunch and decompress before returning to work. You’re not required by the law to pay employees for meal breaks, though it’s an excellent recruiting perk to provide when seeking the best candidates.
Including meal breaks in the total hours worked is also not required. Still, there’s a catch to look out for when running a business and providing employee meal breaks. You must pay your employees for any work completed during their meal breaks.
Working during the meal break also counts toward the total hours worked during the week. A simple task like answering a phone call or responding to an email requires you to pay that employee for time worked during the meal break.
Other Work Break Laws
In addition to meal and rest breaks, you should learn about the other breaks employees take. Bathroom and smoke breaks are essential rights for employees in the US, and it’s in your best interest to guarantee them. Here’s a closer look at the other breaks to be aware of when running an organization.
Bathroom Breaks
OSHA legally requires you to provide access to bathrooms for your employees. Ensure that your office or work facility provides access to bathrooms for your employees. Ensure that your office or work facility includes access to restrooms for all employees to use during each work shift. It’s also illegal to enforce a specific bathroom schedule upon your employees.
Smoke Breaks
Employees who smoke or vape tend to take more breaks than non-smoking employees at your company. When running a company, it’s not a legal obligation to provide smoke breaks to your employees. The gray area occurs when smoking employees take their short breaks to enjoy a smoke.
It’s best to count those breaks as hours worked, no matter how the employee spends that time. If the employee takes unauthorized breaks to smoke or vape, don’t count those hours in their total hours worked for the week. You also aren’t required to pay them for that time during the workday.
Religious Breaks
Some employees will request religious breaks during the workday. They’ll seek extra time for prayer and to practice their religion.
Become an Expert on Breaks From Work Laws
Knowledge and expertise on breaks from work laws are critical to operating a business that complies with state and federal laws. You must provide a bona fide meal break, though you don’t need to pay employees for this time. Breaks under 20 minutes are a legal obligation, and it’s best to count those hours among the total time worked.
A lot goes into running a business, and covering all your bases is best. Read more of our Business blog content for the best guidance to run a successful company today!
