Taking breaks at work

[AlexanderM]

So, I work 12 hour shifts and I’m entitled to 60 minutes breaks. 40 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes later on.

The client agreed for me to take a break at 17:00, the 20 minute one.

At 16:45 the client said where were you, I thought you are taking your break. I told him I was down isle 1/2. He said obviously you can’t see shoplifters from there and was a bit upset at the whole thing

Yet I agreed 17:00 with the client earlier! Nobody turned up to relieve me from my post as a security officer so I left it unattended.

Two minutes later, the client yells at me over the radio when I stated 17:00 was agreed. Unbelievable!

And we’re expected to stand all day so the breaks are important…

 

[AlexanderM]

@Jack-O-Lantern thought’s on this?

 

[The Raven]

Nothing odd when people take care of their butt. Say one thing and when somebody above them come, they pretend like they have no idea what you are talking about.

P.S. Pauses here are 30 min

 

[Shortie]

This seems to happen more often than most let on and it's a shame. Something is agreed but it is either they did it in a rush and didn't register the agreement and that causes issues or they did it just to cause some kind of issues.

If the break was agreed upon and you needed it, then you were well within your rights to take that break and someone should have been told and ready to relieve your position whilst you took that break.

 

[linux.poet]

@Jack-O-Lantern thought’s on this?

Some folks are just selfish, I guess. Either that or there was some kind of communication breakdown between the client and the officer who was meant to relieve you, so they got mad.

Trying to make things clear with the client helps, but if you did that beforehand by having the client agree to the breaks, that’s on them. Sometimes it helps for the client to know why you need the breaks (physical demands of standing, etc) rather than them just assuming they have full control and can just gyp you out of your break with no adverse consequences to you.

 

[Nomad]

I have never worked on any jobs where I was questioned regarding the breaks I had taken. I cannot image doing a demanding job like the one mentioned here. If I had been questioned about my whereabouts when I had taken a break, I would immediately give up on the job. Sadly, it is very common for employer to exercise authority on staff.

 

[Grant]

Are you allowed to take your 20Min break anytime during the day? To me it sounds like you maybe should have stayed at your post or at least waited for relief to come before leaving. Even if you have a breaktime scheduled, sometimes things happen that are out of our hands. Maybe the person relieving you was late or ran into an issue.. I'm sure the boss would have allowed you to take a 20 min break afterwards. That's what I see anyway. The boss could have been a bit more respectful though.

 

[Good-Person]

Are you allowed to take your 20Min break anytime during the day? To me it sounds like you maybe should have stayed at your post or at least waited for relief to come before leaving. Even if you have a breaktime scheduled, sometimes things happen that are out of our hands. Maybe the person relieving you was late or ran into an issue.. I'm sure the boss would have allowed you to take a 20 min break afterwards. That's what I see anyway. The boss could have been a bit more respectful though.

Well, I have worked in a company that offered a 30 minute break time. My condition was a bit similar to what @AlexanderM described. We were supposed to take a half an hour break. We were never allowed to go anywhere. This also includes not being able to go outside the building. This was quite strange. Having said that, if you have agreed to something, then this is something you should remember. In alex's case, I think that it was pretty rude for the client to yell, as he agreed to offer break for a specific time period.

 

[Ja Sa Bong]

If my it's my break time, I will take it whether there's another officer to relive me or not as long as it's agreed, written and signed. I will not entertained being yelled at for doing my job and taking my break when I'm meant to. The person who needs to be yelled at is the officer who's meant to replace me when it's my break time.

 

[Castelione]

We're humans and we need breaks. If the issue is because no one to replace you during breaks, then there might be lacking in manpower for the company.

 

[Debashis]

In the company I work, if anyone yells like that, disciplinary action gets taken on them. Its against the company's Code Of Business Conduct. Every person working shall be treated equally and with respect.

In your case, I feel there must be a supervisor who should take care of the spot so that there's always an officer there. It's not you or any other officer who shall be blamed. It's the fault of the one you guys report to who can't even streamline this basic yet important part of the job.

If I were you, I would've quit and found a place to work where they value their employees.

 

[Matan_z]

Well I think you deserve breaks and if it's planned why can't you take them? sounds like the buddy is a bit mad but I think it's necessary to take breaks if not very necessary... we aren't robots we need our free time to restart and then we even work better that's the thing.

 

[Foster]

I strategically incorporate breaks into my work routine, typically allowing myself a 10-minute respite every two hours. Given the nature of my work on the computer, these breaks are not just a luxury but a necessity for maintaining productivity and focus.

 

[Oluwatobitosin]

Is there a job that doesn't have or give break? I think every work deserves a break no matter the period, I wouldn't get a job that doesn't have a break, when we aren't machine. Even some Robots take break self... Lol

 

[Good-Person]

Is there a job that doesn't have or give break? I think every work deserves a break no matter the period, I wouldn't get a job that doesn't have a break, when we aren't machine. Even some Robots take break self... Lol

I think that even part time jobs do offer breaks. If you are a kind of employee who has agreed upon the terms and conditions related to taking breaks, then I do not think that there should be any kind of problem with that. Break timings usually depend on the actual job hours in many cases.

 

[Bilal]

It's clear there was a mix-up with the client about your break time. Breaks are a lifeline during those long 12-hour shifts, and standing all day can be tough. Hopefully, you can chat with your client to make sure you're on the same page next time and get those well-deserved breaks without any drama.

 

[Leo23]

So, I work 12 hour shifts and I’m entitled to 60 minutes breaks. 40 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes later on.

The client agreed for me to take a break at 17:00, the 20 minute one.

At 16:45 the client said where were you, I thought you are taking your break. I told him I was down isle 1/2. He said obviously you can’t see shoplifters from there and was a bit upset at the whole thing

Yet I agreed 17:00 with the client earlier! Nobody turned up to relieve me from my post as a security officer so I left it unattended.

Two minutes later, the client yells at me over the radio when I stated 17:00 was agreed. Unbelievable!

And we’re expected to stand all day so the breaks are important…

In my case, I did some breaks in my work. An article writer is full of fun; but sometimes, I felt within me that I need some breaks to refresh my mind and allow new ideas to come into it.
During my work breaks, I went to the canteen or else, bought some foods or some juices to drinks.
Although I love most a glass of green tea.

When fewer minutes are finished, I went back to my table and started to establish an article in my mind with the new ideas in it.

 

[Good-Person]

It's clear there was a mix-up with the client about your break time. Breaks are a lifeline during those long 12-hour shifts, and standing all day can be tough. Hopefully, you can chat with your client to make sure you're on the same page next time and get those well-deserved breaks without any drama.

There could be misunderstanding when it comes to taking breaks and I think that this is a really common thing. The fact of the matter remains that employees and employers can communicate properly so that they can dispel confusion when it comes to taking breaks.

 

[Shayo]

Some clients are very distinct about time and as an employee, you just have no choice than to follow their timing to avoid unnecessary issues.
I've worked with bosses who had no issues about taking some extra break times while some bosses want you back exactly on time or even before.

 

[Good-Person]

Some clients are very distinct about time and as an employee, you just have no choice than to follow their timing to avoid unnecessary issues.
I've worked with bosses who had no issues about taking some extra break times while some bosses want you back exactly on time or even before.

I think that they believe that coming back at work at the right time is quite important. It could be quite important because we need to take care of this thing for sure. We have to be punctual and being punctual is a great thing. However, there should be certain exception in certain cases.