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Break & Lunch Periods

Our employee breaks policy describes how employees should take breaks during their workday. We want our employees to be able to rest, eat, smoke and relax for some time during their workday to foster a pleasant workplace.

Breaks may be mandated by local law or union agreements. We will comply with these guidelines at all times.

Our employees can take the following breaks at work:

• Meal breaks. We provide all employees who work more than [six hours] on a given day with a [30-minute] meal break. They should take it within [two to five hours] from the beginning of their workday. If you work longer than [10 hours] in one day, you can take a second meal break. These breaks are generally unpaid for non-exempt employees unless local law states otherwise.
• Rest breaks. Our employees can take one paid [10-minute] rest break for every four hours worked. So, if you work ten hours you may normally take two rest breaks.
• Restroom breaks. Employees can take reasonable toilet breaks, whenever they need to, as part of their workday.
• Breastfeeding breaks. Employees who want to pump/express milk can use our lactation rooms according to our breastfeeding policy. A general provision for these unpaid breaks is [15 minutes].

How Breaks Affect Working Hours

Meal and breastfeeding breaks won’t count against your standard working hours or overtime. If possible, schedule these breaks in advance so your team will know when you will be unavailable. For certain positions, we may schedule lunch breaks to avoid any negative impact on our operations. For example, if you work in customer support, we may schedule lunch time so someone will always be available to answer customer requests.

Rest and restroom breaks are included in your working hours and are paid as normal.
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Mandatory Breaks

Breaks are meant to get you away from work and recharge mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. So, please take your breaks at your designated times. To safeguard your health and productivity, your manager may ask you to take a break if you haven’t taken one for more than [five hours].
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Working During Breaks

We don’t expect you to work during your breaks. However, if you need to perform any kind of work (e.g. answering calls on your phone), we will pay your normal compensation for that time. Also, you will be paid as normal when you are obliged to remain on company premises during your meal break for a work-related reason (e.g. waiting for a delivery.)
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Impromptu Breaks

We want our employees to feel well and be productive while working. If you need an impromptu break, just ask your manager. If you need a break lasting longer than [30 minutes], you will need to use sick or PTO time.

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Audience

This policy applies to all employees (Including people working remote). 

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