Extended lunch break

Manxman_in_exile

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Dribiddi said:

so my employer has came up with the bright idea of unilaterally increasing my lunch break from 36 mins to 1 hour so as my working pattern fits in better with their resource and planning. 24 mins * 5 = 2 hours therefore my working week is extended by 2 hours to suit them for a extended break I don’t want, need or get paid for. I’m really !!!!!! off about it tbh I have bent over backwards for them during this covid period and this is the thanks you get. Do I just need to suck it up?

What does your contract say concerning working hours?  Some are fixed, some state that you must work for a set number of hours a week at times to suit the employer and so on.  I can see why a change to an established routine might be irritating but, from personal experience, an hour's lunch can be quite beneficial.  I get an hour where I work and use the time to go shopping, do paperwork of my own, socialise and read.  It provides an opportunity to do all sorts of niggly little things during the week, which would otherwise have to be done in the evenings or at weekends.  You might find yourself gaining free time as a result of this.  

I agree with this.  I think that throughout all the years I worked I never took less than an hour for lunch - and that suited me.  (In fact I often took longer than an hour).  It gave me a chance to relax and tune out of work.  The number of colleagues who stressed themselves out at work by always taking the minimum lunch-break or by regularly having a "working lunch" at their desk never ceased to amaze and amuse me.  They were never happy...

I didn't mind getting caught in traffic with other commuters either - it gave me an even clearer demarcation between work and "my own life" and I was much more relaxed when I got home, and more able to enjoy it.

SadieO

To those saying they like a longer lunch break - good for you! But why is it okay for you to have a preference for a longer break, but the OP gets accused of "massively overreacting" and "bleating" for expressing that they prefer a shorter one?

OP, for interest, can you see sense to your employer's reasoning for the timings of your day to change? To those saying that this must be in order for the business to stay afloat, (unless it is something like a helpdesk that needs covering at certain times) I can't see how changing an employee's lunch break could be that pivotal to make or break the business...??? 

Marcon

SadieO said:

To those saying they like a longer lunch break - good for you! But why is it okay for you to have a preference for a longer break, but the OP gets accused of "massively overreacting" and "bleating" for expressing that they prefer a shorter one?

Not a question of preference for the length of the lunch break; this is about business need. 

Manxman_in_exile

SadieO said:

To those saying they like a longer lunch break - good for you! But why is it okay for you to have a preference for a longer break, but the OP gets accused of "massively overreacting" and "bleating" for expressing that they prefer a shorter one?

OP, for interest, can you see sense to your employer's reasoning for the timings of your day to change? To those saying that this must be in order for the business to stay afloat, (unless it is something like a helpdesk that needs covering at certain times) I can't see how changing an employee's lunch break could be that pivotal to make or break the business...??? 

If my employer had said I needed to take a 30 minute lunch-break (or a 20 minute one or a 15 minute one) that's what I would have done.  Nobody is saying the OP can't have a preference for a shorter break - just that you can't always have what you want if the person who pays your wages wants something different - for whatever reason.

(I was merely pointing out the apparent paradox that people who take shorter - or no - lunchbreaks often get the least done and seem to have greater difficulty separating work from "life" - perhaps because of their eagerness to get home quicker)

Manxman_in_exile

Nearly 40 years ago one of my first jobs after graduating was as a trainee trading standards officer.  The county council in question (which generally had a bad reputation) introduced flexi- time for the first time while I was there.  It was done in a typically half-a***d way with no proper planning and with more idea of being "staff friendly" rather than "customer friendly".   The impact on customer service was appalling as everybody (except little old me!) seemed to be competing on getting in as early as possible, taking the shortest lunch possible, and leaving as soon as possible, and bu99er the job.

Mind you, this was a long time ago and the employing authority were dreadful.  (I'm sure it wouldn't happen now.)

JReacher1

SadieO said:

To those saying they like a longer lunch break - good for you! But why is it okay for you to have a preference for a longer break, but the OP gets accused of "massively overreacting" and "bleating" for expressing that they prefer a shorter one?

OP, for interest, can you see sense to your employer's reasoning for the timings of your day to change? To those saying that this must be in order for the business to stay afloat, (unless it is something like a helpdesk that needs covering at certain times) I can't see how changing an employee's lunch break could be that pivotal to make or break the business...??? 

The OP has stated that the business have said it works better for their resource. I agree that the going out of business argument is the normal over the top rubbish you get on here but if they have people sat around at work doing nothing because the OP has left it does make sense to increase the OP‘s lunch period to ensure that resource is used most efficiently. 

theoretica

Dribiddi said:

so my employer has came up with the bright idea of unilaterally increasing my lunch break from 36 mins to 1 hour so as my working pattern fits in better with their resource and planning. 24 mins * 5 = 2 hours therefore my working week is extended by 2 hours to suit them for a extended break I don’t want, need or get paid for. I’m really !!!!!! off about it tbh I have bent over backwards for them during this covid period and this is the thanks you get. Do I just need to suck it up?

It is very unlikely indeed that you could stop them imposing this, but that doesn't mean you can't seek a compromise where both you and the employer are happier. For instance, how would it work for both you and employer if you worked their start and finish times 4 days a week but with a short lunch break and left earlier or arrived later on the 5th day?  How many employees are affected? 

Dribiddi

theoretica said:

Dribiddi said:

so my employer has came up with the bright idea of unilaterally increasing my lunch break from 36 mins to 1 hour so as my working pattern fits in better with their resource and planning. 24 mins * 5 = 2 hours therefore my working week is extended by 2 hours to suit them for a extended break I don’t want, need or get paid for. I’m really !!!!!! off about it tbh I have bent over backwards for them during this covid period and this is the thanks you get. Do I just need to suck it up?

It is very unlikely indeed that you could stop them imposing this, but that doesn't mean you can't seek a compromise where both you and the employer are happier. For instance, how would it work for both you and employer if you worked their start and finish times 4 days a week but with a short lunch break and left earlier or
arrived later on the 5th day?  How many employees are affected? 

The context is they want as many people as possible on a shift pattern that allows training and team engagement like activities to be done when the phone lines are shut to customers. I’m on board with that, makes sense. However such instances occur once or twice a week but they are insisting the shift changes every day of the week. In addition this is under a banner of being told contract terms amendements are coming but that ‘lessons have been learned during the pandaemic about how we can work more effectively to offer a better work life balance’. Yeah right working flexibility only seems to go one way with this employer they couldn’t care less about my work life balance 

unforeseen

’. Yeah right working flexibility only seems to go one way with this employer they couldn’t care less about my work life balance 

Have you asked for flexible working? 

TELLIT01

The OP works for a Local Authority so the changes are not about keeping the business afloat.  The change would have been more understandable early in the lockdown when there was more disruption to staffing.  As for staff who take shorter breaks being less productive - utter rubbish.  We could take whatever we wanted, with a minimum of 30 minutes.  Some wanted to take a shorter break because they didn't need, or want, to do anything other than have their lunch and catch up on news.  Others would go out every lunchtime and wanted a longer break.  Some of the most productive people I worked with took short breaks - as well as some of the least productive.  Exactly the same was true of those who took long breaks.