princesshumla

Ok. So I work in retail.
I also worked in retail when I was younger in the UK.
Here, I get a 30 minute lunch break unpaid, and they usually make me feel bad about taking that, even though i'm on my feet all day.
In the UK, in a similar setting, we were allowed a one hour lunch break and two twenty minute "tea" breaks.
Now i'm a manager, and so when it's quiet, i've been sending some of the staff on extra 15 minute breaks if they are tired, or just to get some fresh air, as I believe it increases the general morale of the store, and I believe that people NEED breaks, otherwise it's unhealthy. Does anyone else find it strange how much Canadians oppose giving breaks to their staff? They seem to have this holier than thou attitude, ie: "I don't need to take any break at all, because i'm a harder worker, blah blah blah...".
Now they're telling me not to give out 15 minute breaks at all, because a 30 minute break in an almost 9 hour day on your feet is adequate. Is Canada not a developed country? It's disgusting.

bazzz

I'll quite often take a couple of hours for lunch if there's a football match on TV. And usually 30 mins for coffee each morning, although I might read something work-related at the same time.

In the summer it's not unusual for us to go running at lunchtime and end up at the student pub where we'll spend an hour or two sitting in the sun, drinking beer and eating bad nachos.

Sounds like you need to get a new job.

Novocastrian

Yes, but you only get 2 weeks holiday a year.

G586

I've generally only taken 30 mins for lunch and no other organised breaks in my last two jobs...in the UK.....so I think it's more to do with where you work than the country.

roanin

As Baaz indicated, get a real job! this is about right for the industry you are working in-no style sweat shop, type of work. Slamming the "under developed" Country is not the answer. There are labour laws regarding hours of work, rest periods etc. If your company and your co-workers tend to flout these laws, then you all deserve each other.

princesshumla

Actually, it shouldn't matter where you work, the break laws should be egalitarian throughout. And I think you misunderstood my comment- what I was saying is, Canada IS a developed country, and is usually so fair and a much better place to live than the UK, except when it comes to working.
Yes, I am working in retail, but that doesn't make me any less of a person, I still have two degrees, but I also needed a work permit, and I work bloody hard there- so I think I deserve more breaks than a half an hour.

ann m

I suppose I'm in retail too. You get two 15 minute breaks and an unpaid 30 minute lunch. However, everybody takes what they can, when they can, all the time. The break time is their religion I only work 6 1/2 hours so I just take the 15 min breaks .... I think this is retail all over, unfortunately.

bazzz

I've been told I can take as much as I like. Sadly Mrs Bazzz is limited to 3 weeks and I'm not allowed to go to Bangkok on my own.

steve666

Since when? Since when?
Has ANYTHING been organised in this friggin life.
Just check out what's going on around you and do the same, if you don't like it make a fuss. Generally you'll end up doing something else. but ...Hey!...Better than say, um... ending up in Canada!!

Just Kiddin.

Bangkok? At 12?

steve666

Bazzzzz, as a former Plymouth person. Would she agree to both of us going? As we are both 'normal' and not able to enjoy ourselves on our own, without our spouses, like.

Naryamente

Alot of the "work work work" kinda stuff I've been exposed to is more to do with macho nonsense. I dunno how much of that filters into other things.

I think that being such a young country, still only relatively few generations on, we're still living on the farm when it comes to work attitudes. And seeing as we're also built on immigration, there's always 'SOMEONE' who will take your job if you don't want it. Hence the slave-driver hierarchy.

that's the vibe I get anyway.

There's working hard, and there's working smart. I prefer the latter.

(and don't get me started on how people cling to their precious little jobs...)

steve666

[QUOTE=Naryamente;6111543]QUOTE]

How do people cling to their precious little jobs?

Naryamente

Yes a little inflammatory I know, but it's very hard to explain. In my experience, a UK transplant to Canada, I get the vibe that people in my industry (music) are so insular and unwilling to work with people from overseas. I've been called a Euro-snob because I basically don't "jump" and prefer to ask "hang on - there's better way to do that, let me show you..." But people don't want to know.

Now, I'm 35 and a friend of mine is 65, also self employed, works in finance - He's from the U.S and he and I clicked immediately when I mention the "job-clinging" thing. If you're not from Canada, it's hard to get a foot in the door.

The Guv is even talking about it now - 'hire an immigrant' and all that. I KNOW I'm not alone on this, but I admit, it's a tough situation to explain.

steve666

I agree, My son is going though a similar thing and getting very dis-heartened.

Naryamente

It really sucks - if no one knows you, no one wants to know you.

I was working Canadian Idol a few years ago and one of Nelly Furtado's people was impressed with some little gadget I had made for myself and he asks me "so how come I've never seen you around before?"

Hell, I dunno - were all music technicians born in the same hospital?

Maybe I read too much into that, but it spoke volumes to me and somehow summed up what I was working against - it's a big club.

Kinda like "so who let YOU into the club?"