30 minute lunch breaks.
Mar 26th 2008, 1:34 am
#16
Banned
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: New Caledonia
Posts: 1,810
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
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.
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.
We have to insist our staff take their breaks. We look after them, they look after us. We have a great crew, they work very hard in a physical job, if they have a problem they will tell us.
Employees who don't like where they work always have a choice!
Mar 26th 2008, 1:36 am
#17
Flags! Yeah!! Wooooooooo!
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Larne, UK.
Posts: 133
Mar 26th 2008, 1:40 am
#19
Islander
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Toronto, woo!
Posts: 953
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
I've worked jobs in England at either end of the break-philosophy spectrum, didn't seem to be a correlation between crap breaks and particularly low-skilled work (like pushing a pump truck round a warehouse.) Kudos to the OP for trying to introduce slightly more humane working practices. You could always take up smoking, from what I hear fag breaks are something a lot of people take liberties with over there, bearing in mind every 5 minutes you get away for now you're taking off the wrinkly stage of your life.
Longer unpaid breaks don't suit me anyway, I had an hour for lunch every day in Old Trafford but unless there was some cricket on next door there was bugger all to do with it except either sit in the park and get rained on, or find something un-work related to do at my desk. I'd rather have gotten home half an hour earlier.
To Naryamente and Steve, I guess we have to take a little leverage where we can - find another expat! In my experience they're often keen to help out someone in the same situation they were in 12/24/36 months ago.
edit - Sadly people on WPs don't actually have that much of a choice...
Longer unpaid breaks don't suit me anyway, I had an hour for lunch every day in Old Trafford but unless there was some cricket on next door there was bugger all to do with it except either sit in the park and get rained on, or find something un-work related to do at my desk. I'd rather have gotten home half an hour earlier.
To Naryamente and Steve, I guess we have to take a little leverage where we can - find another expat! In my experience they're often keen to help out someone in the same situation they were in 12/24/36 months ago.
edit - Sadly people on WPs don't actually have that much of a choice...
Mar 26th 2008, 1:44 am
#20
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,842
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
[QUOTE=windward;6111716] find another expat! QUOTE]
Hi!
Hi!
Mar 26th 2008, 1:47 am
#21
Flags! Yeah!! Wooooooooo!
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Larne, UK.
Posts: 133
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
Well at any rate, we're moving to the U.K. this year, providing the house gets sold. We're hoping for Summer. We're sick of a lot of stuff. (sorry to hijack the thread!)
Mar 26th 2008, 1:48 am
#22
Born again atheist
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Europe (to be specified).
Posts: 30,259
Mar 26th 2008, 2:00 am
#24
Flags! Yeah!! Wooooooooo!
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Larne, UK.
Posts: 133
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
We HATE everything.
I especially hate the shade of blue in the Canadian sky. Not like the good ol' British blue. But even that is being diluted by Euro-Navy.
Scum, subhuman scum...
I especially hate the shade of blue in the Canadian sky. Not like the good ol' British blue. But even that is being diluted by Euro-Navy.
Scum, subhuman scum...
Mar 26th 2008, 2:01 am
#25
Islander
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Toronto, woo!
Posts: 953
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
Hola!
Sorry gringo, give me about 5 weeks, til then I'm just a wannabe. I'll bring you a proper beer over though for being so personable.
I'm truly sorry to hear that... as Rich_007 has pointed out, bar a select crowd the Canadian music scene is about as interesting as the stuff that clogs my plughole. An outside influence should have been welcome.
Wish I had muso contacts to share, but from April if you need your mobile fixed send us a PM
Edit - how many people in this thread are currently drinking?
Sorry gringo, give me about 5 weeks, til then I'm just a wannabe. I'll bring you a proper beer over though for being so personable.
Still hasn't happened for me - it was my personal holy grail.
Well at any rate, we're moving to the U.K. this year, providing the house gets sold. We're hoping for Summer. We're sick of a lot of stuff. (sorry to hijack the thread!)
Well at any rate, we're moving to the U.K. this year, providing the house gets sold. We're hoping for Summer. We're sick of a lot of stuff. (sorry to hijack the thread!)
Wish I had muso contacts to share, but from April if you need your mobile fixed send us a PM
Edit - how many people in this thread are currently drinking?
Last edited by windward; Mar 26th 2008 at 2:02 am. Reason: some random posts being dropped...
Mar 26th 2008, 2:07 am
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,842
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
Not drinking. Yet.
You?
Mar 26th 2008, 2:16 am
#29
I'm a girl, dagnabbit! :)
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Ottawa, ON.
Posts: 1,120
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
JUST a wannabe?
That sure didn't make me want to hire you for anything. Hrmph.
To the original question - I also work in retail, and for every 8 hour shift, I get 2 15min paid breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. In the beginning, I most often chose not to take my 15s, as I felt it interrupted what I was doing too much, but now I do, as long as the store isn't crazy busy.
I thought these rules were the same everywhere, but maybe they differ between provinces, as mostly everything else?
Mar 26th 2008, 2:20 am
#30
Islander
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Toronto, woo!
Posts: 953
Re: 30 minute lunch breaks.
My avatar is an emigré russkie songstress and if all goes to plan, my future wife. But either way, I make no excuses. Just trying to live up to the cultural stereotype. I'll take my modded vauxhall Nova out in a bit, happy-slap some pensioners and maybe get a 16 year old pregnant on the way home.