just wondering

[SweetC]

I live in Indiana and have worked the same job for about 2 years. In April I switched jobs and was offered 8 hour shifts and told I didnt have to take a lunch...GREAT. Well I havent had a lunch at work since then. And now, they are trying to make me take one. Are there any laws that state anything about employees not taking lunches as long as they are being offered them?

[This message has been edited by SweetC (edited October 12, 2000).]

 

[Kamaria]

Well, I'm no attorney and this is not legal advice. I could be a bit off or even completely wrong on this, but I have come across this issue in past experience.

I have been told that some states do have laws that cover that aspect. I'm just not sure which way the laws are written, and if they even exist in your state. They may require that you take a certain amount of time for lunch (depending on the amount of hours you work in the day), or they may require your employer to offer that amount of time, whether or not you decide to take advantage.

Some of these laws may read something similar to: "making it mandatory for employers to give you xxx amount of 'off duty' time for each 6-8 hours you work in any given day." In some states, the xxx amount of time may be extended, after working more than 8 hours in one day, or something to that effect.

Maybe your state does not require this. If not, maybe your company has always offered it, but it wasn't mandatory that you use it. Maybe they have recently made it into a new policy that you must use the time the law allows.

I would also think that this could depend on whether you are an exempt or non exempt employee. Sometimes employees on salary and hourly wage have different schedules or policies. I would think the very easiest way to find out would be to speak with your human resources contact. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[TxBlu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SweetC:
I live in Indiana and have worked the same job for about 2 years. In April I switched jobs and was offered 8 hour shifts and told I didnt have to take a lunch...GREAT. Well I havent had a lunch at work since then. And now, they are trying to make me take one. Are there any laws that state anything about employees not taking lunches as long as they are being offered them?

[This message has been edited by SweetC (edited October 12, 2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I found this on the question and answer page of the Indiana Wage and Hour Labor board.

Is my employer required to give me time off for lunch or breaks?

No, Indiana law does not require employers to give time off for lunch or breaks.

I found this at: http://www.state.in.us/labor/wagehr/estandfaq.html#breaks

According to other info on their mainpage though, if the company pays out more than $500,000 a year in wages, they fall under the Federal Wage and Hour act.

Should also mention that although it may not be state law that they give you a lunchbreak, you need to check your new hire manual or talk to your personnel dept. The company policy may state that all employees are required to take a 30-60 minute lunch break.

[This message has been edited by TxBlu (edited October 12, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by TxBlu (edited October 12, 2000).]