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Is my employer required to give me a break?

On Behalf of | Jun 8, 2018 | Firm News

Working long hours can wear you out. It’s hard to do one thing for long periods of time. If you recently started a job working for extended amounts of time you might be wondering when and if you’re supposed to get a break.

Each state has different policies and laws about employee rights to breaks.

Indiana laws about breaks

Unfortunately, breaks are not mandatory in the state of Indiana. If you work for long hours, your employer is not required to provide you with a break of any amount of time, including meal breaks. However, your employer may choose to give you a break of 15 minutes for every four to six hours worked.

Minors under age 18 are entitled to a total of 30 in break time for every six hours worked.

National laws about breaks

However, if your employer does provide you with a break, federal law states that breaks less than 20 minutes must be paid. Lunch breaks, 30 minutes or more, are not required to be paid.

Federal law also states during this lunch break, you should not be required to do any work. This includes answering phones and other work-related duties. If you are working during this time, it should not be considered a break.

When you start a job be sure you know the expectations. You may want to ask your employer to clarify whether or not they will allow you to take a break.