Employer can legally reduce or eliminate your allotted lunch break.
Revised Article:
Are Russians Overworked? A Look at Work Life Balance in Russia
One third of Russians struggle at work daily, with 70% battling a heavy workload, burnout, and stress. To cope, many take their lunch breaks not just to eat, but also for rest or personal matters. Olga Vladimirova, an HR expert at hh.ru, sheds light on whether employers can cut lunch breaks and what to do if they don't adhere to the rules.
Can employers take away lunch breaks or ban eating at work?
Employers can't suddenly deny lunch breaks. By law, the start and end times of lunch breaks must be clearly defined in a local act signed by all employees. The maximum lunch break duration is two hours, and the minimum is 30 minutes.
Employees can skip lunch breaks if their workday doesn't exceed four hours, as long as this is reflected in the company's local act.
What should you do if your boss refuses to give you a lunch break?
If your boss isn't allowing lunch breaks, you should submit a request to your manager to change this. If that fails, reach out to the labor inspectorate, or if necessary, consider taking legal action.
Can you take off during your lunch break?
During your lunch break, you're free to do as you please – including leaving work. This time is meant for rest and eating.
Can employers decrease lunch break time? Are lunch breaks related to working hours?
An employee must be given a break of no more than two hours and no less than 30 minutes, which isn't included in their working time. At workplaces where providing lunch breaks is impractical due to production conditions, employers must make arrangements for breaks and meals.
Is drinking tea during work hours allowed? And can your employer ban this?
Companies can establish rules governing office behavior, including prohibiting tea drinking at work. However, if employees have no other options for breaks, such a ban might be considered illegal.
Can you be penalized for eating at your workplace?
Eating in production areas is forbidden. Employers are obligated to ensure employees can eat under certain circumstances, as defined by the Labor Code. In offices, an employer can set a ban on eating at work, but this isn’t explicitly stated in the legislation.
Can you leave early if you haven't had lunch?
In a workday shorter than four hours, employees can work without an official lunch break. If the workday is longer, the employer must provide a break for food and rest, but the employee can choose not to take it.
Cross-Border Perspective
Lunch break and eating at work regulations differ significantly by country. For instance:
- In the United States, a 30-minute unpaid lunch break is common after 5 hours of work, while specific regulations about eating at work are scant.
- In Brazil, employees working at least 4 hours must have a 1-hour lunch break, and a 2-hour lunch is common in certain sectors.
- In China, employees working over 4 hours are entitled to a 60-minute meal break.
- In Sweden, employees must have a 30-minute lunch break and not work 6 consecutive hours without a break.
In summary, lunch break rules are primarily set by individual countries, while rules about eating at work during other hours are often determined by company policies rather than national laws.
[1] Cal/OSHA. (2021). Meal Periods. Retrieved from https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Meal_Periods.htm[2] International Organization for Standardization. (2021). Brazil: Social Security. Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/country/164[3] China Labour Bulletin. (2021). Labour Law Q&A. Retrieved from https://www.clb.org.hk/content/labour-law-faq[4] EU-Labourlaw.info. (2020). Sweden: Working time rules. Retrieved from https://www.eu-labourlaw.info/country/Sweden_1[5] International Labour Organization. (2021). Meal and rest breaks. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/work-time/WCMS_615793/lang--en/index.htm
- Enhancing workplace wellness in Russia could be achieved by promoting science-based strategies for managing workload and stress, contributing to improved health and wellness among employees.
- Understanding the relationship between lunch breaks and overall work-life balance in Russia, from a scientific perspective, could provide valuable insights for implementing effective workplace-wellness programs.
