Do you stop work for lunch?

[prntrfxr]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

I've seen it with breaks, without breaks, with half an hour and with an hour. What I've seen from a Service Manager's viewpoint. People who get 1 hour lunches, get more done. Even if they have an hour for lunch and have to work 30 min more in the day to get it. One of the most productive places I've worked, did that very thing. Techs would eat in 15 -20 min, then go lay down in the car and take a nap for the remaining time. Yes, it does throw off the rhythm a bit, but in no time flat they've made it up and cranked out more work than they would have working straight through. They were also happier. Can't seem to get the company here to see that. You are encouraged to have a break and then told that everyone else in the company volunteered to eat on the run (or eat at your desk, if you're sales people). I found out, that all the volunteers no longer work for the company. So I insist that my people take at least 30 min. You got to have downtime.

[CompyTech]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

We take an hour for lunch. Anytime between 11 & 2pm. Not supposed to get paid for that hour, so I take the full hour for the most part. Sometimes I'll cut it short cause I hate sitting still. But there are days I cherish that full hour and use it to the fullest. Once in a while I'll get a call on the way or near my house, and stop there for lunch. Recently the company tried to be cheap and wanted us to take a lunch hour, but wanted to include the drive time in it eg: drive to lunch then drive to next call. As part of lunch hour... However that did not happen, because we're never that busy. And we're supposed to get paid for drive time etc.. Depending on work load or drive time that could be flexible. Ideally 15-20 minute lunch is fine with me, but I roll with the 1hr ok. A break at some point is always needed.

[Ianizer]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

We take an hour for lunch. Anytime between 11 & 2pm. Not supposed to get paid for that hour, so I take the full hour for the most part. Sometimes I'll cut it short cause I hate sitting still. But there are days I cherish that full hour and use it to the fullest. Once in a while I'll get a call on the way or near my house, and stop there for lunch. Recently the company tried to be cheap and wanted us to take a lunch hour, but wanted to include the drive time in it eg: drive to lunch then drive to next call. As part of lunch hour... However that did not happen, because we're never that busy. And we're supposed to get paid for drive time etc.. Depending on work load or drive time that could be flexible. Ideally 15-20 minute lunch is fine with me, but I roll with the 1hr ok. A break at some point is always needed.

About where I'm at.
-I

[xordi69]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Yes, 15 minutes before 10:00 o'clock

[tokendog]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Most of the time depends on work load and my sanity really.

[zulufan1]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Generally, no. I pack my lunch, and just eat on the way to my next call most of the time. I used to be able to go home early if i got my work done (unoficially), but now they Require you to Scan in and out on the Barcode on the front of the machine, and You Must hit a 8:30 start time and 4:30 end time average.

By the way all these other administrative duties must be done also....No Exceptions. just find the time, because overtime is out of the question.

It is a underhanded way of forcing Technicians to work UNPAID OVERTIME!

[nmfaxman]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Lunch? What is that?

[jam-man]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Generally, no. I pack my lunch, and just eat on the way to my next call most of the time. I used to be able to go home early if i got my work done (unoficially), but now they Require you to Scan in and out on the Barcode on the front of the machine, and You Must hit a 8:30 start time and 4:30 end time average.

By the way all these other administrative duties must be done also....No Exceptions. just find the time, because overtime is out of the question.

It is a underhanded way of forcing Technicians to work UNPAID OVERTIME!

[JR2ALTA]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Of course you understand the difference between hourly wage and salary. My job is 45 hours a week salary. I don't mind because usually if a call ends within 60 minutes of 5pm, you're sent home.

As far as lunch goes, we get surveyed every damn week about calls per day, so if I need to boost my average I will work nonstop.

[DAG COPIERS & COMPUTERS]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

When you go solo in future- if at all, you will solve all these problem of stopping or not stopping work for lunch since you will be your own boss. As of now you have to yield to the dictates of your employer.

Remember it may take you years of hard work, experience, patience, determination and confidence to become self employed.

[zulufan1]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

I do work in the U.S., and for one of the biggest. The official policy says you must take 1hr lunch, sometime between 10 am and 2pm, not at the beginning or end of day.

The reality is that if you stop for an hour, the response time keeps ticking on all the calls on your board, so you will surely not make response time goals for those calls, and it is easy to lose momentum, and fall behind.


I can take lunch, and the company says I have to, but I have found it not feasible most days, therefor I just eat my lunch while driving to the next call.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Self employment does add a lot of flexibility and freedoms but it also creates new complications too. Still love it though.

When you go solo in future- if at all, you will solve all these problem of stopping or not stopping work for lunch since you will be your own boss. As of now you have to yield to the dictates of your employer.

Remember it may take you years of hard work, experience, patience, determination and confidence to become self employed.

[copymech]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Ill grab 3 or 4 burgers at a drive thru then eat them sitting in my car while the customer is lookng out thier window at me.You otta see the looks on their faces. lol.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Sometimes I'll eat in a customers lunch room or cafeteria...usually limited to places I have really good repoire with or am friends with somebody.

It pays to make friends with customers because sometimes you get free cookies or cake, or left over catering!

[vincent64]

Re: Do you stop work for lunch?

Last placed I worked, it was written into the service tech's job description that your lunch hour was from when you closed your call just before lunch, IE noon or when ever, you then had a hour to eat and be at the next call, unless the next call was more then 15 miles away or some BS like that, thats one of the reasons it's the last place I worked.