Does the work force in your nation take a greater-than-one-hour break for lunch?

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funguy2121

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I was speaking with some docs about cultural differences in the OR, specifically Australia and the UK, and I was just curious. It's my understanding that in many European and other nations, the equivalent of the American lunch break - 1/2 and hour to an hour to eat and relax before returning to work - is 2-3 hours to go home, take a nap, or do whatever you want. I'm told (and I haven't researched this) that break policy is even more stringent in Japan, a nation even more workaholic (and alcoholic - connection? Nah, I'm sure it's a coincidence) than the US.

So, what's the work day like in your country? What are the breaks like? Do you take six weeks' vacation or 7 days?
 

microhive

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Basically every factory job in the Faroe Islands gives you a 15 min break every 2 hours.

At a fish factory, I got around 20 dollars an hour, and my 15 min breaks every 2 hours. We could also buy relatively cheap meals from the cafeteria during breaks as well. Pretty nice I think.

And yeah, we got those long breaks whenever we need them with payment.
 

LongAndShort

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Sober Thal said:
I wish I was in Australia tho, they make twice our minimal wage.
Yeah mate, but everything costs twice as much. Don't get me wrong, Australia is still awesome.

I work for a bank and get 30 minutes cause I'm a casual, but the permanents can get up to 45 depending on the hours they work, and I think that's a rough average.
Though, something that one of my lecturers kept reminding us of is that Aussies work some of the longest hours and some of the most unpaid hours in the Western world. Haven't checked the figures in a few years but it always struck me as quite likely.

Still a fuckin awesome country, if I do say so myself.
 

Dags90

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Usually it's an hour for a full time worker. Salaried employees vary wildly from "rush this food down as fast as possible and get back to work" to "go to a fancy restaurant with this doctor to try to get him to push our drugs". Now with claimid!


My parents usually get two weeks paid vacation, though I've heard some places are offering three weeks to new workers as an incentive for recalcitrant Gen X/Yers.
 

Catchy Slogan

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Every job I've had so far gave me 1/2 hour lunches.

The last job I was at was a 12 hour day with 1 1/2 hour lunch and 2 15 minute breaks. I was also stood in the exact same place for 11 hours. Fun times.

I'm from the UK, btw.
 

Doc Theta Sigma

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Chris Rock gave a pretty good sum up of lunch breaks at work:

"There is nothing worse than a half hour lunch break to a grown person. Prisoners get an hour."

But anyway. My last job I worked nights normally from 7pm to 2am. We got a fifteen minute break every two hours.
 

emeraldrafael

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The last place I worked, I got a two fifteen minute breaks for working an 8 hr day, and another fifteen minute break if I worked ten or twelve hours (2-4 hrs overtime at time and a half pay), but that was a union job.

before that, when i worked at a theatre my "first" job, I got a half hour break for every five hours I worked, and then if I doubled, I got another break.
 

SergeantAnt

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I work 8 hour days and get a 30 minute break. Which sucks but by reading these posts seems pretty common everywhere.
The law though is that they have to let you take a 15 minute break for every 4 hours worked. Yet i don't even take a break unless i work 7-8 hours.
Colorado USA
 

stabbymcstabs

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deadman91 said:
Sober Thal said:
I wish I was in Australia tho, they make twice our minimal wage.
Yeah mate, but everything costs twice as much. Don't get me wrong, Australia is still awesome.

I work for a bank and get 30 minutes cause I'm a casual, but the permanents can get up to 45 depending on the hours they work, and I think that's a rough average.
Though, something that one of my lecturers kept reminding us of is that Aussies work some of the longest hours and some of the most unpaid hours in the Western world. Haven't checked the figures in a few years but it always struck me as quite likely.

Still a fuckin awesome country, if I do say so myself.
Don't forget were going to start having to pay a carbon tax that isnt doing anything but lining out failing govenments pockets.

Seriously is there ANYONE! who likes Juila, i sure as fuck dont.
 

Ham_authority95

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I haven't worked in many places, but it varies business to business. Most are 30 minutes to an hour. There are laws about it, I'm sure.

My lunch break was 30 minutes when I worked, but I wanted it longer. The less time working that shit job, the better.
 

Zantos

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Whenever I've done research it's been about an hour between 12 and 1. Occasionally you also get half an hour tea break in the morning. However because of scheduling that might shift around, or if something important is happening you take your lunch with you and keep working. However it tends to work on an "as long as it gets done" system, so as long as at the end of the day you've got stuff to show you can (and we have) only actually worked about 3 hours of an 8 hour day. However I should stress that 1) It's only if supervisors are away, 2) You can get it done once per research period. Maybe twice if you get a really good breakthrough and are good at catching up and 3) it's difficult to sync schedules with other researches, so you might be spending the whole time alone anyway.

EDIT: Captcha


I passed it by writing "Change in specific heat at constant pressure dependant on temperature versemen", honestly. Still at least it's better than making you watch an advert then answer a question you don't know the answer to.
 

SckizoBoy

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Jan 6, 2011
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A Hermit's Cave
Huh, some have got it tough...

I've always had a one hour break when I worked (eight hour day, though I clocked a lot of overtime). Just a normal clerical/desk job for reference.
 

Lord Legion

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Feb 26, 2010
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Over the summer I worked 14/16 hour days in a granite pit, and only had 15 minute lunches... I now eat absurdly fast...
 

WouldYouKindly

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Working construction has its benefits. We're afforded time for lunch. No specific amount of time where I worked, just get your work done on time.

The problem is that sometimes you need to skip lunch in order to meet deadlines.

As for vacation time, yeah, none of that shit for me, unless you count getting laid off as taking a vacation.
 

LongAndShort

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May 11, 2009
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stabbymcstabs said:
deadman91 said:
Sober Thal said:
I wish I was in Australia tho, they make twice our minimal wage.
Yeah mate, but everything costs twice as much. Don't get me wrong, Australia is still awesome.

I work for a bank and get 30 minutes cause I'm a casual, but the permanents can get up to 45 depending on the hours they work, and I think that's a rough average.
Though, something that one of my lecturers kept reminding us of is that Aussies work some of the longest hours and some of the most unpaid hours in the Western world. Haven't checked the figures in a few years but it always struck me as quite likely.

Still a fuckin awesome country, if I do say so myself.
Don't forget were going to start having to pay a carbon tax that isnt doing anything but lining out failing govenments pockets.

Seriously is there ANYONE! who likes Juila, i sure as fuck dont.
Christ, I loathe to think of the impression she makes in front of foreign leaders. I can imagine her calling to congratulate Obama and him just whispering to an aide "Seriously? This is the Prime Minister of Australia? Jesus, alright."
Problem is, I hate Abbot more (please Turnbull, please take the leadership again), and no one in the Labor party is a viable alternative... yet. But my guess is, neither of them will make it to the next election.
 

crudus

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It depends on the day really. Some days I will get a two or more hour break. Some days I will only get a 20 or 30 minute break. Although I work in a restaurant and they are a little different.
 

Vicarious Reality

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Nnnnoooo...? On my jobs i've only gotten ½-1 hour lunch and a 15min coffee break* as far as i can remember. Then again i've only been in *electronics assembly factory, a library (can sleep half the day) and small shop retail which is almost completely random workload.
I'm in Sweden
 

Custard_Angel

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Aug 6, 2009
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Not your average person no.

Most people I know get 30-45 minutes on average.

Not me though. I'm a research chemist without direct supervision, so my breaks range from 2 minutes to 2 hours.