If you had the choice: 1/2 hr or hr lunch break?

[Scrappy_Tink]

I usually just nuke a Smart One and eat at my desk and look at Yahoo news or FB or something (it's allowed during breaks). 1/2 hour is the perfect amount of time if you're not leaving the office. My boss is pretty flexible though, if I need to do something that I know will take me over the 1/2 hour, he has no problems with me making it up by staying later or something.

 

[Albort]

It really depends, theres times where i clock out for lunch and get stopped and end up not able to eat lunch in a 30min window... :\

 

[Tasha08]

1/2 an hour is fine for me. Years of being a teacher has taught me to eat fast!

 

[Anri]

It really depends on what you hope to accomplish on your lunch break I suppose. I work until 5 regardless so I can take up to an hour for lunch. Some days I only take 30 minutes while I go run and grab something, some days I don't even take a lunch, I just heat up something and work through my lunch break. I do like the option of having up to an hour for lunch though. I do sometimes go out to lunch with friends, family, or coworkers. My office building is also in a fairly well-appointed area of town so I can walk to the mall, go to a doctor's appointment, walk around outside, run errands, go to the bookstore, etc. I'm also only ten minutes from my house so I can run home and eat lunch at home or go take my dog for a walk if she isn't being cooperative in the morning.

 

[carrie1626]

My situation is a bit different:

I work from home and 1/2hr goes by TOO FAST.
I clock out for 45mi to 1.5hrs and wouldn't think of changing. I get ALOT done in that time, ALOT!!!

 

[tvguy]

I'd prefer 8 straight with no lunch break. Actually, that's what I worked for 27 years, until my current employer discovered it's illegal. They have to give you a lunch break of at least 30 minutes, even if the employee doesn't want the break.
When they first imposed lunch breaks on us, they made everyone take an hour, then they changed that to 30 minutes. Either case, I walk on my break, weather permitting.
In our case, it worked in the company's favor....because it pushed back everyone's off time by 30 minutes, and the end of shift is the busy time.....now everyone has to stay 30 minutes later than before, and the company doesn't have to pay overtime for it.

 

[traces7]

I like having a half hour lunch, so I can leave sooner! I work out of town and want to get home as soon as possible!

Years ago when I worked in town, I had an hour lunch and I liked that because I could go home for lunch, let the dogs out and watch a little TV and relax.

 

[monsterkitty]

1/2 an hour is fine for me. Years of being a teacher has taught me to eat fast!

Our lunch is 25 minutes. After 24 years, I still can't eat fast and end up finishing my lunch while taking attendance for the class after lunch.

 

[pigletgirl]

Half hour so I could get home sooner.

 

[happygirl]

If I had a stressful job, an hour lunch might be nice so I could unwind and relax, before having to deal with more.

 

[S. C.]

Would depend on If 30 minutes earlier or later traffic was heavy getting home.

 

[SandrA9810]

Depends on how much time is taken away by just getting to lunch. If you're lunch is at the other end of the building in a break room, and take 5 minutes to get there (especially with chatty co-worker that won't let you walk pass them in peace). Then 5 more minutes to heat it up something (if needed). It can really take away your breather time with just a half hour.

If you have a nice patio to enjoy the sunshine and actually get away from your desk, do it. Every article out there says it does more harm to your body to sit at your desk to eat lunch and you lose productivity.

I know in Miami, leaving just 15 minutes before 5pm could mean getting home in 30 minutes vs leaving at 5 and taking over an hour. In Dallas, you have to leave before 4pm to get a head start the on highway, so leaving a half hour early wouldn't gain you much time at the end of the day (if it meant leaving at 4:30pm).

 

[Bob NC]

I would take the 1/2 hour.

Actually, if there were an option for no lunch break, I'd take that.

I'm not in my office much but there is one person there who drives some folks crazy. She will go to the break room and warm up her lunch, get a drink, get everything together and sit at her desk and eat. If her phone rings while eating it will go to voicemail. Then after eating she will take her one hour lunch break and go run errands, get her nails done, whatever.

 

[soccerdad72]

I'm not in my office much but there is one person there who drives some folks crazy. She will go to the break room and warm up her lunch, get a drink, get everything together and sit at her desk and eat. If her phone rings while eating it will go to voicemail. Then after eating she will take her one hour lunch break and go run errands, get her nails done, whatever.

I work with someone like that as well. She sits right next to me, so I hear her eating (very loudly) throughout the entire day, then she goes to "lunch" for an hour, comes back to her desk and pulls more food out.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Well, I've worked it so that I don't take lunch at all and leave an hour earlier, BUT... I always feel like companies that offer an hour lunch break do so to have people at work for a longer spread of time. So many people I know work though lunch, so I feel like companies know this, and this way they get an extra hour out of them, instead of a half hour.

 

[tvguy]

Well, I've worked it so that I don't take lunch at all and leave an hour earlier, BUT... I always feel like companies that offer an hour lunch break do so to have people at work for a longer spread of time. So many people I know work though lunch, so I feel like companies know this, and this way they get an extra hour out of them, instead of a half hour.

Your wording "longer spread of time" is what I was trying to say, you just said it better. That's exactly what happened at my place when they found out they HAD to make sure we took a meal break. California law does not allow you to work 8 straight. The law even specifies when you have to get your lunch break no sooner than 3 hours after the start of your shift, and no more than 5 hours after the start of your shift.

 

[low-key]

I would say I want the 30 min but would take 60 min anyway

 

[wishing4PA]

I would say I want the 30 min but would take 60 min anyway

Are you sure you weren't one of my coworkers?

 

[Becky2005]

I always want an hour lunch! It is an option for us even p/t and I never do the 30 minute lunch.

First off, with an hour -- I can drive home for lunch. With the 30 minute lunch, I can't even drive across the street, go through the McDonald's drive through and get back in time. Especially since I work retail and punch in at the back of the store, have to park super far away -- so there is 10 minutes right there.

Now...I could pack my lunch for the 30 minute route but it IS nice to just leave the building and basically get away from work for a bit.

 

[Mom_Rides]

I think for me it depends on the nature of my business. I work in a very busy, fast paced bank branch. I need that hour to recharge after the busy morning. Now if I worked at a slower branch, I'd likely take a half hour so I could leave earlier.