Rest breaks at work

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1. Overview

Workers over 18 are usually entitled to 3 types of break - rest breaks at work, daily rest and weekly rest.

Rest breaks at work

Workers have the right to one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than 6 hours a day. This could be a tea or lunch break.

The break doesn바카라 사이트™t have to be paid - it depends on their employment contract.

Daily rest

Workers have the right to 11 hours rest between working days, eg if they finish work at 8pm, they shouldn바카라 사이트™t start work again until 7am the next day.

Weekly rest

Workers have the right to either:

• an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week
• an uninterrupted 48 hours without any work each fortnight

A worker바카라 사이트™s employment contract may say they바카라 사이트™re entitled to more or different rights to breaks from work.

Work that puts health and safety at risk

An employer should give an employee enough breaks to make sure their health and safety isn바카라 사이트™t at risk if that work is 바카라 사이트˜monotonous바카라 사이트™ (eg work on a production line).

Domestic workers in a private house (eg a cleaner or au pair) aren바카라 사이트™t entitled to rest breaks for health and safety reasons.

2. Taking breaks

Employers can say when employees take rest breaks during work time as long as:

• the break is taken in one go somewhere in the middle of the day (not at the beginning or end)
• workers are allowed to spend it away from their desk or workstation (ie away from where they actually work)

It doesn바카라 사이트™t count as a rest break if an employer says an employee should go back to work before their break is finished.

Unless a worker바카라 사이트™s employment contract says so, they don바카라 사이트™t have the right to:

• take smoking breaks
• get paid for rest breaks

Exceptions and special circumstances

There are exemptions to the rights to rest breaks.

Some workers are entitled to compensatory rest breaks, eg shift workers.

Young people and lorry and coach drivers have different rights to rest breaks.

3. Compensatory rest

Workers may be entitled to 바카라 사이트˜compensatory rest바카라 사이트™ if they don바카라 사이트™t have the right to specific rest breaks. Compensatory rest breaks are the same length of time as the break (or part of it) that they바카라 사이트™ve missed.

A worker may be entitled to compensatory rest if:

• they바카라 사이트™re a shift worker and can바카라 사이트™t take daily or weekly rest breaks between ending one shift and starting another
• their workplace is a long way from their home (eg an oil rig)
• they work in different places which are a reasonable distance from each other
• they바카라 사이트™re doing security and surveillance-based work
• they바카라 사이트™re working in an industry which is very busy at certain times of the year 바카라 사이트“ like agriculture, retail, postal services or tourism
• they need to work because there바카라 사이트™s an exceptional event, an accident or a risk that an accident is about to happen
• the job needs round-the-clock staffing so there aren바카라 사이트™t interruptions to any services or production (eg hospital work)
• they work in the rail industry on board trains or their job is linked to making sure trains run on time
• their working day is split up (eg they바카라 사이트™re a cleaner and work for part of the morning and the evening)
• there is an agreement between management, trade unions or the workforce (a 바카라 사이트˜collective바카라 사이트™ or 바카라 사이트˜workforce바카라 사이트™ agreement) that has changed or removed rights to these rest breaks for a group of workers

The total rest entitlement for a week is 90 hours a week on average - this doesn바카라 사이트™t include breaks at work, which are additional.

4. Exceptions

Workers aren바카라 사이트™t entitled to the 3 general types of rest break if they work in:

• the armed forces, emergency services or police and they바카라 사이트™re dealing with an exceptional catastrophe or disaster
• a job where they freely choose what hours they work (like a managing director) or where the work is not measured (ie no set hours)
• sea transport
• air or road transport (known as 바카라 사이트˜mobile바카라 사이트™ workers)

Air, sea or road transport workers may be covered by special rules that give them different rest rights.

Mobile workers not covered by any special rules usually have the right to regular rest so that their health and safety (or anyone else바카라 사이트™s) isn바카라 사이트™t put at risk.

There are also special rules for young workers and for lorry and coach drivers.

5. Young workers

Young workers (above school leaving age and under 18) are usually entitled to:

• a 30 minute rest break if they work more than 4.5 hours (if possible this should be one continuous break)
• daily rest of 12 hours
• weekly rest of 48 hours

Exceptions for young workers

Young workers sometimes aren바카라 사이트™t entitled to daily rest or rest breaks at work if their work has to be done because of an exceptional event (eg an accident). This is only where:

• there isn바카라 사이트™t a worker over 18 who can do the work
• the work is temporary and must be done immediately

Compensatory rest for young workers

Young workers have the right to compensatory rest if they바카라 사이트™re not entitled to daily rest or rest breaks at work. This is the same amount of rest that they should have had. It can be taken just after any rest they바카라 사이트™ve missed but it must be taken within the following 3 weeks.

6. Disputes

Workers who can바카라 사이트™t take or aren바카라 사이트™t allowed rest breaks should speak to their manager informally.

Get more information for employees who want to raise a grievance or advice for employers on handling grievances if there is a disagreement about rest breaks.

Workers can also get advice on rest breaks from the Acas helpline.

If a worker can바카라 사이트™t solve a problem, they may be able to make a claim to an employment tribunal.