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Mary L
Mary L

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What is an appropriate amount of time to take for a lunch break?

I'm used to hour long lunches at my old company, but I get the feeling that may not fly at every job. I'm in between jobs right now, so I am getting myself ready!

Top comments (3)

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florianrusch profile image
Florian Rusch • Edited

At our company you can take a break for as long as you like. There are only minimum time periods, which are also prescribed by law (Germany)

  • >6 hours work: >= 30 min break
  • >9 hours work: >= 45 min break

You can split the minutes also over multiple breaks. E.g. 2x 15 min

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axelledrouge profile image
AxelleDRouge

I'm french, lunches break are sacred XD really !
1 hour at the very least ! and to eat well and relax, in order to be the most ready for the afternoon. In fact, I find it to be really important, to be in the right conditions to work, and to stay mentally and physically healthy.
Two years ago in a really big french company, we sometimes took even more than that. But it was more a matter of mental health (the best way to deal with terrible managers all day is to completely relax and take a good break at midday)

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Shannon Crabill

1hr for a lunch break is common (in the US, at least).

A company should outline what is expected for lunch breaks, breaks, etc in the employee handbook. If it's not covered, I would ask prior to the first day.