Asking employees to do work-related activities during rest and meal breaks can seem like a minor inconvenience, but when all of the time that various employees spend working through their breaks is added up, it can result in a substantial amount of pay that employers are effectively stealing from their employees.
Most employers provide unpaid meal or lunch breaks to its employees.
However, employers take advantage of their workers in a variety of ways related to their rest and meal breaks. Some of these violations of worker rights include:
Being told to do tasks while on break
Being told that you cannot leave the office
Being told to be ready to go back to work at a moment's notice
Workers sometimes mistakenly believe that if they are allowed to eat while they work, this counts as a break. If your lunch break is unpaid, it is your time and your employer should not be asking you to perform any work-related tasks.
At Preston & Brar LLC, our attorneys focus on helping workers secure the full pay they deserve. We can analyze your situation and identify any ways your employer may be taking advantage of you and other employees. Most employers who fail to pay a worker for all that he or she does also fail to fully compensate other employees similarly. Our extensive experience allows us to help our clients fight for the full pay they deserve for their work.