All workers are entitled to breaks during work and rest periods between days and nights. To find out what breaks you should get at work, see “Rules” below. The 1997 Working Time Organization Act establishes minimum statutory rights for employees with regard to the working week, annual leave, night work, breaks and rest periods. Some “special case” workers are exempt from these break provisions and you can legitimately ask them to work during their breaks if: If you are over school leaving age but under 18, you normally cannot work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. You are usually entitled to: Technically, yes, but the employee must agree the agreement with you beforehand. The employee cannot choose to take four 5-minute breaks during the day without permission. You`re probably entitled to breaks during your workday, as well as daily and weekly breaks. Most workers are entitled to breaks, but some jobs mean you are not automatically entitled to breaks. Learn more about employees who are not entitled to breaks at GOV.UK. You may not be paid for your rest periods – your employment contract will indicate whether you are.

The principle is that everyone gets an average of 90 hours of rest per week, although some rest periods may come a little later than normal. The same applies to employees whose work is spread over the day (“split posts”). For example, a cleaner who works from 6 to 9 hours and again from 15 to 19 hours. In general, you are entitled to a 15-minute break if you have worked 4 1/2 hours. If you work more than 6 hours, you are entitled to a 30-minute break, which may include the first 15-minute break. These breaks are not remunerated and are not considered working time. There are additional rules for persons over school leaving age but under 18 who work at night. These are as follows:- Many people don`t know this, but there are three different types of workplace breaks. However, the rules applicable to workers in the transport sector (SI 20/1998) and certain categories of civil protection services (SI 52/1998) exempt them from the provisions on statutory rest periods and periods, but do not require equivalent compensatory rest periods. We now come to the question of compensatory breaks, which are essentially flexible breaks. While the legal definition is “within a reasonable time after missed break,” many employers are flexible on this issue.

They will appreciate that you may need to take a break to complete a specific task, which is obviously beneficial to them. Minimum breaks are laid down in the Working Time Ordinance. These rules apply to most workers, but there are a few exceptions, which are explained below. You will usually have a variety of different breaks from work. These can be divided into three types: We hope you found our guide to UK work breaks helpful. Other helpful workplace guides can be found on our website. Instead of getting normal breaks, you are entitled to “compensatory rest”. This is inserted later, ideally the same day or the next business day. If you are an adult worker (over 18), you are usually entitled to a 20-minute rest if you are expected to work more than six hours at a time. However, there are a number of specific circumstances in which the right to rest periods does not exist, for example if the activities involve the need to ensure continuity of service or production or if there is a foreseeable increase in activity. If a shiftworker changes jobs, he or she may not be able to retire fully before starting the new work arrangement.

In this case, the right to daily and weekly rest periods ceases to apply. Different rules apply to breaks under 18. If you are 18 years of age or older and work more than 6 hours a day, you are entitled to: Find out more about who is entitled to compensatory rest periods with GOV.UK. Note: A break at the end of the workday is not acceptable and does not comply with the law. Read on for specific working hours and breaks laws in the UK. A balanced rest period means you can take the break later. It should be taken within a reasonable time from the time you missed the break and should last as long as a certain rest period would have lasted. You may be eligible for compensatory breaks if: It is recommended that you take your breaks as they are designed to protect your health and safety and that is your right. Your employer may give you a break if your contract allows it. Domestic workers in a private home (e.g. cleaner or au pair) are not entitled to rest for health and safety reasons. If you employ people between school leaving age and 18, they must take a 30-minute break if they work more than 4.5 hours.

Zero-hour workers generally have the same rights to breaks as other workers. The length of the break you receive is usually agreed with your employer. It can be written somewhere or just part of your employer`s current practice.