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Does not apply to workplaces where fewer than 3 employees are on duty at the same time and the nature of the work allows these workers to take frequent paid breaks during the working day. Does not apply if collective bargaining or other written employer-employee agreements provide otherwise. Hotel maids may not need to work during a break. The break area must be equipped with adequate seating and tables in a clean and comfortable environment. Drinking water must be provided free of charge. The employer must keep complete and accurate records of break times. Applicable to any employer. Meal times are required if employees are not entitled to the necessary breaks and/or if they are allowed to have lunch while working. 15-minute break for 4 to 6 consecutive hours or a 30-minute break for more than 6 consecutive hours. If an employee works 8 consecutive hours or more, the employer must provide a 30-minute break and an additional 15-minute break for each additional 4 consecutive hours of work. Connecticut`s meal break laws exclude employers who offer a total of 30 minutes or more of paid rest or meal time in each hour and a half of work.

Mealtime requirements do not modify or affect applicable collective agreements or prevent a different meal plan through a written employer-employee agreement. During this time, the employee must be completely relieved of his duties: lunch at the office during subsequent work does not count. If an employer does not want to offer this lunch break, they must instead allow at least 30 minutes of paid breaks. With so many variables, it is not uncommon for employees and employers to be confused about their rights and obligations regarding meals or breaks. If you work or operate a business in Connecticut and are unsure how the law applies to your particular situation, contact Monarch Law. We advise you on the breaks you may be entitled to or how you can keep your workplace in compliance with the law. Connecticut requires employees to have a half-hour lunch break after the first 2 hours of work and before the last 2 hours of work for employees who work 7 and a half consecutive hours or more in a shift. Many employees work shifts with an employer who guides them through normal meal times. Employees and employers can be confused about what “lunch break” an employee may have. Employee rights and employer obligations are expressly set forth in section 31-51ii of the Connecticut General Act.

The Labour Commissioner is responsible for exempting any employer from the laws on food breaks by order in council if it is determined that compliance with the rules of public safety would be prejudicial or that the duties of a position can only be performed by a single employee or in continuous operation under certain conditions, or that the employer employs fewer than 5 employees in a single place of business, provided that the exception applies only to workers on such a team. 1/2 hour for employees who have to work 6 consecutive hours or more. The lunch break should not be scheduled during or before the first hour of the planned work activity. Connecticut has regulations that describe the working day meals/lunch breaks that must be provided to employees, but does not require employees to be given additional, shorter break times. On this page you will find details about the requirements for meal times in Connecticut. Apart from the meal break requirement, there is no obligation under federal or state law for employers to schedule additional breaks. In practice, however, many employers offer short paid breaks during the day, even though there is no collective agreement that prescribes such breaks. Typically, employers offer one or two paid breaks of 10 to 15 minutes during a normal workday. An employer may waive the right to a thirty-minute unpaid lunch break upon the voluntary written request of an employee who is primarily employed in serving food or beverages to customers and who receives tips and reports them to the employer in connection with that employment.

Excluded are certain professional employees and workplaces certified by the State Council of Education that are covered by a collective agreement or other written employer-employee agreement. Exceptions may also be granted where compliance would have an impact on public safety; only one employee may perform the duties of a position, an employer has fewer than five employees on a shift at a single place of business; or where the continuity of an employer`s business requires employees to respond to urgent or unusual conditions at all times and employees to be paid for their meal breaks. Many employees (and employers) would be surprised to learn that under federal law, employees are NOT automatically entitled to a lunch or break during the workday. On the surface, it makes economic sense to offer such breaks, as exhausted or hungry employees can`t always give customers a positive impression of the company, but federal law doesn`t require it. Applicable to any employer, except in work environments which, due to their professional nature, offer ample opportunity to take a reasonable meal break. Meal times must be given some time after the first two hours of work and before the last two hours of work, although an employer and an employee may enter into a written agreement providing for a different meal schedule. Meal times do not have to be paid; If he is not paid, employees must be free to leave the employer`s premises. Under Connecticut law, an employer who provides the employee with a total of thirty minutes or more of paid rest or meals during each 71/2 hour period is not required to provide additional meal time.

The Ministry of Labour exempts any employer from the requirements if (1) compliance with public safety regulations would be prejudicial, (2) the duties of the position can only be performed by one employee, (3) the employer employs fewer than five employees in a single shift at a single place of business (applies only to that shift), (4) the continuity of an employer`s business (e.g., chemical production or research experiments) requires workers to be available to respond to urgent or unusual conditions, and workers are compensated for breaks and meals. Workers working in some retail stores are entitled to an unworked break based on the number of hours worked. State law is different. Connecticut is one of 19 states where employees must provide 30 minutes of unpaid leave if an employee has worked at least seven and a half consecutive hours during their shift. The law also stipulates that this break must take place at least two hours after the advertisement to work and at least two hours before the end of their shift. Q: An employee asked to work all day without taking a lunch break. I thought Connecticut labor law required a meal break. Would we be breaking the law if we acceded to their request? A: Connecticut`s meal break law does not require meal breaks to be taken. Does this mean that every employee, regardless of the employer they work for, is entitled to this meal break? The answer to this question is no, as the Ministry of Labour has identified exceptions to this support requirement. Under the Act, the Labour Commissioner exempts any employer from this duty to eat if the Labour Commissioner determines that: (1) would affect the obligation to comply with public safety regulations; 2. The duties of a worker`s post may be performed by only one worker; 3.

the employer employs fewer than five workers in a given position at a single establishment, the exemption applying only to workers in that position; or (4) the continuity of an employer`s business business requires that employees be available at all times to respond to urgent or unusual conditions and that such workers be paid for breaks and meals.