Working for free?

Published

  1. Cancel your meal?

    • 5
      Once a week
    • 3
      Twice a week
    • 3
      Every shift
    • 13
      Employer doesn't offer this
    • 12
      I work for free

36 members have participated

How often do you use the "cancel meal deduction" option before clocking out?

During our employee orientation, the HR rep talked to us specifically about taking advantage of this. She said: "even if someone asks you a question while you are on your break, cancel your meal deduction-because your break was interrupted."

There's probably 1/5 or 1/6 shifts that I actually have time to take a 30 minute break. The rest, like most of us, I just work straight through, thirsty and starved with a full bladder.

Are you recouping with the "cancel meal deduction"?

Does your employer even offer that as an option?

I am glad that mine does- I cancel my meal deduction at least once a week. I try to use it sparingly- if I eat an "entree" at the desk, I consider that "time for a meal" and do not cancel.

I am just wary of if/when they will try to say that I am using it too often...

But when there's no time, there's no time!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

We can't do it ourselves; our supervisor has to edit the electronic timecard. However, mine is good about making sure to cancel our lunch if we didn't get it, it was interrupted, and sometimes if it was just way too late (at 2:30 when shift ends at 3... might as well just leave at that point without eating). Definitely doesn't happen often because we work together to make sure lunches happen.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

We have the option to clock out "no meal". Working the floor, I used it occasionally when I literally had a night where I barely had time to scarf down something in 5 minutes. On a crazy night that everybody was hopping (more than normal), aĺl of us would agree to clock out "no meal"; kind of a united front showing that we'd had a crap shift.

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Specializes in Family Medicine.

Most of the nurses I work with don't have the balls to do it. They work through their lunch breaks, day in and day out, without compensation.

I am baffled that labor laws do not apply to the nursing profession.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I use it Every. Single. Time I don't get my full 30 minute break.

My employer had better "offer it as an option," because the federal Dept of Labor requires that they do. ;)

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I am baffled that labor laws do not apply to the nursing profession.[/Quote]

They do. Nurses just have to agree that they will not work for free.

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My manager is good about not making a big deal about it. She encourages us, tells us we need a break away, but recognizes it doesn't always work out.

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Specializes in Family Medicine.
They do. Nurses just have to agree that they will not work for free.

See, I used to think that way but I no longer take responsibility for ensuring I get a lunch break. I feel it is my employer/manager's burden to bear.

Most of the time, we have to choose between getting a lunch break and getting out on time/patients being pissed off at us because we're not available/doctors being pissed off at us because they need to talk to us/other tasks piling up. Often, it's less painful to skip the meal than deal with the consequences of eating.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
See, I used to think that way but I no longer take responsibility for ensuring I get a lunch break. I feel it is my employer/manager's burden to bear.

Most of the time, we have to choose between getting a lunch break and getting out on time/patients being pissed off at us because we're not available/doctors being pissed off at us because they need to talk to us/other tasks piling up. Often, it's less painful to skip the meal than deal with the consequences of eating.

But you still should be getting paid for that 1/2 hour.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

None of my former employers have offered a 'cancel meal deduction' option when I worked the floor. If I didn't get a lunch, I simply didn't punch out. I also would complete a 'no lunch' form.

I should mention that the majority of my former workplaces did not auto-deduct the 30 minutes. Basically, hourly staff had to clock in and out for lunch.

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Specializes in Family Medicine.
But you still should be getting paid for that 1/2 hour.

Totally, agree. :yes:

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if we clocked no lunch we had to have management approval. Usually the nursing sup was so busy herself she just signed it because if she didn't SHE had to cover our breaks

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