I went to a workshop yesterday and the head of "Team Resources" or whatever we are calling personnel dept. these days said that in Florida there are no laws requiring mandatory breaktime, only you must be paid for time spent working. So we can work 12 hours without a break and not blame our employer, but they are required to pay us if we miss a break.
Any other states not have mandated breaks? Seems to me North Carolina had some labor laws requiring employers to give breaks.
Of course, out of the goodness of their hearts our hospital allows for breaks, but it doesn't HAVE to by law. Interesting.
I take breaks, believe in breaks, and demand "my" coworkers take a break when I'm in charge.
We get paid an hour for each 15 minute break we miss plus an hour for each 30 meal break we miss. In an 8 hr shift you get 2 15 minute breaks and one meal break. It it less than once a month that I don't get my breaks. Often time I consider my last break the time I am chatting with coworkers at the nsg station. I prefer this than sitting alone in the breakroom. If it is really busy and there is no chat time then I would have missed a break. I always take my meal breaks though.
I notice this is a hot topic now..Tenet is fighting a lawsuit and I know other giant healthcare corps have too...class action suits from nurses who have been docked or unpaid for worked break times on their paychecks, breaks that were never taken for safety reasons.... over a period of years....
Our policy clearly states breaks will be taken at the discretion of the charge nurse/condition of the unit. Usually potty breaks are it....LOL!
I DO insist I get PAID for my time...so I always badge out as 'no lunch' and my shift totals 13 hrs generally by the time I can 'escape'.
Breaks are a choice we make. In MY hectic ICU, I CHOOSE to remain in the unit ...for CYA reasons that are my own in today's litigious society.
I am not sure if this is where my reply is supposed to go but here goes. At our hospital we have been told that breaks must be taken within the first 5 hours of our shift. The nurses have never had a problem taking breaks until now. The choice of when to take breaks has been lost. The nurses state that they would prefer to take their breaks in the last half of their shift rather than the first half. All of us know that on the NOC shift the first 6 hours are the busiest. Administration is trying to comply with the law but the nurses would like the freedom to choose when to take their breaks.:)
RNKPCE
1,170 Posts
We get paid an hour for each 15 minute break we miss plus an hour for each 30 meal break we miss. In an 8 hr shift you get 2 15 minute breaks and one meal break. It it less than once a month that I don't get my breaks. Often time I consider my last break the time I am chatting with coworkers at the nsg station. I prefer this than sitting alone in the breakroom. If it is really busy and there is no chat time then I would have missed a break. I always take my meal breaks though.