Employee Meal Breaks

University meal breaks for non-exempt employees are typically scheduled for 30, 45, or 60 minutes and are deducted from their workday after 5 _^1/2 hours of worked time. These breaks are considered a "Bona fide meal period" if they are at least 30 minutes long.  Employees can cancel their automatic meal break at the phone or time stamp tile.  Approval should be granted by the manager or timekeeper before doing so.

Employee Meal Break Overview:

• Bona Fide Meal Period: A meal break of at least 30 minutes without working is considered a bona fide meal period.
• Minimum Length: The meal period must be at least 30 minutes long.
• Free from Work Duties: The Employee is completely relieved from any work responsibilities during this time.
• Unpaid: The employee is not paid for this meal period.
• Time Worked: If a non-exempt employee works during any portion of their meal break, they are paid for that time.
• Work Location: Meal breaks are dependent on the employee's work state.
• Bargaining Agreement: If employees fall under a collective bargaining agreement meal breaks will be implemented per the agreement.

Default Meal Break Settings:

• Non-exempt employees have a default of 1-hour meal break.
• Temp and Student employee's have a default of no meal break.
• If an employee's position changes the automatic meal break will go back to the default setting.
• The manager and employee can agree to modify the meal break.
  • The timekeeper or manager can contact [email protected] if the meal break setting needs updated.