www.dol.gov/compliance
|
November 5, 2008 DOL Home > Compliance Assistance > By Topic > Wages and Hours Worked > Work Hours and Other Pay Issues > Breaks and Meal Periods |
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require employees be given meal or rest breaks. However, if employers do offer short breaks (lasting about five to 20 minutes), federal law considers these short breaks time for which employees must be compensated. Bona fide meal periods (typically lasting at least 30 minutes), serve a different purpose than short rest or snack breaks and, thus, are generally not time for which employees must be compensated. The FLSA is administered and enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration. COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE MATERIALS
APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS
*Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Labor's Confidentiality Protocol for Compliance Assistance Inquiries, information provided by a telephone caller will be kept confidential within the bounds of the law. Compliance assistance inquiries will not trigger an inspection, audit, investigation, etc. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|