According to a recently released Dept. of Labor opinion letter, meal periods of less than half an hour, in which the employee is completely relieved from duty for the purpose of eating, may be unpaid under “special conditions.” These conditions include whether employees have sufficient time to eat a regular meal, whether there are work-related interruptions to the meal period, and whether the employees have agreed to the shorter period. The DOL letter cautions that meal periods of less than 20 minutes (if unpaid) would be “specially scrutinized” by Wage and Hour investigators to ensure that the time was sufficient to eat a regular meal under the circumstances.
Less Than 30-Minute Unpaid Meal Break Allowed Under Special Conditions
According to a recently released Dept. of Labor opinion letter, meal periods of less than half an hour, in which the employee is completely relieved from duty for the purpose of eating, may be unpaid under “special conditions.” These conditions include whether employees have sufficient time to eat a regular meal, whether there are work-related interruptions to the meal period, and whether the employees have agreed to the shorter period. The DOL letter cautions that meal periods of less than 20 minutes (if unpaid) would be “specially scrutinized” by Wage and Hour investigators to ensure that the time was sufficient to eat a regular meal under the circumstances.
