Is it normal for manager to not let me have a meal break at work?

I work 8-10 hours each day and when it comes time for my only break of the day which is 30 minutes long, I have to work.

What happens is I go in the breakroom, warm up my lunch/dinner meal and sit down and within 3 minutes, my manager comes in and tells me she was calling me over the loudspeaker. I've told her several times that this is when Patty schedules me for break but I had to stop because she never listens. So today, she marches in as usual and tells me I'm not allowed to ignore her calling me over the loud speaker and that I'm being unprofessional.

First I tell her, the speaker isn't in the breakroom so I don't always hear what's going on out there on the floor. She tells me I should always be listening even if it's low.

Then I ask her in a nice polite jokey way why I can't just eat my meal. She said, "oh don't play the victim with me, you're obviously allowed to eat your meal, you just have to be on call and listen"

So then I ask my usual question, "what was the page regarding?" and she said she needs me to help a customer out in my department for a few minutes.

This is when it gets even more annoying because I asked her "should I clock back in and then clock out when I get back so I can still get my 30?" Her response was, "No, just leave it be and when you get back, you can finish." So I said, "every time you tell me to go out there, you do realize I'm stuck out there for 20 minutes, right? That leaves me with less than 10 minutes break the entire day as I don't even get my 15 min breaks ever"

Then she says, "I don't care, I'm your manager and helping customers always comes before helping yourself. You're so selfish"

So I am finally pissed after this happening for several months straight and I said, "You actually have no right to take my only break away from me. You take over an hour break and you work the same hours as me. I see you in your office, everyone sees you. You order food, you sit there, you don't leave for sometimes 2 hours. Why are you allowed to take a 2 hour break and I'm not allowed any break?"

Then she says she thinks I'm self-centered and that I'm her employee, not the manager. She tells me managers have more rights than employees and that she only takes 30 minutes which is a lie as she even had her boyfriend in the office with her two days ago while she sat and chatted to him and ate sushi from 4pm to 6pm. She didn't even respond to pages.

Voting Results
4% Normal
Based on 46 votes (2 yes)
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Comments ( 18 )
  • disthing

    Insist on having a meeting with her and a representative from HR (if your company has an HR department).

    Explain the situation. Explain that it is your legal right to have a break, and that you have been persistently denied it. Explain that you feel you have been unfairly treated, and that the continuation of this behaviour will force you to hand in your notice.

    See what happens, but be prepared to find another job, because it sounds like you have a shitty manager and a shitty manager can make life hell. It's not worth the hassle.

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    • Thank you, I think I could try that.

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      • megadriver

        Your boss sounds like an ass, but here is an idea...

        Get a recorder, or just your phone and let it record the next time she doesn't let you have your break. Take the evidence to whatever agency deals with work quality and such issues. Present evidence - problem solved.

        Or talk it out with her, or look for another job.

        If that were my boss, in a few months, she'd be without a job and blackmailed into giving me money, or some other consolation. I can be a bastard if I want. XD

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    • EccentricWeird

      Stupid helpful disthing.....

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    • charli.m

      This.

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      • EccentricWeird

        this.method = function(arg) { return arg; };

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  • The bitch probably pays you $8.00 an hour too, with no benefits.

    Report her ass.

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  • dom180

    That's fucked up.

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  • Sog

    You need to go up the chain and report this. Fighting with your manager is only going to cause more harm than good.

    And NEVER, EVER try to justify yourself by pointing out bad behavior of your boss. You're just asking to get fired.

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  • TheTraumaWithin

    I heard that if you clock in anytime before your 30-minute lunch is over, you're actually getting paid overtime and HR will reprimand you. I don't know why your manager is antagonizing you, but speak with a higher authority immediately to sort her out.

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  • Caryopteris

    Maybe leave the building for your break, even if it's to go outside. If she can't find you she will help the customer herself like she ought to have in the first place.

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  • wistfulmaiden

    Just quit. Then tell her to go fuck herself.

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  • werewolflover2313werewolf

    Just kick her ass

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  • Parky_Parker

    Not cool. I get pissed when I'm eating and people interrupt me.

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  • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk

    yall made a mistake by acknowledgin her existence when she came in a bitchin at yall

    take yalls 30 minutes and ignore the world. tell her this is yalls time and if she gots a problem with it then she can tell yall after break

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  • Jiggers

    Maybe try less to paint her as a villain and tell it how it actually is. No superior is this bad "for several months" unless you are sewing Nike shoes in China; either you are exaggerating or you and all the other employees are terrible at arguing.

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    • ilovetoiletrolls

      Are you serious bro? This is how half of retail managers are.

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    • peaceandlovebro

      Why would she exaggerate? My managers have been almost equally as bad when I worked at a shop. I don't know where you're from but most managers aren't good people.

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