SEPTEMBER
2005 HR QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q.
As an employer, am I required to provide coffee breaks and
a meal period?
A. Breaks
for coffee, smoking or rest are not required by federal or
New York State law. However, if you do grant short breaks,
they must be counted as time worked if they are less than
20 minutes long.
In New York State, a minimum of a 30 minutes, uninterrupted
meal period is required to be given to employees and employers
should insure that employees actually take it. This meal
period need not be paid as long as the employee is not performing
duties for the employer.
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