I work remotely full-time in Washington and have been with this company for a year. Since January, I’ve been working full-time. When I started, it was normal to work through lunch, whether hourly or salaried, because it was considered a ‘paid lunch.’
This week, HR announced they’re raising my pay to include a ‘paid lunch,’ but now they’re deducting 30 minutes from my workday no matter if I actually take a lunch or not. They also changed my workweek to 37.5 hours instead of 40. My department is already short-staffed, and I usually only manage to take a 15-minute break. Does this seem right? They’re saying my pay isn’t changing, but this feels sketchy to me.
In Washington, they have to give you a paid 10-minute break for every 4 hours worked and a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. If they interrupt your lunch or make you stay on call, they have to pay you for the full 30 minutes. If this isn’t happening, you might have a case.
It sounds like they’re trying to adjust things to follow Washington’s laws about breaks. The key is that if you don’t take the lunch, they still have to pay you for that time. You should take the 30-minute lunch; they could actually discipline you for skipping it.
Honestly, they could’ve just made you clock out for lunch and not given you a pay raise at all. If they’re asking you to work through lunch or stay available, you could document it and push for that time to be paid. But overall, this change isn’t bad unless they’re breaking the rules on paying for hours worked.
@Frost
It’s wild how sometimes people get a fair deal, and instead of recognizing it, they focus on what feels wrong. Just take the lunch and enjoy the higher pay.
They’re obligated to pay you for every hour you work and give you the proper breaks. But they can also set your schedule, including requiring a 30-minute unpaid lunch. If you skip it, they can take action against you for not following policy.