Direct Gov & Health and Safety Executive Information

Types of breaks

You will normally have a variety of different breaks from work. These can be broken down into three types:

• 'rest breaks' - lunch breaks, tea breaks and other short breaks during the day
• 'daily rest' - the break between finishing one day's work and starting the next (for most people this is overnight between week days)
• 'weekly rest' - whole days when you don't come into work (for many people this will be the weekend)

The second and third types of break are almost never paid unless you have to remain 'on call', meaning you are available to work. The first type is often paid, but doesn't have to be unless your contract says so.

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Here's an online document for the office workers health and safety guide:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse27.pdf

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Here's an online article on lack of energy in the office work place:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/energyslumps.aspx

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Here's another online article on the negatives of working in an open plan office:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4226399/Open-plan-office-workers-suffer-more-from-colds-high-blood-pressure-and-stress.html

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- Gwen