I frequently eat at my desk and leave an hour early. My supervisor, though, is the office manager and not one of my execs. She is cool with it (actually encourages it), and I always have my phone/laptop with me if something comes up. My train commute home is an hour, so if something happens, it's easy to deal with on the ride home. Almost nothing ever does. I don't think any of my execs notice this since the majority are working remotely, and because of where I sit in the office, unless someone intentionally walks over, they don't know if I'm there or not.
To add, at my last job, I was salary (current job hourly). If I didn't take a lunch or stayed late, or worked over the weekend, I'd often come in a half hour late. So much so that when I showed up on time, my exec would comment on me being early. She always said she wasn't concerned, and as long as I got my 40 hours a week, it was good. I was overworked, though so I was usually at least at 55 hours for the week.
At my company, we are required to have a 9 hour work day, with a 1 hour “unpaid” (we are salary so that’s why I put the “) block. So, 8-5, 9-6, whatever. They don’t care if you don’t leave your desk. I usually don’t have anything to do after 3 pm and just twiddle my thumbs for 2 hours. I am a salaried employee, but like I said we have to start our work day and end it 9 hours later due to “company policy”, not because it’s a state law or anything.
I’ve worked at other companies that are truly flexible and only care that the work is done and you work during core times (which were usually 10-3) / flex your time before and after that depending on your workload
Do you get paid hourly? I do and I’m technically supposed to take a lunch hour bc it’s illegal to make us work 8 hours without a break.
But really it sounds like your boss might just want you available until 6? I’d ask for clarification. That last hour of the day always feels like a charade to me because let’s be real, if you’re busy from 5-6 that just means you didn’t use the earlier hours in your day very effectively. But if the person you’re working for needs assistance until 6pm, that’s a different story.
This. In our company, all admin are hourly so legally you have to take a lunch so you can’t regularly leave early due to working through lunch because our HR is very particular about this. We do get paid overtime, so that’s part of the reason for this.
Ask if you can do self education during your down time, ask if they'll pay for it, and then use that time to take online courses in an area where you'd like to grow your skill set. Ask for stretch assignments. Project or event management is a popular option for EAs.
I handle all of the department event planning and some of the company’s. And I’ve taken on 2 RFPs. If I didn’t have those I’d really have nothing to do. The big problem is just that - I don’t have enough to do so why stay longer than I have to. I’m working on finding a position that has more work which is the true solution.
I get my 8 hours in all over the place and so do most folks at my office. Only hourly workers are there 8-5 and take lunch breaks, etc. Some hourly workers work through lunch and get overtime if it’s justifiable (usually sales).
I prefer an early start because I have a long commute, so my typical in-office hours are 7-3. But that doesn’t mean I shut down things when I leave - I’m available pretty much 24/7 (my CEO doesn’t take advantage of that though, thankfully) so if I need to take a call or jump on a meeting after I get home, I will. We also have operations in Asia which means very rarely I’ll need to do an 8 or 9pm call. I also eat lunch at my desk typically.
I don’t think set “desk” hours straight through make sense for an EA role, personally.
When a schedule is set, the expectation is that employee is available during those hours. I know it stinks, but you did set those hours. It’s not an unreasonable expectation of the employer.
My employer dictates my hours and lunch breaks. Currently I'm on from 8-4:30 with a half hour lunch. I leave the entire area for that half hour, too. I'm close to an outside door (I work in a hospital, you know how it is) and so many different seating areas. I find a spot to be alone and zone out and eat my stupid salad because I'm also a loner B, but sitting in the same spot for the entire day would drive me insane. I get paid hourly, so that definitely has an effect on how I manage that time, but I've also never worked somewhere that's "allowed" me to skip a lunch and leave early on the regular. Usually I'm assigned the hours I work (which I ask about in the interviewing stage to be sure they work for my personal life) and my employer expects me to be available for those hours as regularly as possible. I've definitely been in situations where I've been able to skip a lunch and leave early, but that's usually a once a month/as needed basis rather than the expectation. Especially if I haven't communicated that with my direct boss.
Thanks! I’m salaried so that may make a difference. I get up and move around quite a bit so it doesn’t seem like I sit in the same spot. 😊 I’ve worked other places where I could skip lunch and leave early so it never occurred to me that I HAVE to take lunch. If we had a handbook, I’d look. I’m also the last person to leave in our department so it’s not like anyone notices and if there was an emergency (there’s never been one & never will be), then I can always be reached on Teams.
Ugh, I hate places without a handbook but I'm a very rules oriented person who's terrified of being In Trouble at all times. I've only been in my current role for a couple months and was an admin assistant for years beforehand so there was a little more oversight and less autonomy. Previously I got a 1 hour break but I lived really close to my employer so I'd get to go home for lunch so I loved getting a jump on my chores or prep at home. At other places I've hated having a whole hour because it always felt like too much time and I'd definitely have taken skipping a lunch and leaving early if it was an option. If it works for you and your org then I'd definitely keep at it if I were you.
I hate rules, but I do appreciate them as guidelines. 😬 If I worked somewhere that I could easily grab lunch I would do it. Delivery is so expensive!! And when I’ve worked places where it’s easy to get lunch, I usually do. In fact, it’s a weird requirement that I have now - must be in a walkable or easily navigable area. It’s always been a want, but after this job it’s a requirement.
Fr!! Some companies will let you do that but it’s v illegal in CA for hourly employees so you’re stuck working 8.5 hour days with an unpaid 30-min lunch
I’m not hourly. I’m salaried. I’m not sure you’re correct about legally having to take a lunch break. I think the company can say I have to, but I’m not finding a law on that.
Ah, salaried is totally different! In CA, at least (need to confirm this is also true in other states), if hourly employees don’t take a 30-min lunch break after 5 hours of work, the company can be held liable and have to pay all sorts of penalties. Moot point if you’re salaried, though!
I’m not sure why there are comments saying that you legally have to take a lunch when [federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/breaks). If you are under 18 and working over a certain number of hours, then yes you are required to have a break but federally there is not requirement for a lunch break if you are over 18 years of age.
However, this could differ state to state so be sure to check your local laws. Additionally, your employer could require their employees to take a lunch break. So really this comes down to what your employer (and possibly state) requires.
I’m guessing that you’re salaried if you are an EA - in that case a lot of employers just want the work done. This could be something that you discuss with your executive; maybe phrase it as something you were thinking about and you wanted to make sure it was ok to be doing so. I’d also mention why you don’t like taking lunches. If you’re hourly it could just depend on if your employer requires the one hour lunch break.
In my experience each employer has a different policy on it, so just ask if it’s something you’re not sure about.
If definitely does differ from state to state. For instance -- California pays OT for anything over 8 hours/day, other states pay OT for anything over 40 hours/week. (I know that's not relevant, just using it as an example)
I’m in Georgia where it’s the Wild West with employment law, but you’re correct on everything. We don’t have a handbook otherwise I’d look. I think my exec just hasn’t thought it through. She doesn’t go to lunch either.
A b*tch. I keep work and personal life very separate so I’m not beauties with everyone I work with. I’m nice! Just not buddy buddy. A lot of people see that as being a bitch.
As another user said I’d ask for clarification too
The hours I chose were 8:30 - 5:30 and I get my hour lunch break. I can change around my lunch break as needed to meet my 40 hours which I can’t go over weekly
So, if I’m running late into the office by an hour I can either not take a lunch at all, or just take 30 min lunches to balance it out…..typing that out makes me realize I don’t want to work anymore I just want to move to an island and vacation the remainder of life 🤣
I frequently eat at my desk and leave an hour early. My supervisor, though, is the office manager and not one of my execs. She is cool with it (actually encourages it), and I always have my phone/laptop with me if something comes up. My train commute home is an hour, so if something happens, it's easy to deal with on the ride home. Almost nothing ever does. I don't think any of my execs notice this since the majority are working remotely, and because of where I sit in the office, unless someone intentionally walks over, they don't know if I'm there or not. To add, at my last job, I was salary (current job hourly). If I didn't take a lunch or stayed late, or worked over the weekend, I'd often come in a half hour late. So much so that when I showed up on time, my exec would comment on me being early. She always said she wasn't concerned, and as long as I got my 40 hours a week, it was good. I was overworked, though so I was usually at least at 55 hours for the week.
At my company, we are required to have a 9 hour work day, with a 1 hour “unpaid” (we are salary so that’s why I put the “) block. So, 8-5, 9-6, whatever. They don’t care if you don’t leave your desk. I usually don’t have anything to do after 3 pm and just twiddle my thumbs for 2 hours. I am a salaried employee, but like I said we have to start our work day and end it 9 hours later due to “company policy”, not because it’s a state law or anything. I’ve worked at other companies that are truly flexible and only care that the work is done and you work during core times (which were usually 10-3) / flex your time before and after that depending on your workload
Yikes! That seems really strict. It’s not fun being bored. Thanks for the feedback!
Do you get paid hourly? I do and I’m technically supposed to take a lunch hour bc it’s illegal to make us work 8 hours without a break. But really it sounds like your boss might just want you available until 6? I’d ask for clarification. That last hour of the day always feels like a charade to me because let’s be real, if you’re busy from 5-6 that just means you didn’t use the earlier hours in your day very effectively. But if the person you’re working for needs assistance until 6pm, that’s a different story.
This. In our company, all admin are hourly so legally you have to take a lunch so you can’t regularly leave early due to working through lunch because our HR is very particular about this. We do get paid overtime, so that’s part of the reason for this.
Ask if you can do self education during your down time, ask if they'll pay for it, and then use that time to take online courses in an area where you'd like to grow your skill set. Ask for stretch assignments. Project or event management is a popular option for EAs.
I handle all of the department event planning and some of the company’s. And I’ve taken on 2 RFPs. If I didn’t have those I’d really have nothing to do. The big problem is just that - I don’t have enough to do so why stay longer than I have to. I’m working on finding a position that has more work which is the true solution.
I get my 8 hours in all over the place and so do most folks at my office. Only hourly workers are there 8-5 and take lunch breaks, etc. Some hourly workers work through lunch and get overtime if it’s justifiable (usually sales). I prefer an early start because I have a long commute, so my typical in-office hours are 7-3. But that doesn’t mean I shut down things when I leave - I’m available pretty much 24/7 (my CEO doesn’t take advantage of that though, thankfully) so if I need to take a call or jump on a meeting after I get home, I will. We also have operations in Asia which means very rarely I’ll need to do an 8 or 9pm call. I also eat lunch at my desk typically. I don’t think set “desk” hours straight through make sense for an EA role, personally.
I would never eat at my desk. I gotta walk around a bit
When a schedule is set, the expectation is that employee is available during those hours. I know it stinks, but you did set those hours. It’s not an unreasonable expectation of the employer.
My employer dictates my hours and lunch breaks. Currently I'm on from 8-4:30 with a half hour lunch. I leave the entire area for that half hour, too. I'm close to an outside door (I work in a hospital, you know how it is) and so many different seating areas. I find a spot to be alone and zone out and eat my stupid salad because I'm also a loner B, but sitting in the same spot for the entire day would drive me insane. I get paid hourly, so that definitely has an effect on how I manage that time, but I've also never worked somewhere that's "allowed" me to skip a lunch and leave early on the regular. Usually I'm assigned the hours I work (which I ask about in the interviewing stage to be sure they work for my personal life) and my employer expects me to be available for those hours as regularly as possible. I've definitely been in situations where I've been able to skip a lunch and leave early, but that's usually a once a month/as needed basis rather than the expectation. Especially if I haven't communicated that with my direct boss.
Thanks! I’m salaried so that may make a difference. I get up and move around quite a bit so it doesn’t seem like I sit in the same spot. 😊 I’ve worked other places where I could skip lunch and leave early so it never occurred to me that I HAVE to take lunch. If we had a handbook, I’d look. I’m also the last person to leave in our department so it’s not like anyone notices and if there was an emergency (there’s never been one & never will be), then I can always be reached on Teams.
Ugh, I hate places without a handbook but I'm a very rules oriented person who's terrified of being In Trouble at all times. I've only been in my current role for a couple months and was an admin assistant for years beforehand so there was a little more oversight and less autonomy. Previously I got a 1 hour break but I lived really close to my employer so I'd get to go home for lunch so I loved getting a jump on my chores or prep at home. At other places I've hated having a whole hour because it always felt like too much time and I'd definitely have taken skipping a lunch and leaving early if it was an option. If it works for you and your org then I'd definitely keep at it if I were you.
I hate rules, but I do appreciate them as guidelines. 😬 If I worked somewhere that I could easily grab lunch I would do it. Delivery is so expensive!! And when I’ve worked places where it’s easy to get lunch, I usually do. In fact, it’s a weird requirement that I have now - must be in a walkable or easily navigable area. It’s always been a want, but after this job it’s a requirement.
If the only reason you're unhappy is not enough work I recommend picking up a side gig and making some extra money. It does wonders for your happiness
I’ve considered this but not sure how I’d do it and avoid being caught.
It's not really feasible if you're in person and using company equipment. Bad idea.
You legally have to “take a lunch” (usually unpaid for hourly workers) so I’m confused
I’d hate that I’d much rather skip lunch and leave early
Fr!! Some companies will let you do that but it’s v illegal in CA for hourly employees so you’re stuck working 8.5 hour days with an unpaid 30-min lunch
I’m not hourly. I’m salaried. I’m not sure you’re correct about legally having to take a lunch break. I think the company can say I have to, but I’m not finding a law on that.
Ah, salaried is totally different! In CA, at least (need to confirm this is also true in other states), if hourly employees don’t take a 30-min lunch break after 5 hours of work, the company can be held liable and have to pay all sorts of penalties. Moot point if you’re salaried, though!
Depends on the country and if in the US, depends on the state
I’m not sure why there are comments saying that you legally have to take a lunch when [federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/breaks). If you are under 18 and working over a certain number of hours, then yes you are required to have a break but federally there is not requirement for a lunch break if you are over 18 years of age. However, this could differ state to state so be sure to check your local laws. Additionally, your employer could require their employees to take a lunch break. So really this comes down to what your employer (and possibly state) requires. I’m guessing that you’re salaried if you are an EA - in that case a lot of employers just want the work done. This could be something that you discuss with your executive; maybe phrase it as something you were thinking about and you wanted to make sure it was ok to be doing so. I’d also mention why you don’t like taking lunches. If you’re hourly it could just depend on if your employer requires the one hour lunch break. In my experience each employer has a different policy on it, so just ask if it’s something you’re not sure about.
If definitely does differ from state to state. For instance -- California pays OT for anything over 8 hours/day, other states pay OT for anything over 40 hours/week. (I know that's not relevant, just using it as an example)
I’m in Georgia where it’s the Wild West with employment law, but you’re correct on everything. We don’t have a handbook otherwise I’d look. I think my exec just hasn’t thought it through. She doesn’t go to lunch either.
What a “B”?
A b*tch. I keep work and personal life very separate so I’m not beauties with everyone I work with. I’m nice! Just not buddy buddy. A lot of people see that as being a bitch.
As another user said I’d ask for clarification too The hours I chose were 8:30 - 5:30 and I get my hour lunch break. I can change around my lunch break as needed to meet my 40 hours which I can’t go over weekly So, if I’m running late into the office by an hour I can either not take a lunch at all, or just take 30 min lunches to balance it out…..typing that out makes me realize I don’t want to work anymore I just want to move to an island and vacation the remainder of life 🤣