A break room is a room in a workplace where employees can go during meals and other breaks.[1]
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About
editSince the 2010s, many workplaces have sought to enhance their employee break rooms by installing micromarkets inside them. Micromarkets provide expanded food options compared to traditional vending machines.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, some workplaces began to install self-service kiosks, touch-free coffee machines, and other forms of upgraded technology in their employee break rooms to reduce the transmission of COVID and other diseases.[3]
Many workplaces display employment-related posters and announcements in their break rooms.[4]
The placement of surveillance cameras in workplace break rooms has been controversial. In 2017, a camera was removed from the employee break room of a town hall in Michigan following backlash from workers.[5] In 2001, custodians at a high school in Ohio sued after discovering that a hidden camera had been installed in the break room to monitor them. The workers in Brannen v. Board of Education claimed a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights, but the court ruled that the workers had no reasonable expectation of privacy given that a break room is a public space.[6]
Break room laws and regulations
editGermany
editGerman law mandates that all workplaces with more than 10 employees must have a break room. Workplaces with fewer than 10 employees must also have break rooms if necessitated for safety or health reasons. The law stipulates that break rooms must have adequate tables and seating.[7][8]
New Zealand
editAccording to WorkSafe New Zealand, "Workers should have somewhere they can prepare and eat food during breaks", "This area should be kept clean", and "Workers should have a sheltered place to sit during break times." Temperature-controlled break rooms are also required when necessary.[9]
United States
editAs federal law does not require work breaks, there is no federal law requiring break rooms.[10] The United States Access Board requires workplaces that do have break rooms to make them accessible to people with disabilities.[11]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists break rooms as an example of a "common area". Common areas are defined as " indoor or outdoor locations under the control of the employer that more than one person may use or where people congregate..."[12] OSHA does not require workplaces to have a break room.[13]
California Industrial Welfare Commission requires workplaces to have "suitable resting facilities" that are to be located "separate from toilet rooms".[14]
North Carolina law does not require a workplace to have a break room.[15]
Washington state only requires break rooms at workplaces where workers could be exposed to toxic substances. The law states that "If the workplace exposes employees to injurious dusts or other toxic materials, the employer must provide a separate lunchroom unless it is convenient for employees to lunch away from the premises."[16]
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has stated that where employee break rooms exist, they must be designed in accordance with Texas Accessibility Standards.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Break room, noun". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Micromarkets replace break room vending machines". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Touchless lattes and self-service kiosks: Office break rooms go virus-proof". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "What you need to know about the employment law posters in your breakroom". The Business Journals. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "'Spy camera' banned from break room in Plymouth Township Hall". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "WARRANTLESS WORKPLACE SEARCHES OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES" (PDF). Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Ordinance on Workplaces". Federal Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Labour Rights in Germany (for English Speakers)" (PDF). Free Workers' Union. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "26.0 Worker facilities". WorkSafe New Zealand]. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Breaks and Meal Periods". United States Department of Labor. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards". United States Access Board. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Occupational Safety and Health Standards". Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Standard Interpretations Showers and lunch areas". Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Rest Periods/Lactation Accommodation". California Department of Industrial Relations. Retrieved 2024-07-14.}
- ^ "What to Know About Breaks". North Carolina Department of Labor. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "WAC 296-307-24030". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Employee Break Rooms" (PDF). Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
External links
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