Meal Break Policy
Author: Christine P. Corrigan, CPC Writing Services
When to Use
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require that employers provide meal breaks. However, if an employer chooses to offer them, the FLSA sets out requirements about whether employees must be paid for their time during meal breaks. In addition, several states require employers to provide meal and/or rest breaks.
Even in the absence of a specific state requirement, most employers provide meal breaks to employees. Therefore, an employer should consider implementing this policy to inform employees that it offers meal breaks and to set expectations around them. Employers in states with specific requirements should incorporate those requirements into their policies.
The Meal Break Policy should be customized and distributed in conjunction with the Rest Break Policy.
