Full question:
Are Employers required to deduct a lunch hour from employees or is this optional?
- Category: Employment
- Date:
- State: New York
Answer:
Employers are not required to deduct a lunch hour from employees unless specified in an employment agreement. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), bona fide meal periods are not considered hours worked. To determine if a meal period is compensable, consider whether the employee primarily engages in activities for the employer's benefit during that time. If employees can leave the premises and pursue personal interests, their meal periods do not count as work time. Even if employees stay on-site, the meal period can still be bona fide if they are completely free from duties during that time.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.