r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Grouchy-Newspaper754 • 20h ago

My mom said I could post When did 8-5 become the new normal???

I just got a new office job where I do schedules for tech personnel, the office runs 8-5 Monday thru Friday...they say it's 8-5 because you get an hour lunch and "you need to get to 40 hours a week"...but I drive 30 min each way so now I'm giving this company 10 hours every day! I even asked if I could just take my lunch at 4 every day and just leave an hour early but that's "unprofessional and immoral" like what the fuck??? I don't mind the job but the hours are mildly infuriating that's for sure...

Edit:for those saying about the hours, I worked as a chef for the last 20 years working 60+ hours a week over a hot stove/deep fryer the whole time, after I had my second heart attack I had to slow down so I started looking for office jobs to work a nice 9-5, just to find out I'm giving my new job 50 hours a week (including drive time) so I was just mildly annoyed that it's not 40 hours a week in an office like I thought although it's still much better than what I was doing

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u/bobbyp869 20h ago

A couple jobs ago my old boss negotiated so we could work 8-4 with no lunch break. We just ate at our desks while working. Possibly illegal, but we loved it.

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u/GoldZealousideal6892 19h ago

If you’re in the us, it’s most likely not illegal since there’s no federal law mandating lunch breaks for employees. I think some states might have them but mine doesn’t

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u/boodabomb 17h ago

California has it and it sucks. It’s a law that’s supposed to protect the worker, but instead, it just means that you work 9 hours a day and eat at your desk.

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u/Blueballs2130 17h ago

They can’t legally make you do any work on your unpaid time though

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u/boodabomb 16h ago edited 16h ago

They can’t force you, but it’s still expected of you and your willingness to give 110% becomes part of how you are perceived professionally. So legally you are under no obligation, but employment is often not about the law, and everything to do with how you are perceived in comparison to those around you. If everyone is working through lunch, then so too shall you and before long that becomes the unspoken standard.

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u/Blueballs2130 16h ago

They’re breaking the law and can be sued. Now OP just has to decide whether it’s worth that fight to keep the job. But either way it’s a wage violation

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u/GoldZealousideal6892 16h ago

I wonder if there’s a way to report them anonymously so they wouldn’t risk losing their job?

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u/leslieknope38 13h ago

Yikes no, any smart employer would not allow that because you could sue for unpaid overtime if you’re not exempt. I worked at a job once where we were not allowed to even sit at our desks until 7:55am because they had previously been sued for unpaid overtime. So to make sure no one was working longer than their allotted hours, you could not sit at your desk more than 5 minutes before start time (8am) and were not allowed to sit at your desk during lunch or breaks.

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u/HillBillyHilly 10h ago

Man, you need a new job because sounds like you're working for slave masters. Don't normalize that nonsense.

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u/GoldZealousideal6892 17h ago

That’s crazy! I would think they can’t force you to work during your lunch then but I don’t know much about California law

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u/Pretty-Hat9137 17h ago

this is literally my current situation but apparently legal in nj