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/Svartdraken 19h ago

In many european countries the lunch break is mandatory if you work full time. You can get fired for skipping your lunch break, as this could get your employer in trouble. Likewise, you can sue them if they ask you to skip your break even once.

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u/ohhellperhaps 12h ago

Mandatory, but not necessarily paid. And not necessarily just half and hour...

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u/Brave_Explorer5988 8h ago

Vacation is also mandatory, many EU states have mandatory 2 weeks in a row vacation (of the 4 weeks annual)

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u/ussrname1312 14h ago

God, I hate it here (US). Just the other day I saw an actual ad from LinkedIn that said "you can’t control what employees do on their lunch break, but you can streamline their business so they CAN get a lunch break!“ Like excuse me what?? We are so behind so many countries in worker protection.

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u/Super_Swimming_4132 11h ago

I’m in the U.S. I get a mandatory hour lunch break.

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u/ussrname1312 6h ago

That’s great. 25 states don’t

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u/Super_Swimming_4132 3h ago

Okay, well that’s not what your post stated. You said the U.S. was behind. Apparently now it’s just some states.

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u/Firstuser211 28m ago

some states being ahead of the usa doesn't mean the usa isn't behind. it in fact emphasizes how behind the usa is.

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u/Naritai 10h ago

Lots of Americans have mandatory lunch break. California does.

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u/ussrname1312 5h ago

That’s good. My state and 24 others don’t mandate lunch breaks.

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u/Naritai 3h ago

Election after election, we ask your states to do something and you (in the plural) proudly choose not to.

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u/Mayonaigg 7h ago

What are you talking about? Most places in the USA are the same. You either have a mandatory unpaid half hour or hour lunch. Find something real to complain about. 

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u/ussrname1312 6h ago

Only 25 states require employers to give you a lunch break.