Can’t they afford their employees a shred of dignity?

Every full-time employee should be entitled to a lunch break. It’s not right to expect workers to chow down their lunches in less than 5 minutes so they can get back to work as quickly as possible. I’m known for eating my food as quickly as possible, but just because I can eat my lunch that quickly doesn’t mean I should! It’s not good for you to eat your food so quickly!

Some companies are extremely strict about their employees taking their breaks, especially when those employees are under 18. I remember when I was a minor, working 8-hour shifts; my company did not mess around about me taking my mandatory 30-minute breaks between 4-hour shifts. Perhaps this was because they had previously been entangled in controversy over child labor laws. Maybe they gave us this break because they really like us personally. Whatever the reason, I was thrilled to have 30 whole minutes to sit at the bar, eat some food, and scroll on my phone before the worst of the dinner rush. 

Breaks can be a touchy subject among management, because they know it appears uncouth to take them away, but they don’t like seeing their employees sitting around doing nothing when they could be sweeping or stocking shelves. Some companies do not recognize the importance and value of regularly scheduled breaks for their workers. A consistent break could be all that’s keeping them from quitting, because if they had to work 8 hours straight, they’d be too burned out to keep up the expected pace. 

The employees in this story are being forced out of their old break room, where they could sit and enjoy their lunch in relative comfort. Now, they have to eat their lunch on a bench outside the bathroom, while the higher-ups enjoy their old break room.