Should you have to take a work call on your lunch break?

When you’re off the clock, you’re off the clock. Every job is different, but you’re allowed to have boundaries around whether or not you want to push yourself for your job. Things are rarely as urgent as everyone else wants them to be, and you’re allowed to take care of your own needs first. You don’t have to drop everything for a job, especially if you know they wouldn’t do the same for you. And it’s certainly not your coworker’s job to make you feel bad for keeping a boundary. Break times are important, and you’re allowed to keep those sacrosanct. You need time away from your work to keep yourself motivated and interested. It isn’t a bad thing to maintain your work-life balance, and indeed you should. 

The coworker in this story didn’t extend a lot of empathy to their colleague, even when they should have. Instead, they let them feel like everything was their fault, even for just doing the right thing. If you’re not being paid, then you don’t have to work. There is no reason for us to accept that kind of behavior and treatment from our workplaces just because we think we’re supposed to. The person in this story set a healthy boundary, and their coworkers were unwilling to accept that. You’re allowed to keep your lunch break to your lunch break.