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Thanks for the info in the link, DBD. I actually did have a talk with dd about safety issues, making sure she knows there may be some machines that she is not allowed to operate, listed a few examples, and I made sure she knew why.
Spongeg you have confirmed what dh's coworkers told him about recent changes. As DBD said it sure is a step backwards.
Sheesh, talk about taking a step backwards. Oh well, the good employers will give their employees proper breaks because they know they can not only keep their staff more alert and productive that way (the whole reason breaks were first incorporated to begin with) but will have less trouble attracting and retaining staff.
What always strikes me as bass ackwards is in Europe you are encouraged to take your breaks and to take all your holidays (and I think they start there with 3 weeks min and 6 weeks average) because they know people just work better when refreshed and clear thinking. Here it seems to be so noble to just work and work regardless of whether your are burned out or making mistakes or whatever yet all studies point to the other system being more productive. Go figure.
I can't remember exactly which study I saw that stated people who work without proper breaks never do better than 4-5 hours actually being productive out of 7.5 so it seems counter intuitive to insist breaks be minimized.
BC labour laws have changed a lot under the liberals
I am surprised when i hear some of the stuff my friends have to put up with - but on your daughters shifts she is not required to get a break for 5 hours
so now laws being broken
its also common in some industrys to have people work split shifts - like come in for 2 hours at lunch and a few hours at dinner - not common but legal
also there is no longer a 4 hour minimum payment - before if they asked you to come in they had to pay you 4 hours minimum regardless if you were there an hour or the full 4
now they only have to pay you for the amount of time you come in - so if you come in for 2 hours you get paid 2 - under the old law they had to pay you 4
my friend works 8.5 hour shifts and gets one 30 minute break no other breaks at all that fits the law - but a lot of places will for that shift give people 30 mins lunch plus one 15 minute break - but thats above and beyond that is required
Dentistry for 15 years
Breaks what breaks? :eek: Never had a break other then lunch (not usually a full hour) in all of the years I worked. Some days could be 12 hours other days 9...it varied depending on the schedule.
It is the law around here but who follows it?
Yes do look up your provincial labour laws. I have a little background in this stuff and students (and immigrants) are typically taken advantage of when it comes to this sort of thing (as well as overtime pay). Your daughter needs to know her rights and obligations as set out by the law and most of all that she doesn't have to take any crap from any employer especially for a part time or summer job.
the problem is often the supervisors in these jobs also don't know the rules so the cycle often continues until someone steps up and says 'you realize this goes against the labour laws and you can be reported'. Being threatened with job loss is also something they can't do when being asked to follow the rules. Most of all, all students need to know that they can not be asked to do anything dangerous without proper training. Too many are injured every year operating machines and equipment they had no business being near because they feared losing their jobs or being left alone at night where the rules say that isn't to happen.
You may want to keep an eye on things to make sure you daughter learns what she does and doesn't have to put up with before it becomes the type of bitter lesson most people end up going through.
As for breaks in BC I just found this at [url]http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/--%20E%20--/Employment%20Standards%20Act%20%20RSBC%201996%20%20c.%20113/00_96113_01.xml[/url]
[I]"Meal breaks
32 (1) An employer must ensure
(a) that no employee works more than 5 consecutive hours without a meal break, and
(b) that each meal break lasts at least a 1/2 hour.
(2) An employer who requires an employee to work or be available for work during a meal break must count the meal break as time worked by the employee."[/I]
to get the best information you should google your provincial labour standards. It is a really boring read and sometimes difficult to understand the gobbly gook language these things tend to have - but is something I really encourage your DD to become familiar with. This knowledge is so she is not taken advantage of at any place of employment. If her manager/boss knows she has the knowledge the 'power' and control shifts to her favor. I am not intending for this to be against managers/supervisors/business owners at all, I just really believe that working relationships are so much better when everyone knows what is accepted and what is not. (or at least this is what I have experienced while supervising people of all ages).
As the mother of two teens ....I hear ya! These lessons seem so obvious to us but it always amazes me how they repeat the same mistakes that we did. I think it is certainly part of the learning process.
I cannot imagine being in that type of work environment. I hope people respect students as they too have a responsibility to train and encourage these kids at this step in their lives.
Interesting. The reason I ask is that DD got her first job, and with her 5-hour training shifts she's had so far, NO break. That surprised me since I am used to hearing most places allow a 15-minute break for 4-hour shifts, which may not be 'law' or 'labour code' but it's commonplace.......with larger companies usually.
It's not the only thing I'm a little disappointed about. There are no lockers for employees to secure their wallet or purse. If one drives they have the option of leaving their valuables in their vehicle I suppose, but in the store there is only a small room for all to store their jackets with wallets or purse. As expected the uniforms have no pockets, which is understandable..
Oh well-she'll survive. She had a hard lesson just recently when at school her cell phone and Ipod Nano were stolen from her bag in the gym changing room at school. She knew better than to leave her bag on a bench and usually shares a locked locker with her friends but on this day she did not she learned the hard way. (it was in a zippered inside pocket of her gym bag) Hopefully that lesson will stay with her at work-I try and help her out and remind her each time she works not to take anything she can't afford to lose. The Ipod Nano was from Santa, and we did not replace that. DH was able to get a plain phone from a friend she is using for the rest of the cell phone contract, free but not as nice as the one stolen, and she's out of luck if this one goes missing.
I believe in Ontario it is simply that you get 30 paid minutes in an 8 hour day for a "food break". This is generally done by giving two 15 minute breaks, but at my husband's last place of employment (an office), they got a 30 minute paid lunch and no official breaks at all.
Wow, that just seems in-humane....amazing.
as Jeep and Lessismore have stated it depends on the province. at my place of employment in sask. a break is not required until after 6 hours.
It is different from province to province but in BC you aren't entitled ubtil after 4 hours to a break. So if your shift is only 4 hours long no break but if it is 4.5 hours a break and it is only 10 minutes. That is what it was 2 years ago and it could have changed but that was the last time I looked at it but you should be able ot look up your labour code on the internet.
To be more specific, a starter job for a student: fast food place, grocery store position, store clerk.........a job that a teenager might have as a first job. (although some people may be employed full-time in these places also)
Doesn't it depend on the type of work you are doing?