The Free Lunch – Tennessee and Federal Wage and Hour Requirements
Ever heard the saying, “there is no such thing as a free lunch?” If you are an employer covered by the Tennessee Prevailing Wage Act, there better be free lunches . . . well, free from work at least. Although the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal law governing wage and hour requirements in the workplace, does not require employers to grant breaks during the workday (except as it pertains to minors and lactation breaks), where such rest or meal periods are provided, certain obligations arise. For instance, under the FLSA, any break offered to employees that lasts five (5) to twenty (20) minutes is considered compensable time. However, bona fide meal breaks, that is, meal breaks lasting at least thirty (30) minutes, may go unpaid, so long as the employee is completely relieved from duty. If an employee performs any work during his or her bona fide meal break, […]
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