So, how many hours can an employee work without a break in Georgia? Both the Fair Labor Standards Act and the labor state law in Georgia don’t have provisions for mandatory lunch or rest breaks for employees. However, companies understand that a respite from work is necessary, so they usually provide unpaid 30-minute breaks, so employees can have lunch.
However, breaks for less than 20 minutes are paid and considered part of the regular work day.
Employees can do whatever they can during their breaks, whether unpaid or paid. However, employees should not work during their scheduled lunch break because if they do, the employer may be required to pay them. If employers ask employees to work during their lunch break, they have the right to be compensated.
Nursing mothers are allowed reasonable break times to feed infants or pump milk. Federal law doesn’t require employers to consider such breaks as paid. However, if the company provides paid rest breaks of less than 20 minutes, nursing mothers can use them to pump milk or feed their babies in some instances where they are allowed at work. Most nursing mothers have to pump every two to three hours, adding up to around three times in an eight-hour shift.
The rest breaks are important distinctions that employers must take note of. So, how many hours can an employee work without a break in Georgia? While federal and Georgia laws do not mandate breaks, once a Georgia employer offers short rest breaks, they must pay to compensate.
Since breaks are down to company policies, employees must learn their respective guidelines for breaks—the 30-minute lunch break and shorter rest breaks of less than 20 minutes each.
