home Instagram 2 hour lunch break. Shorter workday instead of lunch. What does the law say? Without stopping from work

2 hour lunch break. Shorter workday instead of lunch. What does the law say? Without stopping from work

No matter how much one loves a job, a person needs a break from it. The law provides for several types of exemption from work duties - vacation, days off, lunch break. What you need to know about the latter is in this article.

Concept

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Legally, a lunch break is a time for rest and nutrition. During this period, the employee has the right to do whatever he wants except work - have a snack, sleep, read a book, chat with colleagues. And completely legal!

The legislative framework

All issues related to the provision of lunch time are regulated by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 107 prescribes all forms of recreation for citizens:

during the working day;
between working days;
weekends and holidays;
vacation.

The law states that the operating mode is specified in an individual agreement only if it differs from the generally established one at the enterprise.

Example:

All employees of the organization have a designated time for rest and meals from 13 to 14 hours. And Vasiliev I.V. appealed to the administration to move this time to the period from 12 to 13 hours, and the request was granted. An entry about the transfer of time is made in the employment contract.

In the internal regulations

In the internal regulations, the time for the midday break is mandatory! This document is subject to execution by all employees of the organization without exception.

The rules should provide for the following norms:

duration of work during the week, indication of irregular working hours;
period for rest and nutrition;
the presence of special, in addition to generally established, work stoppages;
designation of weekends (by days of the week);
specific dates for the payment of wages.

The rules have an unlimited validity period. Only if they are an annex to the collective agreement do they work during the validity period of the latter.

Is it included in working hours and is it considered as such?

The time intended for eating is a period free from work and is not included in working time under any circumstances.

Therefore, the established working day is calculated without taking into account free time. This time is not included in the payroll sheet.

Can it be floating and how to install it?

"Floating lunch" is being implemented in a number of enterprises when the production process needs to continue continuously throughout the day.

The employer can stipulate in the internal regulations that, for example, a 45-minute release from work is provided at the employee’s discretion from 12 to 16 hours.

This procedure is used in multifunctional centers for the provision of public services, since it is necessary to receive clients and visitors during the entire working time.

Should it be paid?

Personal time for rest and meals is not time for working and therefore is not subject to payment.

In practice, the question arises: “Should the employer pay me extra if I work during lunch?”

The law in this case does not provide for such a possibility.

Working during a break is a person's personal initiative.

Nuances

The application of labor legislation in the sphere of organizing leisure for citizens has a number of nuances.

Let's look at some of them:

With irregular working hours. The question arises about the possibility of involving an employee in performing duties in his free time. The position of the Ministry of Labor on this issue is clear: the employee must perform labor functions during irregular working hours both before and after starting work. The lunch break is not such a period.
Under special working conditions. In cases where, due to the nature of the production process, it is not possible to provide workers with a full break, the administration is obliged to provide people with food right at the workplace. The time an employee eats food is included in working hours and is subject to payment.
Specific rest time. The question of how many hours after the start of work it is time for food is decided independently by the enterprise. As a rule, this is the middle of the working day.

What to do if there was a work injury sustained during lunch?

If the injury occurred at the specified time and the person did not perform work duties, was not on the territory of the enterprise and did not use a vehicle provided by the employer, i.e. used personal time at his own discretion, then it is not production.

To the question whether such an injury is paid or not, the answer is no.

When working part time

Article 108 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation states that with a 4-hour working day, the break provided by law may not be established. This provision is enshrined in the labor regulations of the organization.

With a shift work schedule

A shift work schedule presupposes special features for certain categories of workers in providing free time for rest and food.

Part-timer

The provisions on interrupting the work process for lunch, established by Article 108 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, also apply to part-time workers.

How can an employer control lunch time?

A person's personal time presupposes that he can use it at his own discretion. Therefore, the administration has no right to control the employee’s actions during this period.

The administration controls only the timeliness of the employee’s departure and his appearance at the workplace upon completion.

In case of systematic violations of labor regulations, or being late from a break, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action.

Attention! Lunch time is not included in the calculation to determine the fact of absenteeism.

The right to rest during the working day is guaranteed to every person. Knowing all the nuances of providing such a break according to the law will allow you to avoid conflict situations with the employer.

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The concept of daily work

Daily work refers to the performance by an employee of his work duties within 24 hours. With regard to such a regime, the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) does not contain any prohibitions, but when establishing it, the following must be taken into account:

per week, the employee must work no more than 40 hours - part 2 of Art. 91 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (read about those who have a shorter working week in our article “Reduced working hours (nuances)”);
During the week, the employee must have continuous rest for at least 42 hours (Article 110 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).
not all categories of workers can be involved in shift work lasting a day due to the presence of restrictions on the length of the working day/week for certain categories of workers (minors, disabled people, etc. - Articles 92, 94 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) - see block - diagram below;
not all categories of workers can be involved in work according to such a schedule due to the ban on involving them in work at night - Art. 96 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (more details in our article “Payment for night work under the Labor Code (nuances)”).

How to create a work and rest schedule during daily shifts?

The most common schedules in practice are a day after 2 and a day after 3. With such schedules, the requirement for a 40-hour week is violated, so the employer introduces summarized time tracking provided for in Art. 104 Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Risks! According to Art. 104 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, if it is not possible to comply with daily and weekly working time limits, the employer counts the hours worked for the accounting period and controls that they do not exceed the established norm for the accounting period.

The procedure for introducing summarized recording of working time is regulated by internal labor regulations. Accordingly, these rules also determine the accounting period - month, quarter, six months or year. It is not permitted by law to take into account hours worked more than a year (for workers in the industry with hazardous conditions, the limit is 3 months - Part 1 of Article 104 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

Note! Thanks to working time tracking, unworked hours can be covered by overworked hours.

The normal number of working hours for the accounting period is determined based on the weekly working hours established for this category of workers.

Let's look at a specific example of the rules for drawing up a daily work schedule, for example, for April 2019:

scheme - after 3 days;
accounting period - month;
number of working days according to the calendar of a five-day working week - 22;
the number of hours per month that accounts for the reduction in working hours in April 2019 is 1 hour.

Calculation of the standard working hours for a month is carried out in accordance with the Calculation Procedure..., approved. by order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development dated August 13, 2009 No. 588n:

Standard hours = (40 hours x 5 / 22) - 1 hour = 175 hours.

The shift schedule for the month is presented below (C - shift, B - day off).

Work time and rest time with a daily schedule

The start and end times of work are indicated in the internal regulations and, if necessary, in the employment contract.

According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, with a daily work schedule, rest time is no different from rest time under other work modes. It is established taking into account the provisions of Chapter. 18 Labor Code of the Russian Federation:

During the working day (shift), the employee must be given a break for rest and food lasting no more than two hours and no less than 30 minutes, which is not included in working hours (Part 1 of Article 108 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). If an employee is on a shift lasting 24 hours, then during this time, then, for example, internal labor regulations may provide for 2 breaks of 1 hour each or 4 breaks of 30 minutes each. etc.;
if the employer cannot provide the employee with the opportunity to leave the workplace and use rest time at his own discretion (which most often happens with daily work), then the time for meals and rest will be included in working hours.

Note! In accordance with the above, a shift lasting 22 hours may be indicated in the timesheet (for example, if the employee is given 2 hours for a break during the shift and the employee can leave the workplace) or 24 hours (if the employee was not allowed to leave the workplace). workplace).

Weekends are 2 or 3 days (depending on the mode) after 24 hours worked.

Important! Generally accepted weekends (Saturday, Sunday) or holidays when a shift falls on them are not days off, because The employee works according to his own schedule and his days off are determined precisely in accordance with this shift schedule.

Is the daily schedule considered shift work?

The daily schedule can be established not only during shift work, but also in the flexible schedule mode provided for in Art. 102 Labor Code of the Russian Federation. How they differ - see the table below.

Criteria	Shift work	Flexible working hours
How to make a schedule	By the employer with the approval of the trade union, etc.	By agreement of the parties
Is it possible to assign an employee to 2 shifts in a row?		Possible, with the consent of the employee
What does overtime consist of?	From the hours of work after the shift within Art. 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation + in excess of the norm established for the accounting period	Hours in excess of the norm established for the accounting period
Is summarized working time recording introduced?	Necessarily	Necessarily
Is a night shift reduced by an hour?	Reduced	Doesn't shrink
How are shifts that fall on a holiday paid?		At least double the size
Who should not be placed for a day	Pregnant women, minors, disabled people with children under 3 years old, etc.

Note! Regardless of the type of regime in force at the enterprise, the employee retains his labor rights and guarantees. For example, if an employee fails to show up for work for valid reasons (sick leave, etc.), he is not required to work the missed shift. Of course, all other guarantees provided for by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation are also preserved (the right to annual paid leave, due to a reduction in compensation and payments, etc.)

Wages for daily work

Remuneration for flexible and shift work schedules has the following features:

actual hours worked are paid: salary or rate;
Night work is paid at an increased rate in accordance with Art. 154 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (in 2020, the increase occurs at least 20% of the salary / hourly rate for each hour of night time - see Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 22, 2008 No. 554);
The holiday on which the shift falls is paid at double rate (except for cases where the employee is given a day of rest for working on a holiday - in this case payment is made at a single rate). If only part of the shift falls on a public holiday, then only the hours actually worked on that day are paid at double rate (Part 3 of Article 153 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) - you can read about the intricacies of the calculation in the article “How to pay for holidays on a shift schedule ? ;
overtime work for the first 2 hours is paid at 1.5 times the rate, subsequent ones at double rates (Article 152 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

Note! All rates/surcharges/increases can be changed by local acts in a direction greater than those established by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Shift work has such specificity that when calculating the amount of hours actually worked, the employee accumulates overtime hours. In this regard, the employer needs to carefully consider the following points:

he is responsible for accurately recording the overtime of each employee (Part 7, Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation);
overtime work should not exceed 120 hours per year (Part 6 of Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation);
work on weekends and holidays does not qualify as overtime (Part 3 of Article 152 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

To determine the exact amount of payment for overtime work, it is recommended to make calculations for this item at the end of the accounting period.

So, rest time with a daily work schedule is lunch breaks, the next few days after work (established by internal labor regulations), and vacation. Saturday, Sunday and holidays that fall during shifts are not considered days off or overtime. In this case, weekends worked according to the schedule and holidays are paid in double amount (or in single amount, provided that the employee is additionally given a day of rest).

The lunch break represents the employee’s personal time at the workplace, during which he has the right to rest, eat, and do other necessary things that he needs.

The duration of the lunch break is regulated by the company’s internal regulations, but is strictly regulated by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Otherwise, this is a gross violation of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and entails administrative liability for the employer.

Dear readers! The article talks about typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is individual. If you want to know how solve exactly your problem- contact a consultant:

APPLICATIONS AND CALLS ARE ACCEPTED 24/7 and 7 days a week.

It's fast and FOR FREE!

Before hiring, the manager must familiarize the applicant with the internal rules, in which the lunch break time must be clearly stated.

A gross violation is considered to be the absence of such a clause or a change in the rest interval to a smaller or larger side from the framework established by law. Thus, a lunch break according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation is a prerequisite for full-fledged work activity.

Depending on the specifics of the position held and the work performed, the lunch break should correspond to the time so that the employee has time to do all the necessary things:

warm-up for the body and eyes, if the work involves a sedentary mode with simultaneous work at a computer or other device that requires eye strain and increased attentiveness;
rest in a sitting or lying position, if the work requires the employee to remain on his feet for a long time;
a walk or access to fresh air, if work activity involves being indoors, at a high altitude, or in a mine;
sleep, if the work involves or is expected to occur at night.

In addition, the lunch break involves immediate eating. The interval is regulated by law from half an hour to two hours, but if the organization does not provide employees with its own kitchen in the form of a functioning canteen or other public catering place, then the break should be increased to at least 1 hour so that the employee has time to go to the grocery store and have lunch.

Concepts and categories

The concept of “lunch break” is somewhat vague, since it cannot be universal for every organization and field of activity. That is why the lunch break according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation has such a wide time interval - from half an hour to 2 hours. Each employer independently determines the scope of rest for employees, based on the specifics of the activity and the length of the working day.

A lunch break cannot be completely excluded from the work process unless it lasts less than 4 hours. This point applies to those who come to the organization at a set time to perform certain duties, but even they have the right to a lunch break.

Thus, a part-time employee can be at the workplace during lunchtime for other employees, but have his own rest period.

The time for a lunch break is chosen by the employer himself. In most cases, this is the middle of the working day and corresponds to an interval of 12-14 hours. However, everything depends on the individual characteristics of the organization, its specifics, the total duration of the working day, its beginning and end.

If for most professions work starts at 9 am and ends at 6 pm, then it is advisable to choose lunch time at 1 pm. However, shifts in production (factories, factories) tend to start at 5 or 6 am, which is why the end of the working day will have a different duration, hence the lunch break can be scheduled for 10-11 am.

There is a certain peculiarity when, during a long working day (over 8 hours), several breaks are arranged. In this case, the employer uses his full right and divides the total time that can be allocated to employees into 2 intervals of 1 hour or half an hour, depending on the number of hours of total work activity per day.

In addition to the standard type of lunch break, there are several others, which are also prescribed in the labor code:

break for heating and rest;
break to feed the baby;
technological break.

A break for heating and rest is prescribed in Article 109 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and provides for special conditions for the work process. As a rule, this is due to climatic conditions and heavy physical activity. For example, an employee performing his duties outside or in an unheated room in winter needs periodic breaks for heating.

The interval is clearly stated for each specialty separately and depends on the individual conditions of the workplace. A rest break involves long-term physical activity, for example, working as a loader, and also requires the allocation of a certain amount of time for the employee to recuperate.

The employer prescribes specific conditions in the employment contract, the clauses of which must not contradict current legislation.

A break for feeding a child is considered additional time, which is allocated to a woman with a child under one and a half years of age. Based on the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, a working woman is entitled to a half-hour break every 3 hours. If there are several children, the interval increases in proportion to the number of children.

However, taking into account the individual characteristics and needs of each baby, such a solution is not always relevant, since one child requires food every 1.5-2 hours, while another can easily manage even 4 hours. This is why, in most cases, the specifics of a break for feeding children are discussed personally with the boss. Naturally, by law he cannot refuse to provide an additional break.

There are several types of technological breaks. This may be an interruption of work activity due to a malfunction of equipment in production, its maintenance, etc. As a rule, this concerns the computer component, which periodically requires the intervention of specialists to restore the work process. During maintenance or repairs, the boss announces a technological break due to the inability to continue working.

Also, a technological break applies to employees whose professional activities involve working at a PC monitor. The Labor Code of the Russian Federation provides for fifteen-minute breaks every 2 hours for such specialties.

There is enough time for your eyes to rest, and there is also the opportunity to go out into the fresh air or stretch. A standard lunch break is considered an integral part of rest for computer scientists, after which 2 hours are counted down until the next rest of 15 minutes.

Employer's obligation

The main responsibility of the employer is to provide a lunch break. The boss cannot deprive his employees of the opportunity to eat and rest. If this happens, then employees have every right to complain about the manager, after which he faces administrative punishment in the form of a fine.

The second important responsibility of a manager is to set aside at least 30 minutes for lunch. An employer cannot assign a lunch break of 15 or 20 minutes, as this is contrary to current legislation.

It is also the responsibility of the manager to provide employees with additional rest breaks, which were described above and reflected in the labor code.

Duration

The duration of the lunch break is regulated by the labor code, but has a rather vague framework - from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Therefore, in many organizations, the interval is determined personally by the manager. To avoid disagreements in the team, the process of determining the duration of the lunch interval is often determined by a general vote, based on the specifics of the work. But it can also be taken individually by the employer, based on personal considerations, but in no way contrary to the law.

The average lunch break lasts 1 hour. According to the majority of managers and employees themselves, this is quite enough for meals and short-term rest from work.

In some cases, the interval may be increased or decreased, and also divided into several intervals, taking into account the total amount of time during the working day. The latter option provides for an increased number of working hours, for example, instead of the standard 8, a 12-hour shift is assumed.

Is it included in working hours

The Labor Code states that the lunch break is not counted as working time.

Several consequences follow from this point, which are positive and negative for both the manager and the employee:

Thus, in order to avoid getting into unpleasant situations, it is recommended to use the time for lunch as intended, and on the part of the manager, to fully rely on the legislation of the Russian Federation when providing this period.

Lunch break according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation

According to Federal Law No. 90 of June 30, 2006, the manager is obliged to provide employees with time for lunch in the range of 30 minutes to 2 hours during the working day. The choice of a specific time is determined directly by the manager, as well as the place for this.

The legislation provides for the absence of a lunch break for the employer, as well as the suspension of the work process for employees, unless this entails dangerous consequences or violations of internal rules.

When an employee performs activities that exclude lunch breaks, the manager is obliged to provide the employee with the opportunity to eat at the workplace. In particular, this applies to narrow specialties that require a shift schedule and the impossibility of taking time off from work (ambulance, police patrol service, etc.). In this case, people are replaced by others for a short period of time, while the first take food and carry out their natural needs.

For feeding baby

The legislation provides for the provision of breaks during work to feed infants. This applies to women whose child is under one and a half years old. The break interval is 30 minutes and depends on the number of children.

If there are two or three of them, then the break is increased by an hour and an hour and a half, respectively. The manager is obliged not only to provide such breaks for young mothers, but also to pay for this time in full. The basis is Article 258 of the Labor Code.

It should be noted that such breaks are also provided for a man at the legal level if he is the sole breadwinner of a child under the age of 1.5 years. A prerequisite is that the baby must have only one parent in the form of a father (the mother died, went missing, or was deprived of parental rights). This also applies if the child was adopted by a man.

Full-time and part-time

The Labor Code does not imply differences in the lunch time interval for full or part-time work, leaving the same usual framework - from 30 minutes to 2 hours. In addition, it is said that an employee who works part-time should not have his rights infringed. This means that even with a two or four hour work period, the manager is required to provide a lunch break.

When the working day exceeds the standard 8-hour interval, the employee is not provided with additional lunch breaks, except as prescribed in the labor code.

The right of employees to rest is one of the main ones for Russian workers, while a lunch break, according to the Labor Code, in many cases is a mandatory part of the work schedule. The duration and obligation of a lunch break according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation may vary depending on the circumstances and nature of work activity, differing for work in an 8-hour or 12-hour working day. Therefore, both employers and workers need to know how long the lunch break lasts and what standards govern it.

Lunch break according to the Labor Code - basic principles

The lunch break is not necessarily provided specifically for food and during the actual lunch. But since most workers and most organizations take a break during lunch, this is why this concept has become entrenched in the minds of Russians. The concept of a “lunch” break is not directly considered in the legislation, but a simple break is taken into account without fail.

Legal regulation of issues related to lunch breaks under the Labor Code is ensured by the provisions of the following articles of this document:

Article 100. The issues regulated by the provisions of this article are devoted to working hours. Legislative standards directly oblige the employer to establish this regime in the provisions of the contract with workers, with a precise indication of the duration and time of the lunch break during work.
Art. 108. This article regulates breaks and secures the right of every employee to receive such time during the working day. At the same time, this article regulates both the permissible duration of breaks and cases in which a break is not assigned.
Article 109. The principles set forth in the standards of this article govern the warming and rest breaks that are provided to certain categories of employees. Such periods of time must be included in the working hours of workers.
Article 224. This article regulates the procedure for providing special breaks for workers who require them due to their state of health and for medical reasons.
Article 258. For mothers of children under 1.5 years of age, the legislator also provided for the right to receive regular breaks during work to feed their children. Moreover, such breaks have special legal regulation.

As you can understand, the categories of breaks according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation are quite broad and include not only a lunch break, but also other types of rest for various categories of employees. But regardless of the number of additional breaks provided, a lunch break is an inalienable right of most workers.

Lunch break at 8 and 12 hour days according to the Labor Code

The most relevant for the majority of workers in the Russian Federation is a lunch break at 8 and 12 hour days. Its legal regulation is generally ensured by the standards of Article 108 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. According to its provisions, such a break must have strictly defined time intervals - from 30 to 120 minutes. However, the legislation does not establish a specific time for providing this break, leaving the decision on this to the discretion of the employer.

The legislation does not distinguish in any way between a lunch break in an 8-hour working day and a lunch break in a 12-hour working day. Moreover, even when working full-time, the break requirements for employees are identical.

The main feature of a lunch break according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation is that its duration is not considered a working period. Accordingly, workers have the right to engage in any activity they wish, including leaving the territory of the enterprise and the workplace for a given period. If necessary, the employer has the right to define in local regulations several breaks at once during one working day - the main requirement in this case is compliance with the general minimum and maximum duration. That is, none of the breaks can last less than 30 minutes, and the total duration of all such breaks cannot exceed two hours during the working day.

If necessary, the employer has the right to provide employees with breaks that will be included in working hours, regulating their duration at its discretion without any restrictions. Thus, some organizations provide for the possibility of five-minute or ten-minute breaks for employees every hour or several hours, and these breaks are considered paid.

The employer has the right to independently determine the specific time for providing breaks during the day. At the same time, he can establish both a general break for all employees of the enterprise, and separate breaks for employees of different positions or different structural divisions of the organization, or even for each individual worker at different times.

When to skip a lunch break

Although a lunch break is considered mandatory for most workers, Russian legislation also provides for a number of situations in which it may not be carried out. Thus, if the nature of the work does not imply the possibility of providing lunch breaks, for example, due to the need to provide continuous customer service or to conduct production operations, then breaks may not be established. In this case, the trade union organization may require the employer to provide justification for depriving the employee of breaks.

However, when an organization has such a regime, the employer is obliged to provide workers with the opportunity to rest and eat during direct work. If it is impossible to eat and rest, workers have the right to file a complaint with the labor inspectorate against the actions of the employer and, upon inspection, he may be given either an administrative fine for violating the requirements of Article 5.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, or a simple order on the mandatory introduction of breaks or the elimination of the inability of workers to eat and rest .

In addition, there is another situation in which lunch breaks according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation may not be provided to workers at all. This applies to employees working on conditions if the duration of one shift does not exceed four hours. In this case, the break is not mandatory, but the employer has the right to establish it for such workers. This also applies to work, since its duration cannot exceed half of the working time at the main place of work.

If, when working part-time, the duration of one shift of an employee exceeds four hours, he must be provided with a break on a general basis without any restrictions on this right.

For remote workers and homeworkers, it is not possible to guarantee the provision of breaks due to the nature of this work activity. Therefore, the legislation allows such employees to independently determine their working hours.

Special breaks for certain categories of workers

In addition to lunch breaks, as mentioned earlier, various types of special rest periods are provided for certain categories of workers or specific activities. In particular, such breaks should be provided in the following situations:

03/22/2017 at 21:47, views: 11743

Life, as we know, is a struggle. Before lunch - with hunger, after lunch - with sleep. Although our parliamentarians are often reproached for being terribly far from the people, sometimes they descend from the political Olympus to earth. Thus, on March 22, the State Duma was supposed to consider in the first reading a bill to increase the lunch break for Russians to 2 hours, but did not have time. The review has been rescheduled for another day.

Actually, even today, Article 108 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation regulates that the lunch break should be at least 30 minutes and no more than 2 hours. However, the final opinion remains with the employer. But it is not in favor of the employee: 1 hour and that’s it.

From the explanatory note prepared by deputies last summer, it is clear that such a proposal is not some kind of populism, it is dictated solely by concern for the health of Russians. The fact is that when eating food, blood is rejected from the nervous system to the digestive system. This causes drowsiness, especially in the heat, the human body gets tired and experiences additional stress.

To “come to your senses,” an additional hour of recovery is required. After all, in any case, this very hour the worker, as they say, is no one, like a sleepy fly.

We must pay tribute: the legislators, perhaps on their own, studied human biological rhythms and found that we cannot live without a 2-hour lunch break. Regardless of whether a person had lunch or not, the loss of strength occurs 8 hours after waking up, just during lunch. And then there is the heat, and the outflow of blood... In Germany it is simpler in this regard, there is no strict work schedule from call to call. An employee has the right to arrive 2-3 hours earlier than the formally established time and leave the same amount earlier, the main thing is to complete the required amount of work.

It seems that the Russians will warmly approve of this legislative initiative. Moreover, it does not provide for an increase in the working day by one hour; the total working week should still be no more than 40 hours. An extra hour for a lunch break will allow the employee to catch his breath, after which he will get down to business with renewed energy.

Labor productivity will not fall, deputies believe; on the contrary, it will pay off handsomely.

Our initiative was born not in the office, but as a result of meetings with our voters, - says one of the authors of this bill, State Duma deputy from the LDPR Ivan Sukharev. - These are requests from the population. Our citizens, especially in the provinces, do not have the opportunity to dine in a cafe, much less in a restaurant. They usually go home and don’t have enough time for an hour. Moreover, in the Russian outback during the day there will certainly be work to be done around the house - feeding the cattle, etc. That is why Russians need a 2-hour break for lunch. In Tsarist Russia, afternoon rest was legalized and this had a positive effect on the health of the population.

However, the Labor Code states that the final lunch break time is set by the employer. He will say - screw you, not 2 hours - and there will be no rest!

We are determined to strictly establish the time of the lunch break by law, so that it does not depend in any way on the employer. And although the consideration of our initiative is constantly postponed, there is confidence that this week the State Duma will consider it and adopt it in the first reading.

By the way, in the USA, where time is money, there is no lunch break as such. They snack on their hamburgers and cola right at their workplace. But we agree that the money there is completely different than here. And fast food contributes to obesity.

In Germany, where a rigid work schedule is not practiced, the official break is set at 30 minutes, in China - two hours. In France, since the 50s of the last century, restaurant receipts have been in use - pieces of paper with which the French can buy anything at half price in cafes and bistros. The second half of the cost is paid by the employer. As a rule, they take sandwiches from home to work and use their checks to buy other necessary products.

In the countries of the Arab East and Southeast Asia, due to the heat, from two to four o'clock in the afternoon, a daytime siesta is established, when life in enterprises, even in stores, comes to a standstill.

Southern Russian regions also suffer from heat in the summer.