Do you pay for a lunch break? Employers and employees, I need your advice please!

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Zooks

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Hi All,

This is a post for both employers and for those of you employed, I would very much like feedback from both sides. It might be a long one!

I am just about to take someone on, I have never employed someone before nor have I been employed so I am having a few issues getting my head around some basics. I want this therapist to be with me for the long haul, I want to treat her fairly.

The therapist I am taking on will be considered full time. I would like to know, if you are an employer, do you pay your employees from 15 minutes before your first clients arrive in the morning and 15 minutes after closing time? I would have thought this good practice so as to have everything set up ready for said clients and so that the client is not rushed out at the end when your employee feels she is due to go home?

Do you pay for a lunch break? How long do your employees get? Again I feel that I want them to have a decent break but also want them to set up for their client after lunch and certainly don't want the employee to fret about working in to their lunch hour if they aren't getting paid. I myself take an hours lunch but this is generally because I work along and need this time to respond to emails and any other messages as well as set up for the next client.

Employees: Do you feel half and hour is a long enough break? Are you expected to set up fro your next client in this time? Are you more inclined to work faster on a client if it leads in to your lunch break and you feel it might take you over you allocated clients time in to your break?

How long do you have a new employee on probation for?

I have been advised be my solicitor that the majority of salons do not pay for a lunch break and that most allow 30 minutes, also that most salons pay for 15 minutes before a client but not at the end of the day. That a probation period is anything from 3 months to 9 and that most people opt for 9 months as an employer.

Any feedback would be really helpful, as I said this is incredibly new to me.

Many Thanks Geeks!

Zooks
 
Hey

I was employed in a busy salon for about 8 years. So here's what I can answer -
- my probation was 3 months
- I worked 40+ hours per week but set 9-5 with one late night till 9pm (only staying as late as was booked)
- I never got paid 15mins before/after work - even though I had to open/shut shop, setup/tidy up. I would recommend paying your therapist for this as this is what us therapists would moan the most about! :)
- I got a paid 30mins lunch - this is long enough if running on time. I used to find there was rarely a time you didn't get any lunch as there is always an opportunity to move it earlier or later if need be. And on quieter days my boss didn't mind us taking longer. And we could always nip out to bank etc at spare moments.30min is adequate to eat and get ready for next client.

Hth if I think of anything else ill add x
 
I do not pay for my employee for an extra 15 minutes before or after opening hours, but have put in their contract that they are to arrive 15 minutes early to allow time to open up the salon and set up, I don't think this is unreasonable and when I was employed previously at a salon this was also expected from me without pay and it wasn't a problem for me.

I do pay for a half hour lunch break, and always make sure my therapist has her half hour slot booked in on busy days, however when we have a quite day I am happy for her to take a longer break, especially if everything needed to be done in the salon is done. I definitely think it is fair to pay for a lunch break, if you feel half hour isn't long you could always think about offering a paid half hour lunch break with an option for them to choose to extend their break to an hour without pay?
 
Thankyou Ladies.

I have been employed many times, just not in a salon, and when starting at 9am I was always there before but it did grind on me.

I was debating paying for 30 minutes lunch and saying they could take an hour where we were able to provided they were flexible which means I wouldn't feel awful about them having to use their lunch break to set up/clean down.

How do you deal with having your therapists set up/clean down in breaks? Don't they find it frustrating?
 
Thankyou Ladies.

I have been employed many times, just not in a salon, and when starting at 9am I was always there before but it did grind on me.

I was debating paying for 30 minutes lunch and saying they could take an hour where we were able to provided they were flexible which means I wouldn't feel awful about them having to use their lunch break to set up/clean down.

How do you deal with having your therapists set up/clean down in breaks? Don't they find it frustrating?


In a salon environment you can't say your lunch is at 12 till half 12 today, and make them stick to it because clients come in, sometimes take longer than expected etc. So you can say a rough time to go on break and then start when they have fineshed clearing up after the client.

Clearing up the salon is working so it shouldn't be counted as the 30 mins of break x
 
In a salon environment you can't say your lunch is at 12 till half 12 today, and make them stick to it because clients come in, sometimes take longer than expected etc. So you can say a rough time to go on break and then start when they have fineshed clearing up after the client.

Clearing up the salon is working so it shouldn't be counted as the 30 mins of break x

Are you an employer or employee Jamiereid92?

If you have a fully booked day you would have to book a lunch break in and expect them to be back and ready for their next client, there is only so much flex you can have on this, I would not want them clearing down in their lunch break which is why I am debating the whole paid/non paid dilemma..

I wouldn't want to have an unpaid break and be expected to spend a good 15 minutes of it clearing down. Obviously if you aren't back to back this isn't so much of an issue, if you are, like I am, it poses a problem.

Thanks for your reply.
 
I can see where your coming from. I'm an employee, you sound like the perfect boss!

So are you a hairdresser/beautician or are you just going to run the business? I'm just wondering because you said you haven't worked in a salon before.

We get an hour's unpaid lunch break each day, but we rarely get that hour lol.

Only person in the Salon who is fully booked all day everyday who only gets a 5 minute break is self employed, but as soon as he has fineshed the client someone else will clear up for him so that he can have a break x

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I can see where your coming from. I'm an employee, you sound like the perfect boss!

So are you a hairdresser/beautician or are you just going to run the business? I'm just wondering because you said you haven't worked in a salon before.

We get an hour's unpaid lunch break each day, but we rarely get that hour lol.

Only person in the Salon who is fully booked all day everyday who only gets a 5 minute break is self employed, but as soon as he has fineshed the client someone else will clear up for him so that he can have a break x

Sent from my HTC One using SalonGeek mobile app

I'm a beauty therapist, I have worked in a salon, I have just never been employed by a salon as I have always been self employed.

I now have my own salon but having been in an unhappy salon environment before where there were other employed staff it has made me seriously question how I am going to do things. I want to get it right but it also has to make good business sense too!
 
I'm a beauty therapist, I have worked in a salon, I have just never been employed by a salon as I have always been self employed.

I now have my own salon but having been in an unhappy salon environment before where there were other employed staff it has made me seriously question how I am going to do things. I want to get it right but it also has to make good business sense too!

Good luck! Hope you manage to find the balance x

Sent from my HTC One using SalonGeek mobile app
 
Thanks for all of your replies, anyone got anything else to add?

Positives, Negatives; I am open to them all!
 
- We get an unpaid hours break (I'm an apprentice and the rest are self-employed, and I know their breaks shouldn't be dictated but that's for another thread). Used to be 45 mins lunch and two 15 min breaks morning and afternoon.

- We're expected to be in work half an hour early (paid) thurs mornings for a team meeting, minimum on the shop floor 5 mins before opening times (unpaid), and half an hour extra after work pretty much every night (half paid, half not; it gets a bit messy).

- think my probation was between 3 and 6 months, but I didn't get feedback from it, it just felt like a safety net for my boss to get rid quick in case I didn't fit with the team etc.

- personally I'd prefer 2 unpaid half hour breaks, as I smoke a couple per day and it's much easier to fit around appts that way. If I didn't work as many hours or if I was self employed I could get through with a half hour break, but 9-7 is too painful without an hour haha.

Good luck with the new venture xx
 
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When I worked as an employee we were expected to be in work at least ten mins early yo set up unpaid, and stay for upto 20 mins at closing time unpaid, which is totally unacceptable in my opinion. Lots of people will say ' its expected in this industry' but why should you be expected to work for free?
Lunch breaks were an hour long, plus 30 min afternoon break on long days, all pre booked in the diary for set times and unpaid which I think is reasonable.

As an employer I would pay staff for set up and shut down time, but not for their lunch hour.

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We used to have unpaid lunch breaks upto one hour. Now we have 30mins paid lunch breaks and if anyone wants to take longer this is unpaid. Staff are expected to be in setup and ready for first client at least 15 mins before unpaid. Any tidying, overun etc after work is paid overtime.
 
I pay from when she arrives in the morning until she leaves at night. Sometimes that will be far more than a 15 minute setting up. She may come in an hour early and do some cleaning/tidying/washing etc. She may do a bit of sweeping up at night.

She doesn't really have a lunch break but we are a very laid back salon. We allow a reasonable amount of time between clients so she will often have a 15 minute gap to chill. A cup of tea is always available and lunch is often paid for by me - subways have become a new addiction! She may eat her lunch on the go or I will tell her to grab a break. If she works, she gets paid, and if she does clients she gets a percentage so I know that if I booked her a 30 minute lunch break and she got a call asking for a treatment she would rather work!

I think communication and flexibility is the key. She is doing a reflexology course that has huge amounts of work. On quiet days, she will do her reflexology study and on occasion she will do reflexology clients in work time.

She frequently works on her day off because she knows it helps me if we're busy and she wants the money!

For as long as she is happy, I'm happy!

Vic x

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I've worked in a couple of salons in various positions and I've always had either 30mins or an hour unpaid break. Have also always been required to arrive early where necessary to set up (of course some days this wasn't necessary if there was no booking so it's swings and roundabouts). Have also always just been expected to clear up within the time I'm paid, but generally with treatments I have been given turnover time so that 15mins turnover on the last clients appointment I would clear up.

As much as you want to be nice, and we want to get paid, in the end if you're in an office job you could quite as easily end up staying hours after work to hit a deadline and you are paid for this time as such.

Also in terms of booking a lunch, I'd just book it on the system in the same way you would an appointment. If it's possible and necessary, you can shuffle it round, if you can't shuffle it round then that's where it is and it's the therapists responsibility to use that time well :)
 
I think its reasonable to pay for either the 15mins bwfore and 15 mins after or for the 30 mins lunch. I dont get paid for going in early or finishing late even if im still doing clients. I get paid for my lunch which i cant take when i want but its kind of just grab a bite to eat and if the phone goes or whatever and the other girls are busy i still have to get it

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When i was employed we would get an hour lunch unpaid. But every one took it from 1-2 and being a junior stylist I never got the full hour would lose first 10 or so minutes cos i would have to clear up after the whole salon. I would have to be out to greet 2oclock appts from ten too. I didnt think that was fair.

When it came to running over and being there before work. Being there early was never a problem,but when we would be there half hour sometimes an hour over finish time its frustrating, it would happen atleast twice a week every week.

But my managers said it swings in roundabouts! We'd be late twice a week atleast but we would be out early twice a year. I think aslong as your fair and reasonable with your staff they will thank you for it:)

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I pay for the whole day, sometimes were busy and only have time to munch on the go but other days it's quieter and most of the day is little breaks here and there, no one complains. I did it like that because my girl needed 21 hours a week which works perfectly over 3 days as long as there's no unpaid hour each day, if I'd done an hour lunch unpaid she'd need to come in for 3 hours on a separate day, but seriously we don't have time for a break on a busy day we just go quick and have cigarette/ toilet / food breaks
 
If staff are required to be in work early/late for setting up/cleaning etc, then they are legally entitled to be paid for that time.

Employers who do not pay are breaking the law!

Employees can take time off in lieu for the additional non-contracted hours but it should be agreed by mutual consent.
 
Can I ask a question off topic, I am leaving my job this month,i still have holidays i have not been able to take, should i be paid for them?

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