Boss forces employee to work during their 20-minute lunch break, employee reports it and boss retaliates

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 15, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Is a 20-minute lunch break enough time? 

I would say definitely not. A true lunch break. Should be enough time to leave your post, get lunch, eat it, and get back to your work. You certainly shouldn't have to be doing any work on your break. If you choose to work through it because you want to, then that's an entirely different thing. But if your boss is asking you to work through lunch and to do so on a regular basis, then that's a huge issue. But that's what was happening here, and the story was shared on the antiwork subreddit. They weren't sure whether or not that was a reasonable request, and when they reported it, they experienced something close to retaliation. Retaliation is illegal in the workplace and in many areas of the world. It's when your boss or higher-up purposefully punishes you for doing something wrong or reporting something that they felt shouldn't be reported. It's not a great way to run a business. It's a short fire way to make your employees lose trust in you, and it should be avoided at all costs. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10638661888
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A businessman is tired at the wheel

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    Did I mess up by reporting that my project manager wants me to work during my lunch break?

    The only break I get is a 20 min lunch break. I work outdoors at multiple locations and it's physically demanding work. My project manager told me to take my lunch break while driving between locations. I decided to accurately report my time card as not having a lunch break because I'm still working even though I am
    via bad-at-everything-
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    eating. Her boss inquired why I have no breaks, I explained that I was told to eat while driving between sites. My project manager is now p ed at me and is suddenly filing a bunch of complaints saying that I'm slow at work and playing on my phone (entering work data on my work phone). She wants a replacement for me. I feel she is retaliating. Luckily her boss is siding with me so far but I might reach out to my union.
    via bad-at-everything-

  • But that doesn't stop some bosses from doing that. The boss in the story certainly had a lot to say on that end. When you were being asked to work through a 20-minute lunch break, that can feel like a slap in the face. 20 minutes is already not very long, so the thought of working through it is an even greater offense. No boss should be asking you to do that for them, no matter how important the job is. But that's what was happening here, and they couldn't help it. Sometimes you need a little help from the Internet to decide what you're going to do next. This person also wanted to know if what their boss was doing was against the rules or not. It's easy enough to go along with things when it's your entire world, but that doesn't make it OK. Keep scrolling to read what happened here. 

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    Commenters gave their takes and opinions.

    Trailman57 I have never heard of a 20 minute lunch break, Union worker or not.
    via Trailman57
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    Western_Rhubarb_7959 Sounds like she is retaliating. Unfortunately that can be ultra hard to prove. might reach out to my union. Why the h_I ya reaching out here, boo? 100% hit up your union rep.
    via Western_Rhubarb_7959
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    Cheezburger Image 10638662656
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A man looks frustrated in his car

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    Agile-Surprise7217 You were 100% correct to report this. Your manager is performing textbook retaliation. It is completely illegal.
    via Agile-Surprise7217
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    You need to call HR TODAY and tell them that he has started filing complaints, making false claims, and is asking for a replacement. You also need to call you Union Rep right now and tell her what you are experiencing. Tell her everything. Then confirm it to her again in an email.
    via Agile-Surprise7217
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    Suitable_Low1549 Go to the union in the morning; that's what dues. are for
    via Suitable_Low1549
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    YellowBeastJeep Absolutely reach out to your union- like yesterday- and file a retaliation complaint immediately.
    via YellowBeastJeep
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    Xintop "Take a break while driving" sounds like you need 10, 7 minute sh breaks every day tbh
    via Xintop
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    StoutLaurels You did the right thing reporting it, and yeah that retaliation stuff is exactly what your union exists for so call them tomorrow.
    via StoutLaurels
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    wannareadrandomstuff And document it. Email or at least write it down somewhere that you shared it with whomever.
    via wannareadrandomstuff
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    BluesGraveller Just curious, what state is this in? Interestingly, there are a number of states where there is no state labor law mandating employers to provide meal breaks.
    via BluesGraveller
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    2_Much3636 Hourly employees are required to take a lunch break for every 4 hours worhed. Whether it's 30 minutes or a hour depends on the company policy. This is not negotiable. It falls under the labor laws for the state in which you are employed.
    via 2_Much3636
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    If you feel your that your project manager is retaliating then this is an HR matter. Document everything and report to HR and the PM's boss.
    via 2_Much3636
  • 17
    cowfishing Contact your union and let them know whats going on and start documenting everything negative or retaliatory that your supervisor says or does in regards to your work.
    via cowfishing
  • 18
    McCrotch You have a union? Holy cr p yes reach out to them! literally you were told to skip your mandated work lunch break, reported it, and now are facing retaliation. most people would just s k it up, because the lawsuit isn't worth it, but you have a union
    via McCrotch

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