Employee refuses to take a call during their 1-hour unpaid lunch break, coworker ices them out

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jul 30, 2026 9:00 PM EDT

Should you have to take a work call on your lunch break?

When you're off the clock, you're off the clock. Every job is different, but you're allowed to have boundaries around whether or not you want to push yourself for your job. Things are rarely as urgent as everyone else wants them to be, and you're allowed to take care of your own needs first. You don't have to drop everything for a job, especially if you know they wouldn't do the same for you. And it's certainly not your coworker's job to make you feel bad for keeping a boundary. Break times are important, and you're allowed to keep those sacrosanct. You need time away from your work to keep yourself motivated and interested. It isn't a bad thing to maintain your work-life balance, and indeed you should. 

The coworker in this story didn't extend a lot of empathy to their colleague, even when they should have. Instead, they let them feel like everything was their fault, even for just doing the right thing. If you're not being paid, then you don't have to work. There is no reason for us to accept that kind of behavior and treatment from our workplaces just because we think we're supposed to. The person in this story set a healthy boundary, and their coworkers were unwilling to accept that. You're allowed to keep your lunch break to your lunch break. 

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  • 01
    Coworkers have an argument over a table in the office
    via Unsplash+ (Curated Lifestyle)

    The people in this photo are models

    Coworkers have an argument over a table in the office

  • 02

    Coworker gave me an attitude after I refused to take a call during my 1hr unpaid lunch break

    This is just a vent. I don't my lunch everyday at 1pm. It's been like this since I started this job a year ago. Someone called our office at around 1:20pm. We do not have extensions so everyone receives a call and someone is expected to pick up in two rings. Anyways, my coworker takes it, and it turns out that it is a prospective customer that I had only recently been in contact with. I am in the kitchen cutting fruit as part of my lunch.
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  • 03
    The second I walk back to my desk, with a plate of food in my hand, my coworker tells me who it is, then, get this, asks if I can take the. I tell him kindly I am on my lunch break and I will return the call after I'm done. He doubles down, I repeat the same thing, then he gives me an "....uh, okay?" With an annoyed tone in
    via jemappellelara
  • 04
    his voice. He then proceeds to tell my prospective customer on the phone to that I don't remember them, to send an email to me "to jog my memory" then saying I will get back to them once I return.
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  • 05
    I was annoyed because I am very respectful of my colleagues time. If someone calls our office needing one of my colleagues and I see them eating lunch or having the door closed I will tell the other person to either call back or ask if I can pass a message. The fact I don't receive the same respect is irritating.
    via jemappellelara
  • 06
    I'm debating whether to report this to HR because this is a highly liked tenured colleague. In any case I have been very close to quitting this week without caring about having a job lined up or not. I did have a phone screening which led to me getting through to the next stage which is an in person 1hr interview, so I'm hoping that goes somewhere and I will jump ship.
    via jemappellelara

  • If you're clocked out, then there is only so much you can do. You don't want to start accepting the boundary-crossing just because you feel like you have to. You don't have to. You can draw the line in the sand, and nobody can blame you for that. But this employee was left feeling slighted for their reaction. What do you do in this situation? Do you just back off and accept the treatment, or do you try to escalate it to see what happens? Keep reading to find out what happened here and let us know what you think.

  • 07

    Commenters gave their opinions and takes

    Remarkable_Crow6064 I was eating lunch in the break room, my manager came in and said a customer needs you. I replied I'm on lunch I'll call them back. She threw a temper tantrum and demanded I take the call. I started eating lunch in my car after that.
    via jemappellelara
  • 08
    Two coworkers discuss something at their office
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Subjects are models.

    Two coworkers discuss something at their office

  • 09
    Fun-Result-6343 The guy lied, tried to sabotage a sale, and attacked your credibility. He's an a hole, tenured or not.
    via jemappellelara
  • 10
    PORt1ng4Duty The law in your state that outlines mandatory break periods most likely contains the word uninterrupted. If they interrupt your break for work purposes, you start over.
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  • 11
    Ok-Crow-4948 Man, do NOT quit without a new job in hand. It is h I right now trying to find a job.
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  • 12
    BananaJelloXlii I'd report him. That was uncalled for and unprofessional. Most customers have no problem with "They are not at their desk, would you like me to leave a message to call you back?"
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  • 13
    sPdMoNkEy That's why I always made sure I left my office at lunch time, and of course my supervisor used to get mad and say I wasn't a team player for eating at my desk like everyone else
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  • 14
    Significant-Dig-8099 Definitely report them, they lied to your customer
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  • 15
    Moontoya Turn about is fair play Your colleague goes straight under the bus for pulling that malicious sh straight up tell the client what actually occured, be contrite, but make sure that you highlight your colleagues poor attitude in engaging with them, against company protocols
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  • 16
    RedshiftSinger Report it to HR. Your coworker should have said that you've gone to lunch and asked to take a message, not made up some nonsense about you "not remembering them".
    via jemappellelara
  • 17
    Not realizing you're on lunch is one thing. Acting weird about it when politely informed is another. Deliberately sabotaging you in retaliation for daring to actually take your break is yet another.
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  • 18
    TxnAvngr In California we have protections that if you cannot take your lunch hour they have to pay you time and a half for that hour, i also had my boss interrupt my lunch wanting le to assist a user while i was having
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  • 19
    lunch in my office, I was out on the spot since user was at my door, so i helped user and clocked in my hour of overtime. When boss asked why i clocked in the one hour of OT i told him my lunch was interrupted by work, he asked if I was serious, i replied "it's the law". My lunch hour was never interrupted again.
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  • 20
    imdugud777 To a company/corporation your time is their time, your life is their life. You must bled and di for projected profits, because we are not allowed to live as humans.
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  • 21
    jaygeezythreezy I wouldn't report them to human resources because human resources doesn't care. They're only there to protect the company's interests, not yours. I would say if your job is a commission based sales role, then maybe a little
    via jemappellelara
  • 22
    flexibility might be good for your paycheck. But if it's not, there are zero problems with setting firm boundaries about your time versus the company's time; and I believe that taking a lunch that is unpaid as personal time for yourself is the absolute right thing to do.
    via jemappellelara
  • 23
    My advice would be just to realize that your coworker is probably a snake, and let it go. You may come to realize that a lot of coworkers are snakes and the best thing to do is to not be a mouse. If you want to take revenge, then it would be as easy as accidentally losing a couple of phone messages for your coworker when they are on their lunch break.
    via jemappellelara
  • 24
    ricksebak > I'm debating whether to report this to HR because this is a highly liked tenured colleague. HR is unlikely to take your side because HR represents the company, not the workers. You might be putting a target on your own back by taking this to HR.
    via jemappellelara
  • 25
    If working during breaks was the_company policy_ and came from management, then you could report violations to the appropriate government agency, because they represent the worker's interests. But this violation didn't come from the company or from management, it came from a random coworker.
    via jemappellelara
  • 26
    If I was friendly with this person, I would maybe try to build solidarity with them and explain that you both already spend eight hours enriching the bosses, but the lunch hour isn't one of those hours. And if I wasn't friendly with this person, I'd probably just let it slide. I certainly wouldn't jeopardize my own financial situation by quitting just from an awkward exchange.
    via jemappellelara

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