Employee breaks? Where do they take them? Cancel The title field is required!

1. Brandon Coulter

   

   0 posts
   
   7/17/2011 5:07 PM

   Where do your employees take their 10 minute morning and afternoon breaks? Out in the field or do they travel back to the shop? We are thinking about possibly having our employees take their break out in the field to save labor hours on travel time to the shop, then back out to the job site - sometimes against golfer traffic. Have any of you out there thought about implementing such a policy or thinking about doing this? What pro and con experiences have you had with either?
   
   Appreciate any responses!
   
   Brandon Coulter
   GCS - Hidden Valley Lake
   California

   
   
   
   
2. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   7/17/2011 6:07 PM

   We take our morning breaks after the first assignment. If they have an assignment that is longer than about 3 hours, they take it in the field.

   
   
   
   
3. Keith Lamb

   

   3 posts
   
   7/17/2011 6:07 PM

   Ditto

   
   
   
   
4. Smith Tim

   
   7/25/2011 1:07 PM

   My crew takes a morning break after their first job. Then I recommend they take there afternoon break at lunch time, This gives them a 45 min lunch instead of a half hour. They seem to like that, and they are not wasting drive time in the afternoon.

   
   
   
   
5. Wahlin Scott B

   
   7/25/2011 2:07 PM

   It is so freaking hot in the summer they can take a break whenever and wherever they need one.

   
   
   
   
6. Jeff Hansen

   

   2 posts
   
   7/28/2011 7:07 AM

   Brandon,
   
   We work 6:00 to 2:00 and my crew takes their breaks and lunch "on the go". They can carry their cooler with them and stop wherever they are whenever they want and eat their lunch or take a break. No breaks are taken until setup is done. The only rule is that we don't have the crew congregating for lunch and we don't "break down" and stop for lunch. In other words, the whole crew doesn't stop work and meet in the breakroom for lunch. I don't mind if a couple of them get together and eat but I don't expect two to travel across the course to meet each other for lunch. They can bring whatever they want or they can stop in the pro shop for food and drinks if they choose. If they need to heat something up, they do it when they come by the shop and if their travels just happen to bring them by the shop, they can eat in the breakroom. The crew really likes the schedule and I have told them if they abuse this system, we will go back to taking an hour for lunch and punching out, and work until 3:00. We have been doing this for about a year and a half and I have only had one issue one time and that was with some part time kids last summer.
   
   Like many, break down and travel time was turning breaks into 45 minutes and lunches into an hour and a half. Doing it the way we currently are, equipment and staff are staying out in the field and what used to be that gap of "wasted time" when the day was 3/4 over which made the last couple hours more unproductive is now moved more toward the last 30-45 minutes of the work day. I keep chipping away at that last 30-45 minutes and I think the crew understands that I am looking for productivity and at a minimum they are now at least appearing to be productive. Picking up trash around the trash truck is a good cure for being in too early at the end of the day.
   
   As hot as it has been this summer, I have really backed off as far as taking breaks go. I expect them to get as much shade as they can and drink as much water as they can. The only thing I tell them is that if I see them in the same place and position 20-30 minutes later, we may have a problem.
   
   Jeff Hansen
   Squaw Valley GC
   Glen Rose, Texas

   
   
   
   
7. Brandon Coulter

   

   0 posts
   
   7/29/2011 10:07 PM

   Appreciate the responses guys. Couple foot notes regarding this...I'm in law ridden California! And my employer is on a quest to follow every single law ever conceived! I guess I should have included what I'm about to write in my original question. We work from 6:00 am to 2:30pm - my crew takes their morning break in the maintenance shop break room at 9:00am. California law says employees are to get one 10 minute "stress free" break period after the 3rd hour of work - which is on the clock. No real issues regarding the morning break as it works well when the crew is finishing morning prep the finish line is at the shop and it's usually right around the 9am mark. California law also says that if the employee is [u">not[/u"> punch out by the 5th hour after the start of a work shift the employer must pay 1 hr of regular pay to that employee, aka a "Meal Violation". This means the employee must be punched out for lunch [u">by[/u"> 11:00am. If the employee punches out after the 5th hour; 11:01am or beyond, the employer is to pay the 1 hour reg pay to the employee. The employee will then receive a disciplinary write up from the employer - a strike if you will. 3 strikes and your out! My employees fully understand the policy and do not violate it! Due to the golfer traffic etc., we allow our employees a 15 minute window to get back to the shop to punch out, between 10:45an and 11:00am. We allow 1/2 hour for lunch. If an employee punches out at 10:58, they must be punched back in by 11:28; anything after 11:28 is on them, anything before 11:28 is a meal violation. My employees rarely punch out/in or late/early. Between myself and my handy-dandy assistant, we make sure they don't.
   
   The afternoon break is the issue at hand; well it's not really an issue for me, but one or two members of our BOD have issues with our employee afternoon breaks and the travel time to the shop and back out to the job site. I would love to have the 10 minute afternoon break coupled with the lunch hour, but California law says no. If fact there needs to be at least a 1.5 hour separation from the time lunch ends and the second break is initiated. It too is 10 minutes and has to be a "stress free" rest period. I agree, there's nothing stressful about having a break under a tree for 10 minutes; but what is stressful is a new law passed by California that places responsibility on the supervisor (HOLY COW, THAT'S ME!!) to monitor employee heat stress and heat awareness. We get HOT here in the summer! We must encourage our employees to drink water, seek shelter if heat stress is experienced, ask them if they are experiencing any symptoms of heat stress, let them know each day what the afternoon high temp is going to be, etc. And I thought I was just to grow and mow grass!! I know my employees love sitting down in the break room under the A/C and fans. But our labor hours are suffering due to travel time. I am seeking information on the matter for our BOD. Would still like to hear any responses.
   
   Thanks again!
   
   B. Coulter
   Sunny California

   
   
   
   
8. Fleegel Timothy

   
   7/29/2011 10:07 PM

   Wait were supposed to give them a break? Let alone 2?!

   
   
   
   
9. Wahlin Scott B

   
   7/30/2011 4:07 AM

   Impress upon your BOD how strenuous it is to do golf course maintenance for a day. Invite them to come operate a tractor and see how physically demanding it actually is. I have employees that are older than me that can do it day after day, but after one day I need a day to recover. I guess I have spent too much time pushing paper and in sit-down meetings to still be able to do it.
   
   Aside from that, put covers on all of your equipment that are out in the sun for long periods. Mount 5-gallon water coolers on every piece of equipment that will hold it. Place it so that the guys do not have to leave the seat to drink, but let them know that parking in the shade and walking around for few minutes frequently is okay.
   
   I started out my career working for Senator Bob Graham's Family. He did "work days" throughout his career to stay in touch with the masses. I mowed rough a month ago with a Ford Tractor and a Toro 5-gang in the heat. I should have taken a 10-minute break in the A/C at 1:00.

   
   
   
   
10. James Schmid

    

    1 posts
    
    10/9/2011 1:10 PM

    Have them take their second break on the course. Allowing a ten minute break to turn into a 30 or 45 minute ordeal is silly. It does get hot here in the summer, but coming to the shop to sit down for 10 minutes in the air conditioned break room will do little to help anyone tolerate the heat.
    
    During the summer months here in Palm Desert we encourage our team members to take breaks frequently in the shade and drink as much water as possible.
    
    If you check into Cal OSHA regulations, the regulations are far more stringent than the rules that you have listed from wage order #5. As the temperature rises - more breaks.
    
    Consider what would be more beneficial for the guy who is weed eating all day long. 1 ten minute break at the shop in the middle of the afternoon, which ends up costing you 30 to 45 minutes of productivity, or a 10 minute break each hour of the afternoon, underneath a shady tree, in the immediate vicinity of where he is working

    
    
    
    
11. Kim Brock

    

    3 posts
    
    10/10/2011 6:10 PM

    The whole experience of working at a golf course is one big break. Mowers, weedeaters, bunker rakers, etc. all have it pretty easy. As for breaks, if you get 1 ten minute break but it takes 5 minutes to get to break room and then another 5 minutes to get back to where you started wouldn't you have used up your 10 minutes. I think some of these rules are out dated and should be more job related. That is one of the problems with our work force, they want the $$ but they do not want to work.

    
    
    
    
12. Brent Venenga

    

    0 posts
    
    10/11/2011 7:10 AM

    kmbrk, I totally agree with you about 5 minutes to get in then back out. I used to work at a city run course and the older employees did this and drove me crazy. I could care less about when you take a break and agree a lot are complaining about money but a lot don't want to do the work. I mean if you are sitting on your but for 8 hrs mowing how hard can it be?

    
    
    
    
13. Wahlin Scott B

    
    10/11/2011 7:10 AM

    turtle said: I mean if you are sitting on your but for 8 hrs mowing how hard can it be?

    
    
    Are you serious? When was the last time you did it?

    
    
    
    
14. Brent Venenga

    

    0 posts
    
    10/11/2011 8:10 AM

    Scott, Sorry I didn't mean it wasn't tough I was just stating about breaks and people abusing it. Been a Superintendent for 15 years on a golf course for 27 years. I just mowed yesterday for 8 plus hours and yes it's a tough job. My point was that a person mowing a fairway, with a canopy, listening to their ipod, never having to get off the machine unless they have to go to the restroom, and a cooler between their legs is not the toughest job on a golf course.