It refers to "being at work", not "actively heads-down working on something". If you come in at 9am, do work, have lunch, make coffee, work more, suffer meetings, work, chat at the water cooler, work again, and leave at 5pm, you're working 9-5.
Overview of Law New York requires that employers provide employees meal periods as follows: Employees are entitled to a 30-minute break between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for shifts that cover that time span and are more than 6 consecutive hours.
An eight-hour workday is a standardized work schedule in which an employee works for 8 hours per day. An employee who works an eight-hour workday will often work five days a week with two days off. This is sometimes known as a full-time job or working a 9-5, which means working 8 hours a day between 9 am and 5 pm.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the primary federal law governing labor standards, does not require employers to provide meal or rest breaks. Short breaks, typically lasting about 5 to 20 minutes, are common in workplaces.
The 7-minute rule in New York State refers to how employers round time when calculating work hours. Employers may round an employee's time to the nearest 15-minute interval.
This means that an employer may legally ask an individual to work shifts of 8, 10, 12 or more hours each day. Each organization has the legal ability to designate shift lengths and alter them as necessary.
Employers in New York State must provide all employees time off for meals, after working a certain number of hours. In general, employers must provide at least 30 minutes of unpaid time off if an employee works more than 6 hours.
New York requires that employers provide employees meal periods as follows: Employees are entitled to a 30-minute break between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for shifts that cover that time span and are more than 6 consecutive hours.