The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has neither researched nor issued standards requiring that workers be permitted lunch and rest breaks in the course of their workday.
Generally speaking, yes an employer may require that their employees take breaks, even if they are not required to provide them under the law; there is nothing in the law that would prevent them from doing so.
Break laws by state StateRest breakMinor break Arkansas / Required for minors under 16 working in entertainment — the duration of the break is up to the employer. California A 10-min rest period for every 4 hours worked. Adult break regulations apply. Colorado A 10-min rest period for every 4 hours worked. / Connecticut / /47 more rows
For an 8-hour work shift, employees are entitled to a minimum 20-minute uninterrupted break if they work more than six hours. The break should not be taken at the beginning or end of the shift, and employees must be allowed to take it away from their workstation.
How Many Breaks Are Required Per Shift in Texas? Since there are no Texas labor laws on breaks, there's no requirement for a certain number of breaks during a 7- to 8-hour shift. That said, it's common for workplaces to provide one 30-minute meal break and two 15-minute rest breaks in that time.
In most states, breaks are required by law. The employer has to, by law, enforce that employees take those breaks. If they fail to do so, it opens them up to very expensive lawsuits. I recall a decade or two back, The Gap has a massive settlement in the state of California over employees working through breaks.
If HR won't help you, go to your local labor board and report them. And if you do go to your local labor board, talk to a lawyer and let them know what's going on. Also, try and take your 30-minute breaks to show that you're following the law or at least trying to. Plus, it'll give you more evidence against your boss.
Yes, you can bring a legal claim associated with the employer not providing you with a reasonable opportunity to take your meal or rest periods.
In Texas, there are no labor laws in breaks, so employees do not have a right to breaks and employers are not required to provide a certain number of breaks even during a 12-hour shift. However, it is common for workplaces to provide one meal break (30 mins.) and two rest breaks (15 mins.