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Ohio Labor Laws Breaks



Quick Guide to Ohio Labor Laws and Breaks 

Ohio Labor Laws: Breaks

In the state of Ohio, labor law for breaks specifies that employers are not obligated to give their employees a lunch or break unless they are under the age of 18.  According to the Ohio Revised Code 4109.07(c), an employer must give a minor under the age of 18 a 30-minute, unpaid break when working more than 5 hours at a time.  

If the employer does give a break period for a person over the age of 18, they are not required to pay the employee after 20 minutes under Ohio labor laws on breaks.  Federal law is quite different from Ohio labor law for breaks, and the following section describes some important factors about federal law.  

Federal Laws on Breaks

Like Ohio labor laws on breaks, federal law does not require an employer to give a rest period to an employee over the age of 18.  However, if the employer does give a break, they must pay an employee if the break is less than 20 minutes.  

Additionally, lunch breaks are not mandated by federal law for workers over the age of 18, but federal law does state that a meal break that lasts over 30 minutes will be unpaid (unless the employer provides otherwise in the contract).  

A 30-minute “uninterrupted break” under Ohio labor law for breaks and federal law means the employee is not allowed to have their break interrupted by work-related duties such as even picking up the phone.  

There is one new exception to an employer denying a break to employee under federal law, and the law, under the new Healthcare Reform, requires an employer to give a break to a new mother who is breastfeeding.  The federal law also states that an employer must allow a proper room for the mother to express the milk.  

Vacation and Sick Leave in Ohio Labor Laws for Breaks

Under Ohio labor law within breaks, employers are not required to offer an employee vacation or sick leave benefits at all.  If the employer does offer vacation or sick time, Ohio labor laws for breaks establish that employers must abide with all conditions listed below in this section.  

If an employer sets up the employees rights for accrued vacation time or sick leave time, they are not required by Ohio labor law for breaks to pay the employee for those accrued hours or days if the employee leaves the company—unless a contact states otherwise.  

Additionally, if an employer offers to pay for accrued hours after separation from the company, the employer is allowed to cap those payments after a certain amount of time.  

Holidays under Ohio Labor Laws for Breaks

According to Ohio law in breaks, an employer is not required to provide an employee with paid holidays or time off unless specified in a contract.  However, in order to encourage employees to work during these periods of time, many companies provide extra compensation and overtime during holidays.  

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