Costa Rica News – Although it seems that there are many breaks during the work day that employees take in Costa Rica, labor law states what breaks are allowed and for how long. But although it is in law do not expect it to be followed too often.
Employees and employers should be clear about how long a lunch break should take and how many minutes are allowed for a coffee break, but often these questions go unanswered even in the official contracts.
The work law answers these questions but things don’t always go according to the law. There are mandatory periods of rest such as vacation after 50 weeks of continuous work and a day off after six working days.
30 minutes of continuous rest are required in the middle of the day. These minutes are to be treated as working time, thus paid. It is a legally mandated time to eat, relieve tension, disconnect from work and recuperate.
Since the purpose of this break is to recuperate so one can finish the second half of the day with energy this break is not to be given at the beginning or end of the day, such as to leave early, even if the worker requests it. Any additional breaks, such as coffee time, are to be decided by the parties involved.
They are not mandatory by law even though employees will try to tell you that they are……
