Can an employee waive a 30 minute break?

• A. Only if both employee and employer agree and if working 6 hours or less
• B. Yes, at any time
• C. No, never
• D. Only if the employee is paid overtime

Answer: (A)

In California, a 30-minute meal break is required for most workdays over five hours, but this break can be waived only if both the employee and the employer agree and the employee’s total workday is no more than six hours. This mutual-consent waiver is the only situation where the break can be skipped, and it cannot apply to longer shifts (more than six hours). In other words, the waiver is allowed only when there’s a clean, voluntary agreement and the work period is six hours or less, making the statement in the answer the correct one.