Are employers required to provide breaks?

Yes, employers in Maryland are required to provide breaks to their employees. The Maryland Wage and Hour Law requires employers to provide their employees with a meal break of at least 30 minutes for any shift that is longer than 6 consecutive hours. The meal break should be taken no earlier than five hours into the work shift and no later than six hours into the work shift. The Maryland Wage and Hour Law also states that employees must be provided with a rest break of at least 10 consecutive minutes for any shift that is longer than four hours. The rest break should be taken no earlier than two hours into the work shift and no later than four hours into the work shift. Additionally, a “split shift”, which is one continuous shift that is broken up with an interruption of more than one hour, requires an additional rest break of at least 10 minutes in addition to any other meal or rest breaks. Finally, if the employer fails to provide these meal and rest breaks, then they must compensate the employee for the missed break. The amount of compensation is the equivalent of the time spent on the break.

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Are employers required to provide breaks?

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