The lawyer named the conditions for the prohibition of eating at the workplace by the employer

An employer may impose a ban on eating at the workplace if it is related to safety, sanitation, equipment specifics, or customer service format. Sofia Lukinova, head of the legal department of VMT Consult, told Izvestia on November 25.

"For example, a ban may apply in medical institutions, in production or in service organizations. Such rules can also be introduced in offices if the employer deems it necessary and reflects it in the documents," the expert explained.

However, she stressed that an employee's right to rest and eat is enshrined in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, which sets its duration from 30 minutes to two hours. In practice, companies most often introduce an hour-long lunch, which is not included in working hours and is used by an employee at his own discretion.

As for fines for eating in the workplace, Lukinova added, they are illegal. According to her, the employer has the right to apply only disciplinary measures — a remark, reprimand or dismissal — and only if the established procedure is followed.

"If an employee believes that their rights to rest and food are being violated, the first step should be to contact the employer or the human resources department to clarify the rules. It is important to make sure that the restrictions imposed are indeed fixed in local documents and brought to the attention of employees under the signature. In the absence of transparent requirements or an unjustified ban, you can send a written request to the employer to eliminate the violation. If the dialogue does not bring results, the employee has the right to contact the State Labor Inspectorate or the Prosecutor's Office, which will verify the legality of the employer's actions," the expert concluded.

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Finding employees is hampered by high salary expectations and low skill levels.

HR Director of the consulting company "Together.On September 30, Dmitry Chernyshov, a practicing psychologist, told Izvestia the advantages of candidates without work experience. He noted that today the employer has to rely not on ready-made specialists, but on the potential of a person: companies raise employees "for themselves", forming individual tracks of professional and personal development. Learning becomes an integral part of the workflow through mentoring and internal self-development programs. Therefore, a graduate with no work experience is an ideal candidate for the company.

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