Generally, employers are required to provide a thirty (30) minute unpaid rest break or meal period IF an employee is scheduled to work (6) consecutive hours or more. The Ample Opportunity Clause is used by many employers. If employees work in an industry and the very nature of the job allows him/her to take breaks (gives the employee an ample opportunity to take breaks), then the employer is not required to provide a break. Most employees do not know state law does not protect their job if a break complaint is filed.
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development/Workplace Regulations and Compliance Division/Wage and Break Complaints