Businesses that involve the continuous flow of customer traffic require the constant attention of customer service employees. These businesses face the difficult task of balancing the need of the business to provide uninterrupted customer service and the need of the employees to rest or take their meals. When employees need to take breaks mandated by law, they have to be relieved of their duties for the duration of the break and another employee must take up their post. Otherwise, the service interruption results in substantial loss of income or other detriment to the company.

Some customer service employees who provide uninterrupted service include parking attendants and cashiers, valets, security guards, grocery cashiers and waiters. To keep the payroll costs down, there is a tendency among some employers to hire only the bare minimum number of employees. However, some employers do not take into account the need for extra staff who can relieve other employees who need to go on lunch breaks, rest breaks, bathroom breaks or unexpected emergencies. Many large and small companies have failed to establish a procedure that enforces and monitors lunch and rest breaks as required by law.