I'm in the US.

I've never had a job tell us we can't take our 15s. But most places keep staffing tight enough, and busy enough, that people feel guilty taking a 15 unless they have a real reason to.

Personally, I find them kind of frustrating. By the time I begin to calm down, it's time to head back. It's not even like a real break. Where I am now, 30min is auto deduced for lunch, so we take 45min lunches most of the time.

I'm in Germany. I'm 40 years old. And this year, for the first time in my life, I work in a job that is 9 to 5 with an hour of breaks.
Which counts as 7 working hours. Because the breaks are not included as work time. Never have been. In none of the official, unionized jobs I ever worked.

Man, I have worked some shitty jobs and not one of them as ever discouraged me in any way from taking my breaks.

Days off is a whole other thing though

Depends on the state. But the reality is you need to hire a lawyer to fight it and we already have to choose between a roof and food most of the time so good luck with that.

Oh I'm sure you can FILE a complaint here too.

Doesn't mean anybody gives a shit.

In Canada full time is whatever an employer decides it is, not 35h, not even 40h. In Quebec an employer isn't required to give 15mins break. But if they do they must be paid. The 30mins lunch break is mandatory, but also unpaid. You've just gotten lucky with decent employers/union jobs. I'd imagine other provinces are similar.

https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-conditions/work-schedule-and-termination-employment/work-schedule/presence-work-breaks-and-weekly-rest-period

An employer is under no obligation to offer breaks but when a break is granted, it must be paid and be included in the calculation of the hours worked.

After 5 consecutive hours of work, a worker is entitled to a 30-minute meal break, without pay. If the worker is required to remain at their workstation during this time, their meal break must be paid.

In British Columbia our labor laws were basically written by EA so tech workers have almost no protection against overtime unless it's contiguous - the only hard limit on working is once you hit 32 continuous hours you must be given time off... BC high tech employees are exempt from any overtime and the only limit they still get is that they must be given eight hours off every day - but that's eight hours not working, not necessarily eight hours of sleep. So you could be asked to work 32 continuous hours then be sent home with a forty-five minute drive, get home, sleep for six and a half hours (or try to) then get back in your car to drive back to the office to work another sixteen hours.

If you objected to this schedule you could quit but you'd have no legal recourse to sue your employer.

Oh, and in the above three day scenario (home for eight, work for thirty two, home for eight, work for sixteen) you'd be paid the same if you worked for twenty four hours over three days.

BC tech workers have no rights.