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Looking for information on Punch Clock breaks instead?
Also, see frequently asked questions regarding automatic break rules, working with breaks in the schedule, and Punch Clock breaks.
What are Automatic breaks (break rules)?
What are Automatic breaks (break rules)?
How to create a break rule
Set up automatic break rules to automatically apply breaks either at a specific time of day or after a set amount of time has been worked.
For both the Time after start and Time of day breaks, you can specify the following conditions:
The name of the break.
How long must a shift be before an employee receives a break.
The days it applies to.
Should the break be paid or unpaid.
The Departments, Employee groups and Employee types to which the break applies.
To set up Break rules, go to Settings > Schedule area > Break rules > Add Break rule.
Automatic breaks after certain working hours
Automatic breaks after certain working hours
Follow these steps if you want breaks set at a specific interval after a shift begins.
General
Give the break a name in the Title field.
Then select the Time after start option.
Below that, indicate:
How long the break should be.
How much time should elapse after the start of the shift before the break is set.
How long should the shift last in total to be eligible for a break.
If it is a paid or unpaid break.
Assign to
Select which Departments, Employee groups and Employee types the break should apply to.
Applies to
Optionally choose between which dates the break should be valid and select days of the week.
If you do not set any rules here, the break is unlimited and valid on all days of the week.
Finally confirm by pressing Create.
If you change an automatic break rule, the changes will retroactively affect all Automatic breaks (since the Start date) unless you have locked the pay period.
Automatic breaks at a specific time of the day
Automatic breaks at a specific time of the day
Follow these steps if you want breaks set at a specific time of the day.
General
Give the break a name in the Title field.
Then select the Time of day option.
Below that, indicate:
The duration of the break, specifying its start and end times.
How long should the shift last in total to be eligible for a break.
If it is a paid or unpaid break.
Assign to
Select which Departments, Employee groups and Employee types the break should apply to.
Applies to
Optionally choose between which dates the break should be valid and select days of the week.
If you do not set any rules here, the break is unlimited and valid on all days of the week.
Finally confirm by pressing Create.
Setting up multiple break rules
In practice, you can have several breaks applied after certain working hours for the same shift throughout the day. When setting up such a scenario, please keep the longest shift possible in mind and add all the breaks accordingly.
Follow the steps described above to create your first break rule of the day
For the following break(s), add only the additional break time, not the total break time. The breaks will accumulate.
See an example
See an example
For example, if you want to give your employees one 10-minute paid break if the shift is 4 hours and another 10-minute paid break if the shift is 7 hours, configure this as two separate break rules:
Break rule 1:
Break rule 2:
This will result in 2 x 10 min paid breaks, a total of 20 minutes if the shift is 7 hours or longer.
Why isn't the automatic break rule applied to a shift?
Why isn't the automatic break rule applied to a shift?
There are a couple of reasons why an automatic break rule doesn't apply to a shift:
Punch Clock Conflicts: Automatic breaks from Break Rules are overridden by Punch Clock breaks for the same department. When Punch Clock breaks are enabled, automatic breaks appear as a forecast but disappear after the shift. Forecasts don't apply to past shifts.
Break Rules Eligibility: Go to Settings > Schedule > Break Rules to check if the break is eligible for the employee group, department, or employee type. Ensure the shift length meets the break eligibility criteria.
Find other possible reasons in Breaks - FAQs.
How to manually add breaks to shifts
Manual breaks can be added on a shift-by-shift basis directly in the schedule.
To add a manual break to a shift in the schedule:
Open the shift you want to add a break to by pressing on it from the schedule.
Go to the Breaks tab.
Press Add break and set how long the break should be; choose whether it should be a Paid or unpaid break and Save the shift.
Why can’t I add a break?
Why can’t I add a break?
If adding a break doesn’t work, it may be due to the Shift type not being eligible for a break. Under Settings > Schedule > Shift types, ensure that the break option is selected in the Shift type settings.
Next:
Learn more about automatic Break rules, Paid and Unpaid breaks, and Manual breaks: See Breaks related FAQs
Learn about how to set up Punch Clock breaks: Set up Punch Clock breaks
See related articles:
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