Breaks
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      3. Breaks

      How to Set Up and Manage Breaks, Waivers, and Attestations

      A complete guide to configuring break rules and managing waivers, attestations, and penalties.

      Overview

      Breaks are scheduled or automatic periods of time during a work shift when an employee is either required or permitted to stop working. They can be paid or unpaid and may be used for meals or rest. Break rules define when and how breaks are taken, how they are tracked, and how exceptions like waivers or penalties are handled.

      Break types:

      • Time of day: Based on fixed time (e.g., 1 PM to 2 PM lunch break)
      • Worked hours: After working X hours (e.g., 30-min after 5 hrs)
      • Floating break: Flexible; up to X times/day
      • Automatic break: Inserted at intervals (e.g., 1 hr every 4 hrs)

      Key settings:

      • Start/End Time and Duration
      • Minimum and Extended Breaks
      • Auto-Complete or Auto-Deduct
      • Pay Breaks and Job Costing if applicable

      Waivers:

      • Allow employees, managers, or system to waive breaks
      • Use when breaks are not taken or are taken late/partially

      Attestation:

      • Requires confirmation if a break was missed or shortened
      • Can be shown to employees or limited to managers

      Penalties:

      • Add penalty time when a break is not taken or not waived
      • Supports assigning penalty time codes (e.g., BPEN)

      Best practices:

      • Test using real shift data
      • Use naming conventions
      • Customize waiver/attestation messages
      • Keep audit logs for compliance review

      Configuring Break Rules

      Company Rule Setup

      1. Navigate to Global Settings > Time Tracking > Breaks.
      2. Choose the scope of the configuration: Company, Group, or Employee.
      3. Enter a Rule Name and select the Effective Start Date (Immediate or future-dated).
      4. If breaks should not be tracked, check Do Not Track Breaks.
      5. Choose the Break Rule type: Time of Day, Worked Hours, Floating Break, or Automatic Break.
      6. Optional: Enable 'Auto-select break' and/or 'Hide breaks that do not apply'.
      7. Choose how penalties apply:
        1. Apply All Penalties
        2. Apply a specific number of penalties per day
      8. Click Save.

      Time of Day Rule

      1. Enter a break name.
      2. Define the start and end window for the break (e.g., 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM).
      3. Set the break duration (e.g., 1 hour).
      4. (Optional) Allow extended break time.
      5. In the Deductions section:
        • Automatically Complete: System fills the break to the full duration.
        • Automatically Deduct: System deducts the break regardless of clocking.
      6. In the Payment section:
        • Enable Pay break if the break should be paid.
      7. In the Waivers & Penalties section:
        • Define the number of hours after which the break becomes mandatory.

      Worked Hours Rule

      1. Enter a Break Name.
      2. Define when the break is allowed (e.g., after 3 hours of work).
      3. Set when the break must be taken by (e.g., before 5 hours worked).
      4. Enter the Break Duration.
      5. (Optional) Enforce a Minimum Break Duration or allow an extended break.
      6. Configure Deductions as needed.
      7. Choose whether the break is Paid.
      8. Set waiver and penalty timing under Waivers & Penalties.

      Floating Break Rule

      1. Enter a Break Name.
      2. Specify how many times the break can be taken (e.g., 2 times per day).
      3. Enter the Break Duration.
      4. (Optional) Enforce a Minimum Break Duration or allow extended breaks.
      5. Configure Deductions as desired.
      6. Choose if the break should be Paid.
      7. Use Waivers & Penalties to set timing thresholds for mandatory breaks.

      Automatic Break Rule

      1. Enter a Break Name.
      2. Set the Break Duration and when to deduct it (e.g., after 4 hours).
      3. (Optional) Enable Force Break Deduction (always applies deduction).
      4. Enable Repeat if breaks should recur on an interval.
      5. Select the Time Code to deduct from (e.g., Worked Hours).
      6. Choose whether the break is Paid.

      Managing Break Waivers, Attestations, and Penalties

      Clock In/Out Devices

      Once configured and assigned, Break Waivers and Attestations will be displayed on the following devices when prompted:

      • Web Clock (My Portal Clock In/Out)
      • Kiosk
      • Time Clock Devices
      • Mobile app

      Break Waiver on Timesheets

      To add a Break Waiver from an employee's timesheet:

      1. Open the ellipsis options for the daily row on an employee's timesheet and select Add Break Waiver.
      2. Select Waive Break or Do not waive break, then click Confirm.

      The Break Waiver will appear on the timesheet once saved.

      Break Attestation on Timesheets

      To add a Break Attestation from an employee's timesheet:

      1. Open the ellipsis options for the daily row on an employee's timesheet and select Add Break Attestation.
      2. Select Attest or Do not attest, then click Confirm.

      The Break Attestation will appear on the timesheet once saved.

      Break Penalty Handling

      When an employee incurs a Break Penalty, it will automatically appear on their timesheet.

      To waive a penalty:

      1. Click the ellipsis icon and select Review Break Penalty.
      2. Click Waive Penalty.

      The status will update to show Waived on the timesheet.

      Exceptions report

      Once Waivers, Attestations, or Penalties are captured on the timesheet, they will also be shown in the Exceptions feature.

      The Exceptions Report provides visibility into any break-related compliance events and supports tracking of Waivers, Attestations, and Penalties for audit purposes.