What each break rule question means#
For: Admin You’ll need: A break rule open — see How to manage break rules.
The break rule form asks one question per idea, and under each answer it shows ‘Reads as:’ — the saved rule in a sentence, for example “Owed from 6 h up to 9 h of work.” This article explains the questions, so you can turn a statute or an agreement into a rule. The planner shows the requirements and includes expected unpaid breaks in hours and cost forecasts; recorded breaks follow the break policy’s settings (What the break policy settings do).
Identity#
‘Kind’ — ‘Meal break’ or ‘Rest break’. A recorded break counts only toward rules of its own kind, and a break meets only one requirement in the same calculation. The tiers of one ladder share a kind.
‘Priority’ — the order in which breaks are scheduled and shown, not which rule wins.
‘Break policies’ — the policies the rule belongs to. One rule can serve several.
Owed for working time#
‘Min shift length’ and ‘Max shift length’ set the working time, in hours, for which the break is owed. ‘Owed’ chooses ‘from’ (the minimum itself owes it) or ‘over’ (only more than the minimum). ‘Up to the maximum’ chooses ‘up to’ or ‘to under’ the maximum. Leave the maximum empty for no ceiling. Use ceilings for tiers that replace each other; rules without one add up.
Working time is the time at work minus unpaid breaks the person may leave for, unless the policy counts the whole shift. Paid breaks and breaks the person can’t leave count as work.
Length#
‘Duration’ — the minutes owed.
‘Minimum block (minutes)’ — lets the break be split into blocks of at least this length. Leave it empty for one continuous break.
‘Is paid’ — whether the break’s minutes are paid time.
Recorded breaks are measured to the second: 29 min 59 s does not meet a 30-minute rule, and the warning says so.
When it must happen#
‘Not before’ — ‘any time’, ‘after hours of work’ (set ‘Earliest start (hours)’) or ‘at a clock time’ (set ‘Trigger fixed time’, on the location’s clock). A break that begins too soon is early.
‘Deadline’ — ‘no deadline’, ‘begins by hours of work’ (‘Latest start (hours)’), ‘over hours before work ends’ (‘Over before work ends (hours)’) or ‘over by a clock time’ (‘Over by (clock time)’, which needs a clock-time start). A break that misses its deadline is late; one beginning exactly at it is on time.
‘Outside its timing’ — ‘flag a break outside it’, or ‘only plan it; don’t flag it’: the planner still places the break in time, but the check doesn’t flag an early or late one.
Every stretch of work#
Set ‘Max stretch (hours)’ to make a stretch rule: no stretch of work may run longer than that without a break of the rule’s length, and the count starts over after every such break. A stretch rule owes the day no minutes of its own. ‘A stretch lasts’ chooses ‘no more than’ the limit or ‘less than’ it, and ‘Ended by’ chooses whether ‘a break of this kind’ or ‘a break of any kind’ ends a stretch.
The recorded check flags each stretch over the limit and names it by its hours on the location’s clock — only on a day with a break long enough to end a stretch, since a day without one is already flagged by its day rule. The planner adds the fewest breaks needed, spread evenly.
Waiver#
Tick ‘Is waivable’ only for a rule the law lets a person waive. ‘Waived’ chooses ‘with the person’s standing agreement’ — recorded on their profile, see Edit a person — or ‘automatically’. ‘Waivable max shift length’ limits the working time a waiver covers, including that maximum. ‘Waiver only after the first meal’ lets the waiver stand only after a full, on-time first meal. A waiver must cover the whole period being checked; granting one during that period doesn’t waive it retroactively.
Standing alone#
‘Must stand alone’ — a break right next to a break of the other kind, or at the start or end of work, doesn’t count.
Which shifts#
‘Shifts’ chooses ‘any shift’, ‘starting between two times’ (‘Shift starts after’ and ‘Shift starts before’) or ‘starting before a time, ending after one’ (‘Shift starts before’, ‘Shift ends after’ or both), on the location’s clock.
A new break under this rule#
‘On standby by default’ and ‘Cannot leave workplace by default’ set how a break of this kind starts when someone punches it. A new break is on standby, or taken without leaving, only when every rule of its kind says so. Whether such a break counts is up to the break policy.
Verify it worked#
Save, then reopen the rule: each question’s ‘Reads as:’ line states what you meant. Open a shift for a person under the rule’s policy — its validation lists the break’s duration and ‘Mandatory’, ‘Waivable’ or ‘Waived’.