Breaks form

This form can be opened from the Settings task group or by selecting FORM | OTHER FORMS | BREAKS from the menu.

When the form opens you will see a tab at the top for each Labor category that has been defined under the LABOR CATEGORIES form. These tabs allow you to easily identify and move between forms.

As the Breaks forms are connected to the Labor categories you cannot add or remove break forms; they are added and removed when the matching Labor category is added or removed.

Purpose of the Breaks form

Use the Breaks form to specify the breaks that your employees are entitled to and whether or not the breaks are paid.

Breaks are associated with Labor categories, since employees in one labor category may be entitled to different breaks than other labor categories. For example, managers may be entitled to paid breaks while regular employees' breaks are unpaid. Likewise, in some areas, younger employees are entitled to more, or longer, breaks due to their age.

Adding or modifying entries

To Add a new entry to an existing form, click in the top row labeled Click here to add a new row and enter the following information for each break:

• Name: enter a name for the break; this can be up to 25 characters and is used to specify the break on the Break report.
• Start length: enter the shortest shift length that this break will apply to.
• Finish length: enter the longest shift length that is entitled to this break.
• Break length: enter, in minutes, the length of break that will be assigned to anyone working the shift lengths listed.
• Paid: a checkmark in the paid box indicates that this is a paid break; if the break is unpaid, leave the box unchecked; this information is used for statistics.

After you have entered your information, you save it by moving to a different row or by selecting the button at the bottom of the screen.

Modify an entry

To make a change to any information on this form, click inside the field that you want to change, make your change, and then save it by moving off the row or by selecting the button at the bottom of the screen.

Delete an entry

To remove an entry from this form, simply click inside the row that you want to remove and press the button at the bottom of the screen.

Cancel/undo a change

You cannot undo a change after it has been saved. If you are making a change and decide you want to cancel it press the button at the bottom of the screen. 

Defining breaks

You may enter as many different types of breaks as needed for each labor category. In the sample Breaks form below, anyone who works a shift that is less than 4 hours in length is not entitled to any breaks. Employees assigned to shifts that are from 4 to 4.5 hours in length are entitled to a 15-minute paid break. Employees assigned to shifts that are from 5 to 8 hours in length are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid break. Employees assigned to shifts that are from 7 hours up to 8 hours are also entitled to an additional 20 minute unpaid break.

 

If you are not sure that you have set this form up correctly, generate a schedule and then edit a single day to ensure that there is at least one shift of every possible shift length that you use. Then review the Break report for that day to make sure that it shows the breaks that you are expecting.

Advanced breaks

If you are not required to give breaks based on the time of day then you should ignore the Advanced breaks settings form; leave it blank.

In some jurisdictions, breaks are given to employees based on the time of day and not on the length of their shift. To accommodate this situation, use the Advanced form, which is accessible by clicking the Advanced button at the bottom of the Breaks form.

For example, if you are required to give all employees who work early in the morning a 15-minute paid break, no matter how long or short their shift is, you would setup the Advanced form as shown below.

Notice that this 15-minute paid break applies to all shifts between 2 and 10 hours in length but only if they fall between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM All Advanced breaks are calculated in addition to any breaks defined on the main Breaks form.