Purpose
Break rules only work when they are assigned to the right people and reinforced at the right moments. This guide covers assigning break rules (individually and in groups), the employee and manager notification options with their timing, and how edits and deletions behave.
Who can do this: users with permission to manage Time Tracking settings (typically the Employer Admin).
Assigning break rules
Two places, same result:
- On the Break Rule page. The Assignment section assigns the rule to individual employees or a group in one step. You can also remove an assignment there.
- Time Tracking Settings > Employees. Per employee, use the row Actions to assign or remove break rules. An employee can hold several rules, for example one meal and two rest breaks.
Employee notifications
Configure channels (Email / SMS / Push) and lead times per rule:
| Notification | Trigger and timing |
|---|---|
| Break Start reminder | Sent so the full break still fits in the eligibility window: window end − break duration − lead time. Example: window 9:00–2:00, 30-min break, 10-min lead → reminder at 1:20 PM. |
| Break End reminder | Sent before the break's scheduled end: break start + duration − lead time. Example: started 1:30, 30-min, 10-min lead → reminder at 1:50 PM. |
| Missed Break notice | Sent at the end of the eligibility window if the break was never started. |
Each notification's lead-time field accepts whole minutes up to 360 and becomes required once any channel is selected. An invalid value shows "Please enter a whole number up to 360".
Sample tone by channel:
- Email: "You're eligible for Meal Break in next 10 minutes at 01:30 PM. Please take your scheduled break to stay compliant with work hour guidelines."
- SMS: "You are eligible for Meal Break in 10 minutes."
- Push: "Meal Break is about to start — you are eligible for meal break in 10 minutes."
Manager notifications
Missed break alert: when a direct report hasn't started the break by the end of the eligible window, the reporting manager gets a notification (Email/SMS/Push) at window end. Sample email subject: "Alert: Rowan Doe has missed the [Break name]" — body: "Our record indicates that Rowan didn't take the scheduled Meal Break on 09/11/2025 from 01:30 PM to 02:00 PM." SMS and Push carry the same one-line detail.
Expected outcome
- Assigned employees see the rule's breaks as options while punched in; the eligibility windows drive missed-break detection on their entries.
- Reminders fire per the timing formulas above — start reminders early enough for the full break to fit the window, end reminders before the scheduled break end, and missed-break notices (employee and manager) at window end.
Editing break rules
Time Tracking Settings > Break Rules > Actions > Edit. Change eligibility windows, duration, guardrails, missed-break handling, premiums, or attestation. Break Category, Break Type, and the eligibility mode are locked once the rule has time entries.
Note: Saved changes apply going forward. Existing time entries are not reprocessed: past missed, short, and long evaluations and calculated premiums stay exactly as they were. Only entries created or edited after the change use the new rule. This protects historical payroll.
Deleting break rules
Break Rules > Actions > Delete. The rule is unassigned from all employees. As with edits, existing entries are untouched.
Common mistake: Creating a break rule, assigning it on the rule page, and forgetting new hires. Rule assignment is not automatic for employees added later, and an auto-enrolled employee's rules should be checked rather than assumed. Make break-rule assignment part of your employee time tracking setup checklist, or pre-assign it on onboarding's Time Tools page.
Tip: Break-start reminders do more for compliance than missed-break alerts. One prevents, the other reports. Enable start reminders on meal breaks in premium states first.
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