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Break Management

Break Tracking & Compliance

Set a break rule once for each location, and every shift you create there gets its breaks automatically, with every break included in your payroll export.

10 min read
5 Steps to Setup
Compliance Management

Enable Break Tracking

2 minutes

Navigate to Settings

In the left sidebar, click "Settings"

  • • Scroll down to the "Feature Toggles" section
  • • Look for "Enable Break Tracking" checkbox
  • • This toggle controls automatic break application across your organization

Turn on break tracking

Check the "Enable Break Tracking" box.

  • • Helper text: "Automatically add breaks to shifts based on location-specific labor laws"
  • • A blue info box appears with a link to configure break rules
  • • Click "Configure Break Rules →" to set up your first rules

Create Break Rules

3 minutes

Open the Break Rules Library

From Settings, click "Configure Break Rules" or navigate to Settings > Break Rules.

  • • Page title: "Break Rules Library"
  • • Description: "Create break rules once, then assign them to multiple locations"
  • • Click the "+ Create Break Rule" button in the top right

Fill in break rule details

Complete the break rule form with required information.

  • • Break Name: Descriptive name like "California 30-min Meal Break" or "15-min Rest Break"
  • • Type: Choose PAID or UNPAID (note: UNPAID breaks are deducted from labor costs)
  • • After how many hours worked: Enter minimum shift hours (e.g., "4" means applies to shifts ≥ 4 hours)
  • • Duration in minutes: How long the break lasts (e.g., 30 for a half-hour break)

Example break rules

Common break rule configurations:

  • • 30-min Meal Break: UNPAID, 30 minutes, after 6 hours (California-style)
  • • 15-min Rest Break: PAID, 15 minutes, after 4 hours
  • • Lunch Break: UNPAID, 60 minutes, after 5 hours

Assign Rules to Locations

2 minutes

Assign during creation

When creating a new rule, you can assign it to locations immediately.

  • • In the create modal, scroll to "Assign to Locations (Optional)"
  • • Check the boxes for each location that should use this rule
  • • Multiple locations can share the same rule
  • • You can also skip this step and assign later

Assign to existing rules

For rules already created, use the "Assign to Locations" button.

  • • Find the break rule in your library
  • • Click "Assign to Locations" button on the rule card
  • • A modal opens showing all available locations with checkboxes
  • • Already-assigned locations are pre-checked
  • • Click "Save Assignments" to apply changes

View and remove assignments

See where each rule is assigned and make changes.

  • • Each rule card shows "Assigned to X location(s)"
  • • Location names appear as tags with location pin icon
  • • Click the "×" button on a location tag to unassign the rule
  • • Unassigning removes the rule from that location only

How Breaks Apply Automatically

1 minute

Automatic application during shift creation

When you create a shift, matching break rules are automatically applied.

  • • System calculates shift duration in hours
  • • Finds all break rules assigned to the shift's location
  • • Applies rules where shift duration ≥ minHours threshold
  • • Multiple break rules can apply to a single shift

Example scenario

How break rules work in practice:

  • • You create an 8-hour shift at "Downtown Store"
  • • Downtown Store has two rules: "15-min Rest" (after 4 hours) and "30-min Meal" (after 6 hours)
  • • Both rules automatically apply because 8 hours ≥ 4 hours and 8 hours ≥ 6 hours
  • • The shift now has two breaks: 15-minute paid break + 30-minute unpaid meal break

What doesn't happen

Important limitations to understand:

  • • Employees cannot start/stop breaks themselves (no real-time tracking)
  • • No enforcement of break timing during the shift
  • • No alerts for missed or late breaks
  • • Breaks are for scheduling and payroll calculation only

View Breaks in Payroll

2 minutes

How breaks affect labor costs

UNPAID breaks are deducted from hours worked for payroll.

  • • UNPAID breaks: Deducted from total hours worked (reduces labor costs)
  • • PAID breaks: Not deducted from hours worked (included in labor costs)
  • • This keeps the hours you send to payroll accurate

View in payroll exports

Break information appears in your payroll export files.

  • • Go to the Workforce Insights tab in the left menu, then click "Payroll", then "Export"
  • • Export your payroll data (CSV format)
  • • Break Start and Break End columns show break times
  • • Hours Worked column already reflects break deductions

Example calculation

See how break deductions work:

  • • Employee works 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (8 hours)
  • • Has a 30-minute UNPAID meal break
  • • Hours Worked shown in payroll: 7.5 hours (8 hours - 0.5 hours)
  • • PAID breaks would not be deducted from the 8 hours

Ready to Stop Adding Breaks by Hand?

Write each break rule once and XShift AI adds it to every shift long enough to need it, the moment the shift is created. If adding breaks to a shift by hand takes you one minute and you build 200 shifts a month, that is over 3 hours a month back, and every break is already in your payroll export.

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Employee Break Tracking & Compliance Management | XShift AI