1. On the Schedule page, create a new shift or edit an existing one.

2. Once you have set the start and finish time of the shift, you can set the number of minutes you would like the Meal Break (unpaid) and/or Rest Break (paid) to go for. 

You can also:

• add any additional breaks you need by clicking Add break.
• change the type of break by clicking on it and selecting the break type you require from the drop-down selection.
• set a default shift break length

3. To schedule the times you would like the team member to take the break just click on Set time.

4. Select from the drop-down or type the time you would like the team member to start each break or select unscheduled if you have changed your mind and prefer to let the team member choose their own break start time.

Delete any breaks you no longer need by clicking the Trash icon.

5. Don't forget to click Save before you close the popup and then publish your shift.

If you add a start/end time to your breaks, you can change your Schedule view to see how this affects your team's schedule and ensure you have sufficient coverage throughout the day.

To view the breaks on a schedule, simply change your Schedule view to either View: Area | Day or View: Employee | Day using the view selector.

Team Members can start and stop their breaks in the same way they start and stop their shifts.

They can do this by logging into any of these Deputy products and clicking or tapping on the Start Break button on the Home tab:

Deputy web application

Deputy mobile app

For more assistance with starting and stopping breaks please read How to Start and End your Break.

How to amend breaks when approving timesheets

Breaks will appear in their respective break types within the Timesheet Approval section.

From here, you can confirm and edit break lengths and the times they were taken. You can also add additional breaks if necessary. Approve the timesheet if everything is correct.

If a break is planned and the employee does not start the break themselves before the shift is over, the timesheet will be ‘flagged’, which will mark the discrepancy between scheduled shift break and the time taken for the break.

In the example screenshot below, the employee appears to have taken a 15 minute break when they were assigned 30 minutes.

If the timesheet is approved, this will appear in the Timesheet Summary, with a detailed explanation of the issue.

Please note, if you have the ‘Auto-approve’ timesheet extension turned on and there are flags in your timesheet, they will not auto-approve, as there may be an issue that requires your attention.

We've called our breaks Lunch and Rest break but your organisation might call breaks some other name specific to your industry.

To change the names of your breaks, click on the drop-down menu on the top right-hand corner of Deputy, then click Business Settings.

On the Custom Terms tab, you can change the Meal (unpaid) and Rest (paid) break to a term more familiar to your organisation.

Don't forget to click Apply Changes before you close the modal window.

To help ensure Break Planning works for the unique requirements of each business, there are a series of settings that allow you to control elements of the Break Planning experience by each Location in your organisation.

To configure these settings, go to the Locations tab and click Edit Settings for the location you would like to edit.

Follow the pathways described below to configure the following settings:

Default Break Length

Go to: Locations > Edit Settings > Scheduling > Basic Settings

This is will set the duration in minutes of the default (unpaid) meal break when new shifts are created. You can still edit the break duration when you schedule the shift.

Go to: Locations > Edit Settings > Timesheets > Team Member Permissions

Enabling this will allow team members to end their break early. Disabling this will block team members from ending their break early (based on scheduled break duration).

Go to: Locations > Edit Settings > Timesheets > Timesheet Approving

You can turn on Break time rounding and set the amount of time you wish to round to where the team member clocked outside the scheduled time.

Note: Deputy recommends against using this feature to round employee break time in the US, as some states do not permit this.

Go to: Locations > Edit Settings > Timesheets > Breaks

Enabling this will automatically add any breaks (not taken by a team member by the end of the shift) to their timesheet. The suggested break duration will be based on the team member's schedule.

Note: If you have not enabled the ability for team members to amend their timesheets then they will not be able to remove these breaks when clocking out.

Disabling this will NOT automatically add any scheduled breaks at the end of the shift.

Go to: Locations > Edit Settings > Timesheets > Breaks

In Approve Timesheets, there will be timesheet warnings displayed for missed breaks and if breaks are shorter in duration than scheduled.

To make break planning a little easier for businesses operating in States with strict break laws, we’ve built shift templates to provide a guide for break requirements. To date we have templates for the following states:

• Massachusetts
• California
• Washington
• Oregon

When applied, these templates will automatically add meal and rest breaks to all new shifts created. These templates should only serve as a guide only, however, and you should always consult local workplace legislation for the most accurate legal break requirements.

To set shift templates, System Administrators should go to Business Settings.

Under the Schedule tab, select Shift Templates.

Here you will see a list of our current shift templates. To apply a template to your account, click the magnifying glass icon that corresponds to the template you would like to apply. In the screenshots below, we’ll be applying the California template.

In the window that follows, click the Default button.

You’ll receive a confirmation message stating that the template has been applied.

Next, click on the pen and paper icon next to the California template to edit the record.

Next, scroll to the very bottom of this screen and select a check box for all locations and areas in your organisation that you wish the shift template to be applied to.

Do NOT make any other edits to this template.

When you have finished, scroll back to the top of the page and click on Save this Shift Template before you close the window.

Now, when you create a shift in the Schedule tab, you’ll notice that recommended breaks will automatically populate based on the template you have applied.

While these break templates have been built to reflect local break requirements, they should serve as a guide only. Please refer to your local workplace break law for the most accurate and current break requirements.