Create a Pay Rule for Multiple Timesheet Breaks

Overview

If your employees are entitled to be paid at different rates or attract penalties if breaks aren’t taken within a certain time during a shift, you can create a Pay Rule to accommodate these requirements using the relevant Break Start Time components. 

If your portal has been configured to allow for multiple breaks to be entered on timesheets, you can select the following components when you configure your rules:

• Break1 Start Time
• Break2 Start Time
• Break3 Start Time

When these components are selected, you’ll be able to define when the condition should apply. 

• For Break1 Start Time, the rule can apply for a defined number of hours before or after the Start of Shift or Start of Day.
• For Break2 Start Time and Break3 Start Time, the rule applies relative to the end of the previous break. 

Example

The following is an example of how a pay rule could be set up to account for multiple breaks. 

An award states that an employee who works more than 5 hours is entitled to at least 1 meal break, and if the employee is required to work through a meal break, they must be paid double time for all time worked until a meal break is allowed.

To configure this in the system, we need to create rules that flag when an employee works more than 5 hours without a break so that the penalty rate can be applied. 

Pay Rule: Apply Base

This rule is to identify the employee’s regular/base pay.

• Condition: Assigned Pay Item | is | Base Hourly
• Action: Assign Pay Item | Base Hourly 1.0 | Base Rate | use Pay Item | Apply to matched blocks | Apply Maximum only

Pay Rule: Break 1

This rule identifies if the start time for an employee’s first break falls more than 5 hours from the start of their shift, and flags the time where no required break has been taken. 

• Condition: 
  • Day of the Week | Equal to | Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
  • Break1 Start Time | Greater Than | 5 | From Start of Shift
• Action:
  • Tag Time as | ‘No Break1 Taken’ | Apply to matched blocks prior to break

Pay Rule: Break 2 

This rule flags any time that falls more than 5 hours from the end of the employee’s first break.  

• Condition: 
  • Day of the Week | Equal to | Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
  • Break2 Start Time | Greater Than | 5 | From End of last break
• Action:
  • Tag Time as | ‘No Break2 Taken’ | Apply to matched blocks prior to break

Pay Rule: Break 3 

This rule flags any time that falls more than 5 hours from the end of the employee’s second break.  

• Condition: 
  • Day of the Week | Equal to | Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
  • Break3 Start Time | Greater Than | 5 | From End of last break
• Action:
  • Tag Time as | ‘No Break3 Taken’ | Apply to matched blocks prior to break

We then need to create rules to allocate the double time pay item for any time blocks where a break hasn’t been taken within the required amount of time from either the start of the shift or since the end of the previous break. 

Pay Rule: Action Tag Break 1

• Condition:
  • Day of the Week | Equal to | Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
  • Tagged | has Tag | ‘No Break1 taken’
• Action: Assign Pay Item | Pay Item = OT x 2.0 | Base Rate | use Pay Item | Apply to matched block only | Apply Maximum only

Pay Rule: Action Tag Break 2

• Condition:
  • Day of the Week | Equal to | Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
  • Tagged | has Tag | ‘No Break2 taken’
• Action: Assign Pay Item | Pay Item = OT x 2.0 | Base Rate | use Pay Item | Apply to matched block only | Apply Maximum only

Pay Rule: Action Tag Break 3

• Condition:
  • Day of the Week | Equal to | Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
  • Tagged | has Tag | ‘No Break1 taken’
• Action: Assign Pay Item | Pay Item = OT x 2.0 | Base Rate | use Pay Item | Apply to matched block only | Apply Maximum only