Meal & Unpaid Breaks

Overview

The Break shift type allows you to schedule meal breaks or rest periods directly into a Support Worker’s roster. Breaks can be set as one-off or set to recur on a schedule, helping ensure accurate timekeeping and clear rostering. You can plan breaks in advance for up to 12 months, choose specific days, and set recurrence intervals such as daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly.

How to Add a Break

Go to Scheduling from the left-hand menu and click Add Shift.

Choose type, Select Break.

Select the Support Worker who will take the break.

Add details Enter any notes or instructions in Break details.

Set date and time. Use the date and time picker to set the start and finish.

Set recurrence (optional)

• Choose to repeat daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly
• Pick the specific days the break repeats on
• Set an end date
• You can roster breaks up to 12 months in advance

Review and click Create to add the break to the roster.

Break Example

The image below shows a break inserted between two supports. Breaks appear on the schedule in green, making them easy to identify at a glance.

Adding a Break from Within a Support

You can add a meal break directly while viewing a support. To do this:

• Open the support

• Select the three dots next to the Support Worker's name, and click Add Break

• Choose the break type, duration, whether it is paid, and whether it applies to this shift only or to this and all future shifts, and then click Create

• The break will then appear on the support, as shown in the example below.

Meal breaks are based on duration rather than a set time, giving flexibility for the break to be taken at the most suitable point during the shift. This same process applies to both 1:1 Shifts and Group Shifts.

Removing a Meal Break

To remove a meal break, click on the "X" next to the break. This will delete it from the support.

Meal breaks will also be automatically deleted when shifts are unassigned.

Unpaid Breaks

You can also schedule unpaid meal breaks to ensure accurate award interpretation. Unlike a break added within a support, an unpaid break is its own shift on the roster that the support worker clocks in and out of.

Creating an Unpaid Break

To create an unpaid meal break, head to the Schedule page and click Add Shift, then choose the Unpaid Break option.

Unpaid breaks will then appear on the Schedule as shown below.

Important Considerations

• Unpaid breaks need to be clocked in and out of just like any other shift. However, they will be automatically clocked in and out when an adjacent shift is clocked out or in.
• Unpaid breaks need to be approved, but will be auto-approved in line with your auto-approval thresholds.