TimeForge Knowledge Base

Add a break to a schedule, such as a lunch or meal break

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In TimeForge, the employee breaks module is a powerful and flexible part of scheduling and attendance tracking in regards to scheduling employee breaks and meal periods. TimeForge breaks are controlled using Break Rules, and after you create an employee schedule, these Break Rules become scheduled employee breaks that can be controlled and monitored using TimeForge Attendance, or with a worksheet and signatures by staff members.

If you are using TimeForge Scheduling, you can add new schedules and breaks for staff members. Setting up employee breaks on your schedule is easy, and here's how it's done.

Open the Schedules tab and select Schedules from the menu.

Edit your schedule

Pick a schedule that you would like to edit.  

You can also add a new schedule to begin adding shifts and breaks for your staff.

Choose an employee and a shift

Pick an employee and a shift to add a break. If there is no shift available already, you may add a new shift.

At the top of the add-edit shift screen, there is a Shift tab and a Breaks tab. Choose the Breaks tab to display scheduled breaks, or schedule new breaks.

If you do not see the Breaks tab, there are no configured Break Rules. TimeForge requires that Break Rules be configured before individual breaks can be laid out for shifts. Setting up Break Rules will allow the TimeForge software to automatically schedule and stagger breaks for staff members.

Add Breaks for the employee's shift

To schedule breaks for the shift, click Add More Breaks.

Set break parameters

Configure the time, the duration, and the type of break that you want for this shift. When you are finished adding breaks for this shift, click the Save button.

How to recreate your breaks

TimeForge can save you time scheduling breaks while you're creating employee schedules. You can set up break rules so that breaks will automatically be created when you're building a schedule. Sometimes you may need to add a break rule, or make changes to a break rule, even after you've already created a schedule. TimeForge allows you to easily update the schedule to reflect your new rules without having to start a new schedule.

Recreating your breaks removes any breaks you manually entered.

Go to the Weekly View and click the title of the schedule.

Then click the Recreate Breaks option.

Click OK when prompted.

Recreating your breaks will undo any manual breaks you added. Only

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