Break Planning, the simple way to manage employee meal and rest breaks.
Over the next couple of months we’ll be introducing an exciting new feature, called Break Planning, that will make scheduling and managing employee breaks in Deputy a breeze.
Break Planning will be released in parts to allow you to test and explore this capability in preparation for implementing it with your team.
We’ll be sure to let you know as each piece is released, so keep an eye out for updates.
We also know that while Break Planning is important for some customers, it won’t be relevant for everyone. If this is the case, the only change you’ll notice is an updated add shift window on Web, and slight visual changes to the me tab on Kiosk.
21 August Update: Break Planning is now live on Web and iPad Kiosk! For more information on how to get started, please read on below or check out our Break Planning help documents.
To start using Break Planning on iPad Kiosk, please ensure you have downloaded the latest version of our Kiosk App (4.0).
It’s Time to Get Break Planning Right
We know that managing employee breaks can be a real headache for business owners. From making sure there are no coverage gaps, to meeting complex compliance requirements, it’s hard work for even the most savvy of managers!
That’s why we’ve developed Break Planning, a new feature in Deputy that will make scheduling and managing multiple employee breaks, simply effortless.
Will Break Planning be relevant for me?
In many workplaces, employees are entitled to set break periods, commonly referred to as ‘meal breaks’ (typically longer, unpaid breaks) and ‘rest breaks’ (typically shorter, paid breaks).
There can be complex rules around when these breaks need to be applied to a shift, and in states with strict labor laws, like California and New York, not providing your team with the required breaks can come with a hefty price tag.
If you’re not sure about the break laws that apply in your area, we recommend checking out this guide by the Department of Labor.
Even if you’re not in an area with strict workplace break laws, Deputy’s Break Planning is a great way to organise your team breaks and ensure optimum coverage throughout the day.
Break Planning: A quick overview
Scheduling Breaks
With the introduction of Break Planning, our add shift experience has had a makeover to give you more functionality and flexibility when scheduling breaks.
Most importantly, we’ve also introduced the ability to schedule multiple breaks, and break types, within a single shift. This means you can schedule every meal (unpaid) and rest (paid) break required by your local labor law, and specific start and stop times if required.
To improve coverage planning, we’ve also made a nifty change to scheduling in Day View. The updated planner will provide a bird’s-eye view of the day’s coverage – including when meal and rest breaks have been scheduled for every team member.
This enhanced visibility means any staffing gaps or break overlap can be easily spotted and avoided ahead of time. Coverage planning made easy!
Managing Breaks On-Site
Because busy managers don’t have the time to micromanage employee breaks, Break Planning also includes a bunch of features that allow employees to better self-manage when and how they take breaks during a shift.
Firstly, employees can see all of their scheduled breaks in their personal schedule. They’ll then be able to select which scheduled break they wish to take when clocking out, or start an unscheduled break if one doesn’t exist.
So Break Planning works for the unique compliance requirements of each business, we’ve also added a number of new location settings so you can customize how break planning works for your business.
This includes the ability to prevent employees from clocking back on before their allocated break time is up, preventing employees from clocking on to their shift early, and automatically adding break times to a shift.
To help your employees prepare for change, we’ve put together a quick-read guide for your team that highlights the key differences they need to be aware of. The guide is based on the experience on Kiosk, however it will be similar across all devices.
Break Planning’s on-site features reduce the administration burden on busy managers, and empower employees to self-manage their breaks. A win-win for everybody!
Tracking and Reporting
The final piece Break Planning is the ability to track and report break details, giving you piece of mind for managing any compliance issues that may arise down the line.
Whenever an employee takes a break during shift, start and stop times will be captured in the employee’s timesheet. This means you’ll have a long term record of all breaks, should there be any need to provide attestation in the future.
To help you proactively manage compliance risk, a flag will also show up on the timesheet whenever a scheduled break was not taken in full, or missed altogether.
Sounds Great! So What’s Next?
The first part of Break Planning has landed on iPad Kiosk and Web! You will now be able to start scheduling multiple types of breaks (paid and unpaid) in a single shift, adding start and stop times for breaks, and using our enhanced visual planner to make sure you have optimal coverage throughout the day.
Employees are also able to start self-managing their breaks using the on-site Kiosk or the Web version of Deputy, whichever they prefer.
Soon, Break Planning updates will be available on our iOS and Android Apps, giving managers access to break scheduling on mobile, and employees the ability to seamlessly manage and track their breaks on any device.
The last piece of the puzzle will be the ability to create customised break reports in the report builder, giving you peace of mind that you can provide detailed attestation of compliance across your entire team, for any period of time.