Assign Breaks Rule
The Assign Breaks Rule is used to assign breaks to eligible work details and highlight, on the timesheet, when employees take long or short breaks.
Technical Details
com.workbrain.app.ta.quickrules.AssignBreakRule
Overview
The Assign Breaks Rule assigns break attributes, including a time code, hour type, and any specified labor metrics, to eligible work details on employees’ timesheets.
The rule’s configuration controls which work details are eligible to be assigned the break attributes. You can base eligibility on the work detail’s time code and duration.
When the rule finds an eligible work detail, the rule overwrites the detail’s time code and hour type with the specified break parameters. You can configure the rule to limit the number or the amount (in minutes) of breaks the rule assigns. This parameter lets you limit the amount of paid breaks the rule assigns or mark the timesheets of employees who have been on too many breaks or longer breaks than expected.
You can also configure the rule to mark the timesheets of employees who take long breaks or return from their breaks early, with specific time codes, for reporting purposes.
Rule Parameters
Parameters marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
Break Eligibility parameters:
These parameters define what work details are eligible to be assigned break attributes.
| Parameter | Description | Valid Values |
|---|---|---|
| *Time codes eligible for assigned break | Select the time codes that mark work details as eligible
for break attributes. The rule only assigns breaks to work details with the
specified time codes. Leave as is, and the rule only assigns breaks to work details with the UAT time code. |
Any valid time code |
| Minimum Eligible Break Duration | Specify the minimum duration, in minutes, a work detail
must be to be eligible for a break assignment. If two or more eligible work details are adjacent to one another, the rule counts them as a single span of time, eligible for a break assignment. The total duration of all adjacent, eligible details is compared to the Minimum Eligible Break Duration parameter. By default, this duration is 0. |
Any positive integer |
| Maximum Eligible Break Duration | Specify the maximum duration, in minutes, a work detail
must be to be eligible for a break assignment. If two or more eligible work details are adjacent to one another, the rule counts them as a single span of time, eligible for a break assignment. The total duration of all adjacent, eligible details is compared to the Maximum Eligible Break Duration parameter. By default, this duration is 9999. |
Any positive integer |
| *Maximum Number of Breaks | Specify the maximum number of breaks employees are
allowed on any given day. The rule takes into account the number of existing
break details (details with a break time code, such as BRK) and does not
assign any breaks beyond this number, even if there are more eligible work
details. The rule considers any work detail with a time code that has the Is BRK check box selected on the related configuration page as a break. |
Any positive integer |
| *Maximum Break Minutes | This parameter defines the maximum amount (in minutes)
of breaks employees are allowed on any given work summary day. Select one of
two options:
The rule takes into account the duration of existing break details and does not assign breaks beyond this duration, even if there are more eligible work details. The rule considers any work detail with a time code that has the Is BRK check box selected on the related configuration page as a break. If the maximum duration is met while partially filling an eligible break detail, the first part of the detail is assigned as a break, and any time beyond the maximum duration is not changed. For example, if the rule can assign an additional 15 minutes of break and finds a 30-minute eligible work detail, only the first 15 minutes are assigned break attributes. |
One of the options. If Use minute duration is selected, specify any positive integer, representing minutes. |
| Break Reset Description | This parameter defines what time codes (if any) reset
the count of both the maximum number of breaks and break minutes. Specify a comma-separated list of time codes and a duration, in minutes, such as GAP=120. If the rule finds any of the specified time codes recorded on a timesheet with an equal to or greater duration, the rule resets both the count of breaks and the number of break minutes to zero. This rule effectively divides a day into independent periods of time, when determining if the maximum number of breaks or break minutes have been reached. |
A comma-separated list of tokens. Tokens can be any valid time code followed by = and a whole, positive number representing a duration in minutes. |
Break Configuration parameters:
These parameters define the breaks, the expected break length, and the time codes for long breaks.
| Parameter | Description | Valid Values |
|---|---|---|
| *Break Time Code | Select the break time code the rule inserts on eligible work details, when assigning breaks. | Any valid, break time code. Break time codes are any time codes with the Is BRK check box selected on the related configuration page. |
| *Break Hour Type | Select the hour type the rule inserts on eligible work details, when assigning breaks. | Any valid hour type |
| *Standard Break Duration | Specify the standard or expected break length, in minutes. This parameter is used by the rule to determine when a break is long or short. |
Any positive integer, representing minutes. If the Minimum Eligible Break Duration and the Maximum Eligible Break Duration parameters have values, then this value must be between those values. |
| Long Break Time Code | Specify a time code to configure the rule to mark the
timesheets of employees who took longer than expected breaks. The rule
inserts the specified time code during eligible work details, when the
detail is longer than the value of the Standard Break Duration parameter. If left blank, the rule does not change eligible work details beyond the Standard Break Duration when inserting breaks. |
Any valid time code |
| Extra Long Break Time Code | Specify a time code to configure the rule to mark the
timesheets of employees who took extra long breaks. The rule inserts the
specified time code during eligible work details, when the detail is longer
than the value of the Standard Break Duration parameter plus the value of
the Extra Long Break Threshold. So, if the Standard Break Duration parameter is 30 minutes, and the Extra Long Break Threshold is also 30, and an employee records an eligible work detail of 80 minutes (longer than 30+30 = 60 minutes), the last 50 minutes are marked with the Extra Long Break Time Code. The rule marks any eligible work details that are longer than the Standard Break Duration but not by the Extra Long Break Threshold, with the Long Break Time Code. So, in the above example, for a break of 45 minutes, the last 15 minutes are marked with the Long Break Time Code. If left blank and the Long Break Time Code parameter is also blank, the rule does not change eligible work details beyond the Standard Break Duration when inserting breaks. |
Any valid time code |
| Extra Long Break Threshold | Specify the number of minutes breaks must exceed the Standard Break Duration value by, to be considered extra long breaks. | Any positive integer, representing minutes |
Break & Long Break Labor Settings parameters (click '+' to expand):
These parameters define what labor metrics breaks are recorded against. By default, the labor metrics specified in the employee's default labor allocation are used.
| Parameter | Description | Valid Values |
|---|---|---|
| Assign Labor From | This parameter determines what labor metrics to apply
to the eligible work details when the rule assigns breaks. Select one of
these options:
You can configure the rule to override one or all of the labor metrics using the Assign Manual Labor Settings parameters. |
One of the drop-down list selections |
Assign Manual Labor Settings parameters:
These parameters determine the break's labor metrics. If any of the Assign Manual Labor Settings parameters are populated, the selections override the labor metric provided by the option selected in the Assign Labor From drop-down list.
| Parameter | Description | Valid Values |
|---|---|---|
| Job | This parameter determines what job is inserted when the rule inserts breaks. Select a job or leave blank to use the employee's default labor allocation. | Blank or any valid job |
| Department | This parameter determines what department is inserted when the rule inserts breaks. Select a department or leave blank to use the employee's default labor allocation. | Blank or any valid department |
| Project | This parameter determines what project is inserted when the rule inserts breaks. Select a project or leave blank to use the employee's default labor allocation | Blank or any valid project |
| Docket | This parameter determines what docket is inserted when the rule inserts breaks. Select a docket or leave blank to use the employee's default labor allocation | Blank or any valid docket |
| Quantity | Specify the break's quantity value. If left blank, the quantity value defaults to the application value for a null quantity. |
Any valid quantity. |
Return to Work Early Configuration parameters:
These parameters define what time code the rule inserts during eligible work details when an employee returns to work early.
| Parameter | Description | Valid Values |
|---|---|---|
| Short Break Time Code | Specify a time code to configure the rule to mark the
timesheets of employees who took shorter than expected breaks. The rule
inserts the specified time code after assigned breaks, when the eligible
detail is shorter than the value of the Standard Break Duration parameter.
The amount of time marked with the Short Break Time Code is the amount the break was short by. The amount is the Standard Break Duration value, minus the duration of the eligible work detail. So, if the Standard Break Duration is 30 minutes, and an employee records 15 minutes of eligible work details, the rule inserts a 15 minute break in the eligible work details and marks the next 15 minutes (30-15 = 15) with the Short Break Time Code. If left blank, the rule does not change eligible work details for shorter breaks. If the rule inserts a Short Break Time Code, the rule does not change the labor metrics of the work details. Also, the rule does not insert the Short Break Time Code, if a short eligible work detail is followed by a work detail marked with a GAP time code or another break. |
Any valid time code. |
| Extra Short Break Time Code | Specify a time code to configure the rule to mark the
timesheets of employees who took extra short breaks. The rule inserts the
specified time code after assigned breaks, when the eligible detail is
shorter than the value of the Standard Break Duration by at least the value
of the Extra Short Break Threshold. So, if the Standard Break Duration parameter is 60 minutes, and the Extra Short Break Threshold is 30, the rule marks the timesheet of any employee who returns to work 30 minutes (or earlier) before the 60 minute break is up. This parameter means that for an employee who records an eligible work detail of 15 minutes, the rule inserts the Extra Short Break Time Code. On the employee's timesheet the next 45 minutes (the Standard Break Duration of 60 minus the eligible work detail length of 15) are marked with the Extra Long Break Time Code. The rule marks any eligible work details that are shorter than the Standard Break Duration but not by the Extra Short Break Threshold, with the Short Break Time Code. So, in the above example, for a break of 45 minutes, the next 15 minutes are marked with the Short Break Time Code. If left blank and the Short Break Time Code parameter is also blank, the rule does not change eligible work details for shorter breaks. |
Any valid time code. |
| Extra Short Break Threshold | Specify the number of minutes breaks must be shorter than the Standard Break Duration value by, to be considered extra short breaks. | Any positive integer, representing minutes. |