Paid Breaks: configuration and visualization in working time tracking

What is this feature?

Beam allows you to define, shift by shift, whether a planned break is paid — meaning its duration counts as effective working time, even though the employee is away from their post.

Until now, any clock-out punch would automatically deduct from effective working time, making it impossible to track paid breaks. With the new logic, Beam checks the break definition in the shift before applying any deduction to the working time counter.

Prerequisites

• Time clock module activated on the account
• Manager / store manager profile with access to scheduling

Part 1 — Scheduling: defining whether a break is paid

When creating or editing a shift, you can specify for each planned break whether it is paid or unpaid.

? Scheduling → Shift detail → Break

Enable the "Paid break" option on the shift's break.

[Screenshot: shift edit form with the break field and the "Paid" toggle enabled]

This setting applies shift by shift — each shift can have a break with different behavior depending on the needs of the day or the employee.

Part 2 — Configuring the tolerance margin

Beam applies a tolerance margin to the break duration to absorb small deviations without generating excess. If the break taken does not exceed the authorized duration plus this margin, the break balance is neutral and nothing is deducted from the counter.

This parameter is configured in:

? Calendar settings → Punches → Incidents & Rounding

The configuration is highly granular: there are independent parameters for short breaks and long breaks. The threshold between the two is defined in the same screen (default: a break is long if its duration is ≥ 15 minutes). For each break type, the tolerance for Start, End, and Duration can be configured independently, as well as whether Beam sends a notification to the manager or automatically adjusts the punch.

Paid breaks are typically short breaks, so the most relevant parameter in this context is the short break tolerance.

[Screenshot: "Incidents & Rounding" section with the Short break and Long break rows and their respective configuration fields]

Part 3 — Viewing the result in the shift detail

Once punches are recorded, the shift detail displays in the BREAK section the actual impact on the working time calculation, along with the EFFECTIVE WORKING TIME block reflecting the overall result for the shift.

The section shows:

• Planned — break duration defined in the shift
• Taken — actual duration recorded by the time clock
• Result label — indicates how much time is effectively paid (e.g. "10m paid ✓")

[Screenshot: BREAK section with "XM PAID" chip, Planned vs. Taken bars and result label]

The three possible scenarios

Scenario 1 — Break taken is shorter than planned

The employee took less break time than authorized. Beam displays the actual time taken with the label "Xm paid ✓", without generating any discrepancy. Effective working time is not affected and the shift difference is 0m.

[Screenshot: BREAK section with "10M PAID" chip, short green bar proportional to the actual time taken, and EFFECTIVE WORKING TIME block with Difference 0m]

Scenario 2 — Break taken within the tolerance margin

The employee took a break equal to or slightly longer than planned, within the configured tolerance margin. No excess is generated: the label displays the planned time as paid time and the shift balance is 0m ✓.

[Screenshot: full green bar with label "Xm paid ✓" and Difference 0m]

Scenario 3 — Break taken with excess beyond the margin

The employee exceeded the authorized duration plus the tolerance margin. The display shows the authorized paid portion (in green) and the unpaid excess (in orange). This excess is deducted from the shift's effective working time.

[Screenshot: green + orange bar with label "Xm excess" and negative Difference in the EFFECTIVE WORKING TIME block]

Summary of the three scenarios

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I don't enable "Paid break" on the shift? The break is treated as a standard clock-out and the entire time taken is deducted from effective working time, regardless of its duration.

Is the tolerance margin the same for all shifts? The tolerance margin is a global calendar parameter that applies to all shifts in that schedule. It can be configured granularly for short breaks and long breaks independently.

Can there be multiple breaks in a single shift? Yes. Each break is evaluated independently and the total break balance is the sum of all excess time generated across the shift.

What happens if the employee doesn't punch their break? If no break punches are recorded, Beam cannot calculate the time taken. In that case, the planned break is not deducted from the counter and the shift is evaluated solely on the basis of the clock-in and clock-out punches.

? Questions? Contact the Beam support team.