Plan meal & rest breaks without breaking coverage
Put breaks inside the roster builder so coverage never suffers. Add meal and rest breaks to each shift, stagger them to maintain service levels, and publish with confidence knowing your Fair Work break rules and internal policies are respected.
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Break rules and warnings built in
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See headcount while planning to avoid downtime
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Add/stagger breaks as you schedule
How break planning works
RosterElf lets you schedule breaks directly in the roster builder, showing real-time headcount so you can stagger meal and rest breaks without leaving gaps in coverage.
Add breaks to shifts
Attach meal and rest breaks to any shift with a few clicks. Set duration, paid or unpaid status, and timing all in one place.
See live headcount
Watch staff numbers update in real time as you plan breaks, ensuring you never drop below minimum coverage at any point.
Support your compliance efforts
Built-in rules check breaks against Fair Work requirements and your internal policies, warning you before issues arise.
Break planning in the roster builder
Add meal & rest breaks with a click
Plan breaks at the same time you plan shifts. Add one or more break blocks (paid or unpaid), set durations, and duplicate across days with Copy Last Week or templates.
Breaks stay attached to the shift, so managers and staff see exactly when to go on break—right from the roster.
Stagger breaks to keep service levels high
See headcount by time and avoid gaps
Use the coverage view to see how many people are on the floor at any moment. Stagger breaks to smooth peaks, and if a gap appears, post an Open Shift or use Perfect Match™ AI to suggest the best replacement.
Built-in warnings flag risky patterns (e.g., too many people on break at once) before you publish.
Award-aware break rules and alerts
Build schedules that pass compliance checks
Configure your break rules by role/site—minimum break lengths, timing windows, rest between shifts and more.
RosterElf checks suggestions and edits against these rules and surfaces real-time warnings (missing/short breaks, back-to-back issues), helping you publish break-safe rosters with confidence.
Track breaks exactly as they happen
Compare scheduled vs recorded breaks
When staff clock in/out for breaks on mobile, scheduled vs actual is captured on the timesheet.
Exceptions are highlighted for manager review before export to payroll—keeping your records accurate and your team accountable without manual reconciliation.
6 reasons to plan breaks in your roster
Maintain coverage at all times
See exactly how many staff are on the floor at any moment, even during break times, so you never leave customers waiting.
Support fair work compliance
Built-in rules ensure breaks meet award requirements, reducing the risk of compliance breaches and penalties.
Save scheduling time
Plan breaks as you build the roster instead of managing them separately—everything stays in one view.
Catch issues before publishing
Warnings alert you to missing breaks, overlapping rest periods, or coverage gaps before the roster goes live.
Fair break distribution
Spread breaks evenly across the team so everyone gets their entitled rest without overloading any single period.
Accurate payroll calculations
Paid and unpaid breaks are tracked correctly from the start, flowing through to timesheets and payroll without manual adjustments.
What is break planning?
Break planning is the process of scheduling meal breaks, rest breaks, and other paid or unpaid time off within employee shifts. Rather than leaving breaks to chance or managing them after the fact, effective break planning builds them into the roster from the start—supporting compliance with workplace laws, maintaining adequate staffing levels, and giving employees predictable rest times throughout their shifts.
Frequently asked questions
- Set break rules in your account settings to define minimum break lengths, timing requirements, and paid/unpaid status by role or site. Configure Fair Work-compliant breaks for each employment type, and RosterElf will automatically check rosters against these rules before publishing.
- Staff use the time clock app on mobile or web to clock start/end of breaks with a single tap. Breaks are tracked against scheduled times, exceptions are flagged automatically, and all data flows to timesheets for payroll reconciliation without manual entry.
- Run break compliance reports to see which shifts have scheduled breaks, actual break times taken, and any missing or non-compliant breaks. Filter by date, site, role, or employee to identify patterns and address issues before they become problems.
- Paid breaks are included in labour cost calculations and reports automatically. See total wage costs by shift, day, or week including break time, and compare rostered vs actual break costs to identify budget variances. Unpaid breaks are tracked but excluded from wage totals.
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Join 30,000+ Australian businesses using RosterElf to plan breaks and maintain coverage without the guesswork. Designed for Australian businesses.