Break Compliance gives you a configurable rule layer for enforcing your company's break policies — automatically flagging missed, short, and late breaks, and optionally hard-blocking early clock-ins where you need the strongest enforcement.
Quick Answer
Break Compliance is built into your existing Break settings — nothing new to install. To turn it on:
Go to Company > Time settings > Policies > Edit policy > Breaks.
Click the pencil icon on a break type and add one or more Break requirements to start flagging Missing, Short, and Late breaks.
Optionally turn on Enforce break lockout to hard-block early clock-ins at Time Clock and Kiosk.
Requires the Performance Plan. Everything is off by default.
What Is Break Compliance?
Break Compliance is one configurable policy layer built on top of your existing Break settings, delivered as two capabilities you can use independently or together:
Detection & Visibility — configure when a break becomes required based on shift length, and Raken automatically flags Missing, Short, and Late breaks across web and mobile, with export to PDF or CSV.
Prevention — hard-block an early clock-in from a short break at Time Clock and Kiosk until the minimum duration has elapsed, with Supervisor Clock as the only override.
A third capability, Automation (automatic deduction of missing breaks), is coming in a future release.
Detection & Visibility
Add one or more Break requirements to any break type — each one sets a shift length after which the break becomes mandatory, and an optional deadline for when it must start. Once a break type has a requirement configured, Raken automatically flags:
Missing Break — a required break was never recorded
Short Break — a break was recorded but ended before the minimum duration
Late Break — a break started after the configured deadline
These alerts show inline on Entries, Summary, and Weekly Grid, on a dedicated Breaks tab on the Issues page, and on mobile — for both supervisors and field workers. See How to Create Breaks for Time Policies in Raken for full setup steps.
Prevention
Turn on Enforce break lockout for a break type to hard-block workers from clocking back in at Time Clock or Kiosk until the break's minimum duration has elapsed. This applies to everyone, including supervisors, at those two entry points. Supervisor Clock is the only override — a supervisor can end a worker's break early from there, with a warning that doing so breaks compliance. Manual and supervisor-entered time cards are not affected by lockout.
Which Capability Fits Your Situation
Your situation | Start with | Why |
Operating in California, New York, Colorado, or another mandatory-break state | Detection | You need to be able to show a break actually happened — Detection creates that record. |
High PAGA exposure or comparing against enterprise time platforms | Detection + Prevention | Detection for the record, Prevention for active enforcement at the punch point. |
Multi-state crews | Detection, scoped by policy | Assign different Time Policies by jurisdiction and configure requirements per policy. |
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Does Break Compliance make my company legally compliant with break laws?
No. Break Compliance is a policy tool — it enforces the rules you configure and creates a record, but it does not determine or guarantee legal compliance. You're responsible for making sure your configured policies reflect the laws that apply to your business.
Does this change how workers clock in and out?
No — clock-in and clock-out are unchanged, and no retraining is required. The only worker-facing change anywhere in Break Compliance is the lockout message at Time Clock or Kiosk, and only if you turn on Enforce break lockout.
Are there pre-built templates for state break laws, like California?
No. There are no pre-built state-law templates. You configure Break requirements to match your own company's policies. This is intentional — see the compliance note above.
Can workers dispute a break alert or a lockout in the app?
No. There's no in-app dispute mechanism. Disputes are handled directly between the worker and their supervisor, who can make corrections through the normal time card edit flow.
What's coming next?
Automation — automatic deduction of missing breaks at save or clock-out — is planned for a future release, aimed at accounts in non-mandatory-break states that want to reduce manual deduction work.
Considerations
Requires the Performance Plan. Everything is off by default.
A break type generates no alerts until it has at least one Break requirement configured.
Break lockout applies to Time Clock and Kiosk only — not manual or supervisor-entered time cards.
This is a policy tool, not a compliance authority — Raken does not determine or guarantee legal compliance with break laws.
Break Alerts cannot be dismissed — the underlying time card must be corrected to clear one.
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More Questions?
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