Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks for clock-in employees on timesheets

Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks, timesheet breaks, clock in employees

The Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks feature is designed to enhance timesheet accuracy by automatically populating work pattern break durations for clock-in/out employees. This functionality provides consistency in tracking break times while allowing for exceptions at the employee level.

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What Does the Feature Do?

When enabled, HRLocker will automatically populate break durations into timesheets based on the employee’s assigned work pattern.

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How to Enable Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks

Step 1: Enable at the Office Level

1. Navigate to Settings<Office

2. Select Office Time On Settings.

3. Under the Timesheets section, find the checkbox:
   Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks.

4. Check the box to activate the feature.

5. Once checked, a dropdown will appear prompting you to select a day of the week for the function to run (e.g., Monday). The nightly function will run on the selected day.

6. Save your changes.

   Example:
   If "Monday" is selected, the nightly function will populate break durations for the previous 7 days.

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Step 2: Configure Employee Exceptions

For flexibility, you can exclude specific employees from this feature.

1. Go to the Employee Directory and select the employee.
2. Under the Use Clock In/Out section, find the checkbox:
   Disable Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks.
3. Check this box to exclude the employee from the auto-fill function.
   Note: If Clock In/Out is disabled for an employee, this setting will not be visible, and breaks will not be auto-populated for them.

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How Breaks Are Populated

Break durations will populate according to the following rules:

 

Break Population Rules

• Existing Break Entry:
  If a break entry exists, it is overridden by the work pattern break duration.
  • If an employee has clocked in and out for their break, it will be overridden by the work pattern break duration.
• No Break Entry:
  If no break entry exists, it is populated with the work pattern duration.
• Non-Working Days:
  Breaks are not updated on non-working days as per the employee’s work pattern.

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How Timesheets Are Updated

• The nightly function saves timesheets automatically after updating break durations.
• Updated break durations will be immediately visible in the timesheet.

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Logs

• Changes made by the Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks feature are recorded in the timesheet logs.

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Handling Exceptions and Manual Edits

• Missing Entries:
  If a Start or End Time is missing, the break will not be auto-populated for that day. If Start and End Times are added after the nightly function runs, the break must be manually updated.

• Manual Edits by Admins:

  • Breaks edited manually before the nightly function will be overridden when the function runs.
  • Breaks edited manually after the nightly function will remain unchanged. 

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FAQs

1. What happens if the employee's work pattern changes?

The updated work pattern will apply to the future but will not retroactively update previous approved timesheets.

2. Will this feature impact approved timesheets?

No, the feature only updates timesheets in the Submitted or Unsubmitted statuses.

4. Do breaks populate for holidays or sick days?

If the employee has worked part of these days and have a start and an end time, then the break will auto-populate. If the break needs to be adjusted, then the relevant timesheet approver can edit the break after the auto-populate has occurred.

5. Can breaks be auto-populated for part-time employees?

Yes, as long as the employee has Clock In/Out enabled, a valid work pattern assigned, and meets the eligibility criteria, breaks will be auto-populated according to their work pattern.

6. Can I override the Auto-Fill breaks for specific employees?

Yes, you can disable the feature for individual employees by checking the Disable Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks option in their directory settings.

7. What happens if an employee works overtime?

The feature only populates breaks according to the employee's assigned work pattern. If the break duration is different than the assigned work patter, the relevant timesheet approver can edit the break.

8. Will breaks be auto-filled if an employee works on non-scheduled days?

No, breaks will not be populated for days that are not marked as working days in the employee’s work pattern.

9. Can an employee edit their own break durations?

No, when an employee uses clock in, only managers or admins can edit timesheet entries, including break durations.

11. Does this feature work retroactively?

No, changes only apply to times within previous 7 days.

12. Can I customize the duration of breaks per employee?

Break durations are based on the employee’s assigned work pattern. Customization must be done through manual edits in the timesheet by an admin or a different work pattern assigned.

14. How will I know which entries were auto-populated?

Auto-filled entries will include a tooltip stating: “This entry has been edited by Admin.” The timesheet log will also record the changes made.

15. Can I disable the feature after enabling it?

Yes, you can uncheck the Auto-Fill Work Pattern Breaks setting in the Office Settings to disable the feature for all employees. 

16. Will this feature populate breaks for shifts that span midnight?

Yes, as long as the shift includes a valid Start and End Time within the same workday, the break will be auto-populated according to the work pattern.

17. What if an employee forgets to clock out?

If there is no End Time, the break will not populate. Managers must address incomplete timesheet entries manually.

18. Can breaks be auto-populated for employees working remotely?

Yes, as long as the employee meets the eligibility criteria (Clock In/Out enabled, valid work pattern, and Start/End Times), the location of work does not affect the feature.