How to Setup Lunch Rules

Configuring this rule, the employer can either (1) pay the employee for time taken for a lunch period, or (2) deduct time for a lunch period, depending on the organizations policies. The organization has to set Clock In / Out policies. For example, an organization may only want a Clock In in the morning, and a Clock Out, in the evening. Or they may want a morning & evening punch, along with a lunch Clock Out & In, bringing the daily total of punches to 4. Other policies such as (a) how Lunch may be a specified time (noon - 1), or the lunch period may be taken whenever a employee desires, (b) define how long its lunch period is, (c) is a lunch period required to be taken, and (d) how to handle 'exceptions', meaning, if employees doesn't (i) take a lunch, (ii) takes less than the defined lunch period, (iii) take more than the defined lunch period. All of these policies affect this lunch rule, and how it functions. Microix software can handle most of these various situations.

In the illustration below, we will use 1 hour as our lunch period. Use a positive number, to deduct time for lunch after working 4 hours. Use a negative number, to give back, or add an additional hour, to the employees daily timesheet.

Per the setting below, we will demonstrate how the deducting of lunch time works. Once an employee works 4 continuous hours, the software will deduct one hour for lunch, for that day. If the employee has two punches, (8 to 5, 9 total hours), the system will deduct one hour for lunch, bringing the total hours worked to 8.

If the employee generates 4 punches (8-noon, 1-5), the software will reflect a net hours of 8. For employees taking a 'long or short' lunch, (more or less than the required one hour), the system will calculate the correct hours worked, and deduct, up to 1 hour. This will prevent employees from generating overtime.

If we use a negative (-1) one, the system will add back a lunch hour, to the employees time. This would apply to any number of punch scenarios, (a) two punches (8 & 5), (b) four punches (8-12;1-5), (c) four punches with a lunch taken, less than an hour; (the system will calculate and adjust), (d) four punches with more than an hour for lunch; (the system will calculate and adjust).

With all the possible variables, final testing is highly recommended.