Define Working Time & Break Rules

In Univents you decide whether and how time tracking automatically deducts breaks and warns when rest periods or daily maximum hours are breached. Without active rules every recorded break value remains unchanged — you only enable the checks when you need them.

Where to find the settings

1. Open your workspace Settings (gear icon in the left navigation).
2. Select Working Time in the sidebar menu.
3. The page shows three sections: Break Rules (master toggle + template), Breaks by Shift Length, and Rest Between Shifts including maximum daily hours.

Enabling break rules and loading a template

Rules only take effect once the master toggle is switched on.

1. Enable Break Rules Active. While this toggle is off, the tracker never automatically deducts breaks — even if you have rules configured.
2. Optional: Open the Load Template dropdown and select a country from the list, for example Germany (ArbZG), Austria (AZG), or Switzerland (ArG). The template fills all three rule sections with statutory reference values as a starting point.
3. All values remain freely editable after loading a template.

Configuring breaks by shift length

This section defines from how many working hours a minimum break is automatically applied. When a shift is stopped, Univents raises the recorded break to the minimum value but never reduces it.

1. Click Add Rule to create a new row.
2. Enter the threshold in the From Working Time (h) field — the number of hours from which the rule applies (e.g. 6 for shifts over 6 hours).
3. Enter the minimum break in minutes in the Break (min) field (e.g. 30).
4. Add further rules if you want to tier by multiple thresholds. The highest matching rule always applies.
5. Click Remove to delete an individual row.

Rest between shifts and maximum daily hours

This section contains warning rules that do not deduct any value but display a warning when a limit is undercut or exceeded.

Rest period:

1. Click Add Rule under the Rest Between Shifts section.
2. Enter the minimum rest time in hours in the Min. Rest Time (h) field (e.g. 11 for 11 hours between two shifts).
3. If a new shift starts before the configured rest period has elapsed, a warning appears in time tracking.

Maximum daily hours:

1. Enter a value in the Maximum Working Time per Entry (h) field (e.g. 10).
2. Leave the field empty to disable the check.
3. This value also triggers a warning only — nothing is deducted.

Saving changes

Click Save to apply all rule changes. The settings take effect immediately for all new time tracking entries in the workspace.

Frequently asked questions

Do the rules apply to all workspace members? Yes, the configured rules apply workspace-wide to all members who record working hours.

What happens if I have multiple break rules configured? The rule with the highest break value that matches the actual shift length always applies. Lower rules are not added together.

Can I adjust the values from a template afterwards? Yes. Templates are starting points only. All fields remain freely editable after loading a template.

Are historical entries changed retroactively? No. Rule changes only affect entries that are created or stopped after saving.

A note on legal validity: The included templates are non-binding starting points and do not constitute legal advice. Check the statutory and collective bargaining requirements applicable to your business yourself or consult a qualified professional.