What are Schedule rules?

Schedule rules control how the system handles lateness, early leave, punching limits and how extra time is allocated as overtime or to a hours bank.

These rules are set when creating or editing a schedule and apply to all employees assigned to it.

Administrators and users with permission to Configure Schedules can adjust tolerances, limits and break compensation to match company policy.

1. Open an existing schedule

   • In the Notifications and alerts section, configure when the manager should be notified about punches made outside the planned schedule.

   • Alerts can be configured for:

     • Entry alerts: Early entry alert, After planned Entry, After planned break end, and Before planned break end;
     • Exit alerts: Late exit alert, After planned break start, Before planned break start, and Before planned Exit;
     • Day alerts: Unplanned day alert, for punches recorded on a day when the employee has no planned schedule.

   • For each alert, select one of the following options:

     • Not set: the schedule uses the default value configured at the company level (on the Notifications tab under Schedules);
     • Disabled: no notification is sent for this item on this specific schedule;
     • A value in minutes: replaces the company default and determines when the notification will be triggered for this schedule.

       • For example, when 30m is selected for After planned Entry, the manager will be notified when the employee clocks in more than 30 minutes after the planned entry time. When 15m is selected for Before planned Exit, the notification will be sent when the employee clocks out more than 15 minutes before the planned exit time.
         
         

2. Configure schedule limits

   • Under Schedule Limits, set the Entry Limit (maximum time before the planned entry that a punch is accepted) and the Exit Limit (maximum time after the planned exit).

     • When exceeded, the punch becomes invalid and requires approval.

   • Check the Allow punches in days outside the planned schedule option if you wish to allow punches on days outside the stipulated work schedule without them being generated as invalid.
     
     

3. Specify break compensation

   • In Advanced Breaks Management choose how to compensate for unfinished breaks.
     • Follow pay policy rates: Follow the same compensation rules configured in the Pay Policies.
     • Don't compensate: Do not effectively compensate for unused break minutes.
     • Move to extra hours: Convert any unfinished break time to overtime.
     • Set as separate rates: Allocate the unused break period to a specific category that will be configured at the Pay Policies.
       
       

4. Other rules configuration

   • In the Night Shift section, check the box for shifts that extend past midnight and should be categorized for the day the shift ended. If night shifts are considered for the day the shift begins, leave this option unchecked.
   • In Schedule assignment requests, check the box if you want to restrict which groups can request a Schedule Assignment Request for the Schedule being created.
     • Note: If you are using a clock-in hardware device integration, remember that they require weekly schedules (of the Weekly type), and the schedule limit must also be defined.
       
       

Best practices

• Set realistic tolerances to avoid overburdening managers with approval requests.

• Review rules periodically to keep them aligned with company policy and labour laws.

• Align schedule rules with Pay Policies to ensure consistent handling of extra hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happens when the late‑arrival tolerance is exceeded? The punch is flagged as pending and must be reviewed and approved by a supervisor.

2. Can I set different tolerances for different groups of employees? No. Tolerances are defined per schedule. Create separate schedules with different settings for each group.