Tracking Paid Breaks with Universal Time Clock Systems

Tracking paid break time helps businesses understand how long employees are away from active work while still on the clock. The Universal Time Clock models RTC1000 and SB-100 Pro include a built-in department feature specifically designed to record paid break activity. By transferring employees into a Break department, managers can clearly monitor break usage without interrupting normal punch workflows. This functionality is standard on systems from Universal Time Clock and requires no additional software modules.

How Employees Transfer Into the Paid Break Department

To record paid break time, the employee must already be clocked IN to their normal Work department. The transfer process takes only a few seconds at the terminal.

Steps to clock into Break:

• Employee enters their PIN or uses their badge at the clock

• Instead of pressing IN or OUT, press the Break/Department Transfer key

• The screen displays: “Going To… Break”

• Press Enter to confirm

This action:

• Clocks the employee OUT of the Work department

• Clocks them directly IN to the Break department

• Begins tracking paid break time automatically

No manager input is required once the feature is enabled.

How Employees Transfer Back to Work

When the paid break is finished, the employee reverses the transfer to return to active work time.

Steps to return to Work:

• Employee enters their PIN or badge again

• Press the Break/Department Transfer key (not IN or OUT)

• The screen displays: “Going To… Work”

• Press Enter to confirm

This action:

• Clocks the employee OUT of Break

• Clocks them back IN to the Work department

• Stops paid break tracking immediately All time is recorded automatically for reporting.

Conclusion or Operational Takeaway

Using the built-in Break department on Universal Time Clock systems gives businesses clear visibility into paid break usage without manual tracking or payroll adjustments. Employees simply transfer between Work and Break with a single key press, while managers gain accurate reports showing exactly how much paid break time is being used. This approach improves accountability, supports fair time management, and helps control labor costs — all while keeping the punch process fast and simple for employees.