The California rules and regulations surrounding breaks were significantly altered earlier this year. According to the new Meal and Rest Break Law (2021), workers must have 30 minutes of uninterrupted and unpaid meal breaks for every five hours of work and 10 minutes of rest breaks for every four hours of work. For more details on the law, read our previous blog post here

The new break law has had a tremendous impact on the day-to-day work of security officers and security office employees, with greater paperwork requirements for office workers and more travel time for officers–having to go to the office to fill out waivers. Security business owners are also far more vulnerable to lawsuits and financial penalties or having to compensate ‘premium pay’ to employees who end their breaks early.

TrackTik’s Enhanced Break Management takes away the burden of the Meal and Rest Break Law (2021)

TrackTik is always trying to address the day-to-day struggles of security professionals. That’s why we’re enhancing our Break Management software to both limit exploitations of the law while making sure officers’ rights are being protected. The software will also remove the burden of paperwork from office employees with on-phone prompts for officers that essentially replace the need for signed waivers. And perhaps the greatest relief of all, security businesses will be able to avoid lawsuits and financial penalties by effortlessly complying with the law. 

These are the four new features that will make compliance a lot easier for security professionals:

Compliance with the Meal and Rest Break Law (2021) must be based on precise actual time

Break Management software can no longer round break times to maintain compliance with the new break law. The California Supreme Court declared that compliance with the 30-minute meal period requirement must be based on precise actual time with no rounding permitted. Specific times will be included in the report for schedule managers and HR to be certain that guards took compliant breaks.

Security officers prompted for break interruptions

In the TTF Shift and Guard app, security officers will be required to select a reason for any break interruptions. The app will ask officers whether an interruption is voluntary or the result of a work situation. For the latter, an officer can select from a list of categories that best describe the work situation that caused the interruption.  

Break interruptions will be tracked

Any break interruption, from voluntary to a work-related situation, will be logged in a way that is made visible to admin workers. The number of interruptions will be represented as a tag on the dashboard for managers and HR to verify. 

Better insight into break compliance

Break Management will also give you visualized break data, so you can better understand the primary causes of break interruptions. With this data set, security managers can take steps to prevent common interruptions, cut down extra costs, and maintain compliance.

TrackTik is dedicated to meeting the changing needs of our clients. Our enhanced Break Management software will remove the numerous burdens brought on by the Meal and Rest Break Law while protecting workers’ rights to full, uninterrupted breaks. HR will no longer have to print waivers and arrange for officers to drive down to the office to sign them–a burden for all employees involved. Security managers will know when breaks are interrupted and whether or not premium pay is required. Ultimately, the Enhanced Break Management software will allow security operations to be effortlessly compliant with the new law, get a better understanding of where interruptions are coming from, and prevent bad actors from exploiting the law for financial gain. 

About TrackTik
TrackTik was founded in 2013 and quickly established itself as a market leader with the mission to build better software so its clients can run smarter businesses. TrackTik’s cloud-based technology enables security organizations to connect frontline staff, back office management, and their clients to drive improved operational efficiency and data insights. TrackTik helps security professionals make automated, data-driven decisions with its seamless approach to system connectivity. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with offices in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, TrackTik offers four integrated suites of tools – Security Operations for Guarding, Back Office Management, Mobile Patrol and Dispatch, and Business Intelligence & Reporting Analytics, to help security service companies follow the progression of guards, reduce manual tasks, lower costs, and demonstrate value.