Configure Break Times
Break times define blocked-out periods during the workshop day when the scheduler will not start new jobs. Common examples are a mid-morning tea break (15 minutes) and a lunch break (30–60 minutes).
On the calendar grid, break times appear as grey shaded zones. Advisors and the AI scheduler both treat these zones as unavailable for new job starts.
Break times are distinct from operating hours. Your operating hours define when the workshop is open. Break times define smaller windows within that open period when the team is away from the floor. A 10-hour workshop day might have two breaks totalling 45 minutes — the scheduler works around both.
Who can configure break times: Location Manager, Org Admin, Account Owner.
Add a break time
Open Settings
From the main navigation, click Settings (the cog icon in the tab bar).
Navigate to Operations
In the Settings panel, select the Operations tab.
Find the Break Times section
Scroll down to the Break Times section. This lists any breaks that are currently configured. A freshly set up workshop typically shows no breaks here until you add them.
Click “Add Break”
Click the Add Break button. A form appears with fields for the break details.
Enter the break details
Fill in the following fields:
- Name — a short label for the break. Examples: “Morning Tea”, “Lunch”, “Prayer Break”. This name appears on the calendar grid in the grey zone, so keep it brief.
- Start time — the time the break begins.
- End time — the time the break ends and the workshop floor resumes.
Save the break
Click Save. The break is added to your break list and immediately appears as a grey zone on the calendar grid for the current and future days.
Most workshops set one or two breaks: a morning tea break of 10–15 minutes and a lunch break of 30–60 minutes. Setting these correctly prevents the scheduler from booking a 2-hour job starting at 12:15 that runs deep into your closed lunch period — a pattern that causes technician dissatisfaction and missed handovers.
How break times affect scheduling
New job scheduling
When an advisor manually places a job, or the AI scheduler suggests a slot, BayWise checks whether the proposed start time falls within a break window. If it does, the slot is treated as unavailable and a different time is suggested.
For example, if your lunch break is 12:30–13:30 and an advisor tries to start a 90-minute job at 12:00, BayWise will allow that start (the job begins before the break starts) but the job will run into the break window. This is a case where advisor judgement is needed — see the section below on jobs that overlap breaks.
Jobs that overlap a break window
BayWise does not automatically pause or split a job at a break boundary. If a job is in progress when a break starts, it continues to show as “In Progress” on the calendar. The break window is a scheduling constraint for new job placement, not an operational interrupt on running jobs.
This is intentional. In most automotive workshops, a technician working on a complex repair does not abruptly stop at the break buzzer — they finish the current task or leave the vehicle in a safe state. BayWise does not impose an artificial stop.
The practical implication: when planning your calendar, advisors should be mindful of job durations and break windows. A well-configured break window will prevent new jobs from starting inside the break, but it will not stop a job that started before the break from running through it.
The grey zone on the calendar
During a break window, the calendar grid shows a grey overlay across all bay columns for the duration of the break. This is a visual signal to advisors — not a hard lock on the bay. An advisor with the right permissions can still manually place a job that starts during a break window, though BayWise will flag the conflict.
Remove a break time
Open Settings → Operations → Break Times
Find the break you want to remove
Each configured break shows a Delete (trash) icon on the right side of its row.
Click Delete
Click the delete icon. You will be asked to confirm.
Confirm deletion
Click Confirm. The break is removed. The grey zone disappears from the calendar immediately for all future days. Any jobs already on the calendar are unaffected.
Edit an existing break time
To change a break’s start time, end time, or name:
- In Settings → Operations → Break Times, click the Edit (pencil) icon on the break row.
- Update the relevant fields.
- Click Save.
Changes take effect immediately for new scheduling. Existing jobs on the calendar are not moved.
Break times and multiple locations
Break times are configured per location. If your organisation has multiple workshop locations with different break schedules — for example, one site follows a split-shift pattern and another has a single lunch break — each location is configured independently.
Switch to the relevant location using the Location Switcher in the top bar before making changes.
If your MSO headquarters manages standardised break schedules across sites, breaks can be included in an operations template and published to locations. See Publish Templates to Locations.
If your workshop operates on a rotating shift pattern where break times change by day or by shift, the current break configuration is a single set of breaks that apply to all days. In this case, configure your breaks for your most common pattern and rely on advisor awareness for days where breaks shift. Per-day break configuration may be introduced in a future release.
Common questions
Can I set different break times for different days of the week? Not currently. Break times apply to all days of the week equally. If your Saturday shift runs on a different break schedule, configure breaks for your primary weekday schedule and manage Saturday variation through advisor scheduling practice.
Can I have more than one break per day? Yes. You can add as many breaks as your operation requires. Click Add Break for each one. A typical workshop adds two — one mid-morning and one at lunch. Workshops with prayer break requirements often add a third.
Will the AI scheduler respect break times? Yes. When AI scheduling is used, BayWise factors in break windows and will not suggest a job start that falls inside a break window.
A technician worked through their lunch break — what happens to the calendar? Nothing changes automatically. The calendar shows the job as in-progress regardless of whether a break window coincided with that time. BayWise does not know whether a technician actually took a break or worked through it. Overtime and break compliance tracking is outside the scope of BayWise Scheduler.
We have a prayer break that varies in timing by season. Can we update break times regularly? Yes. Break times can be updated at any time and changes take effect for future scheduling immediately. You can update break times seasonally — for example, adjusting prayer break timing every month — with no impact on existing jobs.
Can break times overlap with each other? Technically yes, but it makes no practical difference since both are already treated as unavailable. Overlapping breaks will not cause an error. The grey calendar zone will span the union of the two windows.