California retail break basics, in plain terms
If you've ever built a retail schedule in California, you know the feeling. You get the shifts covering the floor just right, and then you remember the breaks still have to go somewhere. And in California, "somewhere" comes with rules. Split shifts and swing coverage run into just about every one of them. So let's walk through the shape of it, plainly.
This is general information, not legal advice. The authoritative source is California law and the applicable Wage Order. When it matters, check with your own counsel. Break Schedule is decision-support software, and it stamps every result with the ruleset version it used.
Meal periods
As a general matter, a non-exempt employee is owed an unpaid, off-duty meal period of at least 30 minutes once they work more than five hours. A second meal period generally kicks in once the day runs past ten hours. Meal periods can be waived under certain conditions, but those conditions have their own limits, so don't treat a waiver as a free pass.
Rest breaks
Rest breaks are a separate thing from meal periods, and they're paid. The general rule is ten minutes of paid rest time for every four hours worked "or major fraction thereof," placed as close to the middle of each work period as practical. That "middle of the shift" detail trips people up more than you'd think.
Why placement is the hard part
Honestly, knowing the rules is the easy half. The hard half is placing every break so it lands in the window the rules require and still keeps the floor covered. Move one meal period to patch a coverage gap, and you might push a rest break right out of its window. It's a bit like squeezing a balloon: fix one spot and another one bulges.
That's the interaction Break Schedule works out across a whole day of overlapping shifts, showing the coverage impact of every placement so you're never just guessing and hoping it holds up.
Want to try it on your own schedule? The beta is invite-only and California retail only for now. Request an invite.