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Lock punches to the schedule

Two optional per-location controls: early clock-ins and short breaks (meal or rest) require a manager's 6-digit PIN.

Both controls live on Settings → Locations and are off by default. They block the punch — never the person's pay: late arrivals, clock-outs, and time actually worked are never restricted.

  1. 1

    Early clock-in lock

    Turn on Early clock-in lock and pick a grace window (5, 10, or 15 minutes — or type any value up to 120). Employees with a scheduled shift can punch in from *shift start minus the grace* onward; earlier, the kiosk or app asks for a manager's 6-digit PIN. Employees with no upcoming scheduled shift punch normally.

  2. 2

    Short-break PIN

    Turn on Short-break PIN and ending a meal break before 30 minutes — or a rest break before 10 — asks for a manager PIN. Most accidental early returns become full, compliant breaks — the kiosk and app count down the minutes left and flip green the moment the break is complete.

  3. 3

    What a manager override does (and doesn't do)

    A manager's PIN puts the employee on the clock immediately — nobody ever works while not punched in. The override is recorded as evidence (which manager, when). For a short meal or rest, the break still records at its real length, so any violation and premium stay on the books exactly as before — the record simply shows a manager knowingly authorized the early return.

Good to know

  • Every owner and App Manager has a 6-digit Manager PIN under Settings → My Account — different from the 4-digit employee punch PIN.
  • The industry norm for early clock-in grace is 5–15 minutes; SafeShift defaults to 10.
  • Short-break PIN is only offered where a state meal/rest mandate applies — elsewhere it shows as N/A.
  • These locks cover SafeShift punches (kiosk, phone app, desktop portal). Punches made directly on a POS terminal are controlled by the POS itself.
  • If your team punches on their phones, make sure they're on the latest app version before enabling — older app builds can't show the manager-PIN prompt (the entrance tablet always can).

If something goes wrong

Does blocking an early punch mean unpaid work?

No — the point is that work doesn't start until the punch does. If someone does start working, a manager PIN clocks them in on the spot, and SafeShift never trims recorded time.

Does the manager PIN erase the short-meal violation?

No. The violation and premium record exactly as before — the override only documents who authorized the early return, which is exactly the evidence you want on file.

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