Understanding Paid Rest Breaks

Employees are entitled to paid rest and unpaid meal breaks that:

• give them a reasonable chance during work periods to rest, refresh, and take care of personal matters; and

• are appropriate for the length of their working day with the employer.

Rest breaks benefit workplaces by helping employees work safely and productively. Employers must pay for minimum rest breaks but don’t have to pay for minimum meal breaks. 

Read more about Rest and Meal Breaks here.

Why do we need to pay contract Paid Rest Breaks separately?

• Work periods on hourly rate include paid rest break/s 

• Work periods on contract rate exclude paid rest break/s and require an additional payment. This payment allows the employee to take a break without losing money from downing tools

Who qualifies for separate Paid Rest Breaks? 

• If the employee is earning above the minimum hourly wage on contract, they require an additional payment to cover paid rest breaks

• If the employee is earning below the minimum hourly wage on contract, they require an additional payment to top up their hourly rate to the minimum and do not qualify for separate paid rest breaks as the minimum hourly rate includes these.

How does Tatou calculate Paid Rest Breaks?

The following table is applied to all hours worked on contract rate, the employee is then paid the resulting quantity of 10-minute breaks.

Your paid rest break duration can be higher than 10 minutes, but not less. See your Organisation settings to change this.

• 2.00 - 6.00 hours worked = 1 x 10 minute paid rest break 

• 6.01 - 10.00 hours worked = 2 x 10 minute paid rest break

• 10.01 – 14 hours worked = 3 x 10 minute paid rest break

• 14.01 to 16 hours worked = 4 x 10 minute paid rest break 

Please note: these exclude unpaid breaks

Last updated in accordance with the 6th May 2019 changes to rest and meal break entitlements as set by MBIE—read more about it here.