Short answer: make breaks fixed in length, flexible in time, paid, and private. Here is a policy you can copy.
Lunch: 60 minutes, once a day, whenever you need it. Paid.
Tea breaks: 15 minutes, twice a day, whenever you need them. Paid.
Grace: 5 minutes over is fine. Beyond that, the extra time is unpaid.
Privacy: no screenshots during any break.
Tracking: start the break from the app so the clock and screenshots know.
Why fixed length, not fixed time
Remote teams span time zones and households. A 1pm lunch means nothing across three countries. A 60-minute lunch means the same thing everywhere, and people can take it when they actually need it.
Why paid
Unpaid breaks teach people to skip them, and tired people make expensive mistakes. A paid, protected break costs you little and gets you better work in the afternoon.
Why a grace period
Life happens: a delivery, a child, a slow kettle. A small grace period avoids petty disputes. The unpaid overrun keeps the policy fair to everyone who sticks to the limits.
Why no screenshots
This single rule does the most for trust. When people know they are not watched on a break, they use it properly, and they stop feeling watched the rest of the day.
How to adapt it
- Shift work or support rosters: fix break windows to cover the queue.
- Different countries: check local rules on minimum rest breaks.
- Part-time staff: scale the length, keep the principles.
TrustHours has this built in: lunch and tea breaks with set lengths, a grace period, unpaid overruns, and no screenshots during breaks.
Privacy & trust