Workers under 18 on 5+ hour shifts earn a 30-minute meal break.
Texas does not require meal or rest breaks for adult workers — but it does require a 30-minute lunch break for workers under 18 working 5 or more consecutive hours. This is the only Texas-specific break requirement. It applies to all minors regardless of age tier (14-15 and 16-17 alike). For adults, federal FLSA controls — short breaks (5-20 min) are paid time, longer meal periods (30+ min, fully relieved) are unpaid.
Minor Meal Break — Shifts 5+ Hours
Auto-inserts a 30-minute meal break in any 5+ hour shift assigned to a worker under 18. Blocks publishing without one. Adults are not subject to this rule.
What those rules do as a 5+ hour shift is built for a minor.
The hero card configuration: Critical blocks publish without a scheduled break, Avoid warns on poorly-timed breaks.
When a manager tries to publish a 5+ hour shift for a worker under 18 without a scheduled meal break, the publish is blocked. "Cannot publish: minor shift requires a 30-minute meal break."
If the meal break is scheduled too close to start or end of shift (less than 1 hour from either), the manager sees a yellow indicator. Save proceeds; the timing is logged.
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Texas-distinctive — but only for minors.
Texas's break rules for adults essentially don't exist (federal FLSA controls). For minors under 18, the state requires a 30-minute lunch on 5+ hour shifts. This is the only state-level break rule in Texas.
Applies to all minors under 18
The rule covers all workers under 18, regardless of age tier. 14-15 year olds, 16-17 year olds — same rule. The break must be 30 minutes minimum, on shifts of 5 or more consecutive hours.
No equivalent rule for adults
Texas has no state-level meal or rest break requirement for adult workers. Federal FLSA covers paid status of breaks (5-20 min must be paid) but does not require them to be provided. This makes the minor meal break the only state-level break rule in Texas.
Teambridge schedules the break for minors only — adults aren't gated.
Adult workers in Texas are unrestricted on breaks (no state requirement). Minors are gated at the source.
5+ hour minor shifts auto-include a meal break.
When a manager creates a 5+ hour shift for a worker under 18, Teambridge auto-inserts a 30-minute meal break in the middle of the shift. Manager can move it but cannot remove it.
No break, no publish.
If for any reason the minor shift lacks a meal break, the publish is blocked. The manager sees the requirement clearly stated.
Break confirmed via clock-out/in.
On the worker app, the worker clocks out at break start and back in at break end. The system verifies the actual break duration.
No gate for adult shifts.
Adult workers (18+) on shifts of any length have no Texas meal break requirement. Teambridge does not auto-insert breaks for adult shifts and does not block publishing without them.
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