What "Early Dismissal" Means
When you send a Croux talent home before the scheduled end of their shift, that's an early dismissal. It happens — an event wraps early, business slows down, you find you're overstaffed, or occasionally something doesn't work out with a particular worker.
A recent update to the Croux Terms of Use formalized how pay works in these situations. This guide covers when the Early Dismissal policy applies, how pay is calculated, the quick step you take in the app to review it, and — importantly — what happens if you don't.
(In the Terms of Use, this policy is titled "Early Release of Talent.")
The Key Thing to Know: Talent Are Always Paid for Time Worked
Before anything else: talent are paid for every hour they actually work. That never changes.
The Early Dismissal policy adds a minimum on top of that for one specific situation:
Talent are paid for all hours worked. If dismissed early for business reasons, talent are guaranteed a minimum — the lesser of 4 hours or half the scheduled shift.
That minimum is a floor, not a cap. It's a safety net that only comes into play when a talent worked very few hours before being sent home — it never reduces what you'd otherwise pay.
To be clear about what this is not: sending a worker home one hour into an eight-hour shift does not mean you "only pay half." You pay for the hours they worked; the floor simply guarantees a talent doesn't walk away with almost nothing for showing up ready. The next section shows the exact math.
When Early Dismissal Pay Applies — and When It Doesn't
Early Dismissal pay applies only when a talent is sent home for business reasons, through no fault of their own. When you review an early dismissal in the app, you choose one of three reasons — and your choice determines how the talent is paid:
| What you select | Examples | How the talent is paid |
|---|---|---|
| Business reasons | Slow night, overstaffed, event ended early | Early Dismissal pay applies — the minimum floor is guaranteed |
| Issue with the talent | Uniform non-compliance; violation of Croux Terms or Talent Guidelines | Time worked only |
| Talent left on their own | The talent chose to leave the shift | Time worked only |
In short: if the shift ended early because of a business decision, the floor applies. If it was caused by the talent — or they left on their own — they're paid only for the time they worked.
How Early Dismissal Pay Is Calculated
When Early Dismissal pay applies, the talent is paid the greater of:
- the actual hours they worked, or
- 50% of their scheduled shift, capped at 4 hours.
Whichever is higher is what the talent receives. Here's how that plays out:
| Scheduled shift | Hours worked | Talent is paid | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 hours | 7 hours | 7 hours | Actual time worked — already well above the floor |
| 8 hours | 1 hour | 4 hours | Floor applies: 50% of 8 = 4 |
| 6 hours | 1 hour | 3 hours | Floor applies: 50% of 6 = 3 |
| 12 hours | 1 hour | 4 hours | Floor would be 6 — capped at 4 |
| 4 hours | 1 hour | 2 hours | Floor applies: 50% of 4 = 2 |
Pay is calculated at the posted hourly rate, and standard service fees apply per your Terms of Use.
What You Need to Do: Reviewing an Early Dismissal
You are in control of every early dismissal — the app simply asks you to confirm what happened.
When a shift ends early, the talent's timesheet is flagged with an Early Dismissal label on your Timesheets review page. To review it:
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Open the timesheet — the flagged talent's row shows an Early Dismissal chip.
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The app asks "Why did [talent] leave early?" Select the reason that fits: Business reasons, Issue with the talent, or Talent left on their own.
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If you select Business reasons, you'll see a Confirm Early Dismissal pay summary — the guaranteed hours, the hourly rate, and the total. Review it and approve.
It works the same way in the Croux mobile app — the Early Dismissal chip appears on the shift's timesheet, with the same "Why did [talent] leave early?" step.
Early dismissals are also surfaced in the Needs Attention panel on your homepage, so they’re easy to catch.
The takeaway: nothing is decided for you. You review every early dismissal and tell Croux what happened — and that is what determines the pay.
What Happens If You Don't Take Action
This is the part to remember.
Croux timesheets auto-approve after a set review window so that talent are paid on time. If an early-dismissed timesheet auto-approves before you have selected a reason, the Early Dismissal policy applies by default, and the talent is paid the guaranteed minimum floor.
That default is intentional — it protects talent who were sent home through no fault of their own. But it also means:
⚠️ If a shift ended early because of an issue with the talent — or the talent left on their own — and you want them paid for time worked only, you must review the timesheet and select that reason before it auto-approves. Take no action, and the timesheet auto-approves under the Early Dismissal policy at the guaranteed minimum.
Reviewing your timesheets promptly is the way to keep full control over every early dismissal.
Why This Policy Exists
Reliable talent who show up on time, in uniform, and ready to work are the backbone of every shift you post. The Early Dismissal policy protects those talent when a shift ends early for reasons outside their control — so showing up prepared is always worth their time.
That fairness is what keeps dependable, top-performing talent saying yes to your shifts. A workforce that trusts it will be treated fairly is a workforce you can count on.
Related Resources
- Terms of Use — see "Early Release of Talent" (under the For Business section) — the full policy language.
- For your talent: What Happens If I'm Sent Home Early From a Shift? — the companion article written for workers.