- Includes all time worked, including “work not requested but suffered or permitted”
- All work time must be paid whether authorized or not if you knew or had reason to know it was being performed. And…
- Even if the work is performed outside regularly scheduled hours
- Accurate time records must be kept
- Accurate records includes all work time off site, at home, traveling, etc.
- Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. IF employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), federal law considers the breaks as compensable work hours. Unauthorized extensions are not compensable!
- Employees need not be paid for breaks 30 minutes or longer if they are completely relieved of duty
- Employees engaged to wait – Is paid idle time. The employee is at the place of duty at the appointed time and for whatever reason there is no active work to do.
- Employees waiting to be engaged – is unpaid idle time. The employee shows up on their own volition in hopes of being put to work
- Commuting time between home and work is not compensable
- Drive time during the day for work generally is compensable
- For employees with a fixed work site, travel completed in the course of a single day is ALL compensable.
- For overnight travel:
- As passenger: must be paid for travel time spent during regular work hours or weekend equivalent AND if working while traveling
- As driver: must be paid for ALL travel time
Human Resources
