Paying Employees for Work-Related Activities
Question:
The other day I asked an employee to drop off some paperwork at a client’s on their way to lunch – it was on the way. When the employee turned in their time for the week they included that drive time to the client’s. Do I need to pay employees for their time when they are driving past the establishment anyway?
Answer:
Yes you do. Any time that the employee spends doing work-related activity should be counted as hours worked. According to the Department of Labor’s FLSA Hours Worked Advisor, hours worked includes all time from the work location to the place where the employee finishes their last work-related duty. That means you pay for the employee’s time from your office up to the drop off of the paperwork. The time spent going from the client’s location to lunch is not paid (just as you wouldn’t pay them to drive from work to lunch and back).
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