January 11 Tip of the Week

With an increasing number of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, one question we have received often from our clients is whether employees must be paid for travel time if the employee splits their day between working onsite and at home.  Thankfully for all of us, the Department of Labor recently released an opinion letter that states in the situation where an employee commutes from a home office to the employer’s worksite, the travel time is not compensable permitted the employee may use the travel time for the employee’s own purposes.  For example, if an employee works from the office in the morning and then leaves work to attend a doctor appointment, but continued working from home afterward, that travel time is not compensable.   Be sure you understand how to properly compensate your nonexempt employees for all working time and reach out to our attorneys with any specific wage and hour questions!