Employment Law

Should My Employer Pay for Travel Time, Training, Seminars, and Work Events? Part 1 featured image

Should My Employer Pay for Travel Time, Training, Seminars, and Work Events? Part 1

Many professions require an employee to commute from one location to another throughout their scheduled shift time. If you work as a consultant, nanny, homecare professional, engineer, developer, property manager, or in a sales position, your job tasks may require a considerable amount of time traveling. Florida legislature regarding compensating employees for travel time is in line with the regulations governed by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

In part one of this two-part article, a Tampa wage and hour attorney will discuss travel time and compensation. For information about paid time related to training courses, lectures, seminars, and work events, please read the second part of this series.

Is Your Travel Time Covered?

Florida-based employees should be compensated at least minimum wage and overtime hours for any travel time that is considered time “on the clock” by the FLSA. Here is some more information on specific travel time laws:

  • Home to Workplace: Employers do not need to pay employees for the time it takes the employee to travel to and from their home to the workplace. One exception to this rule is if the worker has gone home for the evening, but their job tasks require them to commute back to their workplace or another location for an emergency.
  • Workplace to Workplace: If the job requires that the employee travels from one location to another, this time should be compensated. However, during the hours before the workday begins and after the workday ends, the employer is not responsible for the employee’s travel time.
  • Traveling to Another City: If an employee is required to visit another city in one day, the employer is required to consider this travel time as paid time. If an employee is required to stay in another city overnight, this can be a more complex area of the law. Generally, any travel during working hours would be counted as paid time. Also, any time working during the travel time would be compensated. If the employee is forced to travel on weekends, this time should also be covered.

If your job requires you to drive from one location or workplace to another location (a client’s office, another branch of your office, another work location) during shift hours, your employer should be compensating you for this travel time. Many employers fail to appropriately compensate their employees for every hour worked during a week. If your employment status has been misclassified or you’re owed additional compensation, please consult a Tampa wage and hour attorney.

If you would like to speak with one of our Tampa wage and hour attorneys, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.