Question: Are companies required to pay an employee while the person is waiting to work?
Answer: Whether waiting time is considered hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) depends on whether employees are engaged to wait or waiting to be engaged. The time an employee spends engaged to wait is considered work time, while time spent waiting to be engaged is not. For example, a receptionist who reads a book while waiting for customers or telephone calls, or a factory worker who talks to fellow employees while waiting for machinery to be repaired, is considered to be engaged to wait, meaning this time is hours worked and compensable.
For more information on this and other similar issues, click the following link to read our HR Compliance Overview: Compensable Time Under the FLSA.
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