Must an employee be paid for the time they are in training?
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Must an employee be paid for the time they are in training?
I’m a guide for an outfitting company. I was curious as to if it were legal that they didn’t pay us for any of our training. When we trained, they would have us go on actual trips to attend hands-on training of what is done, until we we’re approved to do it ourselves. This took days of unpaid mandatory attendance. We also have zip line training coming up for 3 days and were told that it will be unpaid training.
Asked on July 10, 2015 under Employment Labor Law, Oregon
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
If you are an hourly wage employee, and you hadn the to take this course for your job, and the course has no use for anything else in your life, the time you spent taking it is considered to be compensable work time. Accordingly, your employer has to pay you for it. Also, if this training time put you into overtime, then it has to be paid as overtime pay. Additionally, if such training is being conducted in an off-site location, you can also be paid for your travel time.
If you believe that you have not been legally compensated for your work time, then you can file a complaint with your state's department of labor. You can also consult directly with an attorney who specializes in employment law cases.
If you are not being properly paid, then you can contact your state department of labor, or contact an employment attorney for help.
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