Travel Time
Travel time depends on the circumstances and should be determined on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the Travel Time policy for more information.
SHRA, CSS & DMSS
Home to Work travel is not work time. This holds true whether the employee works at a fixed location or at different job sites. Normal travel from home to work is not work time.
Home to Work on Special One-Day Assignments in Another City travel occurs when an employee who regularly works at a fixed location is given a one-day assignment in another city.
Since, except for the special assignment, the employee would have had to report to the regular work site, travel between home and the airport, or usual time required to travel from home to work may be deducted as “home-to-work” travel. Such travel cannot be counted as regular home-to-work travel. Time spent working on the special one-day assignment can be counted as regular work time. Meal periods, as usual, may be deducted.
Single-day work-related travel and/or travel to an alternate work location is considered work time, less the time that would have contributed to the employee’s regular work commute.
For FLSA Non-Exempt employees, both permanent and temporary, single-day work-related travel contributes to time worked in calculating overtime eligibility.
Travel That’s All in the Day’s Work is spent by an employee in travel, as part of the employee’s principal activity such as travel from job site to job site during the workday is counted as regular hours worked.
Travel Away from Home Community keeps an employee away from home overnight. Time is not only hours worked on regular working days during normal working hours but also during corresponding hours on nonworking days. Time spent traveling outside of the employee’s regular work schedule is considered travel time, in which they will receive compensatory time on an hour for hour basis.
Multi-Day Travel: Work Time is work-related travel that requires at least one overnight stay away from the employee’s home or home community.
For multi-day work-related travel, any travel occurring during the employee’s regular work schedule is considered work time. In addition, any travel time occurring during the same “hours of the clock” on a day that is not a regularly scheduled workday is also considered work time.
Example: For an employee regularly scheduled to work 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, travel time on Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. would be considered during the same “hours of the clock”.
Both types contribute to time worked in calculating overtime eligibility for FLSA Non-Exempt employees, both temporary and permanent.
Management may adjust an employee’s schedule for the same work week to accommodate these hours and not incur liability for overtime pay.
Multi-Day Travel: Travel Time – Compensatory Time Off
Any travel time occurring outside these “hours of the clock” (less the employee’s regular commute and/or meal periods) is not considered time worked. However, SHRA permanent employees may receive Travel Time Compensatory Time Off for these hours.
Travel Time Compensatory Time Off is required for permanent SHRA Non-Exempt employees.
Temporary and EHRA employees are not eligible for Travel Compensatory Time Off and do not receive compensation for travel time outside regular work hours as defined in above in “Multi-Day Travel — Work Time”.
Travel Compensatory Time Off does not contribute to time worked for determining overtime eligibility and will not be offset by any additional time worked during the work week.
Recordkeeping
Travel Compensatory Time Off is earned on an hour-for-hour basis. The maximum accrual is 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees).
For SHRA Non-Exempt permanent employees:
- Any hours in excess of 240 (pro-rated) must be paid out for SHRA permanent Non-Exempt employees as it is earned.
- Travel Compensatory Time Off must be used within 12 months (52 weeks) of its accrual, or it must be paid out.
Examples:
Time spent in a conference/travelling during normal working hours:
- Pay Code = Hours Worked
- Comment = Off Site Conference or Meeting
- Note = Note the times (start/end) spent at a conference and travelling and if it’s during the employee’s regular 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. schedule
- Do not put an entry of 8 hours worked for a day if the total time does not add up to 8 hours
- (Example Note – Travel Time and Conference Activities 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. during 7:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. normal schedule)
Time travelling to/from a conference outside normal working hours:
- Pay Code = Comp for Travel Time
- Comment = Off Site Conference or Meeting
- Note = Note the times (start/end) spent traveling to/from a conference and if it’s outside the employee’s regular 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. schedule
- (Example Note – Travel time outside of 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. working day. Flight from 6:40 p.m. – 11:35 p.m.)