Q&A: When employee attends voluntary training, is the time paid or unpaid?

A: The general rule with employees is that you must pay for the time spent in training, as required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). However, you aren’t required to pay employees for the time spent in training if ALL of the following are true: (1) attendance is outside the employee’s regular working hours; (2) attendance is voluntary; (3) the training isn’t directly related to the employee’s job; and (4) the employee doesn’t perform any actual work while attending the training. If it’s not clear whether your training meets all of these factors, we recommend contacting your Vigilant employment attorney before deciding not to pay employees for their time.

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