Approved:
City of Riverside, California
Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual
_________________________
Human Resources Director
_________________________
City Manager
Number: II-9 Effective Date: 07/06TBD
1 SUBJECT: TRAVEL TIME COMPENSATION POLICY
PURPOSE:
To provide uniform ensure compliance with the U.S. Department of Labor and establish guidelines for the compensation of travel time for non-exempt City employees in accordance with federal and state laws.
DEFINITION:
Compensated Compensable Travel Time -– As defined by the Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA), time spent in traveling during normal work hours is considered compensable work time. as part of the City’s principal activity for non-exempt employees that is, under federal or state law and this policy, determined to be compensable.
POLICY:
Employees shall receive compensation for travel time only as required by federal and state laws and this policy. The following are guidelines for compensable and non- compensable travel time.
1. Home-to-work travel -– Time spent in H home-to-work travel, as well as work -to- home travel, is not compensable. For purposes of this policy, an employee is not at work until he/shethe employee reaches his/her their work site. To the extent that an employee performs work while traveling (e.g., preparing for a meeting, reviewing documents, making telephone calls), this time shall constitute as hours worked even if the travel time would have other wise not been compensable; non- exempt employees must get prior approval from su pervisor if performing the work while traveling may result in overtime. If the employee is required to report at a meeting place, to receive instructions or to pick up tools, em ployees, or equipment, or for any other business related matter, before going to his/her the employees work site, his/hertheir compensated time begins at the meeting place. If an employee, before arriving to his/her their regular work site, stops at another City site for his/her the employees convenience, the time traveling from the other City site to the work site is not compensable. If a van or carpool is organized for commuting, the driver shall not be compensated for the time spent driving when the arrangement is voluntary.
2. Driving City-owned vehicle - An employee who drives a City -owned vehicle is not entitled to compensati on for home- to-work travel and work -to-home travel if: (a) driving the City’s vehicle from home to work and work to home is strictly voluntary and not a condition of employment; (b) the vehicle involved is the type of vehicle Number: II-9 Effective Date: 06/06 TBD
2 that would normally be used fo r commuting; the employee incurs no costs for driving the City vehicle or parking it at the employee’s home or elsewhere; and (d) the work sites are within the normal commuting area of the City. The use of City vehicles must be by mutual agreement of the City and employee or the employee’s representative. Please refer to the Administrative Manual 04.002.00.
An employee who is required to meet at a certain location (a “drop-off point”) at a certain time and then take City -owned or controlled transport ation to a work site is entitled to compensation for t he period of time commencing with arriving at the drop-off point at the required time, and including waiting for the City -owned or controlled transportation, taking the transportation to the work site, waiting for transportation at the end of the work peri od, and taking the transportation back to the drop-off point.
3. Travel during wor kday - Traveling by an employee from job site to job site during the workday Time spent in travel as part of an employee’s primary job duty is compensable (i.e., travel between job sites) . If an employee goes directly home from the job site instead of returning to his/her their regular work site, the trip home is non-compensable home-to-work travel.
4. Emergency calls outside workday - When an employee is called out on an emergency after he/shethe employee has gone home for the day, if he/shethe employee goes to a customer’s premises to do the work his/hertheir travel time is compensable and paid in accordance with applicable M OU’s with various bargaining units.
5. Same day out -of-town trips travel - If an employee is required to travel out of town and return on the same day at the City’s request and for the City’s benefit , all travel time, except his/her usual meal time excluding the meal period and travel time between his/herthe employee’s home and the local railroad, bus or pl ane terminal, is compensable.
6. Overnight travel - Employees traveling overnight on business will be compensated for time spent in traveling, except for excluding meal periods, during their normal working hours on their non- working days, such as Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, as well as their regular working days. Employees will not be compensated for traveling outside those hours, except for any time they spend in performing their duties work duties while traveling. (e.g., preparing for a meeting, reviewing documents, making telephone calls), this time shall constitute as hours worked even if the travel time would have otherwise not been compensable. If an employee, making an overnight business trip, is allowed to use his/hertheir automobile instead of a public conveyance transportation, either the time actually spent or the time that would have been spent in public transportation can be used as hours worked. Time spent in lodging is non- compensable unless the employee is required to work during this time.
Disclaimer: Should a dis crepancy exist between this policy and Federal or State Law, the Federal or State Law will prevail.
PROCEDURE:
Responsibility Action
Approved:
City of Riverside, California
Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual
_________________________
Human Resources Director
_________________________
City Manager
Number: II-9 Effective Date: 07/06TBD
3 Department 1. Informs employees of types of
compensable travel time.
Employee 2. Notifies supervisor of time of travel
while performing principal activity for
the City.
3. Tracks travel time.
Supervisor 4. Verifies that travel time was done on
behalf of employee while performing
principal activity for the City.