Title
Travel Time & Travel Time Off
Introduction
Whether or not travel time is compensable depends on the kind of travel involved. There are three categories of travel time:
- Commuter Travel
- Single-Day Travel
- Multi-Day Travel (includes Travel Time ETO)
Eligibility
This policy applies to all SHRA employees, both permanent and temporary. However, certain elements of this policy apply only to some SHRA employees, as defined below.
Commuter Travel
For any employee, commuting time from the employee's home to the employee's regular work location and back is not considered compensable time, regardless of whether the employee reports to work at a fixed location or to various job sites. "Home" is considered any location of origin for the commute that is at the employee's discretion.
Single-Day Travel
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.
Multi-Day Travel: Work Time
Multi-day travel 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 work day is also considered work time.
For example: For an employee regularly scheduled to work 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, travel time on Sunday between 8 AM and 5 PM 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 - Equal 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 Equal Time Off for these hours.
Travel Time Equal Time Off is required for permanent SHRA non-exempt employees and is at management's discretion) for permanent SHRA exempt employees.
Temporary and EHRA employees are not eligible for Travel Time Equal 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 Time Equal 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. See Determining Time Worked for more information.
Recordkeeping
Travel Time Equal Time Off is earned on a 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 Time Equal Time Off must be used within 12 months (52 weeks) of its accrual, or it must be paid out.
For SHRA exempt permanent employees:
- Any hours in excess of 240 (pro-rated) are forfeited.
- Travel Time Equal Time Off must be used within 6 months (26 weeks) of its accrual, or it is forfeited.
- See Leave/Paid time off Payouts & Transfers for more information.