Just started a new job with a new company and have hourly employees reporting to me who are being asked to travel for company purposes (cycle counts at third party warehouses).

Company policy (in line with FLSA) is that they are paid their standard hours on travel days (8 hrs) unless they do actual work beyond that for that day. However, travel time (outside miles and food reimbursement) is only qualified for paid hours for the 8-hr standard work schedule (assuming they do no other work before/during/after travel on that day).

I've got an employee who's been with the company for 25+ years and watches the clock by the second. This person booked a really awkward/inconvenient flight so that the travel time is 15 hours instead of what could have been a 6 hour direct flight. The employee is raising cane because they aren't going to be paid for the 14 hours...only the 6 (inclusive of travel time to airport).

Further, she's taking two newer employees with her who she's coached to do the same thing. The more experienced employee was trying to scare me into caving, saying of the hours weren't paid, the newer employees wouldn't go on the cycle count. I meet with them today.

I think what's really happening here is that the experiences employee wants to get paid 8 hours of overtime for sitting on a plane.

I'm thinking about pulling up the direct flight options in the meeting with employees and asking them why they feel the need to make a 6 hour direct flight trip into a 14 hour one that requires getting up at 3AM.


How do yalls companies handle travel policy for hourly employees?