As a non-profit paying employees hourly wages, am I required to pay staff for training and events outside of work hours?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
As a non-profit paying employees hourly wages, am I required to pay staff for training and events outside of work hours?
We are a non-profit organization working towards out 501c3 and I would like to require my employees who are paid hourly to attend a few of the events that we schedule throughout the year. My board member wanted me to check with a lawyer to see what the state law is. As a new non-profit money is tight so here we are.
Asked on June 21, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Idaho
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Unfortunately, if you require your staff to attend these events, you have to pay them for their time--anything required by an employer, for the employer's benefit, is considered "work." If they are salaried staff, of course, you would not have to pay them extra for attending events; and as for hourly staff, like those you write about, if attendence is not mandatory, then you would not have to pay the staff if they choose to go (even if you elected to pay any admissions or cover charge). Also note, as long as you provide notice of the following in advance you may do it: employers may set different wages for different aspects of a job, and it would be legal to pay hourly staff at minimum wage (rather than their normal rate) for their time at these events--again, so long as you provide notice of that to the staff prior to their going.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.