Mandatory Work Meetings Scheduled Outside Normal Working Hours or Shift

There is a tendency to treat “normal” as meaning “set” or “required,” but if you look up its definition, it really only means “usual” or “typical.” That’s important to bear in mind in answering this question: an employee’s normal working hours are only his or her usual or typical ones, but they are not set in stone. An employer may change those hours, such as by requiring attendance at a mandatory meeting outside normal working hours …  at will. Monthly employee meetings can be beneficial for a team; if the organization tells you that you have to attend, you have to attend it—no matter when it is.

What are some exceptions?

There are, however, three limited exceptions:

1) if you have a contract (including a union agreement), setting your hours—the employer cannot make you work in violation of it;

2 ) if your industry or job is regulated by law as to hours, as is the case for doctors, pilots, and a few other professions, and the meeting falls outside the permitted hours; or

3) if attending the meeting would require you to violate sincerely held religious beliefs, such as if the meeting is during your weekly church service.

So in terms of whether you can be required to attend the staff meetings, the answer is “yes.” If you fail to attend, you may be terminated.

Do you have to be paid for attending mandatory meetings outside of your working hours?

Do you have the right to be paid for attending a mandatory meeting scheduled outside your normal working time?

It depends on your employee status. If you are hourly, you must be paid for all hours worked—including meetings, and including work (or meetings) falling outside your typical hours. And if you are hourly, you are almost certainly a “non-exempt” employee—that is, someone who can earn overtime—which means that if the meeting pushes you over 40 hours for the week, you will earn overtime.

Even if you are salaried, not hourly, you might be entitled to extra pay. Many salaried employees are “exempt”—that is, ineligible for overtime. If so, their weekly salary is their total compensation for all work done that week, including meetings outside normal working hours. However, while many salaried employees are exempt, not all are: some salaried employees are eligible to get overtime. To be exempt, the employee must earn at least $455.00 per week in salary and must meet one or more of the criteria for exemption, such as the executive exemption, the administrative employee exemption, or the professional exemption. (You can find these criteria on the U.S. Dept. of Labor website and should compare them to your job duties and authority.) If a salaried employee doesn’t earn enough per week, or does not meet at least one of the criteria for exemption, he or she is non-exempt. And if he or she is nonexempt, and works more than 40 hours in a week—i.e., attending a mandatory meeting—then the employee earns an overtime premium, or extra pay, for all time worked past 40 hours.

So an employer can make employee attendance mandatory at these types of meetings outside your normal working hours, but may have to pay you for doing so unlike meetings with voluntary attendance.

Case Studies: Mandatory Work Meetings Scheduled Outside Normal Working Hours or Shift

Case Study 1: The Contracted Employee

John, an hourly employee, works for a manufacturing company that occasionally holds mandatory meetings outside of regular working hours. Despite having a set schedule, John is informed that he must attend a meeting scheduled during his non-working hours. John consults his employee contract, which specifies his working hours and states that any work outside those hours should be compensated.

Armed with this knowledge, John asserts his right to be paid for the time spent attending the mandatory meeting outside his normal shift. The company complies with his request and ensures he receives the appropriate compensation.

Case Study 2: The Regulated Profession

Sarah, a licensed nurse, is employed by a healthcare facility that organizes mandatory meetings for all nursing staff. Due to the nature of their work, nurses have specific regulations regarding working hours. The facility schedules a meeting outside of the permitted hours for some nurses, including Sarah.

Sarah raises concerns about attending the meeting as it would violate the regulations governing her profession. The facility acknowledges the issue and reschedules the meeting to accommodate the nurses’ regulated working hours.

Case Study 3: The Salaried Employee

Alex is a salaried employee working in a marketing agency. The agency occasionally holds mandatory meetings outside of normal working hours. As a salaried employee, Alex is exempt from receiving overtime pay. However, the agency compensates salaried employees for attending meetings outside of their regular working hours. Alex appreciates the consideration and acknowledges the extra compensation received for attending such meetings.