Can an employer make you take online training courses that take hours to complete, off the clock?
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Can an employer make you take online training courses that take hours to complete, off the clock?
My employer says I have to take online training classes every month and some of these classes take 2-3 hours to complete. My employer says I have to do this on my own time, or I will get written up. Is this legal?
Asked on April 12, 2018 under Employment Labor Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
No, it is not legal. ANYTHING the employer mandates or requires you do, during normal working hours or after your typical shift, at the workplace elsewhere, is work and--if you are an hourly employee--you must be paid for it. (If you are salaried, they do not have to pay you: a salaried employee's salary is the total compensation he/she gets for all work he/she does, no matter when he/she does it or what it is.) The fact that the employer requires it is what makes this work: work is what your employer makes you do for its purposes or benefit.
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