Can my employer require me to carpool with someone else instead of taking my own vehicle?
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Can my employer require me to carpool with someone else instead of taking my own vehicle?
I work in our Sioux Falls office and we’re doing required team building meetings in our Des Moines office for three days. I want to take my own vehicle so that I have the ability to come and go as I choose after work hours without the added expense and inconvenience of having to use public transportation, which takes much longer and generally becomes a deterrent for any after hours activities away from my hotel. Can they legally tell me that I can’t use my own vehicle for this trip, given that I’m not being paid for anything after my normal work hours while we’re in Des Moines?
Asked on May 24, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, South Dakota
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
The fact is that in an "at will" employment relationship, a company can set the conditions of the workplace much as it sees fit, absent some form of legally actionable discrimination. This includes the action that you describe. This is true unless an employment contract or union agreement provides otherwise. For your part, you can either accept this condition, ignore it but risk termination, or quit.
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