Do we need to pay employees for voluntary, fun events where no work is performed?
Emily Thoman, Insurance Benefits Expert
Chapter President at Human Resource Professionals of Central PA Chapter
You are not required to pay non-exempt employees (those paid by the hour and entitled to overtime) for time spent at company functions when attendance is completely voluntary, no work is performed, the event occurs outside of regular working hours, and the event is not job-related. If these conditions are met, no pay is needed for non-exempt employees.
Exempt employees (those not entitled to overtime) do not need to be paid extra for time spent attending a company function. They should be paid their usual salary whether or not they attend the voluntary function.
(Content taken from HR Support newsletter March 20,2019)