HR Tip: Failure to pay for pre-shift work can be costly

A recent settlement in a class-action lawsuit, Tompkins v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, is a reminder to all employers about the obligation to pay for pre-shift work under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state laws. A federal court approved a $775,000 settlement for Farmers Insurance's alleged failure to compensate auto claims representatives, appraisers, and adjusters in several states for pre-shift work.

The alleged unpaid activities included starting up computers and accessing Farmers' software applications, obtaining daily assignments, determining the locations the workers would need to visit, mapping routes, contacting customers and auto repair facilities, downloading required forms and gathering paperwork, as well as traveling to the workers' first appointments of the day. The settlement, which was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, granted both the FLSA collective action and state law class claims and covers nearly 400 current and former employees.

Employers are reminded that activities before the official time a shift begins are compensable if they include tasks the worker is employed to perform or are an "integral and indispensable part of" the job and include mandatory pre-shift meetings. Employers should review policies and practices regarding compensation for pre- and post-shift work, as well as educate managers about the wage laws that require payment for all hours worked.