Los Angeles Off-the-Clock Work Attorneys

What Counts as “Off-the-Clock” Work?

California defines off-the-clock work as any work that a non-exempt employee performs without compensation. This applies to both salaried and hourly work in all industries.

Employers often disguise unpaid work as minor tasks or standard procedures, counting on employees to overlook the lost time. However, California law generally classifies these activities as compensable labor.

Some of the most common examples of off-the-clock work include:

• Pre-shift preparation. This can include tasks like putting on uniforms, gathering necessary safety equipment, or booting up complex computer systems before your paid shift starts. Employers frequently demand this "donning and preparing" time without clocking you in, yet this preparation constitutes essential work duties that require payment.
• Post-shift duties. Your workday should end the moment you clock out, but managers often demand further action before letting you leave. This includes cleaning workstations, waiting in line for security bag checks, or staying late until a relief worker arrives, all of which represent compensable time that you must claim.
• Working through meal or rest breaks. California law grants non-exempt employees unpaid meal periods after a certain number of consecutive hours worked, but some workplaces ignore this mandate. If you answer phones, respond to emails, or monitor equipment while eating at your desk, you remain on duty, and the law entitles you to regular pay for that time plus a premium penalty. Similarly, non-exempt employees are entitled to paid, uninterrupted rest breaks after a certain number of hours worked. Your employer cannot require you to work during these breaks.
• Digital communications. Modern communication tools can blur the line between work and home, leading supervisors to contact staff via text, email, or messaging apps after hours. When your boss expects you to read, process, or respond to these messages while off duty, you are engaging in off-the-clock work and are usually owed compensation for that time.
• Travel and errands. Commuting to and from your worksite typically falls outside paid time, but you must generally be compensated for running specific errands for your employer, even if they occur outside normal work hours. Picking up supplies, delivering bank deposits, or traveling between different work sites at your employer's direction typically counts as time that requires full compensation.
• Mandatory meetings, training sessions, or events. Employers may try to label training sessions or safety meetings as "voluntary" or schedule them outside regular hours to avoid paying wages. If the employer requires your attendance, or if the meeting directly relates to your job performance, we usually treat that time as hours worked that belong on your paycheck.
• Administrative tasks. Managers frequently expect employees to review schedules, complete end-of-day paperwork, or lock up the business before or after the official shift block. These administrative duties benefit the employer directly and consist of labor that requires proper payment.
• Redoing or correcting work. Managers sometimes demand that you fix mistakes or redo projects outside of your scheduled hours, claiming you do not deserve pay for correcting your own errors. California law rejects this premise. If your employer permits the work to happen, they must compensate you for the time it takes to complete the task, regardless of the reason or their assessment of your performance.