Field Service Technician: When does the clock start?
Q. I am a Field Service Technician and must call in each day from home to get my day’s schedule. Am I on the clock from this point on?
A. The question of whether initial activities start the clock has been a hot issue with field service technicians.
If a field service tech must start their day at home with a call to obtain that day’s schedule, they are on the clock at that point, and all time until the end of the day must be paid. That includes traveling to the first job of the day, which for most employees would be unpaid commuting time. This is one of the many overtime rules that too often go ignored.
