volunteering time
GLC
174 Posts
Question 1:
We have monthly board meetings and we have opened the meetings up for our line staff to attend, if they would like to attend one of the meetings. We have lunch. Yesterday we had one of those meetings. One of the staff that attended yesterday was non-exempt and wants to paid for the hour since she said she was at a business meeting. My question is this. This was a voluntary meeting that she did not have to attend. She wanted to attend so she could see what goes on in a Board meeting. Should she be paid under the wage and hour rules, if it was voluntary?
Question 2:
We often have fundraising events and need volunteers. Some of those volunteers are non-exempt. Some of them work in the fundraising dept. and some do not. I've always told our managers that they need to pay the non-exempt staff, because they are doing volunteer work that benefits the agency. Are there any circumstances
where we would not have to pay them?
We have monthly board meetings and we have opened the meetings up for our line staff to attend, if they would like to attend one of the meetings. We have lunch. Yesterday we had one of those meetings. One of the staff that attended yesterday was non-exempt and wants to paid for the hour since she said she was at a business meeting. My question is this. This was a voluntary meeting that she did not have to attend. She wanted to attend so she could see what goes on in a Board meeting. Should she be paid under the wage and hour rules, if it was voluntary?
Question 2:
We often have fundraising events and need volunteers. Some of those volunteers are non-exempt. Some of them work in the fundraising dept. and some do not. I've always told our managers that they need to pay the non-exempt staff, because they are doing volunteer work that benefits the agency. Are there any circumstances
where we would not have to pay them?
Comments
Question 2. Not sure. I would use the 'Relay for Life' example. Employees volunteer to be on a team to raise funds. They are a team sponsored by the employer; however, not doing any compensable work for the employer. These volunteers do not qualify for pay under FLSA. Since your employees are acting to benefit your agency, you might have to pay them.
Question #2: Non-exempt employees working fundraisers that benefit the employer should be paid. Relay for Life events, United Way campaigns, etc, are voluntary events that do not benefit the employer. However, if participation in those events is "mandated" by the employer, the employer gets to pay for it. Its a fine line, like when you have employees to "volunteer" to coordinate and work at company picnics etc. Technically, they should be paid; but in general practice they are not.
While this practice covers our rear ends with respect to not paying these staff, it has caused turnout to decrease. We have had to recruit more volunteers from the community for many of our events.
what are they volunteering to do? its almost the same scenario for fund-raising. do these events take place during the work hours? if so, then volunteers need to be paid. again, are they performing a different function for which they volunteered. when you ask for volunteers do your memos state "that time volunteered is unpaid?" otherwise, i interpret this to mean they have only volunteered to do different work, they have not volunteered to do work free!
James Sokolowski
HRhero.com