Until just recently, reporting time pay was required only when an employee actually showed up to the worksite. However, a recent case has significantly expanded the reporting time pay requirement to apply even if an employee doesn’t physically report for work.
In this case, a California court of appeal analyzed the meaning of “reporting” to work under Wage Order 7; it held that an employee can “report for work” under the Wage Orders when the employer requires an employee to call in two hours before a scheduled shift to find out whether the employer will need the employee to work that shift (Ward v. Tilly’s, Inc., 31 Cal.App.5th 1167 (2019)).
An employee reports for work as scheduled or at your request but is not put to work or is given less than half of the hours he/she was scheduled for or usually worked. In this case, you must pay reporting time pay. You must pay the employee for at least half of the hours he/she was scheduled for or usually worked, but never less than two hours pay and never more than four hours pay. Reporting time pay must be paid at the employee’s regular rate of pay, which can never be less than the minimum wage.
