Working time before and after work is paid time

Many retailers require employees to be present before their store opens for a quick overview of the day ahead and some are often required to stay after hours at the end of the day for cashing up, or while the last customers make their way out of the store. Employees are often not paid for the extra 10 – 15 minutes at either end of the day.

A recent Employment Court case against a national furniture store held that where employees were expected to attend morning meetings before work each day, they were entitled to be paid for this time. The retailer unsuccessfully argued that this time was not considered "work" for the purposes of the Minimum Wage Act 1983 and that they had no obligation to pay employees for these meetings.