Skip to main content

e-Li: Electronic Library

Stand-By Time

Workers who are required to stand by their posts ready for duty, whether during lunch periods, during machinery breakdowns, or during other temporary work shut-downs, must be paid for this time. Such periods of time are usually of short duration and their occurrence is not predictable. Since the employee is controlled by the employer during these periods, and is not able to use the time for his or her own purposes, this is working time.