712 Training Compensation Guidelines

712.1 General

Whether time spent in training is compensable depends on:

1. The employee’s FLSA status (exempt or nonexempt).
2. The training category (job or self-development).
3. If the training occurs on or off the clock.

Compensable training time policies cover only FLSA nonexempt employees. The application of these concepts is explained in 438.

712.2 FLSA Considerations

712.21 Coverage

Compensable training time includes time spent in actual training and in all related study, practice, and laboratory time permitted by management.

712.22 Scheduling

Unless otherwise specified, all training programs delivered to FLSA nonexempt employees are designed and scheduled to conform to a training day of no more than 8 hours and a training week of no more than 5 consecutive workdays.

712.23 Disclaimer

Nothing in 712 is intended to make training compensable that is not otherwise required to be compensable according to FLSA.

712.24 Management Responsibilities

Management must inform each employee of all factors relevant to the training program that the employee is taking, such as the time allotted for the training, if supplemental training time is not available, and if removing training materials from Postal Service premises is prohibited.

712.25 Employee Responsibilities

Each employee must follow applicable rules and guidelines of training and employee development programs.