A flat amount does not resolve every pay question

Being paid by the building, task or shift does not itself eliminate overtime rights. For covered, nonexempt employees, hours for the same employer generally must be considered together. Travel between assigned locations during the workday is different from an ordinary home-to-work commute.

  • List buildings visited and approximate arrival and departure times.
  • Keep task instructions, supply-pickup directions and pay records.
  • Identify the business that scheduled and supervised the work.

Document treatment at the customer site

If a customer’s employee makes discriminatory comments or unwelcome sexual advances, record what happened and whom you told at your own employer. Responsibility for nonemployee harassment can depend on employer knowledge, control and corrective action.

If you are removed from an assignment after reporting discrimination, preserve the report and the stated reason for removal. A contract change and a retaliatory reassignment require different factual explanations.

Common questions

What employees ask us

Does each customer location start a new overtime calculation?

Generally, moving between customer locations for the same employer does not reset the workweek. Multiple businesses or subcontracting arrangements can require closer review of who legally employs the worker.

Official information

Content updated October 21, 2026. General information; individual circumstances and applicable law matter.