Working Time: travel to work
If an employee has a fixed place of work (such as an office they go to every day), their regular travel time to and from work does not usually count as working time.
Travel time while at work will usually count as working time, for example when travelling:
- from one client to the next
- from an office to a meeting elsewhere
If the employee has no fixed place of work - some jobs have no fixed place of work. These are often jobs where the employee spends a lot of time visiting customers or clients. People who do this work are sometimes known as 'peripatetic workers'.
Travel between home and work is likely to count as working time for peripatetic workers. This is because during this time, the person is classed as doing work for their employer – for example, the employer may change or add tasks.
When travel time counts as working time - the pay an employee gets depends on the terms of the employment contract. When calculating pay the employer must follow the law on the National Minimum Wage. It includes different rules on how working time affects minimum wage calculations.
Solution
- I. Rules on pay for travelling time.
We give the workers a choice – either they report to the office at the normal start time, then make their way to site [this is working time], or they may choose to travel directly to the site, but paid time from the normal start time.
- II. Mileage allowance and fuel
Fuel or mileage allowance is payable from the office to site and back, not from home to site.
Contract amendment [if needed], revised policy & procedure + communicate this with the workforce.
https://www.acas.org.uk/working-time-rules/working-time-for-someone-who-travels-for-their-job