Entering And Leaving Work Policy

Office employees are to leave and enter the building through the non-secure employee entrance on the side of the building. At night use a “buddy” system for getting to your car or cab. Items of value should not be brought to work, as the Company cannot assume responsibility for them.

For those production and shipping employees who must enter through the guard shack, have your identification and articles ready for inspection. This will help speed the process of entering the building and the search procedure. The guards will inspect your purse, lunch box / bag and inside your coat or any other area without touching your person. If you are asked to step aside by the guard, please do so without incident. In some cases, individuals are taken aside by guards on a random basis as a deterrent to others who may think about removing company property without permission in the future.

Drafting Considerations

The following is background commentary for whoever is drafting or reviewing this policy -- not part of the operative policy above, and not something to publish as a rule employees are bound by.

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, time spent by non-exempt employees waiting for and undergoing routine security or loss-prevention screening when entering or leaving the workplace is generally not compensable "hours worked," per the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk, 574 U.S. 27 (2014), because such screening is not "integral and indispensable" to the employees' principal work activities. However, some states apply a different, broader test for compensable time under their own wage-and-hour laws, so employers should confirm state-specific treatment before relying on the federal standard to withhold pay for time spent in this process.