Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 839 - BUREAU OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIES
Division 20 - RULES REGULATING MINIMUM WAGE, OVERTIME AND WORKING CONDITIONS
Section 839-020-0044 - Lectures, Meetings and Training Programs

(1) Attendance at lectures, meetings, training programs and similar activities need not be counted as work time if the following four criteria are met:

(2) Involuntary attendance: Attendance is not voluntary if it is required by the employer. It is not voluntary in fact, if the employee is given to understand or led to believe that the employee's present working conditions or the continuance of the employee's employment would be adversely affected by non-attendance.

(3) Training is directly related to an employee's job if it is designed to make the employee handle the employee's job more effectively as distinguished from training the employee for another job or teaching the employee a new additional skill in the same job.

(4) Independent training is time spent by the employee on the employee's own initiative attending an independent school, college, or independent trade school after hours. Time spent in this activity is not considered hours worked for an employer even if the courses are related to the employee's job.

(5) Special situations: There are special situations where the time spent in attending lectures, training sessions and courses of instruction is not regarded as hours worked. For example, an employer may establish for the benefit of its employees a program of instruction, which corresponds to courses offered by independent bona fide institutions of learning. Voluntary attendance by an employee at such courses outside of working hours would not be hours worked even if they are directly related to his job, or paid for by the employer.

(6) Time spent in an organized program of related, supplemental instruction by employees working under bona fide apprenticeship programs may be excluded from working time if the following criteria are met:

(7) Time spent in required training outside regular working hours at specialized or follow up training which is required for certification of employees by any law or ordinance does not constitute compensable hours of work. The time spent in training as provided in this subsection is not compensable, even if all or part of the cost of training is borne by the employer.