The Workday Mobile App and Off-the-Clock Work: Which Hourly Tasks Are Compensable Under the FLSA

Off-the-clock work in the Workday mobile app is an FLSA problem for only some tasks, and the line between them is easy to draw. Checking a pay slip or viewing next week’s schedule on a Sunday is not compensable work. Finishing a required safety module from the couch, or answering a supervisor’s task notification at 9 p.m., is.

for Workday

Workday, Built Your Way

Customize Workday without changing your core HCM.

Get Started

Those last two create Fair Labor Standards Act exposure for hourly employers, because the app makes them easy and nothing records the time. CloudApper adds a layer alongside Workday that moves the work part of mobile self-service back onto paid time.

What Workday Handles Natively

The Workday mobile app gives hourly workers pay slips, schedules, time off, tasks and learning on their own phones. Admins control which security groups can use mobile access through authentication policies and security configuration. For many organizations the app is the only way self-service reaches the frontline, since email notifications rarely reach hourly employees.

Where Off-the-Clock Exposure Starts

Under 29 CFR 785.13, work an employer suffers or permits is paid time, and a written rule against it is not enough. Management has to enforce the rule. The Department of Labor’s Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-5 adds that employers must pay for work they know or have reason to know about. The app creates that knowledge, because every completed task carries a timestamp. Three patterns show up most:

• Required training assigned with a due date and completed at home, which is the problem behind tracking compliance training for frontline workers.
• Onboarding forms new hires finish on their phones before day one, a common workaround when onboarding tasks stall for frontline new hires.
• Hourly leads approving time or answering inbox tasks after their shift, the same pressure covered in Workday time approvals.

What to Configure in Workday First

Keep pay slips, schedules and balances on mobile, and review which business process steps give hourly workers tasks that take real time. Give training and onboarding tasks paid time blocks, or a time entry code workers use when they complete them. Publish a reporting procedure for any work done off the clock, as FAB 2020-5 describes, and don’t let managers discourage it. Compare task completion timestamps with punch data to find work done outside paid hours.

Where Native Controls Stop

Workday can restrict mobile access or tell workers to log off-clock tasks, but it can’t make the required work happen while the worker is on paid time. Shutting off mobile access just pushes workers back to unread email. This is where CloudApper puts task completion on paid time at the site instead of on a personal phone at home.

How CloudApper Keeps Required Tasks on Paid Time

CloudApper hrPad for Workday puts required training, onboarding forms and acknowledgments on a kiosk next to the time clock. Workers complete them while punched in, and completion writes back to Workday with a timestamp inside a paid shift. The phone keeps view-only access to pay slips for hourly workers and schedules, which carries no wage exposure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is checking the Workday app off the clock compensable work?

for Workday

Workday, Built Your Way

Unlock more value from Workday with AI-powered extensions.

Get Started

Viewing pay slips or schedules usually isn’t. Completing required tasks such as training, forms or approvals generally is work time for nonexempt employees.

for Workday

Workday, Built Your Way

Extend Workday with AI, automation, and custom workflows.

Explore Solutions

Q: Do I have to pay hourly employees for training completed at home?

Required, job-related training is generally compensable under the FLSA, even when completed outside scheduled hours.

Q: Is a policy against off-the-clock work enough?

No. Under 29 CFR 785.13, management must enforce the rule, not just publish it.

for Workday

Workday, Built Your Way

Make Workday work smarter with AI-powered employee experiences.

Learn More

Q: What does DOL Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-5 say?

Employers must pay for work they know or have reason to know about, and a reasonable reporting procedure for unscheduled time helps meet that duty.

Q: Can I restrict hourly workers’ Workday mobile access?

Yes. Authentication policies and security configuration can limit mobile access by security group.

for Workday

Workday, Built Your Way

Add employee self-service and AI automation to Workday.

See How

Q: How do I find tasks completed off the clock in Workday?

Compare business process completion timestamps with time punches for nonexempt workers.

Q: How can frontline workers complete required tasks on paid time?

Schedule paid time blocks, or provide an onsite kiosk used while punched in.

If your hourly workers are finishing required Workday tasks at home, talk to the CloudApper team about moving that work back onto paid time, alongside Workday.