Sometimes employees are scheduled to work a shift and then the shift is cancelled or shortened. In other situations employees are called in to work when they were not scheduled. Employees who report for work are paid for at least three hours work, or their full shift, whichever is less.

How much are employees paid for reporting to work?

Employees who work for three hours or more are paid their regular wage for all hours worked.

Employees scheduled to work three hours or more but work less than three hours are paid for three hours at their regular wage.

Employees scheduled to work less than three hours and who work their scheduled hours are paid their regular wage for all hours worked.

Employees scheduled to work less than three hours and who work less than their scheduled hours are entitled to their regular wage for the full scheduled hours.

Employees are scheduled to work five hours, but are sent home when they arrive at work. Are they paid for this shift?

Yes. The employees must receive three hours of pay at their regular wage for reporting for work.

Employees are scheduled to work five hours later this week, but the schedule changes and they are no longer working that shift. Are they paid for the shift?

No. Reporting pay only applies when employees report to work when requested or scheduled. When employees know or should know that a shift is canceled or changed, they are not entitled to reporting pay.

If a shift is scheduled for two hours, does this mean employees must be paid for three hours?

No. Employers can schedule shifts of less than three hours and pay employees for the hours scheduled.

Employees report for their two-hour shift, but are sent home after an hour because business was slow. What are they paid?

The employees are paid for their scheduled shift, which was two hours.

Employees are scheduled to work eight hours, but are sent home after five hours. What are they paid?

Since the employees worked more than the three hour minimum for reporting pay, they are paid for the five hours worked.

Is being "on-call" considered when calculating wages for reporting for work?

Yes, each time an employee is asked to report for work, this section applies. Employers can establish a schedule of how long a call will be. For example, an employer may "schedule" the length of a call to be 1 hour. The employee and the employer both know that for each call the employee will be paid for 1 hour of work. The call might take 15 minutes, or it might take the entire hour, either way the employee is paid for 1 hour.

If the calls regularly take longer than 1 hour the employee should be paid for the time spent working, or for 3 hours, whichever is greater.

Employees were supposed to have the day off, but are asked to come into work for one hour. What are they paid?

The employees are paid for one hour. Reporting pay protects employees from unknown changes after they report to work. In this case, the employees knew before reporting how long the shift would be, and agreed to come in. They are paid for the hours worked.

Employees are scheduled to work a six-hour day, but are asked to stay for an extra hour. Does reporting pay apply?

No. Since the shift is longer than three hours, and the employees worked more than three hours, reporting pay does not apply. The employees are paid for the hours worked. If the extra hours make the shift longer than eight hours in a day or more than 40 hours in a week, overtime will likely apply. Please see the Overtime page for more details.

For more information contact the Employment Standards Branch:

Phone:	204-945-3352; or toll free in Manitoba 1-800-821-4307
Fax:	204-948-3046
E-mail:	Employmentstandards@gov.mb.ca
Website:	www.manitoba.ca/labour/standards

This is a general overview and the information used is subject to change. For detailed information, please refer to current legislation including The Employment Standards Code and The Worker Recruitment and Protection Act, or contact the Employment Standards Branch to ask for advice.

Date Published: June 25, 2009