Ask the Lawyer received the following question (paraphrased for easier reading and clarity) from a reader on a legal matter that might be of interest to the entire audience.
Q:
Sometimes I travel to a TDY location that is four hours away. My supervisor says that I have to start work on my travel day to complete the eight-hour workday. Is this correct or am I allowed to stop for lunch, check into my hotel, and clean up? I always thought that the sole purpose of a travel day was for travel. Could you please clarify this?
A:
Whether on travel or reporting to your normal duty location, a Federal employee is required to complete their normal tour of duty. Thus, in your case, your manager correctly requires you to report to your temporary duty station after four hours of travel time in order to complete your normal tour of duty. Of course, just as with a tour of duty at your regular duty station, you would likewise be entitled to a lunch break and other reasonable personal breaks.
Bill Bransford is managing partner of Shaw Bransford & Roth PC.
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1 Comment
Frequently I drove to Lakehurst, NJ in four hours or less on TDY. My work day continued as soon as I got there often past the normal duty hours, 0700-1530 in those days. I checked in to my hotel after work with late arrival confirmation. Nobody told me to do this. I thought it was SOP even though I was new to Navy/NAVAIR. In later years on TDY to Brussels/NATO, we met with our US delegation after arriving from an overnight flight of eight hours.