Are staffing firms liable for employees’ interview time?

A judge in California has ruled against Kelly Services, claiming it must pay for time spent in job-placement interviews. The defendant argued that she was not compensated for time spent preparing and traveling to and from four interviews with three Kelly Services clients. The judge rejected Kelly’s defense, which claimed that its applicants attend interviews voluntarily and for their own benefit.

Although the judge agreed that travel and debriefing time were not worthy of compensation, it found that Kelly must compensate its employees for their time spent interviewing.