The best answer to last week's Quick Quiz is, "No", it is not likely that Alan's time between calls would be found to be worktime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

The idle time during which an otherwise off-duty employee is available to be called upon to do something might or might not be compensable FLSA "hours worked", depending upon the situation. Generally, the question is whether this idle time while "on call" is spent predominantly for the employer's benefit as opposed to the employee's. The answer usually turns upon the extent to which the employee is able to use the time effectively for personal purposes.