can after-hours event be required? by Alison Green on October 26, 2008 A reader writes: Our company has a quarterly all-hands meeting that informs the employees of the financial status, what’s coming up, etc. There is a happy hour afterward at a different location than the meeting, usually at a local bar/restaurant. Can a manager require employees to attend an “after hours” function once a quarter? Yes. Although if you’re non-exempt, you would need to be paid for the time. Now, is it smart? Maybe not. If it inconveniences some employees (by requiring them to make special child-care arrangements, miss an evening class, etc.) or just annoys them, it’s probably smarter and more considerate to plan the event for during the regular work day. But this isn’t that unusual of a practice. You may also like:can my employer dock my time off when I work less than 40 hours if I'm salaried?how companies can throw holiday parties people actually want to attendconference schedules are too F'ing long { Comments Off on can after-hours event be required? }